J.P Valadares

J.P Valadares enters his third season as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.

Last season Valadares helped guide the Hawkeyes to the program’s first ever appearance in the Sweet 16. Iowa was ranked in the top 25 throughout the season, finishing 11th in the NCAA RPI and 12th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The team posted a 15-3-4 record, including an 8-2-1 record in Big Ten Conference play to finish in third place, tying a program record.

A set piece specialist, Valadares’ plays were fundamental for Iowa’s success. The set plays amassed a total of 12 goals scored and zero goals against.  The Hawkeyes have scored a total of 20 goals in the two seasons Valdares has been in charge of set pieces.  Two of the strikes came in the NCAA Tournament, including one that punched Iowa’s ticket to the Sweet 16.

Goalkeeper Macy Enneking flourished under Valadares, becoming the first Iowa player to be nominated to the Hermann Trophy Watch List -- the highest award for a women’s soccer player in the country. Enneking was also named a Player to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches, marking a program first.

Enneking was selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament team for the third time in her career following her six-save performance against Washington. She is the only Hawkeye with multiple selections to the team. Enneking finished her career as Iowa's all-time wins and shutouts leader. Twenty-five of her shutouts came under Valadares’ tutelage. Enneking had 33.5 career shutouts to rank in the Big Ten record books.

Iowa's defense allowed just 12 goals in 2024, breaking the previous program record by four goals. The Hawkeyes had 12 shutouts, one shy of the school-record 13 shutouts posted in 2023. Enneking’s goals against average of .541 ranked 12th in the nation and she was tied for seventh nationally in shutouts. 

The Iowa Soccer Complex was the place to be in 2024, averaging a program record 1,479 fans per game. The Hawkeyes attendance ranked 13th in the country and second amongst Big Ten programs.

In his first season, Valadares guided Iowa to the second Big Ten Tournament title in program history. The Hawkeyes downed three ranked opponents for the first time during the postseason run.

Under Valadares’ guidance in 2023, Enneking tied for fifth in the nation in shutouts, posting 12.5 clean sheets -- a school record. She became one of four players in program history selected to the first-team All-North Region team and was an Big Ten All-Tournament team selection. Enneking earned Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week (Sept. 5) and Big Ten honoree on Oct. 3.

Iowa finished 13-5-4 overall in 2023, including a 6-0-1 nonconference start and a 3-4-3 record in conference play. Iowa went 3-2-1 against ranked competition. The Hawkeyes earned the eighth and final seed to the Big Ten Tournament by a single point in the league standings before downing No. 12 Michigan State (2-1), No. 5 Penn State (1-0) and No. 12 Wisconsin (1-0) en route to their second trophy in four seasons. Iowa was the lowest seed in Big Ten history to win the conference tournament. 

After winning the tournament crown, Iowa ascended to its highest major national ranking in program history, jumping to No. 14 in the College Soccer News poll and No. 17 by Top Drawer Soccer. Iowa finished the regular season at 30th in the RPI, earning a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawkeyes produced the second NCAA Tournament win in program history with a victory over Bucknell, 2-0. The match was played before a program-record crowd of 2,639 at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The program fell in the Round of 32 to fourth-seeded Georgia, 3-2, at Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina. 

The Hawkeye defense earned a program record 13 shutouts during the season. Iowa outscored opponents, 36-17, with stifling advantages in shots (307-164) and shots on goal (149-75). 

Fifth-year Samantha Cary was named second-team All-Big Ten, freshman Sofia Bush was named to the All-Freshman team and redshirt junior Zoë Bessert earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. In the classroom, five Hawkeyes were named CSC Academic-All District, a program record.

Valadares joined the program after three seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Miss. During his time with the Golden Eagles, the program never missed a conference tournament, won the first regular season title in school history and reached the conference tournament final for the second time in the program's history. Southern Miss finished No. 37 in the RPI in the 2021 season -- the program's highest RPI to date. 

With a vast knowledge of the South American recruiting landscape, Valadares recruited Ilana Izquierdo to Hattiesburg.  She led the team in scoring as a freshman with seven goals and seven assists in 2021, was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was a first-team All-Conference USA selection.

During the 2023 season, Valadares served as the acting head coach for one game against No. 9 Ole Miss. He led the Golden Eagles to a draw in the game, which is the best result for Southern Miss in series history. 

Valadares was the first goalkeepers coach to lead the team to back-to-back seasons with a save percentage of .800 or higher. In 2022, the Golden Eagles set a program record with a .860 save percentage.

Over his first two seasons, the Golden Eagles posted a 0.95 goals against average, an improvement from 1.38 goals against over the previous three years. Valadares coached his keepers to a school record 0.83 goals against average during the 2021 season.

Valadares was the third coach in C-USA history to guide multiple goalkeepers to conference Goalkeeper of the Week recognition during the same season. Kendell Mindnich earned multiple weekly honors, while being named All-C-USA and an C-USA All-Tournament team selection.

Before making the move to Southern Miss, Valadares spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the goalkeepers coach for the Pearl River Community College men’s and women’s soccer programs.

During his stint at PRCC, Valadares helped develop some of the top goalkeepers in the MACJC. Across both teams, Valadares goalkeepers tabbed four conference weekly awards and one All-Region XXIII selection. Two of his goalkeepers moved on to play in higher levels following the junior college route. Paige Horsnell turned professional in England, and Maddux Francis joined the North Carolina State men's team in the ACC.

Both the men’s and women’s teams advanced to the conference semifinals in both of his two seasons at Pearl River.

Valadares has served as director of goalkeepers for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in Mississippi and also was part of the ODP South Region staff.

Prior to coaching, Valadares was a decorated collegiate and youth player. He competed for William Carey University during the 2011, leading the Crusaders to the 2011 NAIA Final Four.

At the youth level, Valadares played for the America Futebol Clube’s U17 & U16 team, which was at the time a first division club in Brazil.

A Brazil native, Valadares returned home to attend law school at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, after his freshman season at William Carey. In 2014, he returned to William Carey to finish his bachelor’s degree.

Valadares holds coaching licenses from U.S Soccer, CONMEBOL, English F.A, FAW, United Soccer Coaches, and most recently turned into a Set Piece Specialist with MBP School of Coaching.

Valadares has a master's of education in sports administration from William Carey University. He is married to Gillian Valadares.