Jan. 20, 2025

The Best of Dave Sarachan: Insights from a World-Class Soccer Coach

The Best of Dave Sarachan: Insights from a World-Class Soccer Coach
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Youtube Music podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Castro podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon Youtube Music podcast player icon

In this "Best Of" edition of No Wrong Choices, we revisit our conversation with the highly respected American soccer coach, Dave Sarachan. With over 40 years of experience at the highest levels of the game, including serving as the U.S. Men’s National Team head coach, Dave shares his incredible journey—from playing alongside legends like Pelé to leading teams in the MLS and beyond.

Recently named assistant coach for the MLS San Jose Earthquakes, reuniting with longtime partner and mentor Bruce Arena, Dave reflects on the leadership lessons that shaped his career. Whether it’s mentoring young talent, managing world-class athletes like David Beckham, or navigating the evolving landscape of American soccer, Dave's insights offer a masterclass in coaching and perseverance.

Whether you’re a soccer fan or just curious about what it takes to lead, mentor, and succeed at the highest levels, Dave’s story offers timeless lessons in leadership, perseverance, and embracing opportunities.


To discover more episodes or connect with us:



Chapters

00:02 - Dave Serekin's Soccer Journey

07:48 - Multi-Sport Athlete's Soccer Success

14:42 - Soccer Success and Coaching Transition

23:08 - Pro Soccer Career to Coaching Transition

35:22 - Coaching Elite Athletes Success Strategies

49:59 - Building Successful Soccer National Teams

01:00:24 - Coaching Advice for Aspiring Coaches

01:04:10 - Soccer Career Reflections and Future Plans

01:08:44 - Coaching Journey and Future Plans

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:02.806 --> 00:00:10.009
Hello and welcome to a no Wrong Choices Best Of edition featuring the highly respected American soccer coach, Dave Sarachan.

00:00:10.009 --> 00:00:18.390
Dave has recently joined the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS as an assistant, reuniting him with his longtime partner and mentor, bruce Arena.

00:00:18.390 --> 00:00:22.271
Before we kick off with Coach Sarachan, I do have one quick request.

00:00:22.271 --> 00:00:26.911
Please take a moment to like and follow no Wrong Choices on your favorite podcast platform.

00:00:26.911 --> 00:00:31.071
Your support helps us continue bringing you these great conversations.

00:00:31.071 --> 00:00:33.487
Now let's get started with our original lead-in.

00:00:33.487 --> 00:00:53.305
Today's episode features American soccer coach Dave Sarachan, who has spent the past 40 years working at the highest levels of the sport, including a run as the head coach of the US men's national team Tushar, as the most rabid soccer fan on this podcast, who grew up at the sport, you are the perfect person to lead us out today.

00:00:53.627 --> 00:00:56.722
Yeah, so I grew up not only watching the sport but playing the sport.

00:00:56.722 --> 00:00:58.427
My father played the sport as a young man.

00:00:58.427 --> 00:00:59.411
He played it in college.

00:00:59.411 --> 00:01:11.831
So he gave that love to me and the ability to not only just speak to someone who's coached at high levels in college, but to speak to an actual coach of the us men's national team.

00:01:11.831 --> 00:01:14.186
Well, I don't really get that chance all the time.

00:01:14.186 --> 00:01:37.923
So an opportunity to speak to someone like a dave sarakin, yeah, I'm going to jump at that opportunity and I'd love to pick his brain, not only just what it what it meant to come up through the ranks and what it meant to play on the professional level, but what it's like to coach today's athlete, because obviously the mindset changes from when you're an athlete back in the 70s to coaching athletes in the new millennium.

00:01:37.923 --> 00:01:40.691
I mean that's got to be a whole different mindset.

00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:47.171
Yeah, we love talking about people's journeys on this show and we do a lot of research and figure out what makes that person tick.

00:01:47.171 --> 00:01:52.427
And here we have an opportunity to find out what makes a head coach at the highest level tick, and it's a real privilege.

00:01:52.427 --> 00:02:05.313
But we we do this research and it's sitting in front of me and this is an impressive man with impressive credentials, who's done some amazing things in his life, and I absolutely can't wait to hear his journey.

00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:19.451
And for me, I'm always interested in management and management skills and managing conflict and reaching consensus and things of that nature, and this is a guy who clearly has done that in some very unique ways.

00:02:19.451 --> 00:02:22.109
So with that, here is Dave Sarachan.

00:02:22.109 --> 00:02:23.846
Dave, thank you so much for joining us.

00:02:24.539 --> 00:02:26.461
Well, it's great to be here with you guys.

00:02:26.461 --> 00:02:30.850
It's an honor to be involved in a nice conversation today, so thank you.

00:02:31.532 --> 00:02:32.760
Don't feel too honored about it.

00:02:32.760 --> 00:02:34.003
To be quite honest with you.

00:02:34.003 --> 00:02:39.873
So, Dave, first question this is Tushar, by the way.

00:02:39.873 --> 00:02:42.205
Is it football or should we?

00:02:42.205 --> 00:02:45.491
Should we refer to it properly, to you as football or soccer?

00:02:45.491 --> 00:02:46.073
Which do you prefer?

00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:48.844
Oh boy, here we go.

00:02:48.844 --> 00:02:50.750
Good question Right out of the box.

00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:56.050
I think, for the purposes of today and our listeners, let's just call it soccer.

00:02:56.050 --> 00:03:01.127
Good enough and then off the air, we can talk about football.

00:03:02.189 --> 00:03:02.751
Good enough.

00:03:02.972 --> 00:03:05.831
Okay so my first question to you.

00:03:05.831 --> 00:03:07.981
I guess my next question will be all right.

00:03:07.981 --> 00:03:22.544
So as a child you must have because, like a lot of us you know are sometimes the first sport we play is not always going to be baseball my first sport as a kid, in in little league and pal leagues growing up, was soccer.

00:03:22.544 --> 00:03:23.605
I, I'm assuming, probably the same.

00:03:23.605 --> 00:03:25.127
You have probably had the same experience.

00:03:25.127 --> 00:03:27.311
So as a child, did you?

00:03:27.311 --> 00:03:30.080
Was that the your first introduction to the game?

00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:35.040
And when you started to play as a kid, did you know that this is what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

00:03:37.305 --> 00:03:38.187
Absolutely not.

00:03:38.187 --> 00:03:44.150
No, my generation, uh, and you alluded to it you know my, my dad was played baseball.

00:03:44.150 --> 00:03:45.300
Uh, I have know my dad played baseball.

00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:50.211
I have an older brother that played baseball and basketball.

00:03:50.360 --> 00:04:03.039
Nobody played soccer in my family and you know, during the time when I was young, under 10, soccer was really very minimal around in the country.

00:04:03.260 --> 00:04:04.747
I wasn't really exposed to it.

00:04:04.747 --> 00:04:15.209
So you know, I did all sports as a kid baseball, little league baseball like you I was, believe it or not, for a five foot five inch guy, I was really good at basketball.

00:04:15.209 --> 00:04:38.714
But I was introduced to soccer more or less in my really in the neighborhood I grew up there were some older guys a couple of houses down that played for the high school soccer team and they would have the ball out on the yard and I kind of got introduced to it there, getting to know them, going up and watching their practices and so on.

00:04:38.714 --> 00:04:42.771
And then obviously I started to play it.

00:04:42.771 --> 00:04:49.372
I was too small for Pop Warner football that was a big deal back in the day and my parents weren't thrilled about me playing football.

00:04:49.372 --> 00:04:53.350
So I was very athletic and I was able to be pretty good at it.

00:04:53.350 --> 00:05:00.793
So I was introduced to soccer really through the people in my neighborhood and the high school.

00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:04.290
So you really learned from not organized soccer.

00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:14.952
You learned from a couple guys down the street and you guys would get together and is that where you kind of applied your skill to be a good athlete, a good player, because you obviously became a very good player.

00:05:18.322 --> 00:05:28.803
Yeah, I got exposed to it through some older guys, as I said, that had a ball in the neighborhood, to it through some older guys, as I said, that had a ball in the neighborhood.

00:05:28.803 --> 00:05:29.584
We did start kicking.

00:05:29.584 --> 00:05:31.427
I was very athletic as a kid.

00:05:31.427 --> 00:05:33.451
I was very quick and fast.

00:05:33.451 --> 00:05:44.028
You know, in our neighborhood we'd play touch football and running bases and all the things that young American kids would do, and I was a little guy but I was really quick.

00:05:44.028 --> 00:05:59.512
And when soccer got thrown out there a ball I was I was pretty good at it early and I kind of fell in love with it based on their reaction and the interaction I had with some of the older guys.

00:05:59.512 --> 00:06:12.675
And then obviously I was kind of introduced to our local professional team, getting to know that we had a team in town and started to watch them.

00:06:12.675 --> 00:06:27.560
And as I got through junior high school and now kickball became soccer, I just sort of latched onto it because it just was a perfect fit for me latched onto it because it just was a perfect fit for me.

00:06:30.540 --> 00:06:31.002
When did you know that?

00:06:31.002 --> 00:06:33.399
You know you were something special and you were a standout and it was something you wanted to chase and pursue.

00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:42.322
Yeah, you know, you get validation a little bit when you now try out for teams and you get selected by teams.

00:06:42.322 --> 00:06:47.153
You know, up through eighth grade it's more recreational.

00:06:47.153 --> 00:07:04.531
But once I got to high school my varsity coach at the time took me and one other player up from as a freshman to play varsity, which back then was very unheard of, and the light bulb kind of went on going.

00:07:04.531 --> 00:07:12.233
Okay, if he thinks I'm ready for that, then you know, maybe, maybe I am pretty good at this game.

00:07:12.233 --> 00:07:34.173
So that that gave me a real positive feeling about the sport and I succeeded in high school as a young guy, as a freshman, and then by the time I sort of finished, our team was the sectional champions and I was a high school All-American and each year the soccer got a little better.

00:07:34.173 --> 00:07:47.733
I started to get a little stronger and I kind of knew then that, you know, I can certainly get into a college and play college soccer and, who knows, from there.

00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:53.612
So, dave, you mentioned a moment ago that you were a good athlete growing up.

00:07:53.612 --> 00:07:55.504
So was soccer.

00:07:55.504 --> 00:08:03.995
Or when you had started to play soccer and you understood that you had an ability, coaches said, hey look, you're a really good soccer player, et cetera.

00:08:03.995 --> 00:08:09.137
Were you still playing other sports in high school, like baseball, basketball, as you said?

00:08:09.137 --> 00:08:12.346
You were a very good basketball player for a guy who was only five foot something.

00:08:12.346 --> 00:08:13.670
You know were you.

00:08:13.670 --> 00:08:17.649
Were you still essentially saying you know, I can still play other sports as well.

00:08:17.649 --> 00:08:21.665
Or were you simply saying to yourself, okay, I'm going to concentrate solely on soccer.

