CARSON, Calif. - In his storied MLS career, Carlos Llamosa has played at the club level for each of the last two U.S. national team coaches. He played for Bruce Arena at D.C. United in his first three MLS seasons and spent last year under current U.S. interim coach Bob Bradley at Chivas USA.
Unlike the experience his former coaches possessed, though, Llamosa's current boss has little. Preki will coach his first MLS game on April 7 when Chivas USA play host to Toronto FC in their 2007 MLS opener.
Nevertheless, says Llamosa, Preki possesses qualities similar to Arena and Bradley.
"He's a new coach and he's learning and gaining experience but he has a good concept of soccer and what it takes to be a coach," Llamosa said.
The three coaches share one quality that Llamosa said distinguished them from others.
"He's similar to them in that he tries to get the best out of every player. He's also not afraid to take a player from one position and move him to another if he feels like the player's qualities would help somewhere else," the veteran central defender said. "When I was with them, players would join the team and the coaches would move them and the players ended up improving and developing well."
A year ago, Bradley moved Jonathan Bornstein from an attacking role to left back. The move paid off as Bornstein won Rookie of the Year honors and earned a call to the U.S. national team.
Bradley saw raw skills in Bornstein that translated well on the flank.
"To me, Preki has that sort of vision as well," Llamosa said.
What Arena and Bradley have that Preki doesn't is success in MLS as a coach. But Preki is already a step ahead of Llamosa's former coaches. Preki was a star in MLS for 10 years before retiring and joining Bradley on Chivas USA's coaching staff a year ago.
Llamosa, who overcame a mild knee injury this preseason, said that is an advantage to have and over time Preki will near Arena and Bradley in coaching success.
"I think one day he can become a respected coach in this country," Llamosa said. "He has vision and understanding. He's played soccer here in the U.S. as well as in other countries. He just needs to apply what he knows to the whole group."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
