Coaching

One v One With Dan Gaspar
Connecticut Native on Life in The Portuguese Professional Ranks
February 10, 2004
Connecticut's Dan Gaspar made history last summer when he became the first American born soccer coach to accept a full-time coaching position in Europe. Gaspar, a respected coach and clinician here in the United States, is on the coaching staff at the Portuguese club, Benfica, one of Europe's biggest and most successful professional teams. Prior to that he served on the coaching staff of the Portuguese National Team. Recently home for the Christmas holidays after a half season with Benfica, we were curious as to the challenges and rewards of an American being recruited to Europe and taking on such a highly visible position.

Q: What is the biggest difference between your position as goalkeeper coach for Benfica and your previous part-time position with the Portugal national team?

A: The differences are dramatic. First, you put on your boots every day to go to work and you really live as a coach every second, minute and hour of the day. The responsibilities are so great that you become obsessed with making sure you help the team achieve success. The cruel reality at Benfica and at any club level is that it's all about winning and money. At the national team level it's about pride for the country. Only positive results count.

Q: The press coverage alone must be enough to boggle the mind?

A: There are three daily soccer newspapers printed every day in Portugal and nonstop radio and television coverage. It seems that the country's social environment revolves around the big clubs. For example our club, Benfica, recently had its club presidential election and it was covered like it was a national election. Likewise, the press attends our training sessions every day and there are press conferences after each session. They cover our every move. Hundreds of fans show up each day for training. When I read in the paper the next day, there will be comments on my sessions that make me shake my head in wonderment as to how they were able to cover it in so much detail. They don't miss a thing.

Q: What about the pecking order within the club itself?

A: Since we are living together so much during the year, you have the opportunity for the club to bond as an intimate family. But within this family, there is no such thing as equality. The dynamics are intense and there is a crystal clear class structure within the club. The better, more high-priced players have that little gray area that they can operate in. Coaches and players have to watch what they say while with the club. If you don't want it repeated, you better not say it.

Q: Do you find that being an American is a hindrance to dealing with players from all over the world?

A: It's not easy being an American in the world of international football. During the past World Cup, the U.S. team raised the level of respect for American soccer considerably, but there still continues to be a lack of respect for our accomplishments. When you work at a club, you work with players from all over the world. I'm fortunate because I can speak English, Portuguese and Spanish, so I can adapt quickly. But it still is not easy. However, I don't love being an American. Instead, I'm passionate about being an American. There is a difference.

Q: How was your experience in this fall's Champions League?

A: Well, we lost twice to Lazio, 3-1 in Rome and 1-0 in Lisbon, but it was a marvelous experience, especially when we traveled to Italy. As with all our games, our team bus had a motorcycle escort to the stadium. The Italians lined the streets miles away from the stadium, screaming, gesturing and calling us every name in the book. Needless to say, we were not welcome guests. We were the enemy. Arriving at the stadium, you can almost smell the money that this sport attracts. Expensive automobiles, beautiful women dressed to the nines in front of their husband's or boyfriend's car. Everything is extremely high profile. As our first player emerges from the bus, there are boos and whistles that are so loud you have to cover your ears.

Q: What's it like inside the locker room prior to a Champions League match?

A: It's intense because everyone is a little edgy. You try and act cool, but inside your guy is doing cartwheels. Players and coaches pace back and forth. The club president walks into the locker room to extend his best wishes. It seems like the president always comes in prior to these big games. Since players prepare differently before a match, you have to give them their space. After all, it's show time for the players and not the coaches. We did our work during the week. One of our players who start's for the national team throws up before every game because of the pressure. Some players like to hear music. Others like it quiet, some can't stop talking and still others like to beat their chests against each other. Some players get massages before the games and some like to play soccer tennis. Everyone has his own personal routine. There no right or wrong way. It's whatever works for them.

Q: What is the atmosphere like when you take the field against a team like Lazio?

A: As we depart the locker room toward the field, the cameras beginning flashing repeatedly so that they almost blind you. As the team comes into view of the fans, the boos cascade over us, but much louder than before. More than 65,000 people are in the stadium and there are all kinds of objects whizzing by us. The air is dense with smoke from firecrackers going off and it is difficult to breathe. Everything is a sea of sky blue, the color of Lazio. Thousands of fans hold up Lazio scarves as they sing. You shiver with excitement. You're on the edge of every possible emotion. You say every possible prayer you know. Your heart beats rapidly and you sweat without any physical exertion. Your eyes are wide open but you hardly blink because you don't want to miss a thing.

