Houston Dynamo’s assistant coach Tim Hanley has coached in Major League Soccer for 13 seasons and in American soccer for more than 20 years. Over the years Hanley coached three Goalkeeper of the Year winners in a four-year spread from 2002-2005. Hanley worked in MLS with the San Jose Clash and San Jose Earthquakes and has coached in the A-League, in the Premier Development League, and at Stanford University (2002-2005).
As a player, Hanley participated for six seasons in the United States and the United Kingdom. He began his professional playing career with the Blackpool and Coventry City in England, later returning to the United States to play in the North American Soccer League. He played with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, San Jose Earthquakes and Golden Bay Earthquakes.
SZ: Besides the obvious, keeping the opponents kicks from going through the goal posts, what’s a goalies job description?
TH: The modern goalkeeper is pretty much today’s quarterback in football. His job is to organize and command the entire field.
SZ: What are the top 3-4 mental physical qualities of successful goalies?
TH: Absolute mental toughness and the physical attributes of a NFL Defensive back. Size is important now. Technology has changed the equipment forcing a change in the athlete. Leadership capability. The position is like a sports version of a Navy Seal.
SZ: You began playing goalie at age fourteen. Did the role come naturally to you or did you have coaches that opened up your awareness to help you become a force as a goalie?
TH: Growing up I played every sport imaginable, wrestling, track, baseball, volleyball and basketball. I played football my freshman and sophomore years in high school and ran track-cross country. There were no mentors or coaches for a sport that was so new at the time in the United States. I sought out resources to learn on my own. I felt that the goalkeeper position combined everythingI liked in every other sport.
SZ: What helped you gain awareness as a goalie in ways that enhanced your skill development?
TH: Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s there were no soccer coaches per say. I watched a PBS show called “Soccer made in Germany” that was on one night a week for an hour. I watched and tried to emulate the actions of a few of the goalkeepers.
SZ: What is the role of a goalie coach? Your season is very long. How do you stay sharp and motived through-out the season?
TH: My daily work involves the entire team day to day but my ultimate responsibility is the goalkeepers. Our training sessions reflect the long and arduous regular season. We take time off, play games that are not related to soccer and then play games that are specific to the match environment.
SZ: How were the San Jose Earthquakes connected to the current Houston Dynamo’s?
TH: The ownership group in San Jose felt that they could not get a stadium built so they moved the team to Houston after the 2005 season. The Earthquakes name, logo, and statistics were not transferred and remained inactive in San Jose until 2007 when the Earthquakes were reactivated. The Houston Dynamo’s officially became a new team.
SZ: The Dynamo’s have moved into the new beautiful BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Does this mean that soccer is on the rise as a spectator sport?
TH: Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. The Earthquakes were moved to Houston in 2005 because of the stadium possibility. When the Dynamo’s moved to Houston the club originally played home games at Robertson Stadium on the University of Houston campus. The club moved to BBVA Compass Stadium during the 2012 MLS season. MLS has always felt that it is vital for each team to have it’s own soccer specific venue. Soccer in the U.S. is growing but I do not feel it will eclipse the top four sports, NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. Those sports are some of the big guns because of their T.V. deals.
SZ: The Dynamo’s playing schedule runs from Feb - Nov. As a coach how do you help the goalies stay mentally engaged, motivated yet manage their rest and recovery periods during that long stretch? How many days off do player’s typically have during a week?
TH: Our schedule actually runs from Feb. through Nov. with the final in December. We play at least once a week for the most part and have stretches where we play a lot games. A few weeks ago we played four games in eleven days. The MLS schedule calls for thirty-two games. In addition we have ten reserve matches, US Open Cup matches, Concacaf Champions League and friendlies-exhibitions. We will play close to 50 games not including the reserve matches. We qualified for the CCL matches because we made the MLS Cup Final last year. CCL home and away in Mexico and El Salvador in the 1st rounds.
We have to manage not only the players mental state but their bodies as well. I try and keep things light and in perspective. Our work reflects the players current state of mind and their physical capacities. There are days when we just do light ball work without ever diving or jumping around. By the end of the season there are a lot of keepers around the league whose keeper coaches have them flying around all season and their performances suffer. We joke around, have silly exercises and do a few things off the field.
SZ: Is there a specific training protocol that the player’s are exposed to to aid their performance?
TH: We do some film/video work with the keeper’s breaking down situations and the decisions that were made. Goalkeepers are inevitably going to make mistakes be embarrassed etc. So we keep it light, make sure they can laugh at themselves. Everything is brought out in the open. Part of my job is to see that they can recover immediately after making an error. We cannot afford to have a keeper stuck on what just happened in a match.
SZ: What advice do you have for up and coming player’s aspiring to become professional soccer goalies or play professional soccer. How challenging is it to be a successful player in this game?
TH: I am one of those that believe professional athletes are born not made. Your genetic package will determine a great deal of your success in sports. Combine the physical attributes with passion and playing a sport at the professional level is possible. I have always felt that in America, if one can play a sport that allows them to leverage themselves into a college that otherwise they would not have been able to attend; then they have done something right.
SZ: Tim thank you for making time in your very busy schedule for this interview.
Go Dynamo’s!
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