Brian Boswell: October 2007 Archives

Guest-blogger Brian Boswell, coach of Rolling Hills Estates-based Ajax America Women of the Women's Premier Soccer League, a team that is usually a contender for the national championship, is familiar with many of the prospective candidates for the U.S. Women's National Team coaching job.

Here, he handicaps the field of potential successors to Greg Ryan, who was fired Monday:

There are two main female candidates, UCLA and Under-20 U.S. Women’s National Team coach Jill Ellis and Navy’s Carin Gabarra Jennings, a former U.S. National Team star who grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Under Ellis, UCLA is a perennial NCAA championship contender.

As coach of the U.S. U-20 team, she has the twin advantages of access to the inner workings of the U.S. Soccer Federation and knowledge of up and coming young players.

I have always found her to easy to talk to and a good person to coach against.

Would Jill give up the security of UCLA for the national team job? Her ego may say “yes,” but I don’t know. She would do a good job if it was offered to her.

Gabarra has done a great job at Navy; military academies are difficult places to recruit players.

One of the original greats of U.S. soccer, she was MVP of the 1991 Women’s World Cup and an Olympic gold medal winner.

Her husband, Jim, who coaches the Washington Freedom, is another candidate for the job. While she would have no problem commanding the respect of the U.S. team, she’s had great offers before. Would she leave Jim in Washington D.C.? I don’t think so.

The male candidates are former U.S. National Team Coach Tony DiCicco, Santa Clara University Coach Jerry Smith, the aforementioned Jim Gabarra, former coach of the WUSA’s San Jose CyberRays Ian Sawyers and Australian National Team Coach Tom Sermanni.

DiCicco, coach of Soccer Plus Connecticut in the WPSL, has also just accepted the position of coach of the Boston franchise in the new women’s professional league.

If the U.S. are looking for a coach just through next year’s Olympics, DiCicco, the highest profile candidate is the man.

Advantage: he knows the players and more importantly the inner workings of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Disadvantage: he isn’t the coach now, so something was wrong for Tony and the job to part company previously.

I have coached against Tony, who is courteous, professional, knows the game and a competitor. The post for the short term would still leave Tony available for Boston.

Smith has created a soccer dynasty at Santa Clara, the little Catholic school near San Jose.

He has the knowledge and ability to do a great job with the U.S. and has interviewed before for the job.

The husband of outspoken former U.S. national team star Brandi Chastain, he is open and honest and likely told the U.S. Soccer Federation things that at the time they did not want to hear.

Now it’s time for them to listen.

Jim Gabarra, coached the Washington Freedom to the 2007 W-League championship and also coached the club in the WUSA when the roster included Mia Hamm (a member of the three-person U.S. Soccer coach search committee).

He has coached at the highest level with the best players, has great knowledge of the women’s game and has accepted a position to coach in the new women’s professional league with the Washington franchise.

But I don’t think he would leave Washington, Carin and their three kids to spend a lot of time in California.

Brit Sawyers, who has the instant credibility that comes from being married to former U.S. National Team star Julie Foudy, has been out of coaching at the top level for some time developing his wife’s camps. Still, that would not stop him doing a good job with the U.S.

Sermanni, whose Australian team has put in some good World Cup performances, is surely worth a look. A Scot with a great sense of humor, he was coach of the New York Power in the WUSA, so knows the women’s game on the national level and has great club experience.

If the U.S. Soccer Federation decide they need a quick fix, DiCicco has the inside track.

If it’s someone for the Olympics it could be Smith or Sermanni, although any of the others are capable of getting the U.S. back on top.

The U.S. Women's national Team plays the first of three games Saturday against Mexico in the wake of the World Cup (and yes, goalkeeper Hope Solo is on the squad).

But 100 Percent Soccer guest-blogger Brian Boswell, coach of Southern California WPSL team Ajax America Women, looks even further ahead and argues the U.S. must rethink its long ball style ahead of next year's Olympics:


The World Cup and Brazil in particular changed the priorities in the future selection of U.S. players in the women's game.

Developing players with good technical abilities, the ability to dribble, who are comfortable in possession and creative is critical.

Yet with the Olympics nine months away, wholesale changes should not happen no matter the thoughts of the coach in charge.

The current team as a whole is very capable of changing their style of play and doing well in the tournament. The players who can dribble and comfortable in possession should be encouraged to do so and given the opportunity to work on this in practice.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo said what she and many others truly believed, even though she picked the wrong time to say it. If she has apologized to Briana Scurry and the team she should be back in the squad. Except for the first World Cup game against North Korea she looked good and has the talent and experience needed for the Olympics. Nine months is not long enough to find and blood a new starting goalkeeper.

The defense is solid. They were opened up by Brazil, but if you consider the goalkeeper change and the own goal the defense was already on their collective back foot before having time to settle.

Full back Stephanie Lopez is young, played all but 45 minutes of the World Cup and has a great future. She did not have a good game against Brazil, but who did. Lopez has good speed, is comfortable on the ball and hits a dead ball well; two goals against Norway came from her corners.

Christie Rampone, the old head in the defense, tackles well, boasts tons of experience and if allowed can play the ball out of the back.

Cat Whitehill, who can play in the middle or on the outside goes forward well, is good on the ball, and has a dangerous throw, especially when Abby Wambach is the target.

The defense must be encouraged to play the ball out, look for their midfield players and play through them.

