D.C. United's Peter Nowak and his staff will coach the MLS All-Stars as they take on England's Chelsea FC in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, which is set for Aug. 5 (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN) at Toyota Park, the new home of the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, Ill.
The All-Star coaching job is given to the boss of the side that leads the league in points earned through July 4. D.C. United currently have 35 points from 16 games played, but are eight points clear of FC Dallas, their closest competitors. The Hoops have two games remaining through July 4 and thus cannot overtake United as the league's top team before then.
Nowak's selection as All-Star coach means he will return to Chicago, where the one-time Polish international midfielder is a beloved figure after spending five years there as a player and helping the Fire to their only MLS Cup title to date in 1998. He is the only person to win MLS Cup titles as both a player and a coach, leading D.C. United to the championship in his first season with the club in 2004.
The Black-and-Red are currently riding a 10-game unbeaten streak and have won three games in a row. They have been defeated just once through the first half of the 32-game regular season, a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids on May 6. Nowak is looking to take D.C. to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season. He has an impressive regular season record of 37-21-20 in his first head coach position.
An All-Star appearance is nothing new for Nowak, who twice reached the event as a player (1999, 2000) before leading the Eastern Conference to a win against the Western Conference as a coach in 2004. Nowak is also familiar with this year's All-Star opponent. His D.C. United side was beaten 2-1 by the reigning back-to-back English Premier League champions last season in a very competitive match at FedEx Field.
The All-Star First XI will be announced on July 12 and will be determined by online fan balloting (25 percent) on the league's official Web site, MLSnet.com, MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent) and players (25 percent). On July 14, Nowak and his staff, which consists of assistant coaches Tom Soehn and Mark Simpson, head athletic trainer Brian Goodstein and equipment manager Francisco Tobar, will select five All-Star reserves. MLS commissioner Don Garber will complete the 18-man MLS All-Star roster by making the final two selections.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