00:08:21.665 --> 00:08:28.175
And then, when you saw that could take you other places, to college being the next level, was that the sole goal at that point?

00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:30.802
No, I played.

00:08:30.802 --> 00:08:35.493
I played soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring.

00:08:35.899 --> 00:08:45.291
So you, played every four years every year in high school, every year and, like I said, I was blessed athletically.

00:08:45.291 --> 00:08:50.256
I was obviously doing well in soccer, basketball.

00:08:50.256 --> 00:09:03.951
I knew I mean I love basketball but I knew that I the DNA into my family, it wasn't going to happen professionally but I played.

00:09:03.951 --> 00:09:17.423
I all through uh four years of that and baseball as well and I think I I personally feel all playing all those sports uh didn't diminish my skill level in in the sport of soccer.

00:09:17.423 --> 00:09:23.511
I know nowadays everybody uh specializes and and people are kind of down on doing other sports.

00:09:23.511 --> 00:09:25.815
For me it was the opposite.

00:09:25.815 --> 00:09:32.711
So I did play all sports and it reflected because I sure wasn't a great student.

00:09:32.711 --> 00:09:36.283
I put a lot of time and effort into my athletics.

00:09:36.826 --> 00:09:40.061
Shall, I assume that there are not a lot of Will Chamberlains in your family?

00:09:41.503 --> 00:09:42.224
There are not.

00:09:42.224 --> 00:09:42.725
No.

00:09:42.725 --> 00:09:50.186
No, the tallest is my brother, who's 5, 5'10, and I look at him as a giant so that's great yeah, genetics.

00:09:50.527 --> 00:09:58.049
Genetics didn't play out in terms of the height I play golf, so I understand you look for sports where five foot five, five foot six works right.

00:09:58.049 --> 00:10:02.330
You know you don't have to be that big guy, but you mentioned your speed.

00:10:02.330 --> 00:10:03.514
I mean your speed.

00:10:03.514 --> 00:10:06.022
Your ball handling, I'm sure was pretty good, like where.

00:10:06.022 --> 00:10:10.322
Those were the things that set you apart in the soccer world, though, and what was that next step?

00:10:10.322 --> 00:10:15.721
Was it getting scholarship offers at that point and and working into the collegiate level?

00:10:15.941 --> 00:10:24.085
yeah, so, um, I took, I took each sport seriously, uh, depending on the season, but you're asking about the sport that I love soccer.

00:10:24.085 --> 00:10:32.020
It's funny.

00:10:32.020 --> 00:10:32.522
I think back growing up.

00:10:32.522 --> 00:10:33.705
I lived in one house my whole life in Rochester, new York.

00:10:33.705 --> 00:10:35.089
We had an unbelievably athletic neighborhood.

00:10:35.089 --> 00:10:37.173
We had a hedgerow.

00:10:37.173 --> 00:10:47.315
We had about six to eight bushes that were four feet apart and I would literally take a soccer ball and dribble in and out of those bushes Time myself.

00:10:48.802 --> 00:10:50.008
I would hit the ball against.

00:10:50.008 --> 00:10:52.489
We had a side little brick area.

00:10:52.489 --> 00:10:57.645
I found ways to improve my skill Kind of on my own.

00:10:57.645 --> 00:11:03.551
I didn't, you know, back then we didn't have personal coaches so and my dad and mom didn't know anything about soccer.

00:11:03.551 --> 00:11:30.524
So I honed it a lot by just a lot of repetition and and I guess the outcome when I finished my high school career was I had speed, I had the ability to use both feet and I developed a soccer IQ and I think having those three things alerted coaches at the college level to start scouting and recruiting.

00:11:31.044 --> 00:11:34.812
My challenge was and I was halfway kidding about the academics.

00:11:34.812 --> 00:11:37.621
I really didn't put a lot of time into academics.

00:11:37.621 --> 00:11:53.335
So although I ended up at Cornell, I had to go to junior college before Cornell and I'm thrilled that I did because A academically it helped me get my act together.

00:11:53.335 --> 00:11:56.197
But also the soccer was fantastic.

00:11:56.197 --> 00:11:59.669
I mean, back then junior college competition was incredible.

00:11:59.669 --> 00:12:08.134
We weren't national champions but we were always in the national tournament and that exposed me to even more coaches that recruited me.

00:12:08.134 --> 00:12:12.932
So that pathway was important for me.

00:12:13.160 --> 00:12:15.706
So you went from junior college to Cornell.

00:12:15.706 --> 00:12:17.009
Why Cornell?

00:12:17.009 --> 00:12:17.792
Why did you pick there?

00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.028
Well, I grew up in Rochester.

00:12:21.028 --> 00:12:44.789
I knew Cornell, its reputation, but I also knew its soccer program and, through a crazy twist of fate, when I was in high school at Brighton, one of my English teachers was the best friend of the head coach at Cornell, the soccer coach, dan Wood, and this guy's name was Bruce Musgrave.

00:12:44.789 --> 00:12:48.705
And Bruce said to Dan you got to check this kid out.

00:12:48.705 --> 00:12:52.552
He called me the bouncing bean of Brighton.

00:12:53.841 --> 00:12:55.888
Wow, a lot of alliteration.

00:12:55.888 --> 00:12:56.389
I like that.

00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:59.067
Yeah, yeah, say that fast.

00:12:59.067 --> 00:13:03.639
And my grades weren't good enough to get into Cornell.

00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:11.947
But when I finished at Monroe Community, dan heavily recruited me to go to Cornell and I knew the reputation.

00:13:11.947 --> 00:13:20.486
I knew and my mom and dad knew look if you can get to an Ivy League school you'd be crazy not to consider it.

00:13:20.527 --> 00:13:28.322
Yeah, and there were no athletic scholarships but that's irrelevant and luckily I was able to get admitted.

00:13:28.322 --> 00:13:29.384
I was recruited.

00:13:29.384 --> 00:13:36.529
I knew all about the academic institution but the soccer they were national, nationally ranked in the top three.

00:13:36.529 --> 00:13:39.352
Ivy League soccer at that time was fantastic.

00:13:39.352 --> 00:13:44.518
So I was able to get admitted and have a great two year career at Cornell.

00:13:44.538 --> 00:13:47.039
I was able to get admitted and have a great two-year career at Cornell.

00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:48.543
So, Dave, you're at Cornell.

00:13:48.543 --> 00:13:50.466
Tell us a little bit about your run there.

00:13:50.466 --> 00:13:52.009
I mean, clearly you did very well.

00:13:52.009 --> 00:13:53.352
You became a professional player.

00:13:53.352 --> 00:13:55.942
What were some of the highlights?

00:13:56.022 --> 00:13:56.562
of that experience.

00:13:56.562 --> 00:13:57.846
Well, cornell was fantastic.

00:13:57.846 --> 00:14:01.033
First and foremost, I had a great coach, dan Wood.

00:14:01.033 --> 00:14:06.490
Unfortunately he passed a couple years ago, but Dan, he was really an intellect.

00:14:06.490 --> 00:14:10.025
I learned a lot about the game through him.

00:14:10.025 --> 00:14:16.927
He wasn't the greatest communicator but, boy, he knew his soccer and we had such a good team.

00:14:16.927 --> 00:14:19.711
We were really diverse, international.

00:14:19.711 --> 00:14:27.693
We had a player from China from back then it was called Yugoslavia, from Peru.

00:14:27.693 --> 00:14:42.703
So we were very international and we were, we were ranked in the top 10 in the country and during my time at Cornell we won the Ivy League championship and in soccer, college soccer.

00:14:42.744 --> 00:14:47.246
Back then, you know, pro soccer really hadn't completely taken off.

00:14:47.246 --> 00:14:55.331
The NASL was alive, but soccer was at a pretty good level back then, and the Ivy League especially.

00:14:55.331 --> 00:15:00.254
So I was fortunate enough to gain the trust of my team.

00:15:00.254 --> 00:15:16.679
They named me captain in a team that was quite talented and we had great success and I was fortunate by the end where I was sort of, you know, I made all Ivy and I was an All-American.

00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:25.654
It put me on a platform to get exposure for the next level, which was the North American Soccer League.

00:15:25.654 --> 00:15:29.203
So I owe so much and I graduated.

00:15:29.203 --> 00:15:31.426
By the way, fellas, I want to make that clear.

00:15:33.686 --> 00:15:51.464
I made my parents very happy because, I came home with an Ivy League degree which, if you were a betting man, dave Serekin, was not going to an Ivy League college as a senior in high school, not alone graduating from one and having grown up in a similar environment.

00:15:51.563 --> 00:15:58.432
I'm sure that your parents told every single human being that they knew that their son graduated from Cornell.

00:15:58.432 --> 00:15:59.495
You got it.

00:15:59.495 --> 00:16:00.436
You got it.

00:16:00.436 --> 00:16:04.331
So, dave, what did you learn from being a captain?

00:16:04.331 --> 00:16:06.081
You got it.

00:16:06.081 --> 00:16:07.085
So, dave, what did you learn from being a captain?

00:16:07.085 --> 00:16:15.631
You know you eventually became a coach, which is so much about leadership and management and dealing with conflict and things of that nature Like what did you take away from the experience of being the captain of that team?

00:16:17.520 --> 00:16:21.347
Well, I guess I was fortunate.

00:16:22.629 --> 00:16:49.543
Prior to that experience in high school and in junior college I was named captain, so somewhere there was a thread of trust within the group that I was going to be a guy that was somewhat selfless, that took the group and put the group as an important piece above kind of my own personal sort of desires.

00:16:49.702 --> 00:17:05.569
And I took that very seriously and I kind of got an early sense, way back in high school, sports, how teams should work in order to be successful.

00:17:05.569 --> 00:17:23.742
And I guess I accumulated those experiences so that when I was captain at Cornell because if you think about it, the players that were on that team there were some other junior college players but a lot were freshmen, sophomores, juniors all the way through their college experience at Cornell.

00:17:23.742 --> 00:17:49.039
So here's a guy that came in as a junior and I guess earning their trust early and taking it seriously, as I said that, making sure that it wasn't just about me, that I would communicate with everybody and form a relationship with the group and kind of keep the temperature of the group throughout the ups and the downs.

00:17:49.039 --> 00:18:03.876
So it was a great experience that opened my eyes to you know how good you can be with the right leadership and the right people, that sort of all buy in.

00:18:06.743 --> 00:18:08.750
Was that maybe the starting point for you?

00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:22.721
I mean, we're going to talk a little bit maybe we're definitely going to talk about it in a few minutes, but was that maybe the germination point where you said to yourself you know what at some point in the future I could coach Well?

00:18:23.323 --> 00:18:25.931
I think that certainly was a big part of it.

