Football Notes

the-afc.com, FIFA World Cup / Article Kuala Lumpur: Two weeks ago, the-AFC.com profiled five Asian FIFA World Cup heroes from over the years and asked the fans to vote for their favourite. Now, it’s the turn of our experts panel.  Given the choice of Sami Al Jaber, Alireza Beiranvand, Tim Cahill, Keisuke Honda and Park Ji-sung, the fans’ vote was won by Iranian goalkeeper Beiranvand, with Japan’s Honda and Saudi legend Al Jaber coming in second and third place respectively – a decision that goes towards 25 percent of the overall result. Given the choice of Sami Al Jaber, Alireza Beiranvand, Tim Cahill, Keisuke Honda and Park Ji-sung, the fans’ vote was won by Iranian goalkeeper Beiranvand, with Japan’s Honda and Saudi legend Al Jaber coming in second and third place respectively – a decision that goes towards 25 percent of the overall result. Philippe Troussier Major tournaments: 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2000 AFC Asian Cup, 2004 AFC Asian Cup, 1998 African Cup of Nations, 1999 Copa AmericaNational teams coached: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Japan, Qatar, Morocco, Vietnam U-19Major clubs : FUS Rabat, Olympique de Marseille, Hangzhou Greentown All of them were big-impact players for their respective countries. All of them deserve to be number one. We can say that Park Ji-sung was the most successful in terms of titles at Manchester United and helping Korea Republic finish in the top four at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. As a midfielder, we can consider that he was very influential on the team. Keisuke Honda and Tim Cahill have also had a strong impact in Asia, although as attackers their impact was more as individuals. Both played for big teams in their careers and are among the leading goalscorers for Asia at the World Cup. With regards to Sami Al Jaber, I faced him many times. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup and also twice at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. Al Jaber was a good player and has had a strong contribution and impact in West Asia, and a long career, participating in four World Cups. Saudi Arabia are now regularly among the top teams in Asia, I think a lot of that is down to him. Beiranvand had a lot of impact at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, his synergy is tied to the Iranian national team. He famously stopped a penalty kick during the tournament and it was hard to score against him throughout. The fact that he is a candidate as a goalkeeper, when usually it is a position overlooked in favour of attackers, is testament to the significance of his impact. All of them are famous players who have contributed a lot, who represent different parts of Asia. All of them have helped to make people dream. Their impact on the Asian game shows the path to achieve success and the manner in which to do it, that’s an important message to the youth of today. Afshin Ghotbi Major Tournaments: 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2007 AFC Asian Cup, 2011 AFC Asian CupNational teams coached: Korea Republic (assistant), IR IranMajor clubs: Suwon Samsung Bluewings, LA Galaxy, Persepolis, Shimizu S-Pulse, Buiriram United All five players have made massive contributions to the game on many levels. To select one over the other may be unjust, as they possess different qualities and strengths. Their contribution to their national teams both on and off the field make them the best Asia has to offer. Park Ji-sung’s contribution at the 2002 FIFA World Cup stands the test of time, helping Korea Republic reach the semi-finals. His winning goal against Portugal helped his country top the group, and his tireless running off the ball made Korea one of the most dynamic teams in the competition. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he also scored against France, who would go on to reach the final, thereby giving Korea a point against arguably the best team in the 2006 World Cup. Tim Cahill’s numbers, longevity, and success speak for themselves. He was one of the best in the 16-yard box, and his thundering headers sets him apart from most strikers on the global stage. Alireza Beiranvand is the best goalkeeper in Asia. His presence, personality, shot-blocking quality, and his distribution range make him a complete goalkeeper. His performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup almost helped IR Iran reach the knockout stage. Keisuke Honda can both score