‘ MR. BRAZ’ IS READY TO BE IMPACT’S TECHNICAL CHIEF
Let me take you back to 1996, the year I first came across a 15- year- old Adam Braz.
Impact head coach Valerio Gazzola had invited the young prospect known as “Brazzy” to join the first team at a public training session in N. D. G. What transpired was a day to remember.
Back then, very few players wore boots that weren’t black, unlike today. For some reason, Braz had on a pair of white boots, which made him stand out like a sore thumb. Twenty minutes into what was supposed to be a walkabout practice, an overly enthusiastic Braz clumsily tumbled head- over- heels onto the muddiest section of the pitch. I won’t speak for my teammates, but personally, I laughed for a good five minutes at the sight of Braz covered in mud from head to toe.
The white boots were no longer white, and Braz’s new nickname “Whiteshoes” was born.
Today, the squeaky voice, the pimples and the youthful nuances are long gone. Braz has successfully transformed from “Whiteshoes” to his new position as technical director for the Impact with some very big shoes to fill as a boss. With the objective of rediscovering the path to long- term success for the Major League Soccer club, this is no laughing matter.
And, by the way, it’s Mr. Braz now.
Braz was appointed technical director on Nov. 24, replacing Matt Jordan, who left three week earlier to become general manager and vice- president of the Houston Dynamo. To some, Braz might seem to be in over his head, given a perceived lack of experience. But Braz, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Fairfield University in Connecticut, thinks otherwise.
“I’ve been in the game a long time as a player and a brief time as Impact manager,” he said. “I know the club, I know the league and I have a clear vision for the club. Give me a chance, then judge me on my body of work.”
Sounds fair enough, Whiteshoes ... I mean, Mr. Braz
To gain experience, there must be a beginning.
The Impact did the very same thing with Jordan when the club offered the former goalkeeper his first crack at a technical job in 2011. Four seasons later, Jordan was handed the keys to the Dynamo organization and is now proclaimed to be one of the brightest young technical minds in MLS.
The Impact is just as confident in Braz and made that abundantly clear when the club opted not to interview any other potential applicants for technical director.
“We didn’t make a great deal of approaches,” Richard Legendre, the Impact’s executive vice- president of soccer operations, said after Braz was named technical director. “Very quickly, we saw it was going in the right direction with Adam and he matched exactly what we were looking for at this point in our organization.”
When Jordan was the Impact’s technical director, it was unclear to the public what his exact duties were during his four years in that position. Braz prefers to be more open about his role and objectives.
“I’m here to work in conjunction with the head coach and director of player personnel, Frank Klopas,” Braz, 33, said. “The coach will have final say on players signed, but we will work hand in hand to find the right players to build the squad.”
The air of transparency around Braz will please many Impact supporters, who often felt starved for pertinent information regarding important club matters like player signings. The off- season signings have begun and will continue until the squad is complete.
“By the time camp starts, our team will be set,” Klopas said on Thursday, when the club confirmed it had re- signed captain Patrice Bernier for one season, plus an option year.
Said Braz: “It was extremely important to re- sign Patrice. For us, it didn’t seem like a long process because both parties remained confident of reaching an agreement.”
Clearly an optimist, Braz’s plans for the Impact are coming together.
“We’ve just significantly strengthened our midfield with the additions of ( Marco) Donadel and ( Nigel) Reo- Coker and now our priority is to do the same with the back line.” Braz said. “Losing Heath Pearce in the expansion draft left another void that has to be filled. I’m not saying I’m unhappy with our defence, I’m saying we are in definite need of defenders to add quality and depth to our squad.”
As a player, Braz was a fiery character, to put it mildly. He never saw a scuffle he didn’t like, and his teammates loved him for it. But what might not have been evident on the surface was his desire to excel.
“I was not the most gifted player, but I worked extremely hard and I hated losing,” Braz said. “The culture of the Impact is winning and last season was not good enough. We are addressing the needs and we feel we’ve added real quality in midfield. Some may say it’s too many players there. But it’s exactly what we want, to create an environment where top players push each other to be at their very best each and every day.”
One thing Braz wanted to make clear was that it wasn’t just about the players, its about the club as a whole, as one unified group.
“When I met the coaching staff, they fully accepted their share of the blame for how poorly last season was,” Braz said about the Impact finishing with the worst record in MLS ( 6- 18- 10). “As much as we’ll be working closely on most matters, it’s my job to assess the coaching staff, to make sure they are preparing and leading the team in the right way.”
In other words, everything and everyone has to be better.
It’s a message Braz will relay to his players on Day 1 of training camp next month. In the meantime, the new technical director has an extended message for Impact supporters.
“We have a massively important CONCACAF Champions League home game against Mexican side Pachuca on March 3 at Olympic Stadium,” he said. “We are doing everything possible to be ready for that match and we need our fans to help us relive the memories of Feb. 25, 2009, when we beat Santos Laguna 2- 0 in front of 55,571 unbelievable fans.” Message delivered. I, for one, won’t question the capabilities of Braz in his new role, and for good reason. I’ve seen him fall and be laughed at as a young trainee, then successfully lift himself up to become a valuable member of the Impact as young adult in 2002.
In more ways than one, Mr. Braz is well prepared for the challenges that come with the job as technical director.