00:18:25.931 --> 00:18:44.810
You know, I remember really specifically before I got to well, no, before I graduated high school, I think it might've been my senior year Every winter there was a kids versus teachers basketball game, and because I was on the basketball team I couldn't play.

00:18:44.810 --> 00:18:47.365
It was just, like you know, the normal student body.

00:18:47.365 --> 00:18:52.786
But they asked me to coach that team and I remember going home and picking out a sports jacket.

00:18:53.950 --> 00:19:03.354
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, going home picking out a sports jacket and a tie and I borrowed a clipboard because you know that's what coaches wore back then.

00:19:03.862 --> 00:19:08.160
And I remember, you know, organizing the students that were going to play the teachers.

00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:23.311
It was a big assembly and I remember kneeling, you know, in the huddle and talking about how we're going to do this and you could just imagine right, and even then I got this feeling like God, this charged me up.

00:19:23.311 --> 00:19:26.549
It really did, just having a group like that.

00:19:26.549 --> 00:19:29.666
And then you know the experiences along the way throughout the college.

00:19:29.666 --> 00:19:41.488
I knew that if I wasn't going to coach, I was going to either teach or counsel, but something that involved being a people, person and forming relationships.

00:19:41.488 --> 00:19:50.211
But I caught the soccer bug and you know I was very focused on being a professional, uh, so I didn't think about what am I going to do when that's done.

00:19:50.211 --> 00:19:56.512
But throughout my professional career I knew when, toward the end, I said no, I, I, this is too.

00:19:56.512 --> 00:20:01.742
I love this game, uh, and and I felt I wanted to be a part of it, uh, and learn how to be a coach.

00:20:01.742 --> 00:20:04.305
Part of it and learn how to be a coach.

00:20:04.905 --> 00:20:06.707
How many times did students beat the teachers?

00:20:07.606 --> 00:20:11.910
You know, I think none, because even if we were winning.

00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:21.017
I think the teacher no, no, I think we did well, I can't remember exactly, but let me say this I think I was one and O, that's all that matters.

00:20:21.017 --> 00:20:21.797
There you go.

00:20:21.876 --> 00:20:22.837
That is all that matters.

00:20:22.837 --> 00:20:26.750
All right, so let me continue on with the college career.

00:20:26.750 --> 00:20:28.926
So you're getting close to the end of your college career.

00:20:28.926 --> 00:20:45.185
At this point, the North American Soccer League I mean, it's not baseball, it's not football, it's not basketball Actually, it's actually probably a better comparison, maybe, to basketball, because pro basketball was still something of a fledgling state You're still dealing with the ABA.

00:20:45.185 --> 00:20:49.431
The professional NBA itself is still kind of floundering about.

00:20:49.431 --> 00:21:01.613
Granted, north American soccer is trying to take off in the United States, but there's still no real viable, I guess, grassroots or foundation here in America.

00:21:01.613 --> 00:21:11.566
Were you A thinking about trying to play, you know, obviously beyond your college years, or was there okay, once college is over, I have to go into the workforce.

00:21:11.566 --> 00:21:13.473
What was the plan at that point?

00:21:13.473 --> 00:21:17.385
What were you going to actually become, if not a professional soccer player?

00:21:18.128 --> 00:21:23.182
Well, let's go back to part of the earlier part of the question.

00:21:23.182 --> 00:21:28.753
By the time I was a senior at Cornell, I was very well aware of the North American Soccer League.

00:21:28.753 --> 00:21:34.472
There were previous Cornell players that were drafted and playing in the North American Soccer League.

00:21:34.472 --> 00:21:47.380
I was driven in my head to try to have the opportunity to play in the NASL, specifically for my hometown team, which was the Rochester Lancers, which is you know.

00:21:47.380 --> 00:21:56.488
We didn't speak about that, but part of what drove me to think that, hey, this is possible was when I was old enough to go to those games.

00:21:57.369 --> 00:22:01.344
I would watch the Lancers and they had a player, Carlos Metidieri.

00:22:01.344 --> 00:22:04.632
He was a five foot five Brazilian who was tearing it up.

00:22:04.632 --> 00:22:07.808
Player Carlos Metidieri, he was a five foot five Brazilian who was tearing it up.

00:22:07.808 --> 00:22:10.016
He was the MVP at one point of the league and I said, well, there's a little guy that can play.

00:22:10.016 --> 00:22:22.306
So I was very aware of the NASL and my coach, dan Wood, at the time had said to me look, I'm very well connected with a lot of these younger American coaches who are playing in the league.

00:22:22.306 --> 00:22:30.661
You're, I think you're going to get drafted and you know, I'm going to try to help you help you, you know, you know fulfill your dream.

00:22:30.661 --> 00:22:42.064
And I was fortunate enough to be drafted by my Rochester Lancer team, so I was pretty driven to give that a shot, a big time shot.

00:22:42.605 --> 00:22:50.664
So you're drafted, you go to Rochester, home, basically, and at that point is it about earning a spot on the team.

00:22:50.664 --> 00:22:57.711
Do you know you're going to be on the team and you'll be a bench player or role player, or are you thrust into the, into the fire right there?

00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:03.147
Well, yeah, if we had, if we had hours, I have some great stories.

00:23:03.147 --> 00:23:08.175
But I was just thrilled to have the opportunity.

00:23:08.175 --> 00:23:09.807
Well, let me go back.

00:23:09.807 --> 00:23:16.053
I was drafted in January of 76, and I was still a senior at Cornell.

00:23:16.053 --> 00:23:18.567
So I wasn't going to just quit.

00:23:18.567 --> 00:23:20.944
I was too close to getting a degree.

00:23:21.085 --> 00:23:21.405
So what.

00:23:21.486 --> 00:23:23.151
I was doing was, I was, I was.

00:23:23.151 --> 00:23:31.551
Yeah, I was traveling to Rochester three days a week, which is 90 miles in the winter, because we had indoor training.

00:23:31.551 --> 00:23:34.104
So I tried to make an impression for my coach.

00:23:34.104 --> 00:23:43.365
He was a Yugoslavian coach and by the end of the indoor training then we had to go to San Diego for an outdoor training.

00:23:43.365 --> 00:23:52.682
And, to make this long story short, I I put myself in a position where they felt that I could uh play at that level and they signed me to a contract.

00:23:52.682 --> 00:24:00.944
And my first contract uh was non-negotiable, it was $2,000, uh for the season.

00:24:02.007 --> 00:24:04.833
And uh all, the all, the all, the all.

00:24:04.833 --> 00:24:08.240
The Americans basically signed the same contract.

00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:08.922
So we would.

00:24:08.922 --> 00:24:15.561
We would practice in the morning and paint houses in the afternoon to make extra money.

00:24:15.561 --> 00:24:16.984
Yeah, but, but.

00:24:17.265 --> 00:24:18.587
I was a pro and I played in the.

00:24:18.708 --> 00:24:19.269
NASL.

00:24:19.269 --> 00:24:28.473
It was at a time when the NASL was in the limelight because of players like Pelé and Chinaglia and the Cosmos.

00:24:28.473 --> 00:24:36.394
Let's face it, they helped propel the league into more of the forefront than behind the scenes.

00:24:36.394 --> 00:24:38.042
So my timing was good.

00:24:38.042 --> 00:24:48.872
It didn't allow me a lot of playing time, nor a lot of the Americans, because a lot of foreign players were coming in, but the experience was fantastic what was it like to play with against those guys?

00:24:48.971 --> 00:24:55.190
with those guys, tell us some some pele and chinaglia stories well, it was surreal, I mean.

00:24:55.790 --> 00:25:01.728
So here I am, a 22 year old kid in 1976 and and I I was.

00:25:01.728 --> 00:25:08.259
I was fortunate because you, I used to get soccer did not have the exposure it does today.

00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:10.663
There isn't anything.

00:25:10.663 --> 00:25:18.327
There wasn't anything like you know where, it was on TV all the time, or whatever, but I would subscribe to magazines.

00:25:18.327 --> 00:25:20.167
I followed international soccer.

00:25:20.167 --> 00:25:29.087
I knew about Pelé and Chinaglia and Beckenbauer, george Best, johan Cruyff these are legends in the game.

00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:33.160
Legendary names, legendary figures, legends, legends, I mean.

00:25:33.160 --> 00:25:39.894
And here I am with Rochester and I'm on the same field with these guys.

00:25:39.894 --> 00:25:41.567
So you can imagine I was 22.

00:25:41.567 --> 00:25:50.388
I mean, pelé unfortunately just lost and that's been in the news lately and it conjures up some incredible memories.

00:25:50.388 --> 00:26:02.646
But my favorite was when he came to Rochester with the Cosmos my first year and we had a player on our team, Frank Odoi, who was from Ghana, who actually knew Pelé, and he said, hey, I'm going to introduce you guys.

00:26:02.646 --> 00:26:05.125
When he said you guys, he meant the American guys.

00:26:05.125 --> 00:26:10.001
So before the day, before you know, they're on the practice field.

00:26:10.123 --> 00:26:11.948
And I remember taking a photo.

00:26:11.948 --> 00:26:12.489
I have it.

00:26:12.489 --> 00:26:29.606
In fact I've been trying to dig it up in my boxes of stuff, but and I will where I put my arm around Pele and we have this photo, and I remember his lower back was like marble and he was 36 at the time and just to be in his presence, I mean it was hard to describe.

00:26:29.606 --> 00:26:47.414
Uh, I remember going out to LA and George Best walks by me and if you remember, you know you guys may not, but he, he was like a matinee idol and when, when you looked at him, it's like my God, I mean this guy, you get a man crush on a guy like this.

00:26:50.861 --> 00:26:58.355
But you know, when we went to play the Cosmos in New York, that was just incredible because the place was packed.

00:26:58.355 --> 00:27:04.369
You had Beckenbauer, who I loved, you had Chinaglia, stevie Hunt I could go through all the names, and then, of course, pelé.

00:27:04.369 --> 00:27:05.046
So you were a little, I was a little star struck.

00:27:05.046 --> 00:27:05.689
Stevie Hunt, I could go through all the names, and then, of course, pelé.

00:27:05.689 --> 00:27:08.950
So you were a little, I was a little starstruck, no question.

00:27:09.050 --> 00:27:31.339
But you know, to be able to see their skill level up close, it was daunting really it's so interesting because I wanted to ask you if at any point in your professional career you wanted to maybe pursue European soccer or maybe South America or somewhere else, to kind of immerse yourself in that world where it's much more appreciated.

00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:41.955
But it sounds like all of those stars were here making a good paycheck because, right, it was a draw and it was, it was a way for them to play in America and get exposure.

00:27:41.955 --> 00:27:45.431
It's such a different scene now than it was then.

00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:47.516
Talk a little bit about that yeah.

00:27:47.516 --> 00:27:49.121
Yeah, yeah.

00:27:49.121 --> 00:27:54.106
Well, back then there was, there weren't any Americans that were going over to play in Europe.

