Simon Elliott criss-crossed the planet last year in search of soccer glory.
From the Bay Area to Los Angeles and from South Africa to New Zealand, Elliott logged tens of thousands of miles in 2010. He trained with several MLS clubs, played in the World Cup for his native New Zealand and finished the year in the Australian A-League with his hometown club, Wellington Phoenix.
VIDEO: BEST OF SIMON ELLIOTT HIGHLIGHTS
After spending so much time traveling in 2010, the MLS veteran is looking forward to spending 2011 in one place: with Chivas USA. Signed last week – alongside fellow Kiwi Andrew Boyens – Elliott admits it was an easy decision to come back to Los Angeles, where he played several years with the Galaxy at the beginning of the decade.
“It’s nice to be back in LA and I think that I have a decent understanding of what Robin [Fraser] and Greg [Vanney] want to do here,” Elliott told MLSsoccer.com. “But I’m here to help really because there are some young players here that have some great potential and we want to see that realized in the coming seasons.”
A veteran with eight years of experience in MLS to go along with a stint in the English Premier League with Fulham, Elliott will be expected to immediately take a leadership role at Chivas USA. The inclusion of Elliott is seminal to head coach Fraser’s desire to balance his roster with youth and experience.
The new Chivas USA manager played 10 MLS seasons and shared the field with several veterans that he has brought to the Rojiblancos. Elliott is only one of the players on the squad with whom Fraser has played at the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy.
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“When I took the job, I was confident knowing Zach [Thornton] and Jimmy [Conrad], who were both guys that I played with and against because you just know what kind of characters that they are,” Fraser said. “The more that you can surround yourself with people that you know, who are good people and good leaders, then I think you put yourself in the right position.”
Personal relationships aside, Elliott faces an uphill climb to earn a spot on the team with the impressive midfield depth that Chivas USA possesses. From Paulo Nagamura to Blair Gavin and Gerson Mayen, the battle for playing time in the center of the park will be intense.
In the midst of the competition for starting spots, Elliott accepts his role as teacher. He believes that the balance of youth and experience could be an effective mix for the Rojiblancos in 2011.
“Every team shoots for that balance between youth and experience,” Elliott said. “It’s a difficult little chestnut, but what is most important is that the team knows what we want from the season and how we want to go about it.
“It’s important for young and old to be on the same page and know what’s going on the pitch at any given moment. That’s what we want here.”
Adam Serrano covers
Chivas USA for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at adam.m.serrano@gmail.com and
on Twitter: @adamserrano
