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Mutiny's coach wants title now

Alfonso Mondelo says his new team soon could be among the MLS "elite."

By RODNEY PAGE

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 7, 2000

[Times photo: Dirk Shadd] Mondelo: "I like to see (soccer) played well. I'd like to combine speed and aggressiveness for this team."

TAMPA -- Alfonso Mondelo has one goal for his first season in Tampa Bay: win the MLS Cup championship.

Mondelo, 42, signed a two-year contract Wednesday, becoming the fourth Mutiny coach in six seasons. He takes over for Tim Hankinson, who was fired Oct. 17 after compiling a 39-38-3 record in two-plus seasons.

Hankinson guided the Mutiny to consecutive playoff appearances, including the No. 4 seed last season. But he was 0-4 in playoff games, which led to his firing.

Mondelo thinks the Mutiny is a championship team.

"The first thing I have to do is get these guys to believe they can play in the final game," Mondelo said. "We need that type of mentality. As a unit, this team has the capability of being an MLS finalist. I think we should be in that final game, and that's what I want them to believe from Day 1."

Mondelo does not have to start from scratch. Forward Mamadou Diallo was the league's top scorer, and midfielder Carlos Valderrama, despite being 39, led the league in assists.

Goalkeeper Scott Garlick, midfielder Steve Ralston and defender Joe Addo were considered among the best in the league. They all return, and the Mutiny has two first-round picks in the Feb. 4 college draft.

So Mondelo's main job will be to tweak the team and instill a different mind-set. In his other MLS coaching job, New York/New Jersey was 14-17 and made the playoffs in 1998, but Mondelo was fired in favor of Bora Milutinovic.

Mondelo was successful as coach of the A-League's Long Island Rough Riders from 1994-97. He won the A-League championship in 1995. Most recently he was coach of the MLS Project-40 team, a group of young MLS prospects who played in the A-League. They were 8-19-1.

General manager Bill Manning, GM at Long Island during Mondelo's tenure, selected Mondelo over under-17 national team coach John Ellinger and Rochester Rhinos coach Pat Ercoli.

"From the beginning I may have been a little biased," Manning said. "But after an intense five-week search it became clear to us that Alfonso was the best coach in this country to bring us to the next level."

Mondelo has selected former Irish national team player John McGeough and Perry Van Der Beck, who worked with Hankinson, as his assistant coaches. As one of his first acts, Mondelo will attend the college final four in Charlotte this weekend to scout players and talk with other MLS teams about possible trades.

The biggest priority, Mondelo said, is shoring up the defense and finding a partner for Diallo. The Mutiny hopes to add two foreign players, a defender and a forward.

"This team is maybe a couple players away from becoming one of the elite teams in MLS," Mondelo said. "Finding the right combinations is going to be important. The defense needs to be improved a little bit and then we need to get a second forward, someone who can complement Mamadou.

"We need to have a little flair on this team, and we can't do it with just one player. I'm a fan of soccer, and I like to see it played well. I'd like to combine speed and aggressiveness for this team."

Manning, who begins his second season in Tampa Bay, expects the Mutiny to go from also-ran to champion.

"We haven't been able to get over that hump," Manning said. "This is not a team we want to gut. We want to add some spice to it. I think Alfonso is the guy to get us to the next level."

Alfonso Mondelo

PERSONAL: Born Aug. 13, 1958 in Baracaldo, Spain. Moved to Queens, N.Y. when he was 13. Divorced. Daughters, Natassia, 17, and Karina, 12, live in Boise, Idaho. Resides in Franklin Square, N.Y.

PLAYING CAREER: Two seasons (1978-79) with A.D. Torrejon of the Spanish Second Division.

COACHING CAREER: 1981-93 -- Head coach of New York Hota Bavarians semipro team. 1992 -- Puerto Rican national team coach. 1994-97 -- Coach of A-League's Long Island Rough Riders (71-28-10). 1998 -- Coach of New York/New Jersey MetroStars (14-17). 1999 -- Coach of U.S. under-15 national team; U.S. national team assistant. 2000 -- MLS Project-40 coach (8-19-1).

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