00:27:54.106 --> 00:28:01.675
From my memory not not during my era that that changed obviously in the 90s and 2000s and and so on.

00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:03.185
Because they weren't good enough, Dave.

00:28:04.181 --> 00:28:04.762
I don't think.

00:28:04.762 --> 00:28:08.381
I think that's a big part of it and in the culture.

00:28:08.401 --> 00:28:09.161
I can really remember who got a chance.

00:28:09.161 --> 00:28:09.821
John Harkin was the first one.

00:28:09.821 --> 00:28:11.663
I can really remember who got a chance.

00:28:12.865 --> 00:28:23.816
John Harkin yep, John Harkin, who I coached, by the way, at UVA and have known John, yes, he was one of the first to go over and play in England.

00:28:23.816 --> 00:28:29.088
He had a dual passport.

00:28:29.088 --> 00:28:37.724
Yeah, there were a lot of layers to why it wouldn't happen, but basically the American player wasn't ready for European soccer, nor was the.

00:28:37.724 --> 00:28:42.167
You know, there wasn't even that much exposure to it back then.

00:28:42.167 --> 00:28:44.369
Final paycheck and grow the game.

00:28:44.369 --> 00:29:01.720
Eventually it did in the NASL, the Cosmos, because these other markets couldn't afford to pay players like Steve Ross and Warner Brothers could with the Cosmos.

00:29:01.720 --> 00:29:03.467
So that's a different story.

00:29:03.467 --> 00:29:07.307
But for me personally, no, I never would.

00:29:07.307 --> 00:29:18.951
It wasn't in my realm of thought to say, boy, I'd like to go to play in England because, yeah, back then it was the NASL.

00:29:18.991 --> 00:29:27.680
Really, so if you're making $2,000, I mean, how much are these international players making coming over here, because it seems like that's where all the salary went to is these guys?

00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:28.997
Is Pele making $3,000?

00:29:28.997 --> 00:29:29.199
Seriously.

00:29:31.066 --> 00:29:32.009
Like what could?

00:29:32.009 --> 00:29:35.384
Obviously, they wrote him a big fat check to get him to come here.

00:29:35.384 --> 00:29:37.490
Do you remember roughly what we were talking about?

00:29:38.622 --> 00:29:41.067
no, I think there's documentation about that.

00:29:41.067 --> 00:29:50.192
I mean, if I get you know it, might it might have been a million dollars, which doesn't sound like anything today, but back then it was, it was a lot.

00:29:50.192 --> 00:29:58.526
It was a lot, uh, but it was true for all those guys and honestly guys, for me it wasn't about the money.

00:29:58.526 --> 00:30:05.211
I didn't think about, man, I want to be a pro because I want to drive a nice car and make a lot of money.

00:30:05.211 --> 00:30:09.334
I honestly, too naive.

00:30:09.334 --> 00:30:26.105
I just I wanted to have that experience and obviously, you know, when I got, actually when I played indoor soccer, my brother, who's an attorney, did my contract and I was making a pretty good living as an indoor soccer player, but it wasn't really about the money.

00:30:26.105 --> 00:30:34.594
For these older guys that came over, it sure was about the money, but you know, everybody has their own way of being motivated.

00:30:35.559 --> 00:30:37.243
So when did we now move to the?

00:30:37.243 --> 00:30:43.465
When did we say to ourselves okay, the playing career is over, I want to move to the sideline?

00:30:43.465 --> 00:30:46.549
At what point did we say we're now ready to transition to the sideline?

00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:52.045
Yeah, that was at the end of my indoor career in 82.

00:30:52.045 --> 00:31:04.211
I finished playing and the coach that was working at Cornell at the time needed an assistant and I moved back to upstate New York, to Rochester.

00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:06.865
Were there two Dan Wood at the time.

00:31:08.501 --> 00:31:09.948
No, no, dan was gone.

00:31:09.948 --> 00:31:11.784
This was another coach.

00:31:11.784 --> 00:31:23.853
Jack Ryder was the coach at Cornell, and so I knew that I wanted to get some experience coaching and there was an opportunity, so I went back there in 83.

00:31:24.435 --> 00:31:25.259
And how old were you at that point?

00:31:25.299 --> 00:31:26.903
At that point I was oh boy, I was born in 54.

00:31:26.903 --> 00:31:28.066
Let's do the math 29?

00:31:28.066 --> 00:31:28.066
.

00:31:28.066 --> 00:31:30.952
I was going to say I was born in 54.

00:31:30.952 --> 00:31:33.198
Let's do the math 29?

00:31:33.198 --> 00:31:33.740
Is that right?

00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:35.477
I was going to say right around 30.

00:31:35.617 --> 00:31:38.046
Okay, yeah, yeah, close to 30.

00:31:38.046 --> 00:31:38.508
That's right.

00:31:38.508 --> 00:31:41.106
And had a couple seasons there.

00:31:41.106 --> 00:31:48.848
And then Bruce Arena, who was the head coach at UVA and those that know soccer know about Bruce Arena.

00:31:48.848 --> 00:32:18.277
My God, he was a Cornellian but we didn't play together because he was a transfer, so I didn't really know Bruce, but he knew me and I knew him and there was an opportunity to join him as a full-time, first at Cornell, to join Bruce in 84.

00:32:18.277 --> 00:32:41.200
And that was really the springboard to an accelerated learning curve of collegiate soccer learning how to coach, what it takes, forming relationships, recruiting, scheduling, and then from there I was offered the opportunity to be the head coach at Cornell and there it went.

00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:47.993
So 82 and 3 and 4 were the beginnings of knowing that, okay, this is going to be my profession.

00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:52.970
So is it fair to say that it was a relationship that got you to this point, or it was.

00:32:52.970 --> 00:32:57.308
It was obviously your alma mater, so it was easy to go back to Cornell, right?

00:32:57.308 --> 00:33:06.335
But is it is it then, knowing Bruce and him kind of taking you along and saying I have this opportunity and you're going to come along too?

00:33:06.335 --> 00:33:11.963
Is it a relationship thing or is it what, at this point early in the coaching career?

00:33:12.124 --> 00:33:21.010
Yeah, early you know life is about timing and opportunity and recognizing it.

00:33:21.010 --> 00:33:29.497
And I guess you know my mom was right Get a Cornell degree because I believe One way or another.

00:33:31.181 --> 00:33:37.019
Yeah, you know she because my, you know Bruce knew about me because of Cornell.

00:33:37.019 --> 00:33:39.946
He followed the teams, he knew I was a good player.

00:33:39.946 --> 00:33:42.853
People that knew me recommended me.

00:33:42.853 --> 00:34:04.314
Anyway, the Cornell connection absolutely got me in the door with Bruce and then, by working with Bruce and having success, now, five years into my UVA experience, the Cornell job opens and here I have five years under my belt at an ACC championship team, national ranked team.

00:34:04.314 --> 00:34:14.856
So the connection that Cornell played again got me an interview and helped get me the position as the head coach at Cornell to go back in 89.

00:34:14.856 --> 00:34:25.742
And that was just a wonderful reintroduction to go back to Cornell, having been a player, now being the head coach.

00:34:25.742 --> 00:34:37.420
So yes, the relationship and the experience you know dotted one I and crossed one T and got me that opportunity.

00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:46.222
So, Dave, you had a lot of success in college, UVA, going to Cornell, and then you went to the MLS.

00:34:46.222 --> 00:34:50.869
What was the desire to jump Meaning?

00:34:50.869 --> 00:34:57.063
Could you have stayed in college, risen to the top of those ranks and been content?

00:34:57.063 --> 00:34:59.789
Why was the MLS compelling to you?

00:35:00.710 --> 00:35:02.114
That's a really good question.

00:35:02.114 --> 00:35:05.762
You alluded to it.

00:35:05.762 --> 00:35:12.670
The collegiate setting is pretty much you're working with a safety net.

00:35:12.670 --> 00:35:18.856
Very rarely in our sport of soccer were you going to lose a job.

00:35:18.856 --> 00:35:35.940
I could have stayed at Cornell for 20, 25 years, but again an opportunity came where Bruce Arena was the head coach at DC United, which was in Major League Soccer and early on.

00:35:35.940 --> 00:35:50.563
The league started in 96, but in 97, the assistant there was Bob Bradley, who left and there was an opening and Bruce called me while I was at Cornell and said I want to offer you this position.

00:35:50.563 --> 00:35:51.405
Think about it.

00:35:53.230 --> 00:36:03.456
And I had a young family at the time and I felt as though I left the last couple of years at Cornell in a really good spot.

00:36:03.456 --> 00:36:10.668
We were Ivy champs, we went to the NCAA tournament and I just felt the leap of faith.

00:36:10.668 --> 00:36:15.135
I wanted to challenge myself what is the next level like?

00:36:15.135 --> 00:36:34.922
And to be able to now push myself professionally to another level work with a guy that I'm familiar with, get into a team that I feel has good ownership and a good roster that can win because they had one, has good ownership and a good roster that can win because they had one.

00:36:34.922 --> 00:36:36.085
When I added it all up.

00:36:36.085 --> 00:36:50.079
I just felt in my gut if you're going to push yourself to be as good as you can be, you've got to take this opportunity, knowing that in professional sports it could last a year.

00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:57.003
But I had the right support internally and my gut told me you got to do this and I did it and thank goodness I did.

00:36:57.003 --> 00:37:02.702
I did love the college experience, but it was time for me to get to the next level.

00:37:03.523 --> 00:37:07.382
Dave, I've always thought that coaches, especially at the college level, are teachers.

00:37:07.382 --> 00:37:22.003
They're first and foremost teachers, and you spoke, you said, you know, you said yourself that your first coach in college, jack wood, was a very influential person on you and you know how much did he influence your style as a coach.

00:37:22.003 --> 00:37:37.728
And then you know, moving forward, jack rider, bruce arena, how much have they influenced your style of coaching, and then how has that turned and how has that then given you your own style, and then have you been able to then give that to other assistants under you.

00:37:37.728 --> 00:37:41.648
How is it then you then mentor other younger players and other younger coaches?

00:37:42.630 --> 00:37:44.175
yeah, yeah, a good question.

00:37:44.175 --> 00:37:46.282
No, I, you know, I I've taken.

00:37:46.282 --> 00:37:52.693
I've taken all my experiences and a little piece of all the coaches I had starting back in high school.

00:37:52.693 --> 00:38:07.193
My junior college coach was not a particularly sophisticated soccer mind but he was an incredible human being, an incredible empathetic guy, the way he treated us.

00:38:07.193 --> 00:38:17.429
Dan Wood was a good guy but socially it was a challenge for him but he literally had an IQ of like 160.

00:38:17.429 --> 00:38:18.112
He was brilliant.

00:38:18.739 --> 00:38:21.610
So I took a little bit of the tactical side.

