The University of Portland’s Clive Charles is one of the few college coaches who had an extensive professional playing career. This summer, he became the U.S. national team assistant coach.
If you’re far enough away while observing Clive Charles hanging out with U.S. national team players, you might just mistake him as one the players.
Of course, he’s a bit older.
“He’s 65 years old, you know!” says Eric Wynalda.
Actually, the University of Portland coach is only 43. He spent last summer with Wynalda and the rest of the U.S. national team players because Steve Sampson named him assistant U.S. national team coach in May. In June, the U.S. won the U.S. Cup. In July, it finished fourth in the Copa America.
During the historic run in Uruguay, the U.S. players had a lot of free time and little to do. Evenings were spent lounging around the hotel lobby, playing backgammon, watching the other games on TV, and chatting.
Charles was always among the players. Joking, talking soccer, and winning small bets on a variety of wagers with the press officer Jim Froslid. (Charles was much better at predicting the number of stray dogs the team bus would pass.)
On the field, Charles quickly won the players’ respect.
“Clive is an absolute pro,” said Tom Dooley, the team’s elder statesman, with 12 years of pro experience. “He had experience as a pro player and that experience is evident during the training. It was a great idea for Steve to bring him on.”
John Harkes said, “He’s a funny bastard. He has a great attitude. He knows the game. He knows how to come across with the players. He knows when to be disciplined and when to have a good laugh. You need that balance. He and Steve together are a good combination.”
Charles made his professional playing debut at age 18 in 1970 in the English First Division with West Ham, where his teammates included Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Greaves, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds.
His playing career ended with the Los Angeles Lazers after the 1982-83 Major Indoor Soccer League.
He became men’s head coach at the University of Portland in 1986 and took charge of the women’s program in 1989. In January of 1994, he became the U.S. women’s U-20 national team coach. But not until Sampson became interim head coach after Bora Milutinovic was released in April did anyone call Charles about working with the men’s program.
“All I can say is, why the hell did it take so long?” Wynalda said.
American players — until they go abroad — are used to coaches with sparse playing experience, from well-intentioned parents at the youth level to higher-level coaches who didn’t do much past college ball.
Charles became an apprentice at 16, earning six British pounds (roughly $12) a week in the first year. He earned eight pounds in his second year and then signed a pro contract and pay went up another four pounds. (Bobby Moore was earning 200 pounds a week.)
Charles has especially fond memories of Moore, the captain of the 1966 World Cup winning team who died in 1993.
“Bobby Moore was everybody’s hero, even of the established players on the team,” Charles said. “When we were 16-year-old apprentices, we had to clean the boots. We had to go into the first-team dressing room, and Moore’s area was always immaculate. His shoes, socks and shirt were all laid out to make life easy for us — so we didn’t have to go searching for things. If an apprentice was hurt, Moore would give him a lift.
“I learned a lot from Moore. I learned from the simplicity he played with. I saw how he always took time to help the youngest players. Here’s one of the best players in the world looking after other people.”
Charles left West Ham in 1975 to get more playing time, and joined Cardiff City. He was familiar with the North American Soccer League from short stints in Montreal during the summers of 1971 and 1972. In 1978, he joined the Portland Timbers and played for them until 1981.
He was invited to the 1982 Olympic Festival — while still an indoor player —
and coached the West team for a week until Lothar Osiander arrived. At that point he began to consider coaching.
“Before, I was only concerned about playing,” he said.
He coached high school soccer and in the old Western Soccer Alliance before arriving at the University of Portland.
He took the men to the 1988 final four and the women to the semifinals last year.
A player’s perspective
Charles admired his West Ham coach Ron Greenwood and Cardiff coach Mike England. He says he constantly relies on his playing experience.
“I learned so much as a player,” he said. “It helps to have been in a player’s position when one deals with the problems players have over the course of a season. Sometimes I can even prevent problems because I can see them coming.
“I remember how coaches handled problems, right or wrong, when I was a player. I have learned as much from the horrendous things coaches did as from the good things.”
Charles tries to be as accessible as possible to his players.
“So many coaches had a policy of, ‘My door is always open, just don’t come in,”’ he said. “I try to make an effort to be there for the players.
“The worst thing I think coaches, especially British coaches, do is they don’t explain to players why they aren’t playing. The game sheet goes up, and if your name’s not on it, you don’t hear from the coach. If you do, maybe he says, your passing isn’t good, or your shooting is bad. But he should also explain what the player needs to do to be better.”
Charles said the main difference between coaching college players and the national team, is that you have to “coach” young players, but at the higher level, it’s a matter of “training” them.
“This summer’s experience with the national team was great,” he said. “Players are still the same as they were 20 years ago. They worry about the same things, have the same concerns as we did. The same things are going through their minds.” The future of American soccer will see far more coaches with playing experience.
“Two-thirds of the U.S. national teams players will be excellent coaches,” Charles said. “They have a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience. They’ll be perfect. It’s what the game needs.”
Charles has been approached by the MLS. Sampson wants him to remain as an assistant. For now, he’s trying to get two college teams to the final four.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Mike Woitalla