I’ll admit I was skeptical about the hiring of Peter Nowak as coach of D.C. United. I’ve always admired him as a player, but he has no coaching experience, so like many I was wondering, why Nowak?
But if there are any doubters out there, forget it. I’ll stick my neck out now and say United has gotten the right man at the right time.
The former Polish international made a fine impression at RFK Stadium on Thursday when he was introduced to the media in the shadow of the Joe Gibbs Show. Like Gibbs, this is a man who exudes confidence and professionalism. Nowak, 39, looks you straight in the eye, and you get the feeling you’re glad you don’t have to try dribbling the ball around him on the field.
Nowak is a born leader, and I believe he will shake things up at United for the better with his no-nonsense approach and clear vision.
As a player, Nowak was a stylish and creative attacking midfielder known for his hard work. The Polish star would make overlapping runs, showing versatility and strength in his play.
After he captained Poland in a 2-1 loss to England at Wembley Stadium in 1996, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur was keen to sign him from German club 1860 Munich. Some critics at the time suggested Nowak was the best player in the England match and exemplified the “total football” style of play made famous by the great Dutch teams of the 1970s that encouraged players to switch positions constantly in an all-out attacking game.
“Today’s game is so fast, if you want to be successful you have to play ’total football,’” Nowak said Thursday.
Former United assistant coach Bob Bradley, who built the 1998 expansion Chicago Fire around Nowak, said he discovered the left-footed midfielder while going through his vast video library of international games and spotted Nowak in the game against England. Bradley certainly has a eye for talent, and you expect Nowak learned a thing or two from his former coach.
Asked who is likely to handle the playmaking role with United, Nowak suggested Bobby Convey.
“Bobby Convey had great success at the U-20 World Cup as a playmaker and connected very well with Freddy Adu on the left side, so that is an option,” Nowak said.
Nowak believes he can have an impact on United’s young crop of players because of his success with youngsters in Chicago.
“In 1998 we started [at Chicago] with a group of nobodies, and at the end of the season we had six national team players on the roster,” Nowak said. “The base here is very good. We have good young players.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber was in England this week for meetings with Premier League clubs Chelsea and Arsenal. Garber had intense talks with Chelsea officials, ostensibly to get the club to tour the United States this summer and play MLS teams. Garber also was coy when asked in an interview whether he was trying to get Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, to invest in MLS.
Corner kicks — The U.S. team is in Carson, Calif., for the team’s first game at Home Depot Center against Denmark on Jan.18. After Denmark, the Americans will play Holland in Amsterdam on Feb.18. Also, the Americans will prepare for their World Cup qualifying game in June against Grenada or Guyana with matches against Poland in Chicago, Morocco in Morocco, Paraguay possibly in New England, Uruguay at a site in North Carolina and Scotland, possibly at RFK. …
American star Carlos Bocanegra has signed with Premier League club Fulham. A source said former Virginia star Lyle Yorks, who played four minutes for D.C. United in 1998, helped the Chicago Fire defender land the deal in England.
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