SOCCER ... AND MORE SOCCER
Stop the presses! “The World’s Greatest Soccer Coach” is back. Major
League Soccer commissioner Don Garber reinstated Bruce Arena,
and he’s been talking to D.C. United (where his pro coaching career
began in 1996).
You will recall Arena, who led the University of Virginia to five
NCAA championships, resigned as manager of MLS New England in
early September after being suspended by Garber for making
“inappropriate remarks.” Exactly what the always-outspoken Arena
said never was revealed … although there were reports the whole
thing had something to do with Richie Williams, Rev assistant (and
former Richmond Kicker) who played for “The World’s Greatest” at
U.Va., and D.C. United.
Lending some credence to Williams’ involvement was a former
teammate, who apparently knew something, referring to him as ...”that
backstabbing son of a bitch.”
When Arena was put on administrative leave by New England in the
face of a MLS investigation, Williams told reporters he would be
interim manager for the balance of the season-opener … but that was
quickly set aside by Revs’ ownership when the players, loyal to Arena,
refused to practice with Williams in charge.
Another member of Arena’s staff, Clint Peay (who also played for
“The World’s Greatest” at Virginia and later was the last coach at the
University of Richmond before the school abandoned the men’s sport),
was inserted on an interim basis … but the team went from 12-4-7
under Arena to 3-7-3 then was swept by Philadelphia in the first round
of the playoffs. Tuesday (Dec. 19), Caleb Porter was named New
England manager, having won MLS championships at Portland (2015)
and Columbus (2020).
Wish Porter good luck. He’ll need lots of it … faced with a major
uphill battle to restore faith in the process by a franchise that was a
mess before Arena arrived, set a league record for points in 2021 …
and reverted to form after he left.
We’re still looking for something meaningful from Garber, other than
he will hold Arena to an earlier ruling that, in order to return, he first
must petition the commissioner for reinstatement – in person. They
will never be described as friends. Arena has been one of Garber’s
biggest critics … and Garber, in turn, has suspended the coach several
times … once changing an automatic one-game banishment to three.
While it seems likely Arena, the winningest coach in MLS history,
will return to D.C. United where he won back-to-back championships
(1996-97) en route to five in all, you can’t discount him taking over
Montreal, also in the market for a new manager.
The 72-year-old native of Brooklyn, N.Y., arguably the best coach in
U.S. soccer history (with a runaway-record-81 victories with the men’s
national team), was said to be among the candidates for the MLS team
in Charlotte. That went to an Englishman with Premier league
experience -- are you ready for this?-- Dean Smith.
MEANWHILE, George Gelnovatch, who replaced Arena at Virginia
and won NCAA titles in 2009 and 2014, lost three players in the MLS
SuperDraft announced this week. Gone are center back Aidan
O’Connor (No. 12 overall by the New York Red Bulls), forward
Stephen Annor Gyami (No. 26, Houston Dynamo) and forward Leo
Alfonso (No. 32, Inter Miami).
“Right up the middle, man … my two goal scorers and my anchor on
defense,” Gelnovatch said Wednesday. “Every time I put together a
team capable of winning something big I’ve got to rebuild it again,
man. You just hope for a cycle where you can hold onto enough pieces
to go for it. It’s been tough, man. I got to tell you … It’s been a real
challenge.”
From Grand Rapids, Mich., where he was named the state’s best high school player in 2019, O’Connor (6-3, 215) originally played for Western Michigan before transferring to U.Va., where he started 27 of 31 games over the last two years.
A 6-0, 170-pound third-team All-American from Ghana, Annor Gyami
was named first-team All-ACC as well as conference freshman of the
year. He will play for U.Va., alumnus (1995-97) Ben Olsen, who
became Houston coach in 2022 and led the Dynamo to the U.S. Open
Cup championship in 2023.
A three-time captain at Virginia, Alonzo is the first Cavalier to be
drafted by Inter Miami, now the playing home of futbol icon Lionel
Messi. Alonzo missed nine games because of injury but still managed
five goals. He was All-ACC in 2022.
Virginia finished 11-4-4 this past season, bowing in the round of 16 to
Indiana in the NCAA playoffs. In his 28th season in charge of the
Cavalier program, Gelnovatch has taken his teams to 26 post-season
tournaments including a record-24 in a row.
