August 24, 2009
OFFSIDE REMARKS
A very big first step for Williams
Richie Williams made a good impression in his first day as Red Bulls interim coach.
Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
One win certainly doesn't make a season or a career, but Richie Williams certainly put his best foot forward Sunday to secure the Red Bulls job on a full-time basis.
In the first game of his second tenure as an interim coach, it wasn't just that the fact the Red Bulls finally won a game -- a 3-2 over Dallas - it was Williams' preparation and organizational skills that stood out.
Managing director Erik Stover said Williams would be given " all due consideration" for the job in 2010.
He certainly deserves it the consideration.
In 2006, Williams kept together a 2-3-7 team and directed it to a decent 3-3-2 record as a bridge between the regimes of Mo Johnston and Bruce Arena.
Now, he has seven more games to prove himself as the Red Bulls try to salvage a 3-16-4 season and prove himself.
The 39-year-old Williams' performance under fire was not lost on the players.
"Fantastic," defender Kevin Goldthwaite said, noting that Williams took over Friday with only two days to prepare.
"Richie only really had one day of training," he said. "Richie is something new and something fresh that maybe we're all looking for and ready to move on."
Los Angeles Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who guided Williams at three levels -- college (University of Virginia), pro (D.C. United) and international (U.S. National Team) -- felt the Middletown, N.J. is the real deal.
"I see a guy who will be demanding of his players, demand quality and demand concentration," Arena told Steve Goff in his Washington Post Soccer Insider. "If they inherit half of Richie's competitiveness, they may win the league this year. Is that possible? I'd guess they'd have to make the playoffs, which isn't possible, but the guy will get the most out of them."
Arena admitted he did not think Williams was a future coach.
"Actually, no. He was so competitive back then. He has matured," Arena was quoted by Soccer Insider. "He's not punching anyone out anymore! He was a little crazy as a player and you would not have thought of him as a coach, but he has changed and he knows what it takes to lead a team."
But if not Williams, then who?
When you talk about an international sport like soccer, the list can be endless -- from the U.S. and the rest of the world. Unless they played or were assistants in the league, foreign coaches essentially have been failures in MLS. A number of MLS assistants that could make viable candidates, including the L.A. Galaxy's Dave Sarachan.
Ex-MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano, who transformed that sorry 1999 team into the best team in franchise history, is out of the picture. He is pursuing other opportunities in Europe.
Next year the Red Bulls will open their $200 million-plus Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.. They want to make a big splash, perhaps with a big-time coach and a well-known player or two.
New York loves big-name coaches.
Richie Williams isn't a big-time coach -- at least not yet. But he just might be ready to start his climb up the ladder.
