If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The UCLA athletic
department made the right choice on Friday when it named Jorge
Salcedo the new men’s soccer coach.
Salcedo, an assistant coach at UCLA for the last three years, is
a perfect fit for the program.
Under coach Tom Fitzgerald, the UCLA men’s soccer team was
the nation’s best the last two years, winning one NCAA
championship and being ranked No. 1 until an upset in the
quarterfinals in 2003.
With that kind of success, a program doesn’t need a major
change or a big name to completely remodel the team’s style
of play.
UCLA needed someone qualified to bring stability to the program
so it can remain among the nation’s elite ““ and it got
that someone in Salcedo.
I’ve followed the men’s soccer team closely for the
last two years ““ 2002 as a beat writer, 2003 as a columnist
and a fan. And Salcedo was always a kind and upbeat man who loved
to coach soccer.
He always seemed to communicate well with his players (several
graduating and current players endorsed Salcedo during the
search).
However, he wasn’t nice to the point where he had no
leadership. Practices under Fitzgerald (another kind, upbeat guy)
and Salcedo were always very structured and intense.
“(Salcedo) has a passion for the game,” Associate
Athletic Director Ken Weiner told the Daily Bruin on Friday.
“He appreciates the beauty of soccer, which has been the
hallmark of the UCLA program.”
Something that will end up going under the radar is that Weiner
headed the search, not fellow Associate Athletic Director Betsy
Stephenson, who normally oversees soccer but was busy with other
assignments.
It may have taken a bit too long, but Weiner eventually found
the right man.
As the NCAA men’s soccer signing period is currently in
progress, it was critical that UCLA hire a coach so the incoming
recruits aren’t tempted to go elsewhere.
Those highly-touted recruits seem to be on track to attend UCLA,
and Salcedo was instrumental in recruiting all of them.
He’ll be the one that uses them to replace the record five
Bruins selected in the MLS Superdraft.
Even with five departures, there is plenty of talent left on
this team.
Fitzgerald routinely gave everyone on the roster significant
playing time last season, so the team has plenty of depth.
And no one would know how to use it better than Salcedo.
Salcedo may not have any official head coaching experience, but
he has a great soccer mind.
“Jorge was definitely the guy I wanted,” sophomore
midfielder Ryan Valdez said. “He is very knowledgeable about
soccer. I think it’s going to be an easy
transition.”
In 2002, Salcedo was the acting head coach for one November game
against Stanford when Fitzgerald couldn’t coach because of a
red card the previous game.
It was a critical game the Bruins needed to win to stay in the
Pac-10 title hunt. A loss would have eliminated them, and the
Bruins were in a small slump, having lost two of their last three
games.
But, under Salcedo, the team beat Stanford 1-0. They would later
defeat the Cardinal in the NCAA Championship game.
Salcedo’s goal is to return his team to the NCAA College
Cup, which is hosted this year by UCLA at the Home Depot
Center.
However, what struck me as a little odd about Salcedo’s
hiring is that he turned down a multi-year contract in favor of a
one-year deal.
But why turn down a multi-year deal when you don’t have
to?
Because Salcedo believes he should have to earn his contract
every year. I think he will.
Gilbert’s application for the Dodgers’ GM
position has been formally rejected. E-mail him at
gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.