The Streak ended with back to back losing seasons (2020-2021). It
was a sudden, perhaps inexplicable, turnaround … following a 21-2-1
campaign that came oh-so-close to a third NCAA crown. Of course,
the COVID pandemic had something to do with it. So did the loss of
several players who left before their eligibility was up to turn
professional.
“In 2019 we came pretty close. That might have had the best team I’ve been around … We had seven pros on it … and lost [the national title game] on penalties,” Gelnovatch said.
“You want those special players to get to that point … to do well in the
conference … but then you run the risk of guys getting signed early.
It’s tough.”
While the dreaded Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payoff hasn’t
invaded college soccer like it has football and basketball – yet – there
are other things tearing away at the fabric of the undergraduate game
in this country. For example?
“There are schools in our conference … in particular, Syracuse and
UNC … that don’t recruit high schools any more. It’s just transfers. It
makes sense, to be honest. You can start from scratch and build a
whole team with just transfers,” Gelnovatch said.
As for the NIL … “It’s coming, man. There’s not much of it now …
but it’s coming. They’ve opened Pandora’s box. The political people
don’t fully understand all the ramifications … and you’ll never put the
genie back in the bottle. There are going to be some big changes in the
next few years ... you just wait and see.”
Don’t think for one moment he’s not ready for … or up to .. the
challenge. We hadn’t talked to Gelnovatch in a couple of years, so we
thought maybe … just maybe … he might be thinking about calling it
a career, at the very least, looking elsewhere … the pros perhaps.
Not hardly. He came to U.Va., from Wall Township, N.J., in 1983, was
All-American in 1986 then returned in 1989 to join Arena’s staff and
has called Charlottesville home ever since. He’s a Virginia lifer.
Barring the unforeseen, he plans to stick around ,,, “for the foreseeable
future … five more years at least,” Gelnovatch said. “I’m 58. Still
enjoying it.”
For one thing he has every reason to believe athletic director Carla
Williams, who came from the University of Georgia seven years ago
years ago with primary focus to make football viable again, is pro
soccer … at the very least not about to demand things of a program
that has maintained its budget … but hasn’t exactly kept pace with the
spending of some of its bigger rivals.
“She’s been a breath of fresh air,” Gelnovatch said, adding, “I still
have the resources to win special championships. The history, the
tradition of the program … we still get great players. All my focus
now is on freakin’ winning.”
We won’t bet against it either.
Until next time ...
Stop the presses! “The World’s Greatest Soccer Coach” is back. Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber reinstated Bruce Arena, and he’s been talking to D.C. United (where his pro coaching career began in 1996).
You will recall Arena, who led the University of Virginia to five NCAA championships, resigned as manager of MLS New England in early September after being suspended by Garber for making “inappropriate remarks.” Exactly what the always-outspoken Arena said never was revealed … although there were reports the whole thing had something to do with Richie Williams, Rev assistant (and former Richmond Kicker) who played for “The World’s Greatest” at U.Va., and D.C. United.
Lending some credence to Williams’ involvement was a former teammate, who apparently knew something, referring to him as ...”that backstabbing son of a bitch.”
When Arena was put on administrative leave by New England in the face of a MLS investigation, Williams told reporters he would be interim manager for the balance of the season-opener … but that was quickly set aside by Revs’ ownership when the players, loyal to Arena, refused to practice with Williams in charge.
Another member of Arena’s staff, Clint Peay (who also played for “The World’s Greatest” at Virginia and later was the last coach at the University of Richmond before the school abandoned the men’s sport), was inserted on an interim basis … but the team went from 12-4-7 under Arena to 3-7-3 then was swept by Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Tuesday (Dec. 19), Caleb Porter was named New England manager, having won MLS championships at Portland (2015) and Columbus (2020).
Wish Porter good luck. He’ll need lots of it … faced with a major uphill battle to restore faith in the process by a franchise that was a mess before Arena arrived, set a league record for points in 2021 … and reverted to form after he left.
We’re still looking for something meaningful from Garber, other than he will hold Arena to an earlier ruling that, in order to return, he first must petition the commissioner for reinstatement – in person. They will never be described as friends. Arena has been one of Garber’s biggest critics … and Garber, in turn, has suspended the coach several times … once changing an automatic one-game banishment to three.
While it seems likely Arena, the winningest coach in MLS history, will return to D.C. United where he won back-to-back championships (1996-97) en route to five in all, you can’t discount him taking over Montreal, also in the market for a new manager.
