Minnesota Stars Players Take Pro Experience to Coaching

National Sports Center Blaine, MN 7/16/10
By Alex Haueter

Brian Cvilikas scores the 1st of two comeback goals in the dying minutes of Wednesday evenings game against AC St. Louis

Brian Cvilikas gestures to the Woodbury Fusion U-13 girls during his pep talk before the team’s final group play game on Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday, for the second time in less than 24 hours, Brian Cvilikas found his team down a goal at halftime and trying to rally. Wednesday, Cvilikas scored a goal to start the NSC Minnesota Stars’ rally in a draw with AC St. Louis. Thursday was a little different.

The 26-year-old Stars forward was trying to prompt a rally not by his actions on the field, but with his words on the sideline. Cvilikas has been coaching the Woodbury Fusion U-13 girls team since early last December and was leading his team through its final group match in Schwan’s USA CUP, presented by PUMA. His halftime pep talk Thursday didn’t have the desired effect, as the Fusion ended up losing the match to Hawaiian club Leahi 97 Maile, but Cvilikas and his team left the field with smiles.

I think it’s a wonderful perspective for kids to be coached by someone who plays at a professional level and see them live the life of a professional, and it’s wonderful for [our] players to be able to share their experience.
Kris Bjerkness GM NSC Minnesota Stars

“They’ve come a long way in the eight months I’ve been with them,” he said after the game. After losing two of its top players to another club, the Fusion have been rebuilding in the eight months Cvilikas has been coaching them, improving their technical skills and learning to play a more patient, possession-oriented style. USA CUP has given the players a chance to apply what they’ve learned, and Cvilikas said they’re having fun.

Cvilikas is one of several Stars players to devote hours off the field to youth coaching and one of two coaching in USA CUP. Defender Scott Lorenz began coaching the Mahtomedi Zephyrs – a U-16 girls team – in April after a college friend reached out to him with the opportunity, and he’s glad he took advantage of the offer.

“The girls are great, they’re fantastic to work with, and they listen,” Lorenz said as his team stretched before its final group stage game Thursday. “From my personal experiences growing up and doing camps with pros, you just try to soak up everything.”

Stars head coach Manny Lagos and general manager Kris Bjerkness said they’re glad so many of the team’s players have embraced coaching. One of the goals the club laid out for itself upon its founding was to have a positive impact on the Twin Cities’ soccer community.

Brian Cvilikas gestures to the Woodbury Fusion U-13 girls during his pep talk before the team's final group play game on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Garry Frankel

“I think it’s a wonderful perspective for kids to be coached by someone who plays at a professional level and see them live the life of a professional, and it’s wonderful for [our] players to be able to share their experience,” Bjerkness said.

Lagos added that many of his players have qualities that he believes will make them successful coaches, and he’s pleased to see them testing themselves in that capacity. “Scottie, Brian and all the guys who’ve taken up coaching have a passion for the game and want to be around it as much as possible,” Lagos said. “They get to see the game at a level a lot of coaches don’t see and then take that to kids.”

The style with which Lorenz and Cvilikas bring their experience to their teams differs. Lorenz said he’s dealt with too many overbearing coaches in his playing career, so he prefers to stay quiet and let his team play. He also noted that confrontational coaches often develop confrontational players.

“Players play like they’re coached,” he said. “I say what’s needed because it has more effect that way. There’s no zoning out like with constant yelling.”

Cvilikas, on the other hand, prefers to be more animated, offering both encouragement and tips from the sideline during the game. “I like to think I’m a pretty laidback coach, but the girls will tell you I’m not,” he said. “Today was one of my quieter days because I old them to go out today and just have fun.”

At 12 and 13 years old, Cvilikas said, his players are just starting to understand how to play a system, and in-game examples help drive home lessons from practice better than any drill can. Being able to watch as the team makes on-field progress has been the most rewarding element of coaching.

“It’s a great feeling when you’re trying to teach one of the girls something and she goes out and executes it,” he said.