'We need a few quality players'

Lothar Osiander is back for his third stint in MLS after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy and as an assistant in Tampa Bay.

SOCCER AMERICA: How will you go about rebuilding the Clash?

LOTHAR OSIANDER: We have three picks in the first two rounds of the superdraft, if that's what they decide to do. And there's always trades and the waiver draft, so we can see what's out there.

SA: The team has suffered at the gate and on the field ...

LO: The gates are down everywhere in the league anyway. And even though the Clash has a good record, it's because of the shootouts, and those people are smart. ... We need a few quality players to get the spectators back.

SA: Can the league afford to sign enough star players to accommodate all the MLS teams?

LO: Their intent is to save money, not to spend it, so I have very little hope a big-timer will be coming to San Jose.

SA: You had a slew of player changes every week with the Pro-40 team. Wasn't that frustrating?

LO: No, I really liked it, having a different team every week. The idea was for those players to get 20 or 25 games instead of sitting on the bench with their [MLS] teams, and that's what it did for a lot of them.

Sometimes we only had 13 or 14 players, or even 12. Heck, all you need is 11.

SA: How many solid starters are on the current Clash roster?

LO: Maybe seven or eight. We only have one left-sided player [Eddie Lewis], and he's not a defender, so we need someone who can defend on that left side.

I think [Ronald] Cerritos needs some help up top. We could use another midfielder and maybe another player in the back, and we go from there.

SA: This is your third time in around in MLS. Does the ax tend to fall early in this league?

LO: Oh, it'll come sooner or later. You lose a few games and you're done.

by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney