Jan. 17, 2007 PREKI AS CHIVAS COACH New coach has own approach
By Andrea Canales LASoccerNews.com Associate Editor
Preki took over as Chivas USA coach on Wednesday after serving as an assistant coach under Bob Bradley for one season. Photo courtesy of Juan Miranda/Chivas USA
Once the coaching announcement was made oficial and Preki took the reins of Chivas USA as head coach, he bagan a new era in his soccer career.
Preki had such an extended career as a player that he was still going on the field long after many of his peers had gone on to the coaching ranks. However, as he often did on the playing field, Preki quickly surpassed others in the coaching arena, landing a position leading a Major League Soccer team in only his second year in the professional ranks.
Yet Preki had spent some time considering how much he wanted to get involved in coaching.
“I knew about four or five years back before I retired,” Preki explained.
At that time, Preki still played for the Kansas City Wizards, but the offseason of MLS allowed him to get involved with other organizations.
“I started coaching a couple of youth programs. I liked it. The last couple of years of my playing time, I was injured, so I studied the game from the sidelines. I started communicating with the players and watching different coaches and how they dealt with things. That was interesting for me and I knew then that this was something that I really wanted to do.”
On Chivas USA, Preki will lead what he considered a dynamic mix of players.
“American players are more physical and strong and they contest every ball. Mexican players are very technical. They like to play, they like to entertain. That’s the thing – to balance those things out.”
Looking ahead, Preki envisioned the type of team he would put on the field.
“We’ll have a little flair, a little bit of physical ability. I think this club can be very successful.”
One of his key players, Sacha Kljestan, agreed.
“I’m excited because we’re going to be a team that plays attacking football,” said the midfielder, who will be entering his second MLS season. “It’s going to be fun to watch.”
Kljestan expected the squad to reflect some of the best aspects of Preki’s style.
“That’s the way he played, but he’s also very disciplined defensively. We’re going to be disciplined, but we’re going to attack also. I think that’s going to a different brand of soccer that we’ll play here.”
Though many in the locker room had close relationships with outgoing coach Bob Bradley, Preki was confident in his own connection to the players.
“The guys in the locker room are good guys,” attested Preki. “They’re hard workers. I’m in a good relationship with most of the guys. I don’t see any problems, I just see one continuation.”
Not surprisingly, considering how long and well Preki played, as a coach he still believed that Ante Razov, who experienced a renaissance under Bob Bradley, could maintain a high level even while being one of the senior members of the squad.
“I think Ante was a good player for us last year. Hopefully, we can get him injury free this year and he can continue the things he’s done for us. I don’t have any doubt in my mind, that if Ante is healthy, and that means he’s mentally in a good frame of mind, then Ante is one of the best players in the league. I think he’s going to continue what he did last year.”
In fact, Preki held out hope for another player to contribute to Chivas USA, John O’Brien.
“I talked to John briefly this morning,” Preki stated. “He said he was feeling OK and that he would like to come in and see how things work out. We’re going to give him another chance.”
To get a group of individual players united behind a cause is a feat every coach strives to achieve. Preki realized that there was no easy path to that goal.
“Every single player in the world is different,” Preki declared. “Every single player in the world has a different mentality. The thing is, as a coach, you have to find a way to blend those mentalities together so that you can have a successful group.”
