Ljupco "Raki" Kmetovski: The Coach Behind OL Reign’s Goalkeeper Corps
It's 7:30 a.m., nearly three hours before OL Reign’s morning training session is scheduled to begin at Starfire Sports Complex. The morning is still crisp as goalkeeper coach Ljupco "Raki" Kmetovski is one of the first to arrive to the facility. Immediately, he begins to gather gear from the equipment room to place around the practice field, which is still a little wet from the light Seattle showers that rolled through the night before.
Once the field is prepared for the morning ahead, he makes a shot of espresso, sits in the coaches’ office and begins to review the training agenda for the day.
To many, Raki flies under the radar. His reserved and humble nature shines through in all he does, despite the praise thrown at the OL Reign’s goalkeeping corps. The group of three young goalkeepers – Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Claudia Dickey and Laurel Ivory, has amassed a combined 18 clean sheets across all NWSL competitions since 2022. OL Reign is the only club in 2023 to have three goalkeepers make an appearance and earn a clean sheet.
This undoubtedly talented group has thrived under the expertise of Raki, who is in his fifth season with the Reign. An accomplished coach and player, the Macedonian has been a goalkeeper for as long as he can remember.
He boasts 15 years of professional soccer experience, though he’s been playing the game much longer than that. As a coach, he holds a UEFA “A” License and a UEFA “Pro” goalkeeper license. Prior to his role for OL Reign, he served as the Director of Goalkeeping for the Football Federation of Macedonia, where he was responsible for overseeing the goalkeeping coaches for the Macedonia National Team.
His journey to joining the Reign was certainly not planned, but after a phone call from Vlatko Andonovski, former Reign head coach and current U.S. Women’s National Team coach, he saw the move to Seattle as a great opportunity to continue his coaching career. A family man through and through, Raki’s wife and children made the move to Seattle with him.
At the core of Raki’s coaching style and philosophy is the firm belief that there is always room to improve, no matter what age a goalkeeper is or how far into their career they are. As a coach, he believes that his responsibility is to recognize the areas that need improvement for each individual and then work to address them through hard work, discipline, commitment and shared goals.
“I break down the position and the situation that the keepers can find themselves in. I like to cover the smallest details in training and video analysis. I feel like I have a very good relationship with the goalkeepers and a great understanding that everything we do is to help them become the best version of themselves," said Raki.
"It's different than anything I've done, but it's also more technical than anything I've ever had, so it's different. Most coaches just catch a ball a million times, whereas Raki does footwork, just things that a lot of U.S. goalkeeper [coaches] would never have us do and I think that's what makes us all better in a lot of ways. It's something that we've never done. It's bringing a different part to our game and that's what helps us a lot,” added Dickey.
The care and thought that Raki puts into his coaching methods at every training session is clear to all of the goalkeepers at the Reign. He goes beyond technique and engages each player as an individual and a human being, not just a goalkeeper.
“I would describe Raki as the craziest, most selfless man,” said Ivory. “He always tries to find the fun in every single thing we do but at the same time with a very serious tone because he tries to mimic a game as much as possible. Anything can happen in a game, so he wants anything that can happen in a training session – he wants us to get really used to unpredictable things and he makes it so fun. He's a really great guy."
"He's a very honest, caring guy - you know that he takes care of all his goalkeepers equally. I've been here for two and a half seasons now and there have been a cycle of goalkeepers and just each one, he takes care of us, just like his daughter that he has. So, that's also just a special connection that all of us have with him. His goalkeeping style, he definitely takes into account all of our differences as goalkeepers and then works to improve each of us individually. He's always willing to go that extra mile and do those extra minutes and extra trainings to help us really achieve whatever goal each of us has," said Tullis-Joyce.
“Even just today, just before training, he asked each of us individually, 'When is the last time you called your parents?' He's quizzing us on that to make sure each day we're keeping into account that we're still living a life. We have our job and our job to do, but we also have our family around us that should be most important for us, and he definitely reminds me of that constantly,” added Tullis-Joyce.
Another key aspect of the way Raki coaches, is letting the goalkeepers be themselves. At training, it’s important to him to always try to do something special or a little bit funny to support the goalkeepers and alleviate some of the pressure they may be feeling. His caring and humorous personality is a key part of what makes Raki, Raki.
