CREW GM MARK MCCULLERS:
"Friends, partners, community leaders. On July 12th of this year, our organization made a decision to change the complexion of our team, along with the competitive structure, in making a head coaching change. The decision to make that change was difficult in itself. Over the past 99 days, Robert Warzycha has instituted his brand of team spirit, a discipline and accountability, set to improve performance. He also elevated himself as a capable and popular candidate for the full-time position in what is a very competitive environment. On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to say thank you to Robert for your hard work and commitment, and your professionalism in an extremely challenging time for the organization. To say you exceeded expectations would be an understatement, and in your own vernacular, you were "fantastic". So thank you very much for your stewardship. In the past 99 days, with the participation of our ownership group, we have conducted the process of identifying head coaching candidates who had the experience, the tools, and the desire to build a championship system and to assemble and lead a championship caliber team here in Columbus. There was substantial interest in The Crew head coaching position, and as I have stated in the past, this organization has significant assets that make the opportunity very attractive. We received prospects and leads from numerous sources: coaches, agents, players, and fans. We entertained and considered candidates from all corners of the soccer universe, both international and domestic. We received resumes from international coaches of various levels and various leagues. Domestically, candidates emerged from all levels of soccer: the NCCA, USL, and Major League Soccer. Candidates were interviewed and graded on a variety of criteria, including, but not limited to, the following: MLS coaching experience, exposure to an established winning system, coaching credentials and accomplishments, player assessment and development, scouting network, style of play, championship attitude and desire, and a category I call the Crew View, which relates to a shared vision of the organization's potential, direction, and expectations. I'm confident and satisfied that our process was broad, thorough, and effective. A big part of trying to find a perfect fit for a critical organizational position such as this is talking and networking through professional friends and confidants, and industry insider: people who I have known over my past 15 years in the business and who are well respected in the soccer community. These relationships, along with the Hunt family guidance, with their many years of professional sports experience, were instrumental in forming an opinion, and ensuring we made the correct selection. Specifically, the counsel and advice of these valued peers is that the best candidate, and the ideal candidate for the Columbus Crew, was Sigi Schmid. However, as I was told time and again: he's an L.A. guy. He won't come to Columbus, he can't afford it. Excuses and hurdles all along the way. Well...here he is. Sigi's professional accomplishments are substantial. He was head coach for 19 years at UCLA. He posted a record of 322-63-33, a 77% winning percentage. 17 consecutive playoff appearances. 3 NCAA championships. And the 1977 NCAA Coach of the Year Award. As a member of the U.S. Soccer coaching staff since 1986, he has tackled various assignments including assistant coach of the 1991 USA National Team at the World University Games in England; assistant coach of the 1994 USA World Cup Team, that reached the Round of 16 here in the U.S.; assistant coach of the 1995 USA Pan-American Team; head coach of the 1999 U.S. U-20 National Team that finished 12th in the Youth World Championships in Nigeria; and most recently, head coach of the U-20 National Team that finished 11th in the FIFA World Championships in Holland and defeated eventual Youth World champion and world power Argentina. For five and a half years, Coach Schmid led MLS' L.A. Galaxy, completing his stint as head coach in August 2004, with the best record in MLS at the time. His MLS regular season record of 79-53-32 ranks in fifth all-time in MLS with a .579 winning percentage. His 79 wins ranks sixth all time, with only four wins separating him from Thomas Rongen in second place. He was honored as MLS Coach of the Year in 1999, his first year in MLS. His Galaxy teams won three conference championships, the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the 2001 U.S. Open Cup, reached three MLS Cup finals, and won the 2002 MLS Cup championship. He talks about legacy, he talks about pride, and he has a tremendous respect for the game...Coach, welcome to Columbus.
COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
"First off, before I get into other remarks, I know some people thought I would never leave L.A., so I am going to address that first, and get it out of the way up front. I made a promise to my kids I would not leave L.A. until they were done with high school, and they are now done with high school, so leaving L.A. was not a problem. I was born in a town in Germany of 2,000 people, so the population here is a lot closer to where I was from than L.A. is. I am excited to be here, I am excited to be back in MLS, I'm excited to be part of the Hunt family. I want to thank them for giving me this opportunity, and to be part of their group of teams, and to be part of their soccer family. I'm excited to be here in this town, in Columbus, because of the potential that it has, not only in terms of the support from the community, but its own stadium, its own training facility, and I think the potential that the team has is unique, is special. What I want to do is create special things, special moments for the fans. I want the fans to buy their season tickets now, I want them to get out there, I want them to get excited about a team that is going to go forward, that's going to attack, and that's going to play to win. There's a balance there, and I don't want to get into coach speak, but we are going to be a team that is fun to watch. We are going to be a team that is going to compete every time we step on the field. I think teams in the past here have done that, and there has obviously been some excitement here in the past. There's been some great players here in the past...some are here; some are playing overseas now at this stage. It's definitely a city with a strong tradition; the coaching legacy here has also been good. The first coach here, Timo Liekoski, was a good friend of mine, and I coached together with him for a number of years. Tom Fitzgerald, we all knew him well in the period of time that he was here, and followed as well at UCLA. And Greg Andrulis, he was a person I knew for a long time, from the days of being an assistant coach at Clemson. I think the tradition and legacy is strong here. When I was assistant coach at UCLA, there were a lot of times I wondered why we can't do this, why can't we do that, and it didn't happen. All of a sudden, there was a coaching change, and I became head coach, and some of those things happened. Sometimes that has to happen to move forward, and I understand that as well. The main thing for me is the excitement of being here, the excitement of being back in MLS, the excitement of working everyday. I loved my time with U.S. Soccer, and I had a tremendous time with the U-20 team. It was actually nice after the World Cup to get paid and not have to work a lot, and that's a nice concept. Unfortunately for me, I get bored, and I like to work everyday. So this is exciting for me, putting a team together, looking at players again, trying to make sure the parts fit together and the puzzle works out. It's something I look forward to. For me, it's like going back to my living room, going back to a room that I am very comfortable in. It's something that I enjoy a lot....coaching on a daily basis. My goal and my desire for this team and for this organization is bringing back titles to the city of Columbus, beginning next year. I don't think MLS is a league where you need three years to rebuild. I think that is the way it is and the way it has show itself, when you look at some of the reincarnations that have taken place in some of the teams. You look at San Jose this year...everyone thought they were a lost team because of all the players they lost. They were able to put it together by bringing together the right group of guys that fit together. That's what we are going to do here...we are going to compete for titles, and we are going to begin next year. We are going to bring trophies and titles back on a very consistent basis, for all of you to enjoy. We just want a loud, boisterous, raucous stadium every time we walk on the field, and I want all the fans to make as much noise as they possibly can, because I think that just motivates the players and makes everything go better, and gives the opponent a super hard time. I look forward to that. Thank you."
"The factor that brought me to Columbus was just the potential I felt the organization had. I felt very comfortable when I met with Mark, and I think the relationship between the GM and coach is an important ingredient to success. Each of us has jobs and duties and responsibilities, and some of those overlap. But it's important that we each know what our expertise is, and allow each of us to get along with that expertise. I felt very comfortable with that. I also felt it is an important factor for the team to have its own training facility. Just the outlook and desire to want to win titles and want to be an elite organization was something I felt was present. So those were the main factors."
"It's hard for me to say what's been missing or what you look at in the past. To digress into a little story, I always felt as a coach sometimes when I watched, to me coaching is always just coaching, and I feel everyone does it the same. But then sometimes, when I watch coaches, I go, I wouldn't quite do it like that, I guess I would do it a little different. So it is different. So what's going to be the difference? I wish I could tell you it's ABCD. It's like when coaches ask me, where do you start first? What do you teach first? Do you teach offense or defense first? The first thing I do with a team is play, and figure out how we play. I see what we do well naturally, and then we can add the things that we don't do so well. So it's a constant mosaic that's always changing. That's the way I believe coaching is done, the system you play is a reflection of the players you have, putting them in positions that best uses the talents they have. That's what we are going to try to do...get a good mix and find who those key players are. In the past, what has or hasn't been there isn't important. All that's important is what happens from this day forward."
