By Bruce Constantineau
VANCOUVER — Bob Lilley doesn’t hold a grudge.
The 44-year-old Rochester Rhinos head coach and former Vancouver Whitecaps boss returns to Swangard Stadium this weekend determined to beat the Caps but it’s not a hate thing.
Lilley coached the Whitecaps for three years and led Vancouver to a league championship in 2006 but was sacked after the 2007 season following a first-round playoff loss to Portland. Tough business.
“Obviously it's never easy when you feel you’ve put things in place but it was a decision by the organization and we all moved on,” he said Thursday during the last leg of his Rochester-New York City-Seattle-Vancouver trek. “That’s in the past now and I’m focusing on building a good young team in Rochester.
“It will be neat to come back and bring another team here. Hopefully, we’ll play well and get a result.”
Lilley spent two seasons with Detroit Ignition of the Major Indoor Soccer League before accepting the Rhinos job this season.
Vancouver captain Martin Nash, a former Rochester Rhino who played for Lilley in Montreal and Vancouver, said Lilley can be a stern taskmaster at times but he’s a passionate and hardworking coach — not unlike Whitecaps boss Teitur Thordarson.
“I think Teitur is a lot more relaxed whereas Bob is a bit of a yeller at times,” he said. “But their philosophies are similar and both have a very good understanding of the game.”
Nash said Thordarson probably advocates a slightly more direct style of play, compared with Lilley’s possession game, but both want their teams to play with a rhythm and go forward when the opportunity presents itself.
He said Lilley lives and breathes his job, almost to a fault, but players respect his ability and knowledge.
“Even though he can be a hard ass, players that weren’t huge fans of his realize they learned a lot from him after he’s gone,” Nash said. “Guys that played for him respect him and he’s one of those guys that will always take your call.
“I learned a lot from him and consider him a good friend.”
Lilley agrees most players would consider him quite demanding as a coach.
“I’ll work hard for the team and try to make players better — I see that as my chief responsibility,” he said. “I think I’m fair though.”
Nash expects a tough game from a young and well-organized Rochester squad that is off to a 3-2-2 start this season after a surprising 1-0 home loss Wednesday to expansion side Crystal Palace Baltimore.
Only three players remain from last year’s Rochester squad and some of the young newcomers this year include 23-year-old forward Isaac Kissi and 23-year-old Vancouver midfielder and former University of California-Santa Barbara standout Tyler Rosenlund.
The 2-1-3 Whitecaps set an unenviable club record this week when they played Toronto FC to a 0-0 tie in a Nutrilite Canadian Championship game — the team’s third consecutive scoreless draw. Vancouver has just five goals in eight games this year and hasn’t scored since Marcus Haber powered home a penalty kick in a 1-1 draw with Montreal on May 5.
On the positive side, the Whitecaps have an impressive defensive record of six clean sheets in eight games.
SIDE KICKS: The Whitecaps announced Thursday they have signed a four-year deal with Colorado-based Gameday Merchandising to manage the team’s in-venue retail operations. Gameday provided retail services to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the new arrangement is significant because team merchandise sales are expected to surge next season when Vancouver joins Major League Soccer.
Vancouver Sun
bconstantineau@vancouversun.com © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