00:38:21.610 --> 00:38:23.507
I took a little bit of the humanistic side.

00:38:23.507 --> 00:38:26.525
With Bruce.

00:38:26.525 --> 00:38:31.682
Let's face it, he's arguably the most decorated American coach in American soccer Of all time.

00:38:31.682 --> 00:38:33.746
Yeah, the most decorated American coach in American soccer Of all time.

00:38:33.746 --> 00:38:40.454
Yeah, and I took a lot of the details that are needed to succeed and man management.

00:38:40.454 --> 00:38:50.170
So all the coach, and even the coach that coached me in Rochester, who at the time I disliked because he never played me or the Americans.

00:38:50.170 --> 00:38:52.592
We used to make fun of him and but.

00:38:52.673 --> 00:38:58.673
But as an adult I can kind of think back to some of the things that I could take from him.

00:38:59.034 --> 00:39:07.501
So it's like comedians, you know, you take a little, you take jokes and routines from everybody and now you formulate your own way.

00:39:07.623 --> 00:39:23.027
And the one learning thing that I can share with you is that when I, when I did get my opportunity to be the head coach at Chicago with the Chicago fire, you know, at the beginning, um, I try, I I copied too much of Bruce.

00:39:23.027 --> 00:39:33.833
I was his assistant for such a long period of time and I realized very quickly that I have to have my own voice and I have to do it my way, which I did, and luckily you know I was successful.

00:39:33.833 --> 00:39:35.246
But to answer your question have to do it my way, which I did, and luckily you know I was successful.

00:39:35.246 --> 00:39:37.251
But to answer your question in a long winded way.

00:39:37.251 --> 00:39:55.173
I've taken a little bit of all those experiences and sort of molded into how I now can mentor and teach and get the point across, because at the end of the day, you've got to be able to communicate.

00:39:55.173 --> 00:40:00.650
And if you don't mind, I can share one other kind of fun quick story when I was at.

00:40:00.791 --> 00:40:00.971
UVA.

00:40:00.971 --> 00:40:08.460
Yeah, you know, when I was at UVA during the winter, bruce and I we went to all the basketball games.

00:40:08.460 --> 00:40:09.623
Ralph Sampson was there.

00:40:09.623 --> 00:40:10.224
They were great.

00:40:10.224 --> 00:40:11.947
Acc basketball was incredible.

00:40:11.947 --> 00:40:26.815
So every home game at halftime we would go into our soccer office, which was about 200 square feet, but the vent above us led into the visiting team's basketball locker room.

00:40:28.324 --> 00:40:32.262
So we were oh wow, you were the mole, yeah, yeah.

00:40:32.262 --> 00:40:34.324
Now full disclosure.

00:40:34.324 --> 00:40:41.076
We never once went back to Terry Holland, the head coach of UVA's basketball, to say, hey, by the way, here's what they're talking about.

00:40:41.076 --> 00:40:46.853
No, the whole idea was I want to hear how Jim Valvano talks to his team.

00:40:46.853 --> 00:40:53.083
I want to hear how Lefty Drizelle talks to his team, I want to hear how Bobby Cremins Can you imagine?

00:40:53.083 --> 00:41:12.648
And so so I use that example because I'm always looking at even other sports and leaders in other sports and how they talk and communicate and when they have to put the hammer down, ok, you've got to do it this way or when you've got to soften the message.

00:41:12.648 --> 00:41:16.447
And so it was an incredible learning experience and to this day, I still do that.

00:41:16.447 --> 00:41:26.509
You know, I love Steve Kerr and the way he operates his team and the way he carries himself and how he communicates, greg Popovich.

00:41:26.509 --> 00:41:32.492
So you know, I think you take a little bit of all that all the time, but you still have to be yourself.

00:41:32.512 --> 00:41:36.019
I think you take a little bit of all that all the time, but you still have to be yourself.

00:41:36.019 --> 00:41:47.963
You know, as you, as you bring that up.

00:41:47.963 --> 00:41:50.349
You know one of the questions that I had wanted to get to during this this conversation was about managing.

00:41:50.349 --> 00:41:51.893
You know world class athletes, leading world class athletes.

00:41:51.893 --> 00:41:53.496
I know you had the opportunity to coach a David Beckham, for example.

00:41:53.496 --> 00:42:00.753
The opportunity to coach a David Beckham, for example, like, how do you deal with people at that level and get them to buy into your philosophy and get them to take direction?

00:42:00.753 --> 00:42:06.777
I mean, what's it like to deal with those looking from the outside, egos or those types of people?

00:42:07.498 --> 00:42:16.952
Yeah, yeah, no, look, it's when Bruce asked me to join him with the Galaxy.

00:42:16.952 --> 00:42:19.014
He and I were hired together.

00:42:19.014 --> 00:42:23.487
At the same time they let go of the previous staff, and that was 2008.

00:42:23.487 --> 00:42:27.331
And we inherited a very dysfunctional locker room.

00:42:27.331 --> 00:42:31.286
David Beckham was there, Landon Donovan was there.

00:42:31.286 --> 00:42:36.043
There was a myriad of mishmash kind of personalities within that locker room.

00:42:36.043 --> 00:42:38.025
This was August of 2008.

00:42:38.025 --> 00:42:46.311
And even back with DC United, we had Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno.

00:42:46.311 --> 00:42:48.032
These were big, big, big people.

00:42:48.112 --> 00:42:53.275
So my first exposure to high level pros started at DC.

00:42:53.275 --> 00:43:02.690
And, and look, my daughter had a poster of Beckham on her wall the day I accepted to join Bruce.

00:43:02.690 --> 00:43:04.804
So you know I was.

00:43:04.804 --> 00:43:06.487
I got to admit.

00:43:06.487 --> 00:43:06.789
You know.

00:43:06.789 --> 00:43:09.342
You walk in and there's Beckham and it's like holy smokes.

00:43:09.342 --> 00:43:10.668
You know this is the real deal.

00:43:10.668 --> 00:43:11.501
And it's like holy smokes.

00:43:11.501 --> 00:43:15.103
You know this is the real deal, but but my, where I'm going with all this is?

00:43:16.585 --> 00:43:24.130
My success with these kinds of people has always started from the humanistic side first, not the soccer side.

00:43:24.130 --> 00:43:31.996
Now, of course, they have to get your trust and you have to gain their trust and respect for you to have, for them to trust that.

00:43:31.996 --> 00:43:40.333
Hey, you know what you're talking about from the soccer sense and I I didn't put that ahead of getting to know them first as people.

00:43:40.333 --> 00:44:02.673
Uh, so they begin to, you know, sort of crack that shell of okay, here's my coach, but he's got a family too, he's got young kids too, he, he, he's dealing with LA traffic and so on, and so you know it starts that way and then, not being a fan, you are their coach.

00:44:03.440 --> 00:44:10.614
And I'm not trying to be a friend of David Beckham's, I don't want to join him for a beer in Beverly Hills on the weekend.

00:44:10.614 --> 00:44:13.048
You know, you have to know where to draw the line.

00:44:13.048 --> 00:44:26.309
And I think I was fortunate, with my personality and the way I communicate and sort of handle that end of it, the right balance that I gained their trust pretty quickly.

00:44:26.309 --> 00:44:31.652
And once you've done that, now you can say, first of all, I'm not going to teach David Beckham how to strike a ball.

00:44:31.652 --> 00:44:34.849
Say, first of all, I'm not going to teach David Beckham how to strike a ball.

00:44:34.869 --> 00:44:35.893
Let's face it guys.

00:44:35.893 --> 00:44:43.143
So let's cross that thing off the list.

00:44:43.143 --> 00:44:44.166
But we can show them video of team stuff.

00:44:44.166 --> 00:44:46.675
And the other way I would say it too is because I respect where they've been.

00:44:46.675 --> 00:44:52.405
So I had, you know, david Beckham, robbie Keane, landon Donovan, ashley Cole, stephen Gerrard.

00:44:52.405 --> 00:45:02.996
I would enable them and encourage them to have their voice in a lot of this and, even if I disagreed, they felt invested that way.

00:45:02.996 --> 00:45:08.371
They felt respected that way Because, I'll be honest with you, the bigger, the star.

00:45:08.371 --> 00:45:16.143
In many ways they're very sensitive and they've got their insecurities and they still want to be recognized.

00:45:16.143 --> 00:45:17.867
So you got to find the right balance.

00:45:17.867 --> 00:45:23.387
But it still starts with the right communication and building that trust that way.

00:45:23.387 --> 00:45:27.123
That's kind of how I've always done it and it's kind of worked for me.

00:45:27.923 --> 00:45:29.947
It's a perfect way to lead into my next question, then.

00:45:29.947 --> 00:45:31.289
So is there?

00:45:31.289 --> 00:45:43.905
Is there a big difference between the the ego of the european latin american player, those who are obviously playing soccer on a much higher level than the american player?

00:45:43.905 --> 00:45:50.525
So is there a huge difference in terms of the ego of and of, uh, of dealing with david beckham than there is with dealing with a Landon Donovan?

00:45:51.126 --> 00:45:56.134
You know that's an individual, that's kind of an individual evaluation.

00:45:56.134 --> 00:46:16.530
I'd say I would answer that this way Certainly, early on in Major League Soccer, let's say, when Europeans or South Americans came to our league, they felt they were coming into an environment where they were just going to dominate, they were going to be the best, this league's secondary.

00:46:16.530 --> 00:46:26.152
They had an attitude and an ego that you know the American game can't be as challenging as where I'm coming from early on.

00:46:26.152 --> 00:46:39.141
But I think, through time and through improvements and better quality, whether it's coaching facilities, players I don't think there's a big difference now and again.

00:46:39.141 --> 00:46:40.809
Here's another good example.

00:46:41.900 --> 00:46:53.525
Here's David Beckham with the Galaxy, arguably the greatest, the biggest name on the planet in terms of soccer at the time, arguably.

00:46:53.525 --> 00:47:04.117
And but he, he played for Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Alex Ferguson took no crap from any player.

00:47:04.117 --> 00:47:05.619
He managed.

00:47:05.619 --> 00:47:20.447
He managed players in a way where those players would then come into the next environment knowing how to treat coaches with respect, treat rookies with respect.

00:47:21.009 --> 00:47:37.875
There was an incident that happened with me and you know I'm a mild-mannered guy and I never I rarely get into confrontation, but there was a moment in one of the practices with LA where one of the American guys argued with me over something silly, I don't know.

00:47:37.875 --> 00:47:49.639
I was reffing and he was just being unbelievably disrespectful and I was about to get back after him and Beckham was standing there and he didn't say a word.

00:47:49.639 --> 00:47:59.831
He pulled this player, just pulled him away, walked 20 yards and had a conversation with him and about 15 minutes later, the guy came up and apologized to me.

00:47:59.831 --> 00:48:08.195
And I know why David did that because he was brought up the right way in an environment where you don't do that.

