Jon Fridal began his tenure as the fourth head coach in the history of the Maverick men's soccer program before the 2020 season, played in spring 2021 due to COVID-19.

Playing his first full schedule in the fall of 2021, Fridal led the Mavericks to a second-place regular-season finish in the RMAC, the third RMAC Tournament Championship in program history and a win in the NCAA Tournament.

Fridal had previously been the head coach at NCAA Division II South Central Region rival Eastern New Mexico University from 2018-2020.

In his two seasons at ENMU, Fridal and the Greyhounds went 20-13-3 (.597), raising their win total by four each year.

In 2019, Fridal led ENMU to a record-breaking 12-5-1 season that saw the Greyhounds record three wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including one at CMU, while earning their first national ranking in program history.  They got off to a perfect 6-0-0 start and were ranked in each of the five first United Soccer Coaches Polls, climbing as high as No. 9 in the national edition.

They also recorded a program-record six shutouts and had five selections to the All-Lone Star Conference teams, including LSC Goalkeeper of the Year Ross Dalton.  Three of his players also received all-region honors and his program was recognized for their academic success with the USC Team Academic Award.

In Fridal's first season (2018) with the Greyhounds, he led ENMU to an 8-8-2 record.  They had two all-conference and three all-region selections in his debut season as a NCAA Division II head coach.

The Greyhounds had won just four games in 2017 before his arrival in Portales.

A relentless recruiter, Fridal had similar success in quickly turning around a program at a previous stint at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Overseeing one of the biggest turnarounds in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) history, Fridal inherited a program that had just six wins before his arrival.  After winning 11 games in his initial season as a head coach in 2016, they won 18 games, had a top-5 national ranking and won the 2017 Iowa Community College Athletic Association regular season and tournament titles before advancing to the NJCAA National Quarterfinals.

This turnaround included the recruitment of over 71 players in two years from 15 different countries despite having only two athletic scholarships at his disposal.

For his efforts, he was named as the 2017 NJCAA Region XI and Great Lakes District Coach of the Year.  He and his staff was also named as the United Soccer Coaches' North Region Staff of the Year.

His team's ability to create and capitalize on scoring opportunities was on full display throughout the 2017 season as the Falcons were ranked second in the nation with 98 goals scored as they rose to the occasion, posting a 7-2 record against nationally-ranked foes throughout the 18-campaign.

Fridal had previously spent time as the top assistant at two other NCAA Division II programs in Alderson Broaddus University in Phillipi, West Virginia (2014-15) and Maryville University in St. Louis (2010-14).  The Alderson-Broaddus squad was ranked 16th in the NCSAA National Polls, the Battlers' highest ranking in program history, and advanced to the 2015 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game before falling in penalty kicks.

Along with his work at the collegiate level throughout his career, Fridal has spent multiple seasons as an assistant coach for a number of semi-professional soccer teams in the Premier Development League including the West Virginia Choas and the St. Louis Lions. 

He also was heavily involved in the youth player development aspect of the game, serving as the head coach of the 2002 Boys West Virginia Olympic Development Program squad while also serving stints as the Director of Coaching for the Jefferson County United Soccer Club in St. Louis and as the U11-U14 Boys Age Group Coordinator for the Mountaineer United Soccer Club in Morgantown, West Virginia.

A former NCAA Division I student-athlete, Fridal's playing career included stops at Saint Francis University and Western Illinois University, where he helped the Leathernecks to a Mid Continent Conference regular season and tournament championship, which earned the program a bid into the NCAA Division I national tournament.  He also earned a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology from WIU in 2019.

Following his collegiate career, Fridal, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, put together a 5-year professional stint over the course of 2009-14. He tallied 45 goals and 24 assists in 52 career matches with the St. Louis Illusion and the Illinois Piasa of the Professional Arena Soccer League. He then spent one season as a reserve for the St. Louis Ambush of the Major Indoor Soccer League. 

He and his wife Brittany have two daughters— Kinley and Maelyn.