Balboa: Time for US soccer coaches to follow players overseas

By Charles Boehm

A few hours before the United States men’s national team welcomes Brazil to the New Meadowlands Stadium for an international friendly on Tuesday night, Marcelo Balboa will face off against Bebeto, the Brazilian striker who scored the game-winning goal against Balboa’s underdog U.S. squad in their round-of-16 meeting in World Cup USA 1994.

This time, however, they will be ‘competing’ astride stationary bikes and in body-fat measurement chambers at a sports science laboratory not far from the Meadowlands, as they take part in a Gatorade promotion marking the company’s new relationship with the Brazilian federation.

It may seem unbelievable to those who watched the overmatched Yanks try to keep pace with Bebeto and the mighty Seleção that day at Stanford Stadium, but nearly two decades have gone by since USA ‘94 and both men are well into their 40s, pursuing coaching and commentating careers and raising families.

“I can remember seeing him and the back of Romario’s jersey once the whole game,” joked Balboa, who shared his vivid memories of that 1-0 World Cup loss as well as his thoughts on the current USMNT in an extensive phone interview with Potomac Soccer Wire on Monday afternoon.

“We did everything possible to put the ball in the back of the net but when you’ve got a team where you’re looking at Dunga, Romario, Bebeto, it’s going to be very tough to beat. And they proved to be a very tough team to beat [even] with ten players.”

Both national teams find themselves at intriguing crossroads in the wake of this summer’s World Cup in South Africa. Dunga failed in his attempt to coach his country to a sixth world title in the same workmanlike style that he captained the 1994 side to glory, leading to his immediate dismissal. The U.S. continues to wrestle with the lingering frustration of a stirring run that ended all too suddenly in a 2-1 round-of-16 loss to Ghana – “an opportunity lost,” as Balboa called it.

So Tuesday’s friendly represents a rare chance for players and fans on both sides to enjoy a festive occasion before the grinding pressure of competitive play cranks back up again in the months ahead.

“It should be fun to be able to see some of our younger players, some of their younger players and see what kind of level these two teams are willing to break out tomorrow,” said Balboa. “I expect it to be more of a celebration game, and both teams to come out very offensive minded, to watch a free-flowing game.”

A World Cup campaign bursting with bravery but ending in disappointment, an uncompromising coach with an uncertain future, and a nation of fans wondering just what to expect of their team in the months and years ahead – there are several parallels between the current U.S. squad’s position and the situation facing Balboa’s side in the aftermath of the ’94 tournament.

The United States Soccer Federation dispensed with nomadic coach Bora Milutinovic in 1995 and embarked on a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s soccer landscape that included the launch of Major League Soccer, various changes to the U.S. youth setup and lucrative partnerships with corporate entities like Nike. While many aspects of the plan remain undercooked and unfulfilled, substantial progress has been made.

For evidence, look no further than the fact that the Yanks will take on the Brazilians with confidence and experience that their ’94 predecessors could scarcely imagine.

“Back in ‘90, most of us were college players. By the time we got to ‘94, there were a few professionals that were playing overseas, be it John Harkes, Tab Ramos, [Roy] Wegerle, Earnie Stewart – but the majority of us signed a full-time contract with U.S. Soccer. So it was a different era,” recalled Balboa. “Now three-quarters of our team is playing in Europe, so I would say the gap is very small right now.

“We’re at a point where we’re a top-15 team. I think we’ve proven that we can beat anybody in the world on any given day.”

Yet the United States’ progression from plucky up-and-comer to established powerhouse may be the toughest step yet, and Balboa does not hesitate to identify what he believes is the missing link.

“We challenged our players many years ago to play at the highest level, to go overseas and make their craft,” said the former U.S. captain. “I think now we’re at a point where that same challenge needs to be put out to our coaches. Our coaches now need to expand their horizons out of MLS and look for that European job or that South American job, to get that kind of experience and bring that back to the United States.

“Our players have a little more experience than our coaches do. It’s time that our coaches start getting that experience overseas.”

Federation president Sunil Gulati is currently contemplating whether to extend USMNT head coach Bob Bradley’s contract (which expires at the end of the year) or move in a new direction. Just as many fans are wondering if MLS-based stars like Landon Donovan will move across the Atlantic to test themselves at the highest levels, Bradley himself has been linked with a move to a European club job.

That speculation increased substantially when English Premier League outfit Aston Villa parted ways with manager Martin O’Neill on Monday, leading bookmakers to install Bradley as one of the favorites for selection by Randy Lerner, Villa’s American owner.
North American coaches still face the same skepticism and stereotyping once assigned to the players who ventured abroad from the region. But Balboa, citing the example of current Chivas USA coach Martin Vasquez, believes that inroads can – and must – be made in order to build the managerial savvy required for entry to the international elite.

“When you have a coach like Bruce Arena who reached the [World Cup] quarterfinals, that opens the door. Now it all depends on who wants to step through it,” said Balboa. “Which coach is willing to take that chance?

“Look at Martin Vasquez, he [joined] Jurgen Klinsmann as the assistant at Bayern Munich. I think there are opportunities out there and maybe that’s a program that U.S. Soccer has to help out with, too, with all the connections that they have.”

Balboa, who turned 43 on Monday, spent time as a U.S. under-20 assistant coach but presently works as a color commentator for the Colorado Rapids TV network. While he enjoys life in the broadcast booth, he hopes to someday transition back into a more hands-on role within the game.

“Not everybody can be a coach,” he said. “Being a technical director of a club, being able to work with the youth and develop the academy side of it, for me is interesting.

“I hope that one day I get a chance to be an important part of an MLS club, or an important part on the US Soccer side.”

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About the Author:

Charles Boehm has covered D.C. United and the rest of the Washington-area soccer world for more than four years. A native of Dallas, Texas, Charlie made D.C. his home following a hard-working — but hardly spectacular — NCAA Division III college career and subsequent Peace Corps stint in the small, soccer-crazed, island nation of Grenada, where he also coached and played in the Grenadian Premier League (such as it is). He welcomes feedback at cboehm@potomacsoccerwire.com.