Eric Wynalda knew what his first acts would be as interim coach of the Silverbacks.
It wouldn't be revamping the roster of a team that has struggled in its first two years in the NASL. It would be talking and listening.
"This job, any management job, is entirely about communication," Wynalda said. "Players want (to know) two things: Where they stand and where they are going. That's it."
The team wasn't doing a good job communicating under former coach Alex Pineda Chacon, team members say. Some players didn't know why they weren't playing. Others didn't know why they were. Some players said had lost respect for Chacon. There seemed to be more finger-pointing than game-planning. The result was one win in the first 14 games, despite a roster filled with players with MLS, NASL or international experience.
Wynalda, a member of the national soccer hall of fame, was hired. His first game, just a few hours after he was introduced as coach, was a loss. The second game, at Minnesota, was a 2-0 win with a gameplan tailored for the match. The third game will be his first at home, against Puerto Rico, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
"It's just one win, but you can tell how excited the guys are to play," midfielder Ciaran O'Brien said. "He can relate to the guys. He's not standoffish. He's just a guy that knows the game and can help you as a player."
Wynalda is good at relating because he is usually described two ways: as a player's coach and as outspoken.
"He's going to let players be players," said former U.S. international goalkeeper Tony Meola, who played with Wynalda. "Guys that are creative, you don't snuff those guys. Eric will allow players to demonstrate those qualities and not hold them back because he wants to hold them back. Players dictate the style of play, and not vice versa."
Wynalda agrees he is a player's coach, saying the art of managing is knowing when to step in and when to stay away.
"It's difficult for players to take a lot of criticism and heat and instructions from coaches who haven't played," said former U.S. international Cobi Jones, who grew up with Wynalda in California. "Eric has played at the highest level. He's been there overseas. He's played in the states. He's played on the national team. Eric is all about giving the players what they want. By doing that, he'll get better players and a better team."
Wynalda doesn't have a lot of rules, but those he has he sticks to. If practice is supposed to end at 10:45 a.m., it ends at 10:44 a.m. He's proud that, at the end of Tuesday's practice, the players didn't sprint to the parking lot. They wanted to stick around and play some more. Lately, Wynalda has had to herd them off the field. He said that's a sign they are happy.
Midfielder Nico Colaluca was one of the players who was lost under the last regime. He began the season as a starter, was suspended for seven games after a fight in the season-opener, but rarely played when he was re-instated. Like everyone else on the team, Wynalda offered him a clean slate. Colaluca has played in the past two games.
"A lot of the players have their confidence back," Colaluca said." As a team, we are totally rejuvenated."
Wynalda's cell phone rings as he talks. He looks down, chuckles, and says it's Seattle's Sigi Schmid, one of Wynalda's former coaches.
"He's probably calling about [scouting] one of my players," Wynalda said. "I've had five calls from coaches. I don't think that happened too often before."
It's that kind of statement that have led some to say Wynalda is outspoken. He says he's just honest and that anyone who says he is outspoken is just afraid of the truth.
"I think that's a great quality as a coach," Jones said. "That's what players want. They want to know the truth. A lot of times coaches either want to play to everyone, and end up pleasing no one. Eric will be very honest, very outspoken. He's going to let you know what he wants and how he feels."
Wynalda said he learned a lot about the power of honesty from those who were good at communicating such as Klaus Toppmoller, who coached Wynalda at VfL Bochum in Germany's Bundesliga.
"He took over a team that was floundering the way this team was to a team that finished fifth in Bundesliga because he believes in people. He instills belief in people, and he has a great eye for talent," Wynalda said.
But he may have learned those skills more from people who weren't good at it than those who were.
"Everybody here will be on the same page," he said. "Everybody in this organization, we don't lie to anybody. The truth will come out."
It's been less than a week, but his fingerprints are already all over the franchise, from the tangible things like more towels after practices to the intangible things like communication and confidence.
"I don't think the other teams want to play us right now," he said. "We've figured out things in a hurry."
He's not outspoken, just honest.
Next game
Who: Silverbacks vs. Puerto Rico
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Silverbacks Park
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