Eric Solberg Talks About Future Plans

Eric Solberg doesn't get emotional that much.

He holds everything in and doesn't let that side out until it is appropriate.

That time came when he announced his retirement as the Fresno City College men's soccer coach after 27 seasons.

"I'm just tired, a little bit of two sports," Solberg said. "A combination of practicing 1 to 3 and then 3:30 to 6 every day. I think people sometimes mistakenly don't understand that baseball is a year-round sport. It's not like other sports, where you have a month off or a month and a half. Baseball is every single day."

While Solberg said he is retiring, he plans to remain as an assistant under Rams baseball coach and his son-in-law, Mitch Karrarker, who took over for Ron Scott in 2022.

Solberg will never forget about soccer, though. He put his mark on the Rams' program since taking over in 1999. He led the Rams to 20 Central Valley Conference titles and, most importantly, two state titles in 2017 and 2019.

Solberg, 62, was named the National Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2018 by the United Soccer Coaches of America.

His success in soccer should come as no surprise. He played soccer at Bullard High School and got a scholarship. Yet, he ended up playing baseball at Fresno State and was in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Solberg's love for soccer never diminished.

He spent almost 30 years in the sport as a coach, referee, player, and administrator, he said.

It is one of the reasons why he chose to be the Rams coach and was happy to be the man in charge of the program.

Solberg reflected on his time and felt it was time to go.

"I just think it's time to get somebody new and younger in here," he said.