Coaches know that preparation is everything, and it's even more important at the highest level. Fire Head Coach Dave Sarachan certainly knows this, which might be why the Fire's coaching staff has done so well in the MLS SuperDraft and Supplemental Draft since his arrival in 2003, plucking diamonds in the rough as Damani Ralph, Chris Rolfe, Matt Pickens and Dasan Robinson in later rounds.
Coach Sarachan sat down with the CFCC prior to the club's departure for preseason training camp and shared his thoughts on how he and his staff prepare for the drafts, how they shake out the talent they've assembled into the final roster, and what youth coaches can do to help further the development of their players so they one day might become the next big signing for the "Men in Red."
CFCC: Do you look to draft players based on position or do you look for the best play overall?
DS: A little bit of both. I think going into the draft you identify the needs of your team positionally, but obviously on draft day sometimes the players that you may have targeted are not available. So when it comes time for selection you are still going to try to identify the best fit for you.
CFCC: What is more important when you are looking to draft a player, athleticism or technical skill?
DS: I don't think it is an easy answer to say one over the other. I think it's a combination of technique, athleticism, and what I call the 'soccer brain' - how a player thinks and reacts and the decision making that is made. It's a combination of all of those factors, and I wouldn't put one of those ahead of the other.
CFCC: Leading into this season, how do you take stock of the roster and identify what the needs of the team will be for the coming year?
DS: I think our starting point is a good one. We are returning what I call a pretty solid core of players from last year and added in now are a number of young draft picks that we hope will give us some depth in the positions that are returning. Coming out of this preseason we hope that we will strengthen ourselves on the right side of the midfield and a little bit in the back as well.
CFCC: What about a player catches your eye? What makes a certain player standout?
DS: Consistency is important. If a player is consistently making the right decisions and the right passes and moving and active and making differences, clearly those players catch your eye. Positionally, you look for different qualities. If I'm watching a defender, does he anticipate well? Does he win tackles? Is he good in the air? If I'm watching a midfielder, is he active? Is he a creator? Is he a good passer? If he's a forward, is he making space, shooting, and being dangerous? Overall, what catches your eye is good decision making with active movement.
CFCC: Is it harder to scout goalkeepers than field players?
DS: In some ways I would say yes. You may go to a game and that 'keeper may not get a lot of work. It may be a little bit of a challenge because of that, so you may have to go to a few extra games to see him under the gun a little bit.
CFCC: Who helps you make decisions about which players to draft and how much do you defer to them on final decisions?
DS: We are all in this together, so I take a lot of direction from the guys that have seen these players a number of times in their college games. Between [assistant coaches] Denis [Hamlett], Daryl [Shore], and Craig [Reynolds], we compile a list of players and I get a lot of feedback about what they saw. Obviously at the [adidas MLS Player] Combine there is a lot of back and forth over the few days we are together about whether a particular player would fit into our particular scheme or not. I take a lot of information from them. Ultimately the decision falls on me because I am the head coach, but as far as selection and direction talk, we're all in it together.
CFCC: Do you expect your recent draftees to make an immediate impact?
DS: It's always a fun and interesting time because those who you think might make an impact may take longer, those who are under the radar may step in and do well. I can't say that I predict any to step in and make an immediate impact, but we've been surprised in the past and I think this group is a fairly strong group. I'm as anxious as anybody to see them over the next few weeks and see where they are.
CFCC: How do you decide if a player has enough potential to keep him on?
DS: That's what the preseason starting point is. When we get to Bradenton we'll get working right away. We'll have two weeks of training and games and for those two weeks it's critical to make the decision of who is going to remain for the next phase of preseason. Those two weeks in Bradenton will hopefully determine whom we will end up selecting. Again, it's based on positional needs to an extent and consistency from Day one to Day 14. In Bradenton we'll have over 30 players, and they are on trial, but by the time we go to Spain I hope we will have identified our 28-man roster.
CFCC: What does the Fire coaching staff do to acclimate draftees to the tempo and environment of MLS and professional soccer?
DS: For the most part, these guys come into a new ball game. As a staff you try to ease them into it by talking to them and pulling them aside after training to give them good feedback early on. We also align them in functions, whether in meetings or dinner, with our veterans who can show them the ropes a little bit. We want to ease them into it by communicating and giving them feedback early.
CFCC: What advice would you give club/college coaches to make their players better prepared for the next level?
DS: Create an environment everyday within training where these players are getting pushed, being held accountable, and where they are competing. Along with that I would say that any competition that can be lined up that will challenge the group and push them is a true barometer of how the player will develop.
CFCC: What can youth club team coaches do to help players during their formative years become well rounded and technically sound players?
DS: Use the ball every day. I think there are times that our young players are being over-coached - by that I mean that there is a lot of stopping and talking and structure. I think the more playing they can do, the more touches on the ball that they can have, especially as a young player, it will allow them to experiment and develop. So using the ball everyday and then applying that approach in games and training.