and put his teammates in scoring positions. His creativity combined with his skill set him apart. His wonderful left foot gave Japan an arsenal in dead-ball situations and inside the penalty area. Sami Al Jaber was one the best and most prolific goalscorers in Saudi Arabia’s history. His vertical running and deft final touch will be remembered for ever. Steve Darby Major Tournaments: 2001 SEA Games, 2004 AFC Cup, 2005 AFC Cup, 2008 AFC Cup, 2014 AFC CupNational teams coached: Bahrain, Vietnam Women, Thailand, Thailand U23, LaosMajor clubs coached: Sydney Olympic, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Home United, Perak FA, Mohun Bagan, Kelantan Park Ji-sung was a trailblazer for Asian football in his appearances for Manchester United. He was an incredible athlete and always did a professional job for the team. Getting Korea Republic to the 2002 FIFA World Cup semi-finals was the greatest achievement by an Asian team so far. Sami Al Jaber became the World Cup face of Saudi football. His performances at four World Cups made him a hero for all of West Asia. Tim Cahill became an Australian icon by scoring vital goals for Australia. A player who gave everything for whoever he played for. Came up the hard way through Millwall, didn’t play for any Australian youth teams as he was tied to Samoa. Made it to the top on his own efforts. Keisuke Honda is a great player, among the most individually talented in the shortlist. He played in Italy’s Serie A and was the world face of Japanese football once Hidetoshi Nakata retired. Alireza Beiranivand …

“Persepolis is one of the most popular, maybe the most popular, clubs in Asia because they have 30 million followers.” “If you are a player or a coach with Persepolis and you travel anywhere in the world you will meet an Iranian person somewhere in some street that will recognise you and run to you and talk about how you won or lost or how you performed in a particular match. That’s the kind of passion that fans of Persepolis have. “Obviously it means a lot to Japanese football, and obviously it means a lot to Kashima fans, but multiply that maybe by 10, or even more, and that’s what it means to Iranian fans because football has a different place in the hearts of Iranian people, and Persepolis has a very special place for Iranian fans. Persepolis fans are born and die as Persepolis fans, that’s how they are.” …

TEHRAN – Ex-Iran and Persepolis football teams head coach Afshin Ghotbi says he is proud of his Persian origin, his history and his past. Tehran Times The 54-year-old coach led Iranian giants Persepolis to win the domestic title, however, Ghotbi believes it’s not his biggest achievement in football. Finishing fourth with South Korea in the 2002 World Cup as assistant of Dutchman Guus Hiddink and winning the championship with LA Galaxy are very important success in his career, the Iranian coach asserted.   Ghotbi has already worked in seven different countries, but he also likes to coach a German football team. Fortuna Dusseldorf, Hannover 96 and Prussia Münster has reportedly negotiated with Ghotbi, transfermarkt.at reported.   “I’m very disappointed that it did not work out. But I think it has more to do with the fact that I’m not German than with my quality as a coach. I’ve been interested in German football all my life. As a small boy, I stayed up late at night to watch Bundesliga matches. As a 10-year-old, I was in Germany during the 1974 World Cup. It is one of my dreams to be able to work in German football,” he emphasized. Ghotbi must be a special coach, you could see the reaction of the fans and players of the Chinese second division Shijiazhuang Ever Bright after his departure in early September. You could see tears in their eyes after they found out their coach would leave their team. “Football is an international game. Working abroad and living in different parts of the world has always fascinated me. I have worked in seven countries in my career because I like the sporting, social and cultural challenges. Each country offers different challenges and growth opportunities. I have been able to inspire, educate and make people happy. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity,” Ghotbi said. “I am proud of my origin, my history and my past. It helped me develop a diverse cultural understanding and tolerance. With a non-traditional football background, I had to prove myself every day and become a better person and coach,” explains the Iranian-born, who grew up in the U.S. and had to do more work and time because of his origin than others. Ghotbi also calls himself a sympathetic, passionate and open-minded coach. “Football is my religion, the club is my home and players are my family. There is no perfect coach, but it challenges us to get better every day. New ideas are all around us. We can learn from everyone, the key is to listen with an open mind and an open heart,” he stated. …

