Bio

Joel Barriga received his diploma from Cedar Ridge High School in 2016 where he played on the varsity soccer team. Barriga also played club soccer for Dallas Texans and Lonestar. He went on to graduate from the University of North Texas in 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor Latin American and Mexican American Studies. 

Coach Barriga started teaching Spanish at Westwood in 2023. He joined the boys soccer staff as a Varsity assistant and JV-White Head Coach for the 2025 season. Spanish was his first language, and he has always enjoyed playing and watching soccer. Barriga grew up not only playing soccer, but refereeing on weekends. He also has experience coaching club soccer for Lonestar. Coach Barriga enjoys spending his free time with his family, reading, watching Cruz Azul in Liga MX, and traveling.