Q: And once the game starts?

A: Once the whistle blows, everyone gets silent and focuses intently on what's going on in the field. You assess each action as the seconds tick by, maintaining silence until thee is some major happening, like a nasty foul, a missed opportunity or a great save. Then you get vocally involved by encouraging your players. Most of the time, though, you just feel helpless and definitely not in control. In the end, we lose 3-1 and it's a quiet trip home. Everyone analyzes the game, but, of course, the fans and directors have the answers. We arrive home at the Lisbon airport at 4 a.m. to a cold, critical welcome from several hundred people.

Q: How disappointing was it for Benfica not to move on after playing Lazio?

A: After we lost the return leg, 1-0 in Lisbon, you could see the panic on the faces of the directors because they had lost a potential golden opportunity to earn some big-time money in the European championships.

Q: What was your biggest surprise since beginning your time at Benfica?

A: We played Lazio in Lisbon on Aug. 27, which is my birthday. Generally when a coach or player has a birthday, they bake a cake and sing happy birthday at the team meal. I was hoping that they thought of me. But they did not. No cake, no song. I was surprised and somewhat disappointed. Oh well, since I was the newest member of the staff, perhaps they just did not know. So we went out for our pre-game warm-up routine and I heard the announcer over the public address system telling the fans that it was my birthday. The place went crazy and suddenly more than 59,000 were singing happy birthday to Dan Gaspar. One of my goalkeepers pointed to the scoreboard and they had flashed my photo up there. How do you describe and explain the significance of such a moment to your loved ones. You had to be there. I did not believe what was happening, but at that moment, I was more proud than ever to be an American soccer coach.

Q: What does it mean to you to be working in such an environment?

A: The joy of working with world class athletes in a first class soccer environment in a fanatical, sold-out stadium, gives you an incredible rush that is indescribable. You have to be there and live it. No training session, coach's convention or school can duplicate the feeling when you step onto the field with 65,000-plus singing the team's songs and chants. The event sends chills up and down your spinal cord and you say, “Wow!” My only regret is that I wish all of the American soccer fans, players and coaches can share in the same experience with me.

Q: Because there is so much visibility for your team, do you find that you are getting suggestions from the public about who is the best Benfica goalkeeper?

A: People do chat about who should start in goal and who should sit. The debates rage on with regularity in coffee shops and restaurants throughout Portugal. But it's unthinkable at Benfica that anyone other than staff would ever consider offering a serious opinion on player issues. And as for parents getting involved, there is no such thing as parental involvement on any level of soccer in Europe. The coach is the ultimate authority and nobody is permitted to challenge his decisions. Only the president of the club or the press dares offer an opinion. The coach takes all the responsibility. That's why if he wins, he stays and if he loses, he's out.

Q: Americans can relate to the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Yankees. Is Benfica in that same category as far as level of prestige?

A: Yes, in fact in Portugal the Benfica brand is comparable to the Yankees – except that it is worldwide. Although my family background is Portuguese I never realized how big and important this club is to the public in Portugal. Everywhere we travel it's like a rock band with the groupies following them. There are constant requests for jerseys and autographs. In the hotel the buzz that the team is arriving is calculated to the minute. There are 140,000 people who pay dues to belong to Benfica, which is actually an athletic sports club. The club has won numerous national and international competitions.

Q: But the fans are fickle and there must be a lot of instances where their support is fleeting?

A: Yes, the support and the pride the fans feel in the club are all dependent on results. When we win we are the best and when we lose we are the worst. There's nothing in-between and the support changes with every pass, shot and tackle during the match. A striking example of this is when we played against Beleneses in the Algarve, which is in the south of Portugal. It was a preseason match and as we left the hotel there were hundreds of fans chanting and cheering. I remember one particular man who was bare chested, wearing one of those small Speedo swimsuits. He was screaming his passion for the club – how we were going to be champions and that Benfica is the best club in the world etc. Well, we lost in penalty kicks. As we were leaving the field, that same man was just above the player's tunnel screaming all the possible obscenities at us that you can imagine. There's no room for forgiveness.