00:48:08.195 --> 00:48:19.050
You just don't do that, and so it depends on the person in the player, honestly, and the environment you brought in so because there's plenty of americans that have an ego.

00:48:19.170 --> 00:48:24.014
Let me tell you yeah I can't wait to talk about america, the american game and where we are now.

00:48:24.014 --> 00:48:26.302
But uh, curious, you know.

00:48:26.302 --> 00:48:36.152
Is it easier to work with a younger player because you can mold them into what you want them to be, or are you prefer to work with a veteran because you don't have to teach them how to strike a ball?

00:48:36.152 --> 00:48:37.862
You can work on the finer points of the game.

00:48:37.862 --> 00:48:41.721
Obviously, I'm sure you love to work with both, but which is more challenging for you?

00:48:44.244 --> 00:48:46.106
I really enjoy teaching.

00:48:46.106 --> 00:48:51.773
You've alluded to that Teaching and coaching and mentoring.

00:48:51.773 --> 00:48:54.697
If I had to pick, you know the, the.

00:48:54.697 --> 00:49:00.568
I love the relationships that I formed with a lot of these veterans, like Robbie Keene.

00:49:00.568 --> 00:49:03.442
You know we talk two, three times a month.

00:49:03.442 --> 00:49:12.985
You know we've we've became friends and he was he was really a legendary guy and a real pro and I love those relationships.

00:49:12.985 --> 00:49:24.494
But as far as if you're asking getting in the weeds of really getting on the field and coaching and teaching the young guys are great because they are more malleable.

00:49:25.442 --> 00:49:26.885
They are more open, they're still clay right.

00:49:28.007 --> 00:49:36.380
Yeah, exactly Exactly, and it's more frustrating because they're not accomplished yet, and it can be.

00:49:36.380 --> 00:49:51.527
You have to have patience, which I think I do have, but I do enjoy that part and you know the year I had the national team before this, this last cycle we had a lot of young guys and it was really some of the most gratifying work I've had.

00:49:51.527 --> 00:49:56.106
So I would say the young guys is really something I really do enjoy.

00:49:57.708 --> 00:49:59.152
That's where I was going to head next.

00:49:59.152 --> 00:50:01.923
So you know your experience with the American team.

00:50:01.923 --> 00:50:07.742
You were there, it was a 2002, your first time through with the World Cup and the men's national team.

00:50:07.742 --> 00:50:09.085
Is that right, yeah?

00:50:09.244 --> 00:50:09.686
Yeah, I.

00:50:09.686 --> 00:50:19.449
I started in 2000 with with the national team and and uh was part of the 2002 world cup team, which was uh extraordinary.

00:50:19.449 --> 00:50:21.641
That was my first, so what was that?

00:50:21.721 --> 00:50:24.431
Yeah, Like, like, what is that experience like?

00:50:24.431 --> 00:50:24.733
Is it?

00:50:24.733 --> 00:50:26.278
Are you teaching young guys?

00:50:26.278 --> 00:50:27.782
Are you dealing with veterans?

00:50:27.782 --> 00:50:29.465
Is it a blend of both?

00:50:29.465 --> 00:50:29.987
You know it.

00:50:29.987 --> 00:50:33.353
You know the guys are off doing other things at different times of the year.

00:50:33.353 --> 00:50:36.780
It's like how do you meld that type of a team together?

00:50:36.780 --> 00:50:38.367
And what is that experience like?

00:50:40.161 --> 00:51:05.721
Well, national teamwork is unique because, to your point, you don't have them daily of opportunities throughout the year, in each year leading up to the World Cup, to bring that group together to make sure that you convey how we do things, what's expected, the style of play, so on and so forth.

00:51:05.721 --> 00:51:07.804
So it's a real challenge.

00:51:07.804 --> 00:51:23.025
People from the outside can never really know, but it's a challenge and when I had the experience I had excuse me leading up to 2002, it's a lot of trial and error.

00:51:23.025 --> 00:51:27.001
Guys come in, guys come out, guys can be hurt, guys might not be available.

00:51:27.041 --> 00:51:40.632
You have to be adaptable as a coach, you have to have patience and then you have to have a good sort of program so that you're playing a lot of good competition and building a roster for a national team.

00:51:40.632 --> 00:51:43.648
In my opinion, it's been proven.

00:51:43.648 --> 00:52:00.815
I think that you need the right blend of veterans and young players, and at that time we had incredible veterans and we had two young players named Demarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan, and so 2002 was the perfect blend.

00:52:00.815 --> 00:52:03.181
But you're not guaranteed that.

00:52:03.181 --> 00:52:06.050
So national teamwork is really a challenge when it comes to that.

00:52:07.800 --> 00:52:10.548
How many coaches were on that staff, aside from you and Bruce?

00:52:17.800 --> 00:52:26.320
coaches were on that staff, aside from you and bruce, uh, there was um, there were two other coaches and, uh, the rest were sort of support staff like trainers and so on, so there was probably well, we had a goalkeeper coach.

00:52:26.320 --> 00:52:29.865
So there was probably five coaches on staff, five of us.

00:52:30.547 --> 00:52:36.856
So the notion of obviously building the proper mix of players on your team.

00:52:36.856 --> 00:52:48.228
How important, then, is it to then build not simply the proper mix of players on a team, but a proper mix of coaches and support staff on a team, and how much of an input do you have on that?

00:52:48.228 --> 00:52:54.208
Because obviously a guy like Bruce Arena he's going to be more like the CEO and obviously you're going to be like one of his lieutenants.

00:52:54.208 --> 00:53:05.023
So how much of a role and an input do you have in building a staff like that, and how much has your experience worked to recruit and to mentor those folks who come?

00:53:05.063 --> 00:53:05.362
along.

00:53:05.362 --> 00:53:06.603
Love that question.

00:53:06.603 --> 00:53:21.117
Love it Because I think what's really overlooked in mentoring and in our profession is the importance of staffing and the importance of an assistant coach.

00:53:21.117 --> 00:53:35.186
The quick answer is it's massively important for a head coach to build his team and when I say team, I'm talking about the staff now to build his team, and when I say team, I'm talking about the staff now With the right personalities.

00:53:36.527 --> 00:53:46.907
One of the reasons I think Bruce and I you know, I guess you know we're arguably the most successful duo in US soccer, or I should well, in American soccer.

00:53:47.664 --> 00:53:54.248
We've been successful everywhere because you know, there's things he offers that I don't, and vice versa.

00:53:54.860 --> 00:54:35.181
And I think a big part of it is to be able to challenge one another, to be able to have the trust of the players, so that if Steven Gerrard comes to me because he doesn't want to go to Bruce, I'm not just going to rat out Steven, I'm going to have a real conversation on my own terms and have the right way to communicate and building that trust because many players go to the assistant rather than the head coach or the assistants plural that you get the right mix.

00:54:35.202 --> 00:54:59.971
You need intelligence, but you need the way you communicate and deal with players that sometimes the head coach isn't able to do, and so I've seen it not in a good light, but I've seen it more in a really good light and I think my experience now as a head coach and leader that's one of the most important pieces is making sure that I can build my staff where we can have real honest, open interchange.

00:54:59.971 --> 00:55:02.255
And look, a lot of it is ego.

00:55:02.255 --> 00:55:05.907
A lot of head coaches have too much of an ego.

00:55:05.907 --> 00:55:09.001
They don't want their staff to have too much input.

00:55:09.001 --> 00:55:10.927
I think that's crazy.

00:55:10.927 --> 00:55:16.965
You got to have enough security in your own abilities to say you know what, if the assistant wants to take a group, now do it.

00:55:16.965 --> 00:55:20.889
You want to have a conversation, do it as long as we're all on the same page.

00:55:20.889 --> 00:55:22.213
So it's massively important.

00:55:23.755 --> 00:55:37.728
So, dave, when you look at American soccer today and I'm sort of jumping ahead a little bit, but having been the head coach of the US men's national team for a period of time.

00:55:37.728 --> 00:55:41.452
A I come to this because what was it like to be the interim coach?

00:55:41.452 --> 00:55:44.844
What is that dynamic and how do you work your way through that?

00:55:44.844 --> 00:55:50.748
And then B we're very curious to hear your thoughts on the future of American soccer.

00:55:52.934 --> 00:55:54.097
Well, yeah, I mean.

00:55:54.097 --> 00:56:09.331
So obviously, 2017 is going down as a difficult period of time for US soccer, when we didn't qualify for the World Cup and that loss in Trinidad, and that loss in Trinidad.

00:56:09.331 --> 00:56:26.626
And then, you know, I didn't set out to be the next coach but, by sort of default, we had a game a month later and we needed a head coach and Bruce had stepped down and the Federation said you know, dave, you need to take the team.

00:56:26.626 --> 00:56:36.822
The Federation said you know, dave, you need to take the team, which you know I was very glad to do for so many reasons we could talk about.

00:56:36.822 --> 00:56:44.322
And then the next event was January and they needed a coach and I was the guy and at that point there was no.

00:56:44.322 --> 00:56:48.210
You know, us soccer was in shambles, really.

00:56:49.396 --> 00:56:51.443
The men's team was looked upon as a failure.

00:56:51.443 --> 00:56:59.068
Sunil Gulati, who was the president at the time, was up for reelection and his job was on the line.

00:56:59.068 --> 00:57:09.969
It was a mess, but it was an honor for me to have the opportunity A to be the head coach of the national team, regardless of the situation.

00:57:09.969 --> 00:57:16.487
But I also took it upon myself to say, ok, they're giving me the keys to this ship.

00:57:16.487 --> 00:57:18.201
They haven't given me a map.

00:57:18.201 --> 00:57:23.585
I don't know where I'm going, I don't know what the waters are going to be like, good luck.

00:57:23.585 --> 00:57:26.802
And so I just sort of took it upon myself to go.

00:57:26.802 --> 00:57:32.382
Look, this may be interim, this may be lead to full time, but that's not the issue.

00:57:32.382 --> 00:57:33.867
The issue is we've got these games.

00:57:33.867 --> 00:57:35.820
We've got we've got a January camp.

00:57:35.820 --> 00:57:37.405
We've got games in March.

00:57:37.405 --> 00:57:53.175
We have this unbelievable 10 game schedule in 2018 where we're playing Paraguay, ecuador, brazil, england, ireland, france, you know because, the idea was we no, these are the.

00:57:53.356 --> 00:58:03.594
this was the greatest schedule in US soccer's history and it was such a yeah, this, these are real teams and these were real opportunities for young guys to experience.

00:58:03.594 --> 00:58:09.005
And so the interim part I didn't really.

00:58:09.005 --> 00:58:12.777
You know, the experience of being the head coach was important for me.

00:58:12.777 --> 00:58:21.577
The need for sort of a calm head and an experienced guy with these players was needed.

