Replacing a champion is a tough task to do, but that’s
exactly the undertaking Betsy Stephenson faces.
The associate athletic director must find a replacement for Tom
Fitzgerald, the men’s soccer coach who resigned Friday.
Fitzgerald was only at UCLA for two years, but his impact on the
program was tremendous.
He was hired before the 2002 season and led the team to an NCAA
championship during his first year.
How did Fitzgerald do it?
By exhibiting all the qualities of a great coach.
“He was a very good motivator, a very good organizer and a
very good speaker,” said Aaron Lopez, who scored the
game-winning goal in the championship game.
It wasn’t always that way.
From 1984 through 1998, the Bruins won three NCAA Championships,
had 10 NCAA quarterfinal appearances, and in their worst years they
were still ranked at least No. 14 in the final rankings, all under
one coach ““Â Sigi Schmid, who then left the Bruins for
the MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy.
Then came the Todd Saldaña era, and the Bruins had to
battle up to the last game of the season just to make it into the
48-team NCAA Tournament.
That was all before it was discovered in April 2002 that
Saldaña’s degree was faulty (the degree came from a
diploma mill).
Fitzgerald came into a tough situation.
But he knew how to coach.
And he cared about all of his players. He didn’t play
favorites at practice, and used his entire bench during games
whenever possible ““ tough to do with a 28-player roster and
only 11 positions on the field.
Replacing all of Fitzgerald’s qualities will be tough,
especially while the team is still rattled about Fitzgerald’s
sudden resignation due to family reasons.
“We were shocked,” senior forward Matt Taylor said.
“I don’t think anyone could’ve ever expected
this. It was a huge surprise. For him to just leave, it’s
difficult to believe.”
Stephenson has a couple of main options: stay within the program
and hire a current Bruin or Bruin alumnus, or go outside and hire
the biggest name coach out there.
After Saldaña was let go, Stephenson went with the latter
option ““ Fitzgerald was one of the biggest available names
out there, having been a successful coach for the Columbus
Crew.
Back then, the program needed a big name after two mediocre
years.
This time, Stephenson should stay inside the program.
The program doesn’t need a big change, as it was ranked
No. 1 in the country until an upset in the quarterfinals.
UCLA doesn’t need someone to change things or to be
radically different, as it did two years ago.
The Bruins need someone who can help the program remain their
current level.
One name comes to mind.
Jorge Salcedo, the top assistant coach at UCLA for the last
three years, should be given the job.
He’s an upbeat guy and has been around Fitzgerald for the
last two years. Before that, he played for a very successful Galaxy
team, and played on a 1990 national champion UCLA squad.
Salcedo’s been a winner at every level, and knows the
current squad better than anyone else.
“Being a head coach is my ultimate goal,” Salcedo
said. “I never dreamed the opportunity would come so fast. It
would be a dream come true.”
The last time the Bruins looked to a former player and assistant
coach for the head coaching job, they got Schmid, one of the
greatest coaches in collegiate soccer history.
Why not again?
E-mail Quiñonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.