March 1, 1996 – Start of a New Journey

  15 years ago I started on a new journey in professional soccer with the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Not only was soccer new for me, the Mutiny were one of the inaugural teams in the new US professional league, Major League Soccer (MLS). March 1 was the first day of workouts. It was exciting for me and all involved. I have many fond memories of that team, the coaching staff and the front office. Thomas Rongen was the coach; he was one of the best coaches I have ever worked with. I learned so much from him about coaching, communication and the art of it all. The Mutiny were a veteran team, average age 28 years old. Our star player was Carlos Valderrama from Columbia, a veteran of several world cups for his country and in his time one of the top players in the world. El Pebe’, as he was affectionately know by his fans was past his prime, but he could still do magic things with the ball. (Carlos might be one of the most recognizable players of his era because of his distinctive blond fro) Because we had a veteran team and we were training and playing in the heat of Florida, training had be spot on, nothing extra, no fluff. It was always a challenge, but fun and a daily learning experience because the players were so professional in their approach. It was great to be around players who were hungry and wanted to prove something, there was not the sense of entitlement that I had seen creep into baseball my last couple of years. They had a vested interest to make professional soccer in the US work. They all knew that they were pioneers. No one but EL Pebe’ was making much money, but there was bond there, a collective mission to build the league. I really think because the way they played and conducted themselves that first year, they made a major contribution toward what the MLS is today.

My soccer journey continued for another year in 1997 with the Mutiny. In 1998 I was reunited with Thomas Rongen with the New England Revolution. Also in 1998 I was also the conditioning coach for the 1998 World Cup team, a less that great experience, but a time of learning what not to do. In 1999 I was back again with the Mutiny. Since then I have consulted with various professional and college teams, nationally and internationally. Soccer is great sport, which at the professional and amateur level presents many challenges in preparing the player. The challenges are not insurmountable, but they demand a creative approach to keep the players fit and injury free while playing multiple games in a week for as long as ten months a year. It is gratifying to see the growth of the MLS and soccer in the US. I am honored and proud to have been a  small of the start of the league. My connection with the MLS continues today on a personal level through my daughter Kristen, who is the Direcor of Clent Services with the Houston Dynamo.