Team leaders aren’t normally designated. They
usually emerge.
When you’re building a
team from scratch, it can take a little longer.
But Philadelphia Union Team Manager Peter Nowak takes a
different approach about leadership. As the club continues to train in
Guadalajara, Mexico, Nowak was asked if a player or two had stepped
forward.
His answer was not
surprising.
“I’ve always said this
about my philosophy for a soccer team,” Nowak said. “This is not the
Tour de France. You can’t have one guy just put on the yellow jersey and
be the leader. I’ve always said that team strength is the important
thing. Having a team mentality is important.
“On any given day, any one of our guys can be a leader.
It could be Danny Califf, Fred, Stefani Miglioranzi … any one of them
or anyone else. Putting rules on who should be a leader just doesn’t
make sense to me.”
The club is
coming together every single day, and that does make sense to Nowak.
“We’re very happy with the work we’ve done in Mexico,”
he said. “Overall progress is good with the players. The staff and the
players … we all realize we have a long way to go, but we’re making
progress.”
One player who has made
incredible progress is former Temple University star JT Noone.
On Sunday, Noone scored a goal as Philadelphia Union
and Chivas De Guadalajara played to a 2-2 tie in an exhibition match. On
Tuesday against Universidad de Guadalajara, he registered an assist
setting up Fred for the match's lone goal.
“He’s been with us since Greensboro,” Nowak said. “We
took him to Mexico and he’s been doing very well here. Everybody is very
happy with him.”
Philadelphia
Union will return home briefly beginning Friday before traveling to
Tampa, Fla. to continue their training.
On Sunday, March 14, Philadelphia Union will meet MLS
Western Conference foe FC Dallas with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. at the
University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium. Five nights later, on March 19, the
club will again take to the pitch at Pepin Stadium to take on the Tampa
Bay Rowdies. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Six days after that on March 25, Philadelphia Union’s
inaugural First Kick will take place at Qwest Field against Seattle
Sounders FC.