Trainer in sieben Ländern Weltenbummler Ghotbi: „ Jedes Land bietet unterschiedliche Herausforderungen “ Afshin Ghotbi (Foto) gilt als innovativer, aber auch weitgereister Trainer. In sieben verschiedenen Ländern arbeitete der 54-Jährige bereits. Ob Südkorea, Japan oder der Iran: Überall konnte er Spuren hinterlassen. Seine Arbeit war auch einigen deutschen Vereinen aufgefallen, mehrfach stand er kurz davor, nach Deutschland zu wechseln. Dass Ghotbi ein besonderer Trainer sein muss, konnte man an der Reaktion der Fans und Spieler des chinesischen Zweitligisten Shijiazhuang Ever Bright sehen. Nach seinem Abschied Anfang September standen sie teils mit Tränen in den Augen Spalier und verabschiedeten ihren Coach. „Ich bevorzuge Fans, die jubeln, glücklich sind und nicht weinen. Im Ernst, ich verbinde mit dem Fußball eine sehr tiefe Leidenschaft und versuche sie mit in meinen Job zu nehmen. Ich glaube, dass ich bei den Spielern und Fans einen Anklang dafür finde“, erklärt der gebürtige Iraner, der in den USA aufgewachsen ist und dort auch aufgrund seiner Herkunft mehr Arbeit und Zeit investieren musste als andere. „Ich bin stolz auf meine Herkunft, meine Geschichte und meine Vergangenheit. Sie hat mir geholfen, ein vielfältiges kulturelles Verständnis und Toleranz zu entwickeln. Mit einem nicht-traditionellen Fußball-Hintergrund musste ich mich jeden Tag beweisen und konnte mich zu einem besseren Menschen und Trainer entwickeln“, so Ghotbi. Dass der Fußball Menschen verbinden kann, war auch der Grund für ihn, eine internationale Trainerkarriere anzustreben. „Fußball ist ein internationales Spiel und ich war schon immer ein weltoffener Bürger. Im Ausland zu arbeiten und in verschiedenen Teilen der Welt zu leben, hat mich immer fasziniert. Ich habe in meiner Karriere in sieben Ländern gearbeitet, weil ich die sportlichen, sozialen und kulturellen Herausforderungen mag. Jedes Land bietet unterschiedliche Herausforderungen und Wachstumschancen. Fußball verbindet und durch meine Arbeit konnte ich Menschen inspirieren, ausbilden und glücklich machen. Ich habe das Glück, diese Plattform zu haben“, so der 54-Jährige, der sich nichts anderes vorstellen konnte als Trainer zu werden. „Ich habe Fußball gespielt, seit ich laufen konnte und es hat mir immer Spaß gemacht, den Leuten zu sagen, was sie tun sollen. Ich fand meine Berufung schon früh im Leben, als ich meine Karriere als Trainer mit Jugendlichen begann. Später im professionellen und internationalen Fußball erkannte ich, dass meine Arbeit nicht nur sportliche, sondern auch soziale, kulturelle und wirtschaftliche Auswirkungen haben kann. Die Vereinigung von Gemeinschaften und Nationen, das Erhöhen des Vertrauens und des Nationalstolzes auf ein ganzes Land, das Anregen von Kreativität und das Bewusstsein für soziale Fragen sind nur einige meiner Früchte“, so Ghotbi. Bereits zum Anfang seiner Karriere hatte er sich dem asiatischen Kontinent verschrieben. Zunächst arbeitete er als Chefanalytiker für den südkoreanischen Verband unter Cheftrainer Guus Hiddink, um dann, unter Dick Advocaat, Co-Trainer der Nationalmannschaft zu werden. Im weiteren Verlauf der Karriere hinterließ er u.a. in seiner dreijährigen Amtszeit beim japanischen Erstligisten Shimizu S-Pulse Spuren. Den vermeintlich größten Erfolg feierte er aber in seinem Heimatland, dem Iran. Mit dem Persepolis FC feierte er 2008 den Gewinn der Meisterschaft, wurde Trainer des Jahres, um dann die iranische Nationalmannschaft zu übernehmen. Ghotbi sieht dies aber nicht ganz so: „Es ist schwierig zu sagen, das war mein größter Erfolg oder das war mein größter Erfolg. Ich hatte auf allen Ebenen und auf unterschiedliche Arten Erfolg. In der Jugend wichtige Spiele zu gewinnen, ist genauso großartig wie auf internationaler Ebene Erfolge zu feiern oder internationale Spieler zu entwickeln. Alles macht großen Spaß. Aber wahrscheinlich sind die offensichtlichsten Dinge die wichtigsten in meiner Karriere gewesen, wie WM-Vierter mit Südkorea bei der Weltmeisterschaft 2002 zu werden, mit LA Galaxy die Meisterschaft und den Pokal zu gewinnen und natürlich der Erfolg mit Persepolis im Iran“, bilanziert der Weltenbummler.  