The 72-year-old native of Brooklyn, N.Y., arguably the best coach in U.S. soccer history (with a runaway-record-81 victories with the men’s national team), was said to be among the candidates for the MLS team in Charlotte. That went to an Englishman with Premier league experience -- are you ready for this?-- Dean Smith.
MEANWHILE, George Gelnovatch, who replaced Arena at Virginia and won NCAA titles in 2009 and 2014, lost three players in the MLS SuperDraft announced this week. Gone are center back Aidan O’Connor (No. 12 overall by the New York Red Bulls), forward Stephen Annor Gyami (No. 26, Houston Dynamo) and forward Leo Alfonso (No. 32, Inter Miami).
“Right up the middle, man … my two goal scorers and my anchor on defense,” Gelnovatch said Wednesday. “Every time I put together a team capable of winning something big I’ve got to rebuild it again, man. You just hope for a cycle where you can hold onto enough pieces to go for it. It’s been tough, man. I got to tell you … It’s been a real challenge.”
From Grand Rapids, Mich., where he was named the state’s best high school player in 2019, O’Connor (6-3, 215) originally played for Western Michigan before transferring to U.Va., where he started 27 of 31 games over the last two years.
A 6-0, 170-pound third-team All-American from Ghana, Annor Gyami was named first-team All-ACC as well as conference freshman of the year. He will play for U.Va., alumnus (1995-97) Ben Olsen, who became Houston coach in 2022 and led the Dynamo to the U.S. Open Cup championship in 2023.
A three-time captain at Virginia, Alonzo is the first Cavalier to be drafted by Inter Miami, now the playing home of futbol icon Lionel Messi. Alonzo missed nine games because of injury but still managed five goals. He was All-ACC in 2022.
Virginia finished 11-4-4 this past season, bowing in the round of 16 to Indiana in the NCAA playoffs. In his 28th season in charge of the Cavalier program, Gelnovatch has taken his teams to 26 post-season tournaments including a record-24 in a row.
The Streak ended with back to back losing seasons (2020-2021). It was a sudden, perhaps inexplicable, turnaround … following a 21-2-1 campaign that came oh-so-close to a third NCAA crown. Of course, the COVID pandemic had something to do with it. So did the loss of several players who left before their eligibility was up to turn professional.
“In 2019 we came pretty close. That might have had the best team I’ve been around … We had seven pros on it … and lost [the national title game] on penalties,” Gelnovatch said.
“You want those special players to get to that point … to do well in the conference … but then you run the risk of guys getting signed early. It’s tough.”
While the dreaded Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payoff hasn’t invaded college soccer like it has football and basketball – yet – there are other things tearing away at the fabric of the undergraduate game in this country. For example?
“There are schools in our conference … in particular, Syracuse and UNC … that don’t recruit high schools any more. It’s just transfers. It makes sense, to be honest. You can start from scratch and build a whole team with just transfers,” Gelnovatch said.
As for the NIL … “It’s coming, man. There’s not much of it now … but it’s coming. They’ve opened Pandora’s box. The political people don’t fully understand all the ramifications … and you’ll never put the genie back in the bottle. There are going to be some big changes in the next few years ... you just wait and see.”
Don’t think for one moment he’s not ready for … or up to .. the challenge. We hadn’t talked to Gelnovatch in a couple of years, so we thought maybe … just maybe … he might be thinking about calling it a career, at the very least, looking elsewhere … the pros perhaps.
Not hardly. He came to U.Va., from Wall Township, N.J., in 1983, was All-American in 1986 then returned in 1989 to join Arena’s staff and has called Charlottesville home ever since. He’s a Virginia lifer.
Barring the unforeseen, he plans to stick around ,,, “for the foreseeable future … five more years at least,” Gelnovatch said. “I’m 58. Still enjoying it.”
For one thing he has every reason to believe athletic director Carla Williams, who came from the University of Georgia seven years ago years ago with primary focus to make football viable again, is pro soccer … at the very least not about to demand things of a program that has maintained its budget … but hasn’t exactly kept pace with the spending of some of its bigger rivals.
“She’s been a breath of fresh air,” Gelnovatch said, adding, “I still have the resources to win special championships. The history, the tradition of the program … we still get great players. All my focus now is on freakin’ winning.”
We won’t bet against it either.
Until next time ...
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