Background
Rob Baarts grew up in Surrey, British Columbia and attended college at the University of Portland.
Rob Baarts grew up in Surrey, British Columbia and attended college at the University of Portland.
Rob Baarts grew up in Surrey, British Columbia and attended college at the University of Portland. He spent four seasons on the Pilot’s soccer team under coach Clive Charles. When he finished his career at Portland, he had 29 goals and 14 assists.
Baarts’ highlight with the Pilots came in 1988 when he, Scott Benedetti and Kasey Keller took Portland to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four where they lost to eventual champions Indiana University.
In 1989, he also spent the collegiate off season with the Portland Timbers of the Western Soccer League. He was tied for seventh on the league’s scoring list with seven goals. Baarts has also played professionally with the Portland Pride of the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL), as well as the Portland Pythons and the Utah Freezz, both of the World Indoor Soccer League (WISL).
In 1995, he was a CISL All Star with the Pride.
In 1997, the Edmonton Drillers of the National Soccer League selected Baarts in the dispersal draft after the CISL collapsed. However, he did not sign with the Drillers.
In 1998, he signed with the Portland Pythons of the Premier Soccer Alliance but he collided with Tatu during an early season game against the Dallas Sidekicks. The collision resulted in a season-ending injury.
In the spring of 2000, the expansion Saint Louis Steamers drafted Baarts, then traded him to the Utah Freezz in exchange for future considerations.
In 2001, Baarts joined the Portland Timbers of the USL First Division. However, he was injured after impressing the coaching staff during the pre-season. The Timbers released him before he played a game with them.
Baarts has held numerous coaching positions at the youth level
In 1989, he became a coach with Portland City United. In 1992, he moved to Portland Metro where he coached for twelve years.
While coaching Metro, he also served as the Sunset High School boys soccer coach beginning in 1995. He left that position in 2002.
In 2001, he joined the F.C. Portland staff
Finally, in June 2004, the University of Portland hired Baarts as an assistant to both the men’s and women's soccer teams.