Dass Ghotbi im internationalen Fußball einen guten Ruf genießt, liegt nicht nur an seiner ruhigen und besonnenen Art, sondern auch an seiner Trainingsweise: „Ich glaube, das Spiel selbst ist der beste Lehrer. Deshalb habe ich Übungen entwickelt, bei denen alle Komponenten des Spiels zum Einsatz kommen. Funktionell, dynamisch und explosiv sind einige Worte, die meine Methodik beschreiben können. Für mich ist es wichtig, die Spieler herauszufordern. Sie sollen Entscheidungen unter Druck treffen und gleichzeitig technisches und taktisches Tempo präzise ausführen. Zudem ist wichtig, die Spieler gemeinsam aber auch individuell zu entwickeln. Wir leben in einer Zeit, wo es von digitalen Entwicklungen nur so wimmelt. Deshalb nutze ich Drohnen und Kameras, um die besten Bilder vom Training zu erhalten, analysieren und daraus die physische Belastung zu überwachen.“ Ghotbi hat derweil auch eine klare Einschätzung von sich selbst: „Ich bezeichne mich als einen sympathischen, leidenschaftlichen und aufgeschlossenen Trainer. Fußball ist meine Religion, der Verein ist mein Zuhause und Spieler sind meine Familie. Es gibt keinen perfekten Trainer, aber die Perfektion fordert uns heraus, jeden Tag besser zu werden. Neue Ideen sind überall um uns herum. Wir können von allen lernen, der Schlüssel ist, ein offenes Herz und einen offenen Geist zu haben.“ Auch Deutschland wäre fast in seiner Vita gelandet. Mit Fortuna Düsseldorf, Hannover 96 und Preußen Münster stand er in Verhandlungen, doch auf der Zielgerade sagten die Vereine ab. „Ich war sehr enttäuscht, dass es nicht geklappt hat. Aber ich glaube, es hat mehr damit zu tun, dass ich kein Deutscher bin als mit meiner Qualität als Trainer. Ich habe mich schon mein ganzes Leben für den deutschen Fußball interessiert. Als kleiner Junge blieb ich spät abends auf, um Bundesligaspiele live zu sehen. Als Zehnjähriger war ich während der Weltmeisterschaft 1974 in Deutschland. Es ist einer meiner Lebensträume, im deutschen Fußball arbeiten zu können“, betont der 54-Jährige. Die fehlende deutsche Sprache möchte Ghotbi nicht als Absagegrund stehen lassen. „Wenn mir ein Profiverein in Deutschland die Chance gibt, nehme ich sofort Privatunterricht und werde in Zukunft auch versuchen Interviews auf Deutsch zu halten. Insgesamt könnten ausländische Trainer die Liga deutlich bereichern, die Premier League in England macht es doch vor“, sagt der Iraner abschließend. Von Henrik Stadnischenko …

Tehran: Former Persepolis manager Afshin Ghotbi knows just what it feels like to savour glory at the Azadi Stadium, where the 2018 AFC Champions League final between the Islamic Republic of Iran giant and Kashima Antlers of Japan will be decided on Saturday. Ghotbi also spent three-and-a-half years coaching in Japan with Shimizu S-Pulse, leaving him uniquely placed to run the rule over the sides battling to be crowned kings of the Continent. The 54-year-old has enjoyed a long and distinguished career around Asia and beyond, but his triumph of steering Persepolis to the league title at the Azadi in 2008 is a moment that remains etched on his memory. “In the final game against Sepahan we won in the 96th minute with 110,000 people in the stadium,” he recalls. “That atmosphere is absolutely electric. There are no words in any language that can describe the feeling of winning there. “As an Asian football player or a coach, playing in that stadium is a wonderful experience. It’s really the Colosseum of football pitches in Asia.” Kashima have their noses in front in the final after winning the first leg 2-0 last Saturday in Japan, but Ghotbi is sure the fervent support in Tehran will unsettle Go Oiwa’s team. “I think they’ll struggle with the fact that literally from the night before there will be people outside the stadium, and then from the morning of the game it will be absolutely full. The noise in that stadium is amazing.” However, he also feels the intense atmosphere could weigh heavily on the home side. “It creates a challenge for the Persepolis coaching staff and the players, with regards to the amount of pressure and the stress they are under. At home they will feel the pressure to get the result for their fans.” In terms of footballing approach, Ghotbi detects almost polar opposition in the Japanese and Iranian style. “You’re talking about such a clash of cultures. (With Japanese teams) you’re talking about very organised, very conservative – a society that’s so collective – and then when you look at Iranian football it’s very creative, it’s all about improvisation. “It’s about players that are products of street football, so they are able to individually create situations that are maybe advantageous.” Ultimately, however, he feels the victor will be decided by whoever manages to best hold their nerve in the Azadi cauldron. “I think in any final it’s all about finishing your chances and who makes the least mistakes, so I think it will come down to that.” …

