John Wolyniec has always proved doubters wrong throughout his playing career, be it as a youth player in Staten Island, a collegian at Fordham University, or in a roller-coaster ride as a professional in Major League Soccer.
As he prepares for the New York Red Bulls to honor his career at an upcoming match, Wolyniec reflects on his playing career and looks ahead to a career in coaching.
That next part is something Wolyniec has been familiar with for several years as a trainer for both Staten Island United and his own Breakaway Soccer Camp. Now, in addition to that, he’s serving as assistant coach for the Red Bull Academy’s under-13 and under-14 squads.
"It’s a good way for me to transfer into coaching. I’m in my third week, and I’m getting used to the staff and their philosophy," said Wolyniec. "I’ve been coaching pretty much since I started playing professional soccer ... it’s something I’ve done on the side, sometimes to make ends meet.
"But I do enjoy coaching. It keeps me involved in the sport I love," he added. "It’s not as competitive as playing, but it’s a challenge. I like looking at the game from different angles, and obviously I can look at it through the player’s point of view. Hopefully, I can give the kids a million things to think about."
Wolyniec certainly has plenty of role models to draw from, like Dr. Gabriel Nigrin at Silver Lake and U.S. Hall of Famer Jack Hynes from his years at Farrell. He credited former Rams assistant Ness Selmani as being "instrumental in bringing me to Fordham;" and his Fordham head coach Frank Schnur "for converting me into being a forward and finding the best place for my talents."
Of his pro coaches, current U.S. national coach Bob Bradley — who coached Wolyniec with Chicago and during his second stint in New York — showed him that "if you take things seriously and work very hard, you can be very successful. He was always a class guy, and it’s no surprise he’s gone on to bigger and better things."
As he prepares for the New York Red Bulls to honor his career at an upcoming match, Wolyniec reflects on his playing career and looks ahead to a career in coaching.
That next part is something Wolyniec has been familiar with for several years as a trainer for both Staten Island United and his own Breakaway Soccer Camp. Now, in addition to that, he’s serving as assistant coach for the Red Bull Academy’s under-13 and under-14 squads.
"It’s a good way for me to transfer into coaching. I’m in my third week, and I’m getting used to the staff and their philosophy," said Wolyniec. "I’ve been coaching pretty much since I started playing professional soccer ... it’s something I’ve done on the side, sometimes to make ends meet.
"But I do enjoy coaching. It keeps me involved in the sport I love," he added. "It’s not as competitive as playing, but it’s a challenge. I like looking at the game from different angles, and obviously I can look at it through the player’s point of view. Hopefully, I can give the kids a million things to think about."
Wolyniec certainly has plenty of role models to draw from, like Dr. Gabriel Nigrin at Silver Lake and U.S. Hall of Famer Jack Hynes from his years at Farrell. He credited former Rams assistant Ness Selmani as being "instrumental in bringing me to Fordham;" and his Fordham head coach Frank Schnur "for converting me into being a forward and finding the best place for my talents."
Of his pro coaches, current U.S. national coach Bob Bradley — who coached Wolyniec with Chicago and during his second stint in New York — showed him that "if you take things seriously and work very hard, you can be very successful. He was always a class guy, and it’s no surprise he’s gone on to bigger and better things."
Having had the opportunity to coach against John as a collegian and to watch his career as he rose up the ranks, I want to congratulate him on an outstanding playing career and the best of luck as he embarks on a coaching career.
No comments:
Post a Comment