“I always try to push them to feel freedom on the training session or the game, everything. I will always try to push them to enjoy the practice and in the game the same. I don't want to put too much pressure for the goalkeepers. They're very competitive and they set high standards and goals for themselves. My job is just to help them achieve those goals," said Raki.
For the young group of goalkeepers at the Reign, this philosophy is something that makes a huge difference navigating the pressures of being a professional athlete each day.
“Honestly, he is constantly reminding us to just have fun, especially when we're given an opportunity to just take the pressure off. We've been training so hard for so long that now it's just time for us to enjoy it. I think he brings so much joy into our training sessions that it's so easy to translate and just find the joy in playing a game and not have so much pressure on our shoulders and he takes a lot of that pressure off. I think that's one of the greatest things a coach can do, and he does a really, really good job of it," said Ivory.
From the second he arrives at the training facility, Raki’s attention to detail is a trait that sets him apart as a coach. He notes that at every game, training and film session, there are moments to watch for as a goalkeeper coach, even when the ball is nowhere near the goalkeeper.
“Just because the ball isn't in front of the goal, doesn't mean that we are not looking at the goalkeeper. She needs to help with proper positioning - distance from the ball, backline communicate well. Goalkeepers need to always be a leader and they need to always communicate to compact our defense line."
Dickey shared that it’s the little things like that that have really stood out to her with Raki as a goalkeeper coach.
“It really is the little things - when you make a save, just get up quickly and doing all these little things as habits. Forming habits, he's a big stickler on that and I think that's what also helps, personally, me a lot because sometimes I can be lazy, and I think he brings the best out of me and pushes me to do all those little things."
More than anything, Raki seems to facilitate a keen sense of camaraderie between all of the goalkeepers on the team. All three goalkeepers consider the goalkeeping group a family.
"I think all of us are just competitors and we all push each other every single day to get better. At the same time, while we're friends and teammates, we are competing with each other, so it's just having that balancing act and I think we do a really good job of it. I think Raki helps facilitate that camaraderie and relationship between the three of us. He kind of is that center point between all of us and I think he does a really good job getting us connected and making sure that we're getting what we need when we need it and when the opportunity does come for any one of us to play, we're all supportive of each other and we all just do what we know what we can do and play the best we can, said Ivory"
"We're kind of a big family. We all want the best for each other. We push each other every day and he gets the best out of all of us. We watch film and we're always there to support each other. It is a competition, it is a job, but no one is ever going to be happy if you all hate each other and I think that's what's special about us, we all want the best for each other and we always support each other,” said Dickey."
Raki’s skill as a goalkeeping coach is clear for those inside and outside of the organization to see, but the lesser-known things about him, like his willingness to lend a helping hand anywhere it’s needed or unflinching ability to greet every staff member on the training field, are what make him standout.
“I think the biggest thing about Raki is obviously, he is a coach and has produced three good goalkeepers on this team but at the end of the day, he's just the most caring man,” said Ivory. “He always asks about my family. He always asks about how I'm doing personally, how my family is doing - he remembers all their names, he always goes out of his way to make sure that we're OK as people versus just athletes and goalkeepers and soccer players and I don't think you get that with a lot of coaches. His perspective on life is unmatched. He just wants to enjoy life. He's a family man and loves his wife, loves his kids and I think that that's the reason why he is such a good coach, it's because he has his priorities straight everywhere else in life.”
“I just really appreciate him as a person. With everyone on the team, I'm sure if you interviewed anybody, we would all say the same things where Raki is just the one that is always looking out for you and wants the best for you. If you need a napkin, he will literally go full sprint to go pick up a napkin and give it to you. That kind of guy that just has so much respect for everyone on the team and on the staff, I believe, and that shows so much. I really, really appreciate how much he saw in me when I first got here because I was rough. Yeah, he helped me so much and I'm very grateful for that," said Tullis-Joyce.
Watch OL Reign’s goalkeeping depth in action tonight as the Reign take on Portland Thorns FC in a UKG NWSL Challenge Cup match at 7:30 p.m. at Providence Park.