Since I began working for US Soccer as a national staff instructor, I have had the privilege of being part of a series of positive and sweeping improvements to how we train our youth coaches in the United States. US Soccer has highlighted all these sweeping changes with a very simple, yet elegant formula: Better Coaching + Better Environment= BETTER PLAYERS With the recent introduction of new, veteran European leadership at Soccer House, US Soccer has embarked on and even bolder and targeted campaign to improve youth soccer coaching at the grassroots level, to ensure that the formula pays off. The systematic restructuring of the license pathway is first and foremost. The new European approach worked out the changes from the top to the bottom. For the first time ever, at the pinnacle of the coaching education pyramid there will be a Pro License. Underneath the Pro, there will be two A License pathways, one geared to prepare coaches to work at the senior level and the other to prepare them to work at the elite youth level. The B license has now become the top youth license and the standard which all US development academy coaches must possess. The C remains the gateway to the national licenses. These changes in content and outcome have also included additional course content and work that reach beyond the training ground and extend to leadership, player and team management, and development of a performance environment. Once the outcomes at the top of the pyramid were defined, the Coaching Education Staff embarked on a second phase of restructuring at the base of the pyramid. That final phase will now connect the F, E, and D (grassroots licenses) to the national C, B, and A. The restructuring of the lower licenses, dealing with players U6-U12 will be one of the most dramatic changes made yet to how we develop young players to prepare for the adult game (11 v 11). With last year’s launching of the Small Sided Initiatives (platforms for 4 v 4, 7 v 7, 9 v 9 to be age appropriate), there was a need to retool the F, E, and D to also become more age appropriate and better prepare coaches to teach the game to match the needs of the new small sided game standards. In addition to grafting small-sided games concepts into the new course curricula, US Soccer have also opened up the licensing pathway to ‘lateral entry,’ meaning that if you are a working U12 coach, there is no need for you to begin your licensing pathway at the bottom (U6), but rather seek the education and the licensing for the age which is appropriate to you. This specific tailoring of licensing courses to match coaching levels, will now ensure that candidates working with our youngest and most precious player resources, will be able to train and learn in a more focused environment that centers around the needs of the players they are actually working with and better achieve the desired outcomes for those ages. By 2017, the transformed licensing pathway will be complete and have its first generation of graduates applying their knowledge at the grassroots and elite youth levels. It will be very interesting to begin tracking the youngest categories of our players (U6-U12) to see how the new methodology boosts their knowledge of the game and their technical ability. It will also be quite interesting to see if five years down the line, we begin to truly create a new and distinct ‘profile’ of American player, perhaps one made in the image of Christian Pulisic; a sound technician with superb decision making ability. As with many of the great ‘movements’ to impact a national style, it will take time, patience, adaptability, and faith in the philosophy to reap the benefits of change. As a part of the staff who helped shape the new curriculum, I am hopeful that the changes will bring great results. As an active club Director and coach, I am now accountable for their implementation and challenged every day to translate them onto the training grounds. Time will tell, but I think we have made some positive choices to achieve generational change. Better coaching is on its way, next we will have to tackle the problem of the environment. …