Q: How do you deal with the pressures to win and the ups and downs of the fan support?

A: Well, you just have to develop a very thick skin about it. You have to know that no matter what you do, you will always be judged on whether you win or lose. How well we do our job is judged according to our team's single 90-minute performance. One thing is for sure. Professional coaches are hired to get fired. As an American, I guess I might be a little more sensitive to this than many coaches who come from more sophisticated soccer countries. And there are special challenges today for any American working abroad. For example, every day I drive to work, I pass by a bridge that has graffiti on it saying “Americans go home,” or “Peace not war,” or “Clinton go home.” You often do not hear this sentiment expressed outwardly from Europeans, but you get that overwhelming feeling that they are killing you with silence. During my travels in Europe, I sense plenty of anti-American feelings. There is some resentment to our reaction to the World Trade Center incident on 9/11. In fact, one of the players on our team believes that President Bush organized the attack of 9/11. I couldn't believe it. It took all I had not to confront the player directly about it.

Q: You spent some time coaching the Connecticut Wolves in the A-League; do you think that you will want to come back and coach again professionally in the USA?

A: The United States is my home and my plans are to come home. I'm not sure when that will be but I'm not going to worry about it. That will happen when it's supposed to. Of course, I'd like to take what I've learned overseas and bring it back and apply it to my own coaching opportunities in America.

Q: How does your work at Benfica help your ability to teach players at your Star Goalkeeper Academy and the Connecticut Soccer School?

A: My philosophy has always been to seek opportunities that improve my skills, and I believe my experiences overseas are very unique. Being with the Portuguese National Team and Benfica has allowed me to grow as a coach. I believe that helps me improve our staffs at both schools and in the end we are able to offer more to our students. Of course, over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to spend time coaching with some of the world's best coaches – Carlos Queiroz (Real Madrid), Felipao Scholari (who coached Brazil to the World Cup title in 2002) and Antonio Camacho, the national team coach of Spain. These experiences are rare and I have made it a point to pass along what I have learned to our coaches and utilize that information to improve our curriculum. Our goal is to present the most advanced, innovative and professional training anywhere.

Q: What's it like on match day at Benfica's new Stadium of Lights?

A: The stadium, which is called, The Cathedral, was dedicated last Oct. 26 in front of more than 65,000 fans. It will be the main stadium for the 2004 European Championships that will be held in Portugal. The opening ceremony was comparable to our Super Bowl. Actually, it's way more than a stadium because it has a gymnasium, swimming pool, meeting rooms, saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools and an artificial turf warm-up room. There are bars, restaurants and even a movie theater. There is a parking area that has three levels with thousands of parking spaces. Then there is the Benfica club museum, a health club and commercial businesses that locate their offices at the stadium. There is no track around the field, which means the people are very close to the action. The suites, which are spectacular, offer first class amenities for businesses and sponsors.

Q: How about the atmosphere in the Stadium of Lights on match day?

A: The pageantry is spectacular on the day of a game. It's show time for the players and time for them to show what they can do. Most of the pro clubs in Portugal have songs that the fans sing. When our fans sing: “SLB, SLB, SLB (Sport, Lisboa, Benfica), it sends chills down your back. When we make our way onto the pitch from the locker room, it's if a volcano has erupted. The symbol for the Benfica club is an eagle mascot that actually flies from the top of the stadium down to a platform. It's spectacular. And, believe it or not, Benfica now has cheerleaders – certainly a spin-off from America. But, believe me, they are nothing close to the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

Q: Since you are an American now coaching in Europe, how would you rate the performance of the many American goalkeepers playing abroad?

A: We really have produced some outstanding goalkeepers, In fact, our goalkeepers have been the best produce that the USA has exported to the international arena. The success of our U.S. goalkeepers has earned the respect of all of Europe. Television coverage of soccer usually recognizes that a particular goalkeeper such as Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller or Tim Howard, are from America. These three have established themselves as top international class keepers. Plus, we have another three or four in Major League Soccer who I feel can perform and adapt effectively in Europe. The U.S. has become the goalkeeper factory of the world.