USL Feature - www.uslsoccer.com
Thursday, June 23, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. – The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will pit some of the world’s best athletes against each other beginning this month in Germany, but many of the matches will have a distinctly North American flavor to them.
This year more than 60 players in the World Cup will have W-League experience. Many of those stars have another thing in common as well - they have all played for Charlie Naimo.
Naimo, currently the Head Coach of USL PRO’s LA Blues, established himself in the women’s game coaching the likes of the New Jersey Wildcats and the Pali Blues.
Throughout his years coaching in the W-League, Naimo has helped shaped the games of some of the world’s brightest stars. Heather O’Reilly (USA), Amy LePeilbet (USA), Lauren Cheney (USA), Alex Morgan (USA), Tobin Heath (USA), Ali Riley (New Zealand), Collete McCallum (Australia), Karina LeBlanc (Canada), Formiga (Brazil), Kelly Smith (England), Rachel Yankey (England), and Karen Bardsley (England) are just some of the players Naimo has coached.
Naimo had high praise for all of his former players, and with the quality of talent formerly under his tutelage, that comes as no surprise.
Chief among the players receiving praise are Naimo’s former players on the USA roster. The team is stocked again for the World Cup, as it seeks its first title since 1999. The team is made up of a mix of veteran and young talent and despite a number of indifferent results in 2010 and 2011; the side is poised for a run at another crown.
One the veterans of the side is Heather O’Reilly, who will be playing in her second World Cup.
“[Heather O’Reilly] is the epitome of a winner,” Naimo said. “She made me a better coach; she made me want to work hard. This could be her tournament.”
O’Reilly’s drive and ability to push herself and her team in practice can be integral to a team’s success. Naimo had similar praise for Lauren Cheney and the effect she can have on a team.
“I always knew Cheney was a great soccer player, but not until she was on Pali that I realized what a great teammate she was,” Naimo said.
The intangible elements that O’Reilly and Cheney bring to a team are essential to chemistry, but raw talent is also necessary to hoist the World Cup trophy. That’s where former Pali standout Alex Morgan comes in.
“You can’t watch the national team play and not think we need to get [Alex Morgan] more minutes,” Naimo said. “She is instant offense.”
Naimo has also worked with a large core of the English national team. England invented the game of soccer, but its women’s side has long lagged behind the men’s. Now, English women’s soccer has begun to catch up and current side is looking to make an impact in Germany this summer.
Leading the way for the Three Lions is Kelly Smith. Smith has been a dominant factor on the world stage for women’s soccer during the past 15 years and Naimo was witness to her skill when she played for the New Jersey Wildcats.
“For years Kelly Smith was the best player in the world, hands down,” Naimo said. “The best all around soccer player I’ve come across is Kelly Smith.”
Smith is the perfect example of the type of elite-level talent that has made its home in the W-League. Through the years it’s been the combination of internationals, domestic veterans, and young players that has allowed the W-League to foster talent.
“Having a platform where you’re bringing players in from all over the world and putting together a roster where players can make each other better, that’s development at its best,” Naimo said. “Many of these programs in the W-League have done it right over the years; it’s no surprise why a lot of these clubs have so many players in this competition.”