In my last piece, I wrote about my visit to Shimizu S-Pulse, in 2011, Afshin Ghotbi’s first season at the helm of the club. Last week, I had another rare privilege to visit with Afshin and learn from him, only this time, at the conclusion of his tenure at S-Pulse. It was a fascinating glimpse into the process Afshin takes his staff and players through, in order to prepare for a match. During my visit to S-Pulse, I got to see the finished product of a training session, but more recently, I got to see the nuts and bolts of the process of team preparation. During Ghotbi’s recent visit to southern California, he was gracious enough to visit the youth coaching staff at Eagles SC in Camarillo, an elite youth club, run by none other than former MLS Cup and Open Cup Champion, Steve Sampson. It was very refreshing to see that a top caliber, international manager like Afshin would make time to do a presentation for youth coaches, and spend time answering their questions, in a very intimate and open setting. It shows how genuine Afshin’s football and personality have remained through the years, never losing touch with his roots in the game, and never losing respect for those in the craft, regardless of their level or status. The audio-visual presentation was the quintessence of modern management methodology. With regards to content, it could have drawn top-billing at any international coaching symposium; but, as I mentioned in my previous piece, Afshin Ghotbi is not just knowledge and organization. He is an excellent communicator. He has a knack for packaging an idea or a goal into a series of visuals, which paint a clear picture of roles, responsibilities, and function. On the technical side, it was impressive to see how information and data from opposition scouting reports was married into tactical field diagrams, to give players and staff not only a visual of how an opponent functions, but an idea of when they actually hit peaks and valleys of performance within a 90 minute match. Equally impressive for its attention to detail was how, even the physical height of opposing players factored into diagrams of set pieces. Frankly, the only detail about opposing players that was not in the slides was their sign of the zodiac! When it came time to preparing the staff for training sessions, I was especially enthralled, since my job as a coaching educator is to improve the quality of training that coaches are able to produce. I’m a big fan of diagrams, but Ghotbi added a whole new dimension to the art. Each activity of the practice session was laid out with painstaking details, with regards to spacing, timing, duration, and players involved. Nothing was left to chance or random act. During my actual on-field observations, I noted how impressive the intensity, sharpness, and flow of the sessions were; now I understood why. The economy and high productivity of the training was a direct result of the meticulous staging, planning, and delegation that the manager prepared for his staff. Not one to spare a detail, he even required players to check in with the staff more than an hour before training to make sure that proper adjustments could be made to ensure that the right combination of players was able to be maintained to maximize awareness and tactical effectiveness. Last but not least, in terms of the psycho-social side of the game, again, no detail was spared. Afshin showed he is also a fantastic motivator. Players were encouraged to view videos of positive performances in specially designed screening rooms, one of many technological innovations he brought to the club. Video clips and pre-match movies were interwoven with specific messages and goals for each and every match. One could sense that preparing for each successive match under Afshin was a new adventure, a new mission, as he likes to put it; and that ensures that the group can never go into a downward spiral of performance, even in the most adverse of times. It’s no coincidence that S-Pulse was able to stay in the top half of the tables and reach a cup final, with so small a budget, and with so many young and inexperienced players. As I said before, this is a testament to Afshin Ghotbi’s ability to ‘man manage.’ No matter if there were seasoned international veterans or newly promoted youth academy players in the side, each not only knew his purpose, but ‘believed in’ it and went out and lived it on the pitch and bled for his teammates. In a day and age in which so much is made of ‘the acquisition of talent,’ and ‘big summer signings,’ Afshin is both a throwback to a bygone era and, at the same time, a glimpse of the future of the game. He has the core principles and tireless work ethic which built the modern game, yet at the same time he has the global outlook and tech savoir faire that is now at the cutting edge of coaching. In every sense, Ghotbi is ‘modern football’ at its best. In my view, he would be the perfect choice to manage a progressive –minded MLS club or a top domestic European club, looking to break barriers and reach a new peak of performance and results. His innovations have been widely imitated already in Asia, but would have an even greater ripple effect here in the U.S. where our top league is in desperate need of a new standard of management in order to better serve and develop our players. With a manager like Afshin Ghotbi in the MLS, Jurgen Klinsmann could rest a bit easier that his top picks would be in good hands on a daily basis here at home. …

In the fall of 2011, I had the rare privilege of travelling to Shizuoka, Japan to visit Afshin at Shimizu S-Pulse. As a US Soccer Instructor and Coach, I was naturally excited by the chance to visit a top flight club in the J-League, but the amount of access and information Afshin shared with me on my visit was absolutely astounding. Afshin gave me VIP access to the club and its facilities. He shared with me his vision and his long-term plans to modernize and professionalize the club. In his plans were many of the details that other clubs take for granted, but I learned that Afshin, like many of the top managers in Europe, spares no detail in his mission to bring true success to his club.Even more impressive to me, was how Afshin operated on the training ground in session. His training sessions were more impressive than many I had seen at top clubs in Europe. What impressed me, was that Afshin was actually teaching his players in training. Most top managers I have observed have a policy of supervising or facilitating a session, while leaving the details to assistant coaches or subordinates. Afshin, however, was in every part of the session, teaching his players what he wanted them to achieve, not just dictating to them.As a National Staff instructor for US Soccer, responsible in part for training the next generation of American soccer coaches, this was a real joy to watch. Afshin was a coaching model of what a top coach should be. Any coach can dictate, but few can really improve their players. We take for granted that even players at the top pro level, still need to be developed. This is an especially important issue for players in the MLS in the United States. Many young players make MLS squads, only to find it hard to break in to the first team. With little attention to their developmental needs at the senior level, many of these promising, young, home-grown players bounce from one MLS club to the next, without ever fully realizing their potential, and within a few years their playing careers are finished. Who knows what these players might have achieved with the right coaching-teaching environment?I have always known Afshin to be 110% pure football, but what I saw in Afshin in Shizuoka was that he is truly a ‘Modern Football Manager.’ He can manage and motivate a seasoned international veteran one minute, and the very next minute teach a newly promoted youth player what he wants him to do. He does it with respect, compassion, and a true faith in his players that is rare in the cut-throat world of top flight football.I was sorry to see Afshin part ways with Shimizu S-Pulse, maybe just a year shy of completing his vision for the club and its fans, but I am very eager to see where Afshin’s talents take him next. Top coaches always find top clubs, especially coaches with Afshin’s passion and pedigree, but I hope MLS may cast its gaze on Afshin and lures him to an American club. Afshin’s brand of ‘enlightened management’ coupled with his broad impressive international experience is exactly the kind of formula young MLS players need to grow and thrive. In a moment where we need more home-grown talents to come through and become world class players, we need coaches like Afshin Ghotbi in the MLS to help produce the generation of US players that will be needed to truly break through to the latter stages of a world cup finals. …

