By Sebastian Moraga
Special to Yakimareds.com
Alex Silva a Brazil-born businessman and a former soccer player in his native land is the new head coach of the Yakima Reds of the USL’s Premier Development League.
Silva, 28, takes over from Hector Vega, who resigned at the end of last year’s 3-11 campaign. He was formerly an assistant coach at Overlake High School until 2006.
Along with his new coaching duties, Silva is the team’s new co-owner and technical director, having purchased 50 percent of the franchise from Perry Piercy, who bought the team last year.
A polyglot, Silva speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish, so communicating with his new charges –most of whom speak the two latter languages– shouldn’t be a problem, he says. Nor should it be a problem being both one of the owners and the head coach.
On the field, Silva has high hopes for the squad that finished dead last in last year’s northwest division. He wants the team to aim at entering the 2010 U.S. Open Cup.
Brazil is a nation famous around the soccer world for its emphasis in the “jogo bonito.” That won’t be the emphasis for his Reds, Silva said. The jogo bonito –flashy, almost luxurious style of soccer– is good for Brazilian players in Brazil. Here in America, players must play the American way, he added.
“We are in the U.S., we play the U.S.’ way. We have to combine quality with being athletic, and being physical,” he said.
A Brazilian head coach might mean an influx of Brazilian players, Silva said, but nothing is for certain yet. At least one Brazilian player, last year’s late-addition Vini Oliveira is almost certain to suit up for Yakima.
Another phenomenon from last year, one far less pleasant than the gregarious Oliveira, was the fact that several players just stopped showing up at games, forcing owner Perry Piercy to suit up. This won’t be the case anymore, Silva said.
“If you want to play for me, you have to make a commitment,” he said. “If you are not going to make a commitment, I could have Ronaldinho, but if you are not going to make a commitment, you’re not going to be on the team.”
A roofing businessman in Kirkland, Silva says he has no intentions of taking the team away from Yakima. With the disappearance of Salem’s Cascade Surge, Yakima’s 15-year-old squad is the oldest in the division.
On the contrary, Silva says he wants to spread the word about the team to the neighboring Tri-Cities area as well as Ellensburg. The goal is to have 2,000 fans per match.
He also wants to make improvements to the rocky pitch on Marquette Stadium.
The west side already has enough PDL teams in Tacoma, Seattle and Bremerton, Silva added.
After 2009′s tough season, Silva said he will ask his players to show they want to play for Yakima and to take the season one game at a time.
“Every game will be a final,” he said.
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