00:58:21.577 --> 00:58:26.706
So I didn't think of it like this is an audition or I don't know where this is going to lead.

00:58:26.706 --> 00:58:29.237
I just took it and it just kind of rolled.

00:58:30.039 --> 00:58:51.798
And by the end, when you know, I wasn't going to be named the head coach and they eventually went with Greg, I look back and felt very proud of, you know, the work that we put in to allow these players these experiences that I think they hopefully would be able to cash in on in 2022.

00:58:51.898 --> 00:59:00.356
And it was a little weird when you asked me you know what was that like, but I didn't look at it that way.

00:59:00.356 --> 00:59:04.838
These were just opportunities and it was a great experience.

00:59:04.838 --> 00:59:14.704
And to the second part of your question you know, we've never been in a as a country as individual players are concerned.

00:59:14.704 --> 00:59:28.612
We've never had the amount of talent, potential talent that's available to us than now because of the exposure so many of these guys have had to our pro league and MLS.

00:59:28.612 --> 00:59:36.447
And then the opportunities to get over to Europe and everybody wants to fast forward this and win a World Cup.

00:59:36.447 --> 00:59:38.222
But it's not that easy.

00:59:38.222 --> 00:59:40.034
We're heading in a really good position.

00:59:40.034 --> 00:59:51.130
Certainly in all my years I haven't been a part of a generation of players quite with this, much to offer.

00:59:52.295 --> 00:59:56.106
Why do you think it's taken so long to get to this point?

00:59:56.106 --> 00:59:57.902
You know, I often think about.

00:59:57.902 --> 01:00:07.641
You know the number of kids that grew up playing soccer and the great amateur programs and the great college programs and the number of really great athletes that play the sport.

01:00:07.641 --> 01:00:13.115
Why has it taken us so long to catch up to the number of really great athletes that play the sport Like?

01:00:13.115 --> 01:00:13.356
Why has it?

01:00:13.396 --> 01:00:15.398
taken us so long to catch up to the rest of the world?

01:00:15.398 --> 01:00:16.420
I don't know, I don't know.

01:00:16.420 --> 01:00:24.048
You know there are some ideas that I would throw out there, and one of them you alluded to.

01:00:24.048 --> 01:00:36.112
As far as college, I'm a big believer of college soccer, but if you think about the rest of the world, players are exposed to a pro club very early.

01:00:36.112 --> 01:00:38.735
They're identified very early.

01:00:39.635 --> 01:01:11.414
Education is many times bypassed and if you think about those players throughout all these years in South America and Europe that had as much repetition and training, it's hundreds times more than players back in the day during the generations where players were playing high school soccer, some club soccer, but then going to college, playing high school soccer, some club soccer, but then going to college.

01:01:15.635 --> 01:01:52.452
There were a lot of steps missed along the way where it ramped up these, you know, the players from outside of the US, and we're now just closing that gap where and I'm not advocating young players to not go to college what I'm saying is many more now at a young age are being identified like they used to be in Europe, where an academy team or a local team would train them and then they'd play for the local pro amateurs and then be offered a pro contract and bypassing college altogether, and I think we're now getting more of those players who are very serious.

01:01:52.452 --> 01:01:54.579
One sport people, not three.

01:01:54.579 --> 01:02:00.646
Like I, was committed to it early, so I think that's what's delayed a lot of this, to be honest.

01:02:01.757 --> 01:02:04.505
Give me a couple of pieces of advice for young coaches out there.

01:02:04.505 --> 01:02:17.065
They want to get into the profession of coaching, whether it be on the sideline, whether it be on the soccer pitch, whether it be hell, whether it be on the sideline for basketball Cause, as you said, you take your advice and you'll take your advice from whoever, wherever you can get it.

01:02:17.065 --> 01:02:22.963
So what's that one or two pieces of advice you want to give to a young coach, to someone who is aspiring to be a coach?

01:02:31.414 --> 01:02:35.503
Well, I would say this you know, and I'll use my own experiences, but I think I think that there's a few things I would tell a young coach.

01:02:35.523 --> 01:02:59.853
One is there is so much available to you out there, whether it's videos, watching every weekend, premiership games or Bundesliga games, games or Bundesliga games watching other coaches watching, watching, watching and absorbing how coaches behave and how they sort of, how they communicate, because communication is so key.

01:02:59.994 --> 01:03:02.219
So I would say, take in as much as you can.

01:03:02.219 --> 01:03:14.059
Accept the fact that you are going to fail, um, accept the fact that you are going to fail you, you are going to fail, um it, it is part of the process.

01:03:14.059 --> 01:03:26.844
And, and knowing that, really trust your instincts, um, in how you uh, teach and and and how you absorb information and communicate that information.

01:03:26.844 --> 01:03:38.215
And know that you're not going to reach everybody, because as a young coach, you can really beat yourself up to go boy, I blew that one.

01:03:38.215 --> 01:03:43.204
Well, you're going to blow it, but trust your process and stay with it.

01:03:43.204 --> 01:03:53.481
And then the last piece is because I'm an older coach now and I've done this a long time, but I will never concede that I've figured it all out.

01:03:53.481 --> 01:03:57.259
I still watch games and pick out new things all the time.

01:03:57.259 --> 01:04:05.925
So you just got to keep an open mind throughout your process and those would be three things right off the top of my head.

01:04:06.074 --> 01:04:10.362
Those would be three things right off the top of my head All right, so I have a couple of quickies before.

01:04:10.362 --> 01:04:15.530
I know that both the Larrys have a couple of questions for you, but I got a couple of quickies.

01:04:15.530 --> 01:04:19.711
We should have asked you this early on who is your favorite all-time soccer?

01:04:19.833 --> 01:04:21.920
player oh boy.

01:04:23.237 --> 01:04:23.920
Oh boy.

01:04:25.097 --> 01:04:31.480
My favorite all-time, johan Cruyff.

01:04:33.335 --> 01:04:34.338
Favorite soccer movie.

01:04:37.746 --> 01:04:40.322
Oh God, it's got to be whatchamacallit.

01:04:40.322 --> 01:04:43.815
You know what I'm trying to think of with Pelé.

01:04:43.815 --> 01:04:46.684
If it's not victory, it's the right answer.

01:04:46.684 --> 01:04:48.699
It's victory, no, no that's the.

01:04:51.237 --> 01:04:53.324
If it's not victory, it's the wrong answer.

01:04:54.166 --> 01:04:55.657
Hey, I was getting to that.

01:04:55.657 --> 01:04:57.262
You took the word out of my mouth.

01:04:57.262 --> 01:04:59.976
It was victory, of course, of course.

01:05:00.217 --> 01:05:03.277
You're a guy who played with Pele Canalia and Beckenbauer.

01:05:03.277 --> 01:05:05.483
Two of those three guys are in that movie.

01:05:06.385 --> 01:05:06.746
I know.

01:05:09.934 --> 01:05:13.003
I know Victory for sure, sure for sure, and you're a ted lasso fan, we have to assume.

01:05:13.023 --> 01:05:13.784
Correct, that was the other question.

01:05:13.804 --> 01:05:23.380
Yeah, absolutely, I love I absolute fan of ted lasso fantastic all right, I love to always ask the question because and I love what you said before you're gonna make mistakes.

01:05:23.380 --> 01:05:24.262
We're all human, right.

01:05:24.262 --> 01:05:30.842
What is the the worst decision, the worst mistake you made, where you're like I can't believe I just did that.

01:05:30.842 --> 01:05:32.746
Is there a moment that sticks out to you?

01:05:32.746 --> 01:05:36.143
That boy that was boneheaded, what was I thinking there?

01:05:36.143 --> 01:05:36.905
Or anything like that.

01:05:36.905 --> 01:05:42.427
Or if you can't think of one, the best decision you made in your career path, the journey for your career?

01:05:45.396 --> 01:06:01.166
Well, I alluded to the best decision, and that was taking the leap of faith, uh, and leaving the comforts and safety of of a collegiate position to jump to the pros, um, uh, the worst decision.

01:06:01.969 --> 01:06:10.514
Well, I would say this about outside of coming on this podcast yeah, besides coming on the podcast that's right well then I'm done.

01:06:10.614 --> 01:06:17.510
I don't have another answer no, no, but I would say one.

01:06:17.510 --> 01:06:18.393
Well, I'll you.

01:06:18.393 --> 01:06:19.697
I'll phrase it a little differently.

01:06:19.697 --> 01:06:34.949
One of the great lessons I learned which turned out to be one of the worst things I did, but it's not that terrible but one of the great lessons I learned as a coach was early on, when I had to tell players they weren't starting.

01:06:36.076 --> 01:06:37.724
First of all, the dynamics of a team.

01:06:37.724 --> 01:06:47.579
You have 11 players in soccer that start and then you have usually 12 others that don't like you because they're not playing, and that's just you know.

01:06:47.579 --> 01:06:53.123
And I learned early on A you're just not pleasing everybody and don't worry about it.

01:06:53.123 --> 01:06:55.438
This is all part of it, as long as you're honest and open.

01:06:55.438 --> 01:07:05.166
But the one big mistake I made early on and I don't do it anymore is I had to tell a player he wasn't starting and he had been a starter for me.

01:07:05.166 --> 01:07:06.780
This is when I was coaching in Chicago.

01:07:06.780 --> 01:07:12.760
But I said to him here's the reasons you're not starting, but you're going to play in the next game.

01:07:12.760 --> 01:07:27.483
Okay, and I never should have said that, because when the next game came, I really didn't want to make any changes to the team that had just won and and I committed to something.

01:07:27.483 --> 01:07:33.226
And here's a young man that's going home, going, okay, he gave me his word, he's going to play me.

01:07:34.168 --> 01:07:39.708
And I learned a lesson from that, because then I had to tell him again by the way, I'm not using you.

01:07:39.708 --> 01:07:43.297
And he's he's going to say well, wait, you told me you were going to play me.

01:07:43.297 --> 01:07:56.666
So one, one big lesson I learned is well, two, you've got to be able to communicate very clearly and be honest and open, especially pros.

01:07:56.666 --> 01:07:58.291
But everybody, they want the truth.

01:07:58.291 --> 01:07:59.876
Don't BS anybody.

01:07:59.876 --> 01:08:00.657
Tell me the truth.

01:08:00.657 --> 01:08:01.460
You don't want to play me?

01:08:01.460 --> 01:08:02.503
Fine, tell me why.

01:08:02.503 --> 01:08:07.460
And then don't promise me you're going to play me and don't play me, because when that happens you lose their trust.

01:08:07.460 --> 01:08:10.768
So I would say that lesson really has stood out.

01:08:11.936 --> 01:08:14.565
Which applies to business and everything else in life.

01:08:14.565 --> 01:08:21.328
So I guess the last question I'll ask what does the future look like?

