Nashville Metros Feature -- www.metrossoccer.com
Thursday, May 17, 2012
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A quick sampling of Brent Goulet’s highlight reel provides a textbook illustration of the offensive firepower a prototypical striker can create.
In the 1987 Miami Cup, Goulet found the upper-90 of the goal with a one-time, left-footed laser from 30 yards out. In the same tournament, Goulet gathered a pass in traffic and deftly placed a low shot past the keeper with the outside of his right foot – his non-dominant one.
Twenty-five years later, Goulet will use his scoring expertise to mentor the Metros’ burgeoning young forwards. Nashville’s first-year coach promises to orchestrate a high-octane, offensive-minded attack that will be attractive to fans.
“I know defenses can win it, but I have to say now that I have coaching behind me you have to be able to score goals,” Goulet said. “It’s one of the worst feelings as a coach not to score.”
Goulet comes to the Metros after spending more than two decades in Europe as both a player and a coach (1987-2008). After retiring as a player from SV Elvsberg (Germany) in 2001, Goulet remained with the team as an assistant for three seasons before being promoted to head coach in 2004. Goulet coached the German Third Division team for four years before leaving in 2008. At the time, Goulet was one of the only Americans coaching in Europe.
As a player, Goulet had an illustrious career with more than 100 goals combined for teams in the Western Soccer Alliance (WSA), Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and professional leagues in England and Germany. In a six game span during qualifying for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Goulet led the United States with six goals. For his efforts he was named the 1987 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. During the Olympic tournament, he netted a goal in the United States’ 4-2 loss to the Soviet Union.
Goulet was on his way to stardom heading into qualifying for the 1990 World Cup before suffering an excruciating ankle injury in July of 1989 while with the Seattle Storm of the WSA. In the second half of a game against the California Kickers, Goulet chested a ball down, planted his foot and volleyed it over to the right wing. Out of nowhere, a Kickers’ defender came from behind and took out Goulet on a controversial slide tackle. Goulet tore a ligament in his ankle and missed a significant amount of qualifying.
“I knew I was out for World Cup qualifying, I had tears in my eyes from the frustration,” Goulet said. “I would have played in the (World Cup) in ’94 and ’98. I would have had two or three World Cups in there.”
Remarkably, he returned to the pitch quickly and continued his scoring prowess overseas. Goulet had 31 goals for Bonner SC of Germany’s Oberliga in 1991-92 and followed it up with 21 goals for Tennis Borussia Berlin of the German Third Division the following season.
“When I played in Germany in the mid-90s, I was coming into my prime,” Goulet said.
The influence of several of Goulet’s former managers has helped him develop his own coaching blueprint. Goulet has high regard for Wolfgang Jerat, his ex-manager at Wuppertaler SV and Frank Holzer, the current team president at Elvsberg. With Elvsberg needing a miraculous finish to avoid relegation in 2003-04 (five wins in their final eight games), Holzer assumed coaching duties from Gerd Schwickert late in the season. Holzer promptly led Elvsberg to five straight wins to start his tenure.
When Goulet played under current Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp at AFC Bournemouth in England in 1987-88, he also played for a coach fighting relegation. Lacking experience in England, Goulet only made six appearances on the season. Goulet’s hard-charging, forward-thinking style also may have impacted his team’s ability to hold possession.
After coaching in Europe and obtaining both his UEFA pro coaching and U.S. Soccer National “A” licenses, Goulet has slightly altered his tactical approach. He now recognizes the perils of having a forward who may lose the ball roughly 15-20 times a half. If the striker is stripped frequently it forces the players behind him to sprint an upwards of 40 yards to get back on defense, Goulet said. By the final 30 minutes of a game, the fatigued players wind up running on a low motor.
“I didn’t get it back then,” Goulet said. “I know now how (Redknapp) was thinking back then. I never got it until I was 30. It wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I got what it means to be a coach. I’m truly a coach now.”
General manager Desmond Armstrong indicated that there are few managers in the league who possess Goulet’s experience and credentials.
“He’s top-notch. He’ll be able to legitimately take talented players and have a good product on the field,” Armstrong said. “His system is similar to mine. It’s similar enough enough that we can agree on many things and I can just drop back and let him do his thing. I’ll find him the players. It’s going to be night and day, worlds beyond what they’ve seen here before.”
Whether it is a defender who can play out of the back or a forward who can run onto a long ball, Goulet is looking for a common denominator in all his players.
“The most important dynamic is raw speed,” Goulet said. “The talent level is all about speed, not just technique. If you don’t have that kind of speed you can’t play.”
Goulet has high expectations for his first season as Metros’ coach.
“We’re going to have a foundation so next year we have something in place that we’re building on,” Goulet said. “We want to have players come in here and go on to Europe and Major League Soccer. We want to be attracting the top youth players that will eventually end up being on the Youth National Team. That’s the goal – that they know they can come here and truly have that opportunity.”