Sarachan works with young soccer players

From www.democratandchronicle.com
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By Jeff DiVeronica

CHILI — For the past decade, Dave Sarachan has had a front-row seat watching the best male soccer players America has produced.

As a coach in Major League Soccer and assistant with the United States men's national team, he saw their strengths and weaknesses going against the world's best.

But now the Brighton native is working with America's youth to help make sure by the time they become professionals, their strengths are stronger and their weaknesses are few.

Sarachan, 53, is the Director of Scouting for the U.S. Soccer Federation's Developmental Academy, a new program involving about 2,500 of the top players from around the country. He is in Rochester this weekend scouting Empire United, the upstate New York club included with 74 other elites nationally.

Clubs must apply for inclusion and be awarded a spot by the USSF.

"The culture that has existed in our country for a number of years is that success is measured only by winning," said Sarachan, who ran an Empire United practice Wednesday night at Roberts Wesleyan College and will scout the Under-16 and U-18 teams' matches this weekend against squads from Ohio.

"Kids aren't getting the proper training. Clubs have their priorities wrong. The emphasis has been on: Where can we find the biggest, fastest, strongest (kids), in their minds, for whatever it takes to win, so my club gets recognition and our kids get (college) scholarships?"

Sarachan and Co. plan to change that. The former University of Rochester assistant and head coach at Cornell University from 1989-97 oversees a network of about 30 national scouts. Twelve more youth clubs, including three affiliated with MLS franchises, have been added for next year.

There will be more focus on practice and proper training to develop skills, and not so many games.

The hope: America's teens can hold their own with the rest of the soccer-playing world as pro players, instead of having to catch up.

"Clearly, there's a certain sophistication that comes through with young internationals," said Sarachan, who starred at Monroe Community College and Cornell in the 1970s before a brief pro career that included 1976-77 with the Rochester Lancers of the old North American Soccer League.

Young foreign players handle being pressured on the ball better and play and think faster than their U.S. counterparts, Sarachan said. American kids need to be forced into "solving problems," on the field against tough competition, not inferior opponents.

"When our players face Barcelona's youth team, all those tricks and habits they got by with on their club team don't work at the next level," he said.

Sarachan seems driven with his new mission, but it's not what he thought he'd be doing.

Last spring he was in his fifth year as head coach of the Chicago Fire, the MLS squad he led to a pair of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles and league runner-up finish in 2003 when he was named MLS Coach of the Year.

But after getting off to a 3-0-1 start, the best in franchise history, the Fire was hurt by injuries and national team call-ups. In the midst of a 1-6-1 slide, Sarachan was dismissed by Chicago general manager John Guppy, who last week suffered the same fate. Guppy was fired.

"It came as a big surprise, a shock," Sarachan recalled. "You go through a lot of emotions. There's a period of disbelief and anger. Then you sort of recap what you think you could have done better."

After Guppy hired Juan Carlos Osorio, Sarachan knew what happened. "It was the winds of corporate change," Sarachan said.

Osorio was "Guppy's guy," he added. The pair had worked together with the MetroStars in 2001 and "there was a small window to get (Osorio)," Sarachan said.

In December, Osorio left Chicago to coach the New York Red Bulls, the former MetroStars.

Sarachan's time off gave him a chance to watch his son, Ian, play for the University of Illinois-Chicago, which last fall reached the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. Ian's a sophomore midfielder.

While focused on the youth initiative, Sarachan said coaching again in the pros remains an option. After all, he was Bruce Arena's top assistant at D.C. United (1998-99) and with the U.S. from 1999-2002. That included the Americans' historic quarterfinal run in the 2002 World Cup, their best finish ever.

"There's unfinished business for me," said Sarachan, who will enjoy part of the next few days with his mother, Florence, who still lives in Brighton and his brother, Gary, who is visiting from St. Louis.

"I think I'm still at a good age and have the energy that if an opportunity came and made sense, I would certainly listen."

JDIVERON@DemocratandChronicle.com