It has to be very frustrating to be a midfield player in the current style of the US with the long ball out of the back passing them by. In the difficult games they appear to get more of the ball by winning it defensively than when its played through to them.

Shannon Boxx is the best holding midfield player in the game. Her game is almost back to her dominating self after a year out with knee surgery. Good in the tackle and in the air, she reads the game well and if given the opportunity can distribute well.

Leslie Osborne is also a more defensive midfield player who works well with Boxxy, but when they are both in the team the needed creative player is missing.

Attacking central midfielder Aly Wagner has had a groin problem throughout this year and has seen little playing time. Her only World Cup minutes came during the demolition of Norway. If the style changes to a possession game, Ali can be the link in the midfield. With good technical ability, she passes well and can attack defenses.

Outside attacking midfielders Lori Chalupny and Heather O’Reilly both like to go for goal and O’Reilly in particular has the speed to stretch defenses. Again, they need to be encouraged to keep possession and not play full speed ahead as in the past.

The attacking pair of Abby Wambach and Kristine Lilly is as potent as any forward combination in the world.

Whether veteran striker Kristine Lilly returns for the Olympics after her fifth World Cup only she knows, but the U.S. could use her leadership through one more tournament.

But a change to a possession game can only help Lilly, who would not have to run and chase balls with little support and could even play a little behind two forwards as the midfield link or a deep lying third attacking threat.

Wambach remains the best pure goal scorer in the world. A great target player, she can dominate physically and loves to score with feet or head. But in the team’s present style she receives the long ball and has two choices, go for goal or hold it to await arriving players. With a possession game Wambach would have more support players to lay balls off to and receive shorter balls from.

Defender Marian Dalmy, 22, got her first start at full back against Norway, did a good job and is one to watch for the future.

Defender Tina Ellertson, who has great speed and was converted from forward, is one of the best markers in the women’s game, but is not going to help retain much possession.

Natasha Kai, a forward with great speed, is a free spirit who gives you something a little different up front. She would also benefit from through balls from a possession team rather than the long ball forward.

The U.S. can succeed at the Olympics by basically retaining the same squad, adding a few fresh faces, but most crucially changing its style.

The U.S. must become a possession team that encourages creativity and allows for mistakes.

One of the best women's soccer coaches in the world, Brian Boswell of Women's Premier Soccer League team Ajax America Women, provided expert analysis for 100 percent Soccer throughout the Women's World Cup.

Does his take on the U.S. Women's National Team coaching debacle sound like 1998 all over again?


Greg Ryan needs to go.

He did a good job with the team in playing 51 games without a loss, but they are the U.S.

It’s expected.

The Scurry/Solo episode brought his job stability to the fore, but that's only a part of the story.

The World Cup showed that the U.S. style of soccer is no longer good enough to keep us on top of the world. The day has gone when we had the fittest, strongest, fastest athletes who, if they have good soccer ability, would beat everyone.

Anson Dorrance's philosophy of win every individual battle, get the ball up front and run harder and faster than the other team worked in the early years. Add that to the skill of the likes of Carin Gabarra et al and the U.S. were unbeatable.

Unfortunately, Ryan followed in that mode, coaching the women in a men's long ball style with a big target player and power soccer.

But, the Brazilians showed what individual talent, flair and the ability to keep the ball could do. Then Germany showed that discipline, good possession, teamwork and individual skill is even better.

Possession was key to both teams' success.

The U.S. could not possess the ball, meaning we had to do something wonderful with it when we had it and were always fighting to get it back.

Moreover, on listening to some of the U.S. players, Ryan was not an easy person to approach.

Players said if you had a question over some part of playing time, position etc., you did not go to the coach for an explanation.

That's perhaps acceptable in the men's game. But it does not work with the women.

They need answers - good or bad - they need to know where they stand and what they need to do.

That's why the head coaches in England's professional ranks are called a managers; it's all about player management. Keep the players happy and amazing things can happen.

Tactically Ryan followed his playing philosophy and emphasis on the long ball, which will work and did against most teams in the world. You don't need to be too tactically aware.

But in the semifinal, when under the biggest coaching pressure of his career, his subbing and tactics left some questions, especially when 2-0 down and replacing defenders when we needed to score twice to tie.

I also question the long residential camps.

Neither Brazil or Germany had extended camps.

Their players were playing in the European leagues during the spring and early summer.

This kept them game fit and had them playing in many instances against club teams who were as good as many national teams. They were able to play against different styles and systems and hone their individual talent.

Then as the men's national teams do, they were brought into camp for training, bonding and games. The players come in fresh and had something to prove. I've got to believe that constantly being in camp around the same players takes the edge off and can make you stale.

Who could do the job as Ryan's successor?

Tony DiCicco has been suggested as a get-us-through-the-Olympics coach. He's been there, knows the ropes and could do the job.

But, I think we need someone fresh whose first priority is the Olympics, but also the years beyond.

There's Jerry Smith (Brandi Chastain's husband) if you could pry him away from Santa Clara.

Ian Sawyers (Julie Foudy's husband) did a very good job with San Jose in the WUSA,.

Jim Gabarra (husband of the former Carin Jennings) did a good job with Washington in the WUSA and has continued to do it this year in the W-League.

From outside the U.S., Australian coach Tom Sermanni performed a good job with the Australian National Team and New York in the WUSA.