plus subsequent acquisition Chris Seitz -- descended on Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday for a round of introductions to the club, the city and the fans.
"It was great to meet all of them yesterday and give them a little bit of an update about what we're going to do and when we're going to do it," Nowak said in a phone interview on Wednesday. "They were very excited about the competition in the team and what is in the future for them."
The future, at least for now, starts with the group of players culled from a lengthy list of options deemed expendable by teams across the league. Nowak said he and Hackworth, a fellow U.S. national team assistant for two years under Bob Bradley and a former U.S. U-17 head coach, placed an emphasis on character when sorting through the possible additions.
"We do have a good foundation right now with the players that we've drafted in the expansion draft," Nowak said. "We're looking to create this team not only from the qualities on the field, but also from the qualities off of the field. I think we've found a good balance by drafting those players. All of them, they are good guys. In some capacity, the stuff off the field is more important."
Character by itself won't win games, so Nowak has also assembled the makings of a decent core group, particularly at the back. Jordan Harvey (29 starts) and Shavar Thomas (17 starts) can step right in and feature from day one, while Nowak said he and Hackworth are high on Costa Rican youth international David Myrie as a possibility at right back. Stefani Miglioranzi, fresh off an understated, yet effective, season in Los Angeles, should provide a tidy holding presence right in front of the back four.
Nowak said he hopes Union will soon add U.S. international defender Danny Califf to the mix after they acquired his rights from Houston last week. Califf, 29, is expected to join Union in January after securing his release from Danish club FC Midtjylland.
"He's one of those guys with the character, the mentality and the stuff off the field (who) will help the young players in our team to establish themselves," Nowak said. "It's very important to the decisions we make. It's not only the young (players with) the potential, but we also have veterans who can provide (experience) from the get go."
With Seitz, Califf, Thomas, Miglioranzi and seasoned forward Alejandro Moreno on board, Union have addressed one of their primary goals -- constructing the spine of the team - while also picking up a few younger, talented players with upside. As he continues to fill out the rest of his squad, Nowak said he wants to create competition at every position and develop a group capable of handling the rigors presented by the MLS season.
"We have 12 guys right now, so we're at 50 percent of our team," Nowak said. "We'll figure out who we need, and the SuperDraft will also help us with our future."
Knighton enthused about his new Union: It'd be tough to blame new Philadelphia goalkeeper Brad Knighton for wondering what might have been.
Knighton spent the past three seasons in New England and played in six games as Matt Reis' primary backup in 2009. Roster math meant Knighton ended up on the outside of the Revolution's 11-man expansion draft protected list. Shortly after the Revs exposed Knighton and Union selected Knighton in the draft, Reis underwent shoulder surgery that is expected to rule him out for the next 4-6 months, creating a vacancy in the New England goal at the exact time Knighton was on his way out of town.
"It's part of the business and that's what happens," Knighton said last week after he watched former Revolution teammate Jay Heaps end his 11-year MLS career. "I had no clue Matt was having surgery. It's just one of those things where you just take it and they have to deal with it now, which is the sad part. You have to look at the bright light ahead at the end of the tunnel."
For Knighton, the light is the faith Philadelphia showed to select him with all of the other goalkeeping options on the table. Not even Union's recent deal to acquire Real Salt Lake's Seitz in exchange for allocation money could dampen Knighton's excitement about challenging for the No. 1 shirt for MLS' newest club.
"It's definitely kind of surreal," Knighton said. "I don't think it has all set in now. It's definitely a great experience and a great opportunity. I'm very fortunate that they think that highly of me to pick me over some of those other guys. I'm just going to make the most of it like I did (in New England)."
Ready for novel challenge in New York: After weeks of rumors and speculation, New York officially hired former player agent and IK Start executive Erik Soler as its new sporting director and general manager on Monday.
Soler, 49, admitted that he has plenty to learn about MLS as he settles into his new job and rebuilds the Red Bulls. Notable foreign-reared soccer minds -- Bora Milutinovic, Carlos Alberto Parreira and Carlos Queiroz to name just three -- have tried and failed to find success in north Jersey, but Soler said he's not spooked by the learning curve or the significant task that lies ahead.
"People keep on telling me it's difficult," Soler said at his Monday press conference. "Well, difficult is not dangerous to me. I respect that and I know there's a lot of things I have to get in and try to understand. But, I have to look at my situation and the club and the future and I can't dwell too much on what other people have done before. I have a positive and open mind and I'm looking forward to this."
The challenge served as one of the main selling points for his new gig, Soler said. The other? The chance to build something special in an area that "has great possibilities to build a really good soccer base," according to Soler, particularly with Red Bull Arena slated to open with Chicago's visit to kick off the 2010 campaign on March 27.
"We are going into this fantastic stadium and we need to get (25,000) people into it," Soler said. "I think it's a great challenge to fill that stadium for every game. You are all soccer people and you know what soccer is all about. It's about filling a stadium, it's about playing the type of soccer people like and you want to attract people with players that they want to watch. And then, there are millions of things you have to do with the team and within the organization to be able to produce what people like to watch."
Still searching for a few leaders: Soler's first important task mirrors the top priorities in Chicago and D.C. right now: finding a coach.
The former Norwegian international said he's looking for an experienced gaffer -- MLS- or European-based to be determined -- to marshal the Red Bulls rebuilding plan on the field. In Soler's mind, the new head man needs to have plenty of experience on the training ground in order to get the gig.
"I think when you look at the circumstances that you're working under, you need someone that is really on the pitch a lot because (like in the Norwegian league), you can't buy the players you want to all of the time," Soler said. "You can't say, 'Well, our left fullback isn't top class so I'll call my owner and I'll buy two new ones and I'll get myself another striker.' You need someone that's really used to working with developing players. That's a very important point."
Chicago Fire technical director Frank Klopas said his organization has embarked on a similarly expansive search trying to find the perfect fit in Denis Hamlett's replacement.
"We're looking everywhere," Klopas told ChicagoNow. "You'd be surprised how many people are interested. It's just a matter of narrowing that list and making sure that the guys that walk in -- no matter what experience they have -- understand the expectations here."
Of the three teams, D.C. United have had the most buzz around their opening and appear to be closest to hiring a new coach. The Washington Post reported earlier this week that United have narrowed their choices to two candidates with a decision possibly in the offing over the next 10 days. The leading candidates, according to the Post: former Kansas City coach (and ex-United player) Curt Onalfo and current University of Akron coach Caleb Porter.
Kyle McCarthy covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com and serves as a contributing editor for Goal.com USA. Kyle can be reached at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com.