01:08:21.328 --> 01:08:24.585
We know that you're involved with Puerto Rican soccer and leading that team.

01:08:24.585 --> 01:08:27.779
What does the future look like for Dave Sarragan Puerto?

01:08:27.798 --> 01:08:29.365
Rican soccer and leading that team.

01:08:29.365 --> 01:08:31.474
What does the future look like for Dave Sarragan?

01:08:31.474 --> 01:08:32.576
Oh, that's a.

01:08:32.595 --> 01:08:34.943
You know my wife and family are asking that question, probably right now.

01:08:34.962 --> 01:08:44.478
To be honest with you, yeah, yeah, when I hang up, I'm going to have to deal with that.

01:08:44.478 --> 01:08:57.408
No, well, I've taken on the, you know, the last two I'll call them seasons but the last two years with Puerto Rico, working with their senior team and their under 20 team, which has been really a fascinating project.

01:08:57.408 --> 01:09:14.125
I'll call it enjoyable, and I'm currently out of contract with Puerto Rico, so I'm still going to have a conversation with them for 2023, because national teamwork since I've done it with the US I do enjoy that kind of a rhythm.

01:09:14.125 --> 01:09:16.756
I'm not ready to retire.

01:09:16.756 --> 01:09:27.976
I still have, you know, a big part of coaching is you got to have energy, and I feel I still have a lot of energy to give Maybe not when I was 22.

01:09:29.578 --> 01:09:33.621
And so I'm entertaining different sort of thoughts going into 2023.

01:09:33.621 --> 01:09:35.662
One is to remain with Puerto Rico.

01:09:35.662 --> 01:09:42.386
I'm going to have a conversation with them, hopefully next week.

01:09:42.386 --> 01:09:52.811
My experience and I'll say, wisdom I don't think I, I don't think of myself as having a lot of wisdom, but people when they look at my age, they go, oh, you must have a lot of wisdom.

01:09:52.811 --> 01:09:54.372
You're fooling a lot of people.

01:09:54.372 --> 01:09:59.615
Then I'll be honest with you, yeah, yeah.

01:09:59.615 --> 01:10:12.350
But to be able to give back, whether it's working with an MLS club as as a coaching director, working with younger coaches, mentoring younger coaches, because I think we need to get these younger guys up to speed a little bit.

01:10:12.350 --> 01:10:18.126
So you know, I've entertained a few ideas that way, but we'll see.

01:10:18.126 --> 01:10:32.081
But I'll be involved in some capacity in 2023 because I still love it and I'm enjoying being near my family now where they have little ones, and so the balance has worked out well.

01:10:32.081 --> 01:10:34.948
So, still to be determined, I guess.

01:10:36.136 --> 01:10:50.699
Well, you're very lucky, because many people aspire to find that thing that fills them up and gives them purpose, which is also tied to a career and a passion, and you quite clearly figure that out.

01:10:50.699 --> 01:10:54.323
So congratulations for that and, dave, thank you.

01:10:54.323 --> 01:10:57.065
Thank you so much for spending the time with us today.

01:10:58.407 --> 01:11:01.088
I appreciate the kind words and this has been a blast.

01:11:01.088 --> 01:11:04.832
I think you guys do a great job, and thanks for having me on.

01:11:08.635 --> 01:11:14.188
What a wonderful opportunity that was for us to to a talk to a world-class coach and B get to see Tushar act.

01:11:14.188 --> 01:11:20.265
Maybe, like he was seven, he was really falling back to his childhood quite a bit that interview.

01:11:20.667 --> 01:11:21.387
I did a lot.

01:11:21.387 --> 01:11:24.083
I will say this is just a great conversation.

01:11:24.083 --> 01:11:30.146
I will say this about coach he he did have the right answer when he said answer when he talked about his favorite soccer movie.

01:11:30.146 --> 01:11:34.064
If he did not say victory and he said bend it like Beckham.

01:11:34.064 --> 01:11:35.747
The interview would have ended.

01:11:35.747 --> 01:11:38.282
I'm just telling you, we would have ended it right there.

01:11:38.301 --> 01:11:39.284
It was the end of the interview.

01:11:39.284 --> 01:11:41.234
It would have ended at the end of the interview.

01:11:41.274 --> 01:11:43.221
I would have just said look we can't talk anymore.

01:11:43.282 --> 01:11:43.743
I'm sorry.

01:11:49.715 --> 01:11:50.337
We can't talk anymore anymore.

01:11:50.337 --> 01:11:51.440
I'm sorry, we're done, we gotta go anymore, sir.

01:11:51.440 --> 01:11:52.305
But look I, what a great interview that was.

01:11:52.305 --> 01:11:52.786
I mean I gotta tell you.

01:11:52.786 --> 01:12:03.055
I mean, you know, even when we, even when we stopped to record, we talked for a few minutes longer, and I'm hoping when the next time he comes to the east coast we all have a chance to get together, because I just love to meet him in person and just pick his brain a little bit more.

01:12:03.355 --> 01:12:17.783
First of all, this is a guy who played, who was actually on the same soccer field with guys like Pele, tony Canalia, you know, zamuda Birkenauer, I mean, you know these are some of the most legendary people of all time to ever play soccer.

01:12:17.783 --> 01:12:27.028
And you know, just to even have that moment to just say, hey, what was it like to watch them play live on the field level, I can't imagine that.

01:12:27.028 --> 01:12:28.992
I mean, I'm sitting up in the stands as a kid with my dad, but to see that on the field level, I can't imagine that.

01:12:28.992 --> 01:12:32.725
I mean, I'm sitting up in the stands as a kid with my dad, but to see that on the field level must have just been incredible.

01:12:32.725 --> 01:12:34.981
And he's so humble.

01:12:35.154 --> 01:12:35.698
One thing I took away with.

01:12:35.698 --> 01:12:36.882
That is just how humble he is.

01:12:36.882 --> 01:12:40.960
He's like a really humble guy and how he was able to like.

01:12:40.960 --> 01:12:56.003
And one thing you know we've had the chance to speak to coaches and managers over the years in our own interviews and the one thing I always enjoy hearing is how every coach develops a style, and it's not specifically their own style to start with.

01:12:56.003 --> 01:12:56.445
Obviously.

01:12:56.445 --> 01:13:20.993
They pick the best parts from everyone who's ever mentored them along their journey and then that's where, when they come to a point of their own maturity as a coach, they okay, this is who I am as a coach and a person and that's really where that journey kind of I don't, I don't want to say ends, but maybe, but maybe that's the middle point or where, or maybe really that's where the journey begins for for many of them, and that's what really what this story was all about.

01:13:21.073 --> 01:13:25.563
I really, really enjoyed it, yeah, I think most great coaches are probably players first.

01:13:25.563 --> 01:13:26.845
You and Dave, I think.

01:13:26.845 --> 01:13:28.347
Is that that's the case with him?

01:13:28.347 --> 01:13:29.328
I don't think it has to be.

01:13:29.328 --> 01:13:34.365
I think you just have to have a passion for whatever you want to go into in the coaching realm.

01:13:34.686 --> 01:13:41.021
Yeah, and Dave, you know, he it's still, you know, somewhat ambiguous to me, like, how do you get these jobs?

01:13:41.021 --> 01:13:42.862
Well, I think it was relationships.

01:13:42.862 --> 01:13:51.708
Right, it was Bruce, it was other people kind of recognizing his talent, recognizing his ability and saying to him like you could kill this job you, you would knock it out of the park.

01:13:51.708 --> 01:13:59.100
You're coming with me and just because you're given that opportunity we say it all the time doesn't mean you're going to hit a home run, right?

01:13:59.100 --> 01:14:09.015
He obviously has that, that intellect, the communication skills, everything that you look for in a great leader of people to get the job done.

01:14:09.015 --> 01:14:12.662
And you hear it with all of his anecdotes, all his stories and everything he talks.

01:14:12.702 --> 01:14:21.041
The one thing you always got, the one thing we always talk about here, is that the idea of that you know a Dave Serekin or anybody else we speak to is that, hey, what's it like for you to be a mentor?

01:14:21.041 --> 01:14:27.083
The notion is, the notion of the reality is that mentors need mentors, right?

01:14:27.083 --> 01:14:29.948
So that all these guys that we speak to they all talk about.

01:14:29.948 --> 01:14:38.524
Well, I was mentored by XYZ, like he was mentored by Dan Wood and mentored by Bruce Arena, so now he takes those elements and mentors other coaches.

01:14:38.524 --> 01:14:42.680
That's really what this is all about a lot of times, right, mentors need mentors.

01:14:43.162 --> 01:14:50.739
Absolutely, and the part that I was so eager to hear was how do you manage these huge personalities?

01:14:50.739 --> 01:15:16.779
How do you connect with folks who are world-class, trying to find ways to relate but to also make sure that there's a bit of a wall up to let them know that I am still the coach, I am still the authority here.

01:15:16.779 --> 01:15:19.345
I thought that was a very interesting thing.

01:15:19.454 --> 01:15:34.158
I thought that was a great moment and you know talking about David Beckham pulling aside a young player and having a coach like you know, a player coach, even, you know someone who can handle the guys on his own team and empowering those people to do that right and to do the right thing.

01:15:34.158 --> 01:15:36.125
So I thought that was a great moment for sure.

01:15:36.416 --> 01:15:38.703
So just an incredible conversation.

01:15:38.703 --> 01:15:50.837
I feel fortunate that we had the opportunity to spend time with Dave today and and obviously wish him the best of luck going forward with all of his future endeavors.

01:15:50.837 --> 01:15:58.801
On behalf of Tushar Saxena, larry Shea and me, larry Samuels, thank you again for joining this episode of no Wrong Choices.

01:15:58.801 --> 01:16:08.769
If, after listening, you've thought of someone who could be a great guest, please let us know by sending us a note via the contact page of our website at NoWrongChoicescom.

01:16:08.769 --> 01:16:13.314
While there, please be sure to check out our blog and explore other great episodes.

01:16:13.314 --> 01:16:15.944
While signing up to become a member of our community.

01:16:15.944 --> 01:16:21.127
You can also follow us on LinkedIn, facebook, instagram, youtube Threads and X.

01:16:21.127 --> 01:16:25.126
Tiktok is up and content has begun rolling out.

01:16:25.126 --> 01:16:37.063
We'll be back with new episodes in early February, leading in with a group of highly accomplished women, a CEO, super doctor and Broadway production stage manager for some very popular shows.

01:16:37.063 --> 01:16:46.286
In advance of that, always remember there are no wrong choices on the road to success, only opportunities, because we learn from every experience.

Related to this Episode

The Best of Dave Sarachan: Lessons in Leadership, Mentorship, and Soccer

As we approach the launch of Season 6 of No Wrong Choices this February, we’re taking a moment to revisit one of our most inspiring conversations. This "Best Of" episode features none other than Dave Sarachan, one of the most respected figures…