Afshin Ghotbi’s place in the history of South Korean soccer folklore is assured; he was, after all, a member of the national team’s coaching staff at the 2002 World Cup, the first of three stints with the Taeguk Warriors. He would argue that there is much more to come in the future whether in Korea or Japan, his current place of employment. That has been temporarily put on hold as his new career in the J-League coincided with the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11, just five days after his first game as head coach of Shimizu S-Pulse. He has to wait until April 23 before the season starts again. His career was already full of drama. The 2010 World Cup was the first since 1994 that didn’t have the Tehran-born tactician on the bench, though he was in the country, researching current trends and future opponents. His dreams of going to South Africa with the Iranian national team were looking good with nine minutes left against his old friends in South Korea in the final qualification match in June 2009 but a late Park Ji-sung goal put paid to Persian hopes. That game was overshadowed somewhat by some of the Iranian players wearing green wristbands to support protests against the regime back home. It was ironic that it all happened in Seoul World Cup Stadium, just a 10-minute drive along the Naebu Expressway (traffic permitting, of course) from the Grand Hilton Hotel, Ghotbi’s home for much of the period from 2000 to the summer of 2007. When Guus Hiddink was appointed coach of South Korea in December 2000, he recruited Ghotbi, who went to the 1998 World Cup with the United States, as a technical analyst. It was during this time that his reputation as a forward-thinking tactician began to spread as the Taeguk Warriors made it to the semifinals. Ghotbi was back in Korea in October 2005 as a coach under Dick Advocaat. When that particular Dutchman headed back west after the 2006 World Cup, the Iranian-American remained as Pim Verbeek’s assistant coach until it all ended in the summer of 2007 and the Asian Cup. It was then that Ghotbi went back to Iran for the first time in 30 years to lead Persepolis to the 2008 league title thanks to a last-minute goal in the last game of the season. The next year, he was appointed head coach of the Iranian national team. He fell just short of rescuing the stuttering qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup but did take the team to the 2011 Asian Cup. That continental quest ended in elimination in the quarterfinal by ― you guessed it ― South Korea. Now he is in Japan with Shimizu, a team based in the city of Shizuoka, and dealing with the aftermath of what happened last month. “We were preparing for our first home match,” Ghotbi said. “We had a training session in the Shimizu S-Pulse stadium in the morning of March 11 and returned home to pack to travel to the team hotel for the match. Then, my house started shaking and rolling. The intensity grew with time, and it seemed to last forever. The house started to make cracking sounds and I thought it was going to collapse. I have lived through a few earthquakes in California but this was on a different scale.” “This tragedy has affected everyone in my club, as our training ground and club house is only approximately 100 meters away from the ocean so the images of the tsunami shook the nerves of our players and their entire families. People were sad, terrified and concerned about the well-being of their families, community and nation. Our foreign players were perhaps more scared as they were influenced by foreign media and embassies.” Soccer obviously comes a very distant second in such circumstances and fans will have to wait seven weeks after the first game of the season to see the second. This lengthy break presents practical problems for coaching staff too. Like most teams, Shimizu has been playing charity matches that not only raise money for victims of the disaster but also give the players something to focus on. “Overall, we have tried to make the best of a very difficult situation using this tragic time to improve our team,” said Ghotbi. “Given the circumstances, the players have shown great resilience, fighting spirit, and improvement. The club has done a great job to be proactive in raising money for the victims with charity matches, fund raising functions and events.” By John Duerden, Contributing writer ([email protected]) …