"No, it doesn't present an awkward situation. Is it awkward, Robert? No, I don't think so. Over the years, when you coach in the league, sometimes you end up talking to different players on different teams. Like when we play in Dallas, every time we are there, I end up talking to Ronnie O'Brien after the game. Even when a guy is your opponent, sometimes you build friendships. And Robert is one of those guys that I talked to after games, so we had some interaction and communication, even while he was playing here. I think he's done a great job in the time he was here as the interim coach, and he certainly deserves a very good look as a head coach as well. He's also someone who is very engrained in this community and in this organization, and I feel that's important, to be able to maintain those connections, and to also help me and give me some insights. When I became coach of the Galaxy, I retained Ralph Perez because he had been around the league, and that was an invaluable learning tool for me, as I was new to the league. I feel confident in Robert and myself to be a very good team. I feel our outlook on the game we talked is similar, and in terms on what we want to try to achieve. It's just a matter of going out there and working together, so I felt retaining Robert was very important."
"What I love most about coaching the sport? It's tough; you're trying to make me emotional. Don't make me emotional. To me, soccer is a game from the heart, it's a beautiful game. I think the only sport in America that compares to it, not to offend any Ohio State football fans here, is basketball. It is really a reflection of where you grew up, a reflection of your culture, a reflection of your background. Like in basketball, there is an East Coast way to play; there is a West Coast way to play; different areas play different ways. You can watch a soccer player and you can almost tell where that player is from just by how he touches the ball, how he collects the ball, how he moves with the ball. To me, that individuality of the sport, that artistry of the sport, is something that is very important. The passion that the world has for the sport is the other thing I enjoy an exceedingly great amount. That's why I want to make my push right now to MLS, it's important to take a break during the World Cup so we can get to the World Cup and watch a game, including the coaches. That's just a recharging of the battery, just the adrenaline you get when you go to a big game, or go to a game in Germany, or go to a game in Argentina, or go to a game here now, where you can get goose bumps on your back. You can just feel that excitement. From a coaching standpoint, on a very personal level, having been an accountant in a prior lifetime, just being a coach was a way you could have an influcene on people, have an influence hopefully in a very positive way. You get to interact with people, and can build bonds and friendships. Talking to Billy Thompson and Mike Lapper, two guys who used to play for me at UCLA, and we were talking about the 20-year reunion of the 1985 championship team, and that was just a special moment. So it's a lot of things put together, but to me, soccer is a very emotional experience for me. It's my life, it's my hobby, it's my job, and it's my work. It's something, as I always say to coaches, you got to share and you got to get the players to have the same passion and belief you have. When you have that, then you got a happy marriage."
"Obviously, I have been watching the games, so I have had a look at the players. But always evaluating over a TV screen or watching a tape is never as good as seeing them live, because so much of soccer is played without the ball, and you have to see what the players are doing without the ball. What I said to the players, and obviously some of the things I said to the players was only for them and will stay with us, but probably the main statement I made to them is that right now, it is like a big puzzle. We are not going to throw away the whole puzzle. We have to look at each piece, and we have to analyze each piece, and we have to see what pieces are worth keeping, and we have to see which pieces fit together. I think we got some building blocks that are here. We can build upon those and go forward from there. When you have a season like this team had this season, and the way it ended, you have to look at and analyze everything. From that analysis, you can draw conclusions. Just because you analyze everything, that doesn't mean everything needs changed, or is bad, or is not in the direction you want to go in. It just means you have to find the right pieces and you need to build from that."
