Alex Covelo

Alex Covelo Lafita (born 19 May 1978), is a Spanish football coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Covelo and the second or maternal family name is Lafita.
Alex Covelo
Personal information
Full name Alex Covelo Lafita[1]
Date of birth (1978-05-19) 19 May 1978[1]
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Sant Andreu
Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Hospitalet Atlètic
1998–1999 Hospitalet
1999 Cornellà
1999–2001 Europa
2001–2004 Premià
Managerial career
2013–2014 San Marino Calcio (assistant)
2014 San Marino Calcio
2016–2017 Atlètic Sant Just
2017 Sabadell (youth)
2022 San Jose Earthquakes II
2022 San Jose Earthquakes (interim)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia,[2] Covelo played for the youth sides of UE Sant Andreu and FC Barcelona.[3] He made his senior debut with CE L'Hospitalet's reserve team CE L'Hospitalet Atlètic before being promoted to the first team for the 1998–99 season.[4]

Covelo subsequently represented Tercera División sides UE Cornellà, CE Europa and CE Premià.[5]

Coaching career

While playing for Premià, Covelo also worked as a fitness coach for CF Badalona. He was under the same role at Greek side Aris Thessaloniki FC during the 2006–07 season before returning to his previous club.[6]

Covelo joined RCD Espanyol's Juvenil A side in 2008, as a fitness coach. He left in July 2013, and joined Fernando de Argila's staff at San Marino Calcio, as his assistant.[7]

On 16 May 2014, Covelo was appointed manager of San Marino,[8] but was sacked on 10 November after 12 matches.[9] After working as a football instructor for a period, he took over hometown side Atlètic Sant Just in 2016.

In January 2017, Covelo was named in charge of CE Sabadell FC's Juvenil squad, but left the side on 13 April.[10] Twelve days later, he was hired as a Director of Methodology at Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes.[11]

Covelo also worked as an assistant coach of the Quakes on two different occasions, under interim managers Chris Leitch and Steve Ralston in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Ahead of the 2022 season, he was named manager of San Jose Earthquakes II as the club started a team to play in the MLS Next Pro.[12]

On 19 April 2022, after Argentine coach Matias Almeyda left the team on mutual consent,[13] Covelo was appointed interim coach of the team.[1][13] Despite the appointment of Luchi Gonzalez as the new head coach on 17 August, it was announced that Covelo would remain as an interim until the end of the season.

References
  1. "Alex Covelo". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  2. "El santjustenc Àlex Covelo, el cervell metodològic dels Earthquakes de San José" [The santjustenc Àlex Covelo, the methodologic brain of San Jose Earthquakes] (in Catalan). Exterior. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  3. "Método" [Method] (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. "L'Hospitalet se muda y confía en su cantera" [L'Hospitalet move and trust in their youth setup] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 25 August 1998. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  5. "Premià sigue confiando en Salvador M. Rabassa" [Premià keep trusting on Salvador M. Rabassa] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 4 July 2002. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  6. "MLS. La era Álex Covelo empieza a lo grande" [MLS. The Álex Covelo era begin through the big door] (in Spanish). Migrantes del Balón. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  7. "Pacte d'integració amb la comunitat xinesa" [Integration agreement with the Chinese community] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  8. "Ufficiale: Alex Covelo è il nuovo allenatore del San Marino" [Official: Alex Covelo is the new manager of San Marino] (in Italian). News Rimini. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  9. "San Marino, esonerato Covelo. Squadra a Tazzioli" [San Marino, Covelo sacked. Squad to Tazzioli] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  10. "Álex Covelo decideix no continuar al capdavant del juvenil del Sabadell" [Álex Covelo decides not to continue ahead of the juvenil of Sabadell] (in Catalan). Ràdio Sabadell. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  11. "NEWS: Earthquakes Hire Alex Covelo as Director of Methodology". San Jose Earthquakes. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  12. "NEWS: Earthquakes Unveil Second Team Information". Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  13. mlssoccer. "San Jose Earthquakes part ways with head coach Matias Almeyda". mlssoccer. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
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