"It was less than four months ago that the Pali Blues finished their 2011 season with a heartbreaking 0-0 tie against Santa Clarita that saw the W-League standout side fall one win short of reaching the playoffs. Now current men’s Head Coach Charlie Naimo is announcing his decision to personally take charge of returning the Blues women to their championship-winning ways from the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. Back then they were also coached by Naimo, who took this year off to fully focus on the men’s inaugural season in USL PRO..." More: http://www.labluesprosoccer.com/home/584009.html Any thoughts on this? Possible implications for the USL PRO (men's) side?
This scares the heck out of me. I didn't grow playing soccer, so I'm not sure how really important the coach is to the team, compared to a sport like football where the players are little more than glorified chess pieces and coaching is everything. Will he have time to run practices for both? What happens when game times conflict? Is he doing this because his heart really with the women’s team? We’ll see I suppose.
Charlie Naimo is very passionate about the Pali Blues but no doubt equally passionate about the men. Having spoken to him on numerous occasions since the end of the 2011 campaign, he has made it very clear that he lost a lot of sleep over not having finished with a better regular season record and not going deeper in the playoffs. He is determined to do everything he can to win the championship next year. To answer your other question, yes, he will have time to time to run the training sessions for both teams in the vast majority of cases. He actually addresses the question of potential scheduling issues directly in the article: The current Head Coach of the Los Angeles Blues and Pali Blues is not afraid of the doubled responsibilities. In his work with both teams, he will be assisted by long-time sideline companion and 2011 men’s Associate Head Coach Shayon Jalayer. “My success with the men and the women really depends on who I surround myself with,” Naimo offered. “As long as everyone in the coaching staff and the front office is working hard and helping create a professional environment, I can be effective as a coach for both teams. It starts with [Shayon], who is the best person anyone could ever ask to have on their side. He and I are working to determine how exactly we’re going to deal with potential conflicts. “We’ll make sure there are very few conflicts when it comes to the two teams’ training sessions, but aside from that it may not always be avoidable. That’s why we’re also looking to create an environment where the two teams are extremely connected and supportive of each other. When it comes to signing players for the men and the women, my priority this year is to find good personalities first. I need players who really want to be part of the Blues and help the entire club succeed.” While the men’s USL PRO season extends from about March to September, the women’s campaign only runs from May to July due to the W-League’s important role as a developing ground for highly touted out-of-season college prospects. “If there should ever be a conflict between the two teams, we can’t have players getting upset,” Naimo stressed in continuing to explain the significance of choosing the right personnel for both rosters. “We need them to trust that we make all decisions for the good of the entire organization and that I’ll leave them in great hands if I’m ever not here. We’re currently looking to bring in one more assistant coach on the women’s side to be better prepared for potential scheduling conflicts. That should help tremendously.”
So are the Palie Blues moving to Fullerton? I thought I read that the team was consolidating everything there.
It's absolutely true that we are centralizing all of our operations for the LA BLues (i.e. the men) in Fullerton. However, the Pali Blues will continue to be based out of the Pacific Palisades in 2012.