"It's a process that obviously Columbus spoke to me after Greg (Andrulis) was no longer here. That's when the initial conversations took place. I wasn't the only one they were talking to, so they went through a series of talking to other people, as well as other coaches. Then as things came back on that circle, the focus was on, can we work something out? So we were working things out, and by that point in the season, it was getting towards the end of season. So at that point, as we were working things out, we felt it made more sense to just wait until the end of the season, draw a line under this season, then go forward into the next. It wasn't a situation where I hesitated to leave L.A., it was just a process that Columbus was going through. I think that process is fair, I never felt offended or anything. I wasn't thinking they were going to talk to other people. I always say to players, if you don't want to play here, go somewhere else, but I want you to look at all the opportunities that you have. I want you to be here because you want to be here. The same thing happened here, I wanted to be in Columbus because Columbus wanted me, not just because I was the first guy they talked to and they didn't have a chance to talk to other people."
"I don't know. All I know is that I needed gloves last night. It is a little chillier in the evening than where I lived before. We are not going to have an NBA style dress-code, because in our league, unlike what NBA players make, there is a big difference in income. So it makes it difficult for players to dress. We are going to have some discipline in our organization; we are going to have certain things that we want them to do and how they represent the club. And I want to make sure they are warm when they play."
"Style of play on the field for me is all about taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you. We are going to be a team that can attack; we are going to be a team that's going to be able to combine and come through midfield; we are going to be a team that is able to go direct when that is given to you. I think you always have to look at the game, since every game is different; each game is a new painting. It depends on what the opponent gives or takes way from you. If the opponent takes away our ability to build through midfield, we have got to stretch them out and go over the top; if the opponent takes away our ability to go more direct and use the speed that we have, then that means they are dropping off so we can combine and go through midfield. We are going to be a team that scores goal. We want to be a team that scores more goals than we give up. But we also want to be a team that is going to be difficult to play against for the opponents, we are not going to make their life easy, we are going to press up defensively. We are going to put some pressure on them, we are not going to just drop off and give them the whole half of the field. But there are certain times during the game that you have to do this; just because of fatigue and fitness...we have to change those things. To me, successful teams are very adaptable, they can change and make things look different. I am not the kind of coach that is locked into a system. It's not like we have to play a 3-4-3, or we have to play a 4-4-2. We have to play what makes best use of what we have."
"The first question, why now? In Germany with the World Cup team, Bruce Arena is the coach, and he has his staff. To just spend the summer, and to be paid to not work, is sometimes just not my bag. For me, the opportunity is now, the opportunity to start at the beginning of the season is very important, because you can draw a line under things, start with a new slate, and you move forward, and you can get everyone on the same page and the same philosophy. So that's why now is very important. With regards to L.A. players coming here, that is something I cannot comment on. They are in the middle of the playoffs, and we will see how things finish up. We are always looking for good players. Where the good players come from doesn't matter, whether it is L.A., New York, San Jose, Germany, Argentina, Chile, it doesn't matter where they are from. We are always looking for good players."
"Simon (Elliott) is up here, so we will let him answer on his behalf. You forgot Chris Henderson, who I also coached, although he left school early. I am still bitter about that. Is there going to be extra motivation when I play against L.A.? I would be lying if I said there wasn't, and I don't believe in lying. There is motivation to beat every team in this league. It was a unique situation; you don't expect to lose your job when you are in first place. That's just a very honest answer for that, so certainly there will be motivation for that when we play L.A. The L.A. game is three points, and a win over New England is worth three points, plus some because they are in our division. So if I had to pick and choose which game I would rather win, I would choose the win over New England than the game in L.A. But yes, there will be extra motivation."
CREW MIDFIELDER SIMON ELLIOTT
"Trades are part of the business. When I got traded, it was at the end of a tough season when we hadn't played very well. Sigi did what he had to do to get the team ready for the next year. And like he said, I think he got the worse end of the bargain, getting fired when he was in first place, which shouldn't really happen. We had a talk about it this morning. The first thing he said was that he wanted to win titles and so do I, so as long as we are winning games, we will both be happy."
