Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America writes about the relationship between Chivas USA Head Coach Robin Fraser and former teammate and assistant coach Greg Vanney.
Though Robin Fraser is the man in charge of Chivas USA, he's quick to point out that his former Galaxy teammate Greg Vanney will be performing vital duties as an assistant coach. Three hours after their official unveiling at Home Depot Center, the pair took a few minutes to discuss their five seasons as teammates, and the bond that has developed between them during the last decade.
“We’ve probably been talking about coaching a professional team for about 10 years,” said Fraser, who helped develop a youth club in Arizona with Vanney before he took the job as RSL assistant coach in July, 2007.
“The game has taken us different places in the past decade, but we’ve always remained close and we’ve always had this vision of doing this together. So now that the opportunity comes up we jumped at it.”
For the past year, Vanney has run RSL’s residency program in Arizona at Grande Sports World, where he was director of soccer operations and communicated often with Fraser about everything from tweaking sessions to planning RSL’s two preseason visits.
“When we talk philosophically about our approach to the game, the way the game should be played, the way the game looks, we’re still closely aligned and it’s been part of our discussions for so long it’s almost natural to step into this position with him,” says Vanney. “Whatever responsibility he wants to give me that’s what I’m going to take on.”
Their coaching relationship goes back to their days as Galaxy players where they ran a much more modest operation.
“As Robin mentioned, our association goes way back,” says Vanney. “We coached together when we were playing together with a little club team. We worked together and developed a relationship as a coaching staff about how we did things. Those conversations never stopped.”
Fraser envisions a collective chain of command at Chivas USA, somewhat like the structure he worked with at Real Salt Lake. Head coach Jason Kreis hired Fraser as an assistant coach about two months after ending his playing career to stalk the sidelines, and though he’s interviewed for several head coaching jobs in the past few years Fraser can truthfully say only a very enticing opportunity could take him away from RSL.
“Everything was collectively done,” says Fraser, credited by Kreis and general manager Garth Lagerwey in game preparation by doing a lot of opposition scouting, and mentoring its excellent back line. “I feel like I have more experience than the average assistant, especially in the decision-making process, because we did everything collectively.
“I’ve been saying it and I’ll keep saying it, it was the best assistant coaching job in the country at the time, because it allowed all of us to grow so much. We all grew and as we did collectively the team grew as well.”
“We wouldn’t have taken these positions if we didn’t think so," says Fraser, 44, eight years older than Vanney. “They’re about building from the ground up, about building a foundation for something that can be successful for a long time as opposed to a good year here and a good year there kind of thing.
“That’s a pleasing thing for us. We think they’re committed to the long-term success of the league and we’re going to help build the foundation to achieve that.”
Scott French of ESPN writes about the blueprint that Fraser and Vanney plan to use in rebuilding the Chivas USA franchise.
“We're going right into this together knowing exactly what we're looking to do,” Vanney said. “We have a pretty good plan that we think will be successful.”
It's all about teamwork, and if it's not the most revolutionary concept, it is among the most elusive.
“I'm really emphasizing team,” Fraser said, “because I think, certainly in my experience, not only in this league but looking at the best teams in the world, they are actually teams. It's not about individuals, it's about the team that moves the best as a team -- offensively, defensively, the most cohesively. Those are the teams that get the results that you want.”
It's about getting the players on the same page, defining their roles, teaching them how to make adjustments -- how to solve problems -- on the field.
“We'll be a thoughtful team,” Fraser said. “We'd like to have it where everything makes sense, and there's a reason and a purpose to everything we do. I see us being the type of team that is going to be successful because of our adherence to team ideas and team philosophies. … The best teams are very cohesive. You can see when they move, it's almost like it's well-choreographed in the way they play.”
It will take time to build a foundation, Fraser acknowledges -- interim GM Jose Domene says Chivas management will be patient, that “we want Robin to stay for many, many years” -- and it will start, tentatively, on Jan. 20, when the Goats begin preparations for the 2011 season.
“I really think it's going to be a process … to start to build this foundation, this base,” Fraser said. “All it is, really, is the ability to adhere to a vision and get the team to understand what this vision is and the collective effort that we're looking for.”
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