HERRIMAN — Jamison Olave’s rise as a professional soccer coach has been swift.

Just two years go, Olave retired following an eight-year career in Major League Soccer, with all but two of those seasons coming with Real Salt Lake.

But Olave, 37, wasn’t sure what to do after.

Known as a tough, hard-nosed defender with track-and-field speed, Olave set an MLS career record for most red cards by a defender in his eight seasons in the league. He finished his career playing in 18,541 minutes across 216 games (including 212 starts) and scored 17 goals with four assists as a 6-foot-3, 210-pound center back.

He dabbled in Spanish-language radio broadcasts for the club that brought him from his native Colombia to Salt Lake City, where he earned his green card in 2010 that allowed him to remain stateside.

But his heart was always in coaching.

“I was trying to figure out which one would be better for me,” Olave recalled of that time. “But in the end, I spoke with the guys on the team and decided I wanted to be a coach. I wanted to be on the field, to help players, to have that love for players.

“I still enjoy being on the field. I’m here, still doing it.”

Olave didn’t want to be cooped up in a broadcast booth on game days (he still struggles having to work in his coaching office at the RSL Academy in Herriman); he wanted to be on the pitch.

When Mike Petke took head coaching job with second-division side Real Monarchs in January 2017, Olave was named to his staff as a defenders coach.

Just a few months later, Petke was promoted to lead Real Salt Lake, and top assistant coach Mark Briggs ascended to the Monarchs job. That left Olave is a top assistant coach despite having only been formally on the job for a few months.

He left a mark quickly with his defenders, though.

“There is a special connection between Olave and the back line,” Monarchs defender Kalen Ryden said. “He was a defender, and he was a good defender.

“He’s always working with us, and he does a really good job with that.”

After Briggs was suspended in May after being charged with four counts of domestic violence by the Draper City justice court, Olave was named interim manager May 29, 2018.

Briggs, who led the Monarchs to the 2017 USL regular-season champion, resigned formally Aug. 23, the day after the charges against him were dismissed. With that, Olave’s interim manager tag was placed on him until the end of the 2018 season.

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But for being a mid-season interim manager, Olave has adapted well to his new position.

“To be honest, I am still learning,” he added. “Right now, I’m just trying to figure out my style. I’m just trying to go forward, trying to have an attack, trying to have a team that enjoys having the ball and playing with the ball.”

If he’s still learning, his players have hardly noticed.

“It’s tough to take over a team like that in the middle of a season, but it’s a credit to him; he’s done a phenomenal job,” Ryden said. “We’ve kept to the same style of play after that transition. But as a coach, he’s very stern, very hard on us, and he demands the highest level. We respect that, and we give him that respect. He’s definitely earned it.”

Real Monarchs (17-2-8, 53, points) lead the USL’s Western Conference, including a 9-6-1 record since Olave was named head coach. He’s kept the program steady by keeping the team, players and front-office staff.

“This team had a style before, and I am trying to keep that style because it will be better for the players,” Olave said.

But he’s also left a mark on the team, as well. The Monarchs lost back-to-back games with Monday night’s 2-1 defeat to San Antonio FC, the club’s first home loss since moving to Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.

But the club is still 2 points ahead of second-place Orange County SC in the Western Conference with seven matches remaining.

Even with tough stretches, Olave plays a significant role in pulling the club out of losing spells. It’s easy to buy what Olave sells, given his experience, defender Konrad Plew explained.

“He’s an experienced player,” said Plewe, who became the Monarchs’ 15th goal-scorer in 2018 with his marker Monday. “He’s a knowledgeable guy. Everything he puts forward to us, our guys take it head-on. Olave’s the kind of coach who requires full focus and full commitment in every session, and we have a group that buys into that.

“I don’t doubt our focus and our commitment and ability one bit.”

Olave’s status after the 2018 season is up in the air, though. His status currently won’t run past the season, but that’s not a concern for him. The Monarchs are simply focused on finishing the regular season with the best record in the West, and trying to do better than last year’s first-round exit in the USL Cup playoffs.

A run in the postseason could help his cause to be named a full-time manager, too. To do so at the club that brought him to America would be an extra honor.

“I think the opportunity they gave me here, to retire and to coach, to do radio, to figure out what was best for me after playing — it was a good opportunity,” Olave said. “I am very grateful to them.”

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