Arnie Ramirez stays in touch with the players he coached in New York and New Jersey since the 1970s – and there’s a long list of players who joined the pro ranks and havebecome coaches. Two of them are in the news this week. New U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter played youth soccer with Ramirez’s son, Roberto,on teams that Ramirez helped train. And Giovanni Savarese, coach of MLS Cup finalist Portland Timbers, played at Long Island University, where Ramirez served as head coach in1979-1998.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: My son, Roberto, played forBergen Kickers and Leo Battaglia was the coach. Leo saw Gregg in Tenafly in a recreational league and told him, “You’re too good for the rec league, why don’t youcome and play with us at Bergen Kickers?
I was at LIU, but Leo asked me if I could help train the Bergen Kickers. And we had a very nice team.
At age 12, Berhalter, my son, andBattaglia’s son Giovanni Battaglia, went to Union County, which was coached by Claudio Reyna’s father, Miguel. Miguel asked me if I couldhelp with the training at Union County, which I did up until age 16.
Claudio Reyna (kneeling, second from theleft) and Gregg Berhalter (kneeling, second from right) played for Coach Miguel Reyna on the Union County team that Arnie Ramirez helped train. Ramirez’s son Roberto Ramirez is on the far left,kneeling.
Battaglia was originally from Ecuador, Ramirez from Costa Rica, and Reyna from Argentina. Union County practiced atFarcher’s Grove, home of the German-American club Elizabeth SC. About 30 teams practiced at Farcher’s Grove on weekdays and weekend games went from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Claudio Reyna said thekids would laugh when the sprinklers went on and joke, “They’re watering the dirt again.”
ARNIE RAMIREZ: The kids enjoyed themselves. Leo andMiguel both created a soccer atmosphere. A soccer environment. Soccer became so important to those kids. It was the main sport for them. We played a lot of indoor tournaments, a lot of outdoortournaments.
We often went to Berhalters’ house. They had a big backyard with a field and a regulation-size goal. We would play in that backyard with Bergen Kickers and Union County.
Sometimes my LIU players like Roger Chavez and Jorge Acosta would join us.
Gregg Berhalter (center) and Claudio Reyna (right) with JulioMazzei and Pele.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: Gregg’s parents were very involved in him playing. They would have parties for us,Bergen Kickers and then for Union County. Dolores and Joe, they kept the team together, hosting us all the time at their house. Even Gregg’s grandparents usedto come to games all the time. The whole family was very supportive.
Besides coaching LIU and helping out with youth teams, Ramirez served as the directorof the Pele Soccer Camps.
We took them to New York Cosmos practices and games. When Carlos Alberto and I had a clinic, we brought the Bergen Kickers along.
With Union County, we went to Peru. Julio Mazzei [Pele advisor who had two stints as Cosmos’ coach], wanted to bring an American youth team to his tournamentin Brazil, so we went with Union County.
I used to have them play preliminary games at LIU before our college games.
Berhalter played three yearsat the University of North Carolina before embarking on an 18-year pro career in the Netherlands, England, Germany and MLS.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: Gregg was always aquiet kid. He listened. When I trained him, we did a lot of work with the ball. Dribbling, turning with the inside, outside of the foot, sole of the foot. One-on-ones.
Gregg was verypersistent. He stuck it out. Gregg knew that he wanted to be a pro. He knew he had to work hard. He was best friends with Claudio Reyna. They were always together.
Berhalter wasn’t highly recruited out of high school.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: The Notre Dame coach Mike Berticelli called meand asked me, “How’s this kid Gregg Berhalter?” I said he was really a good player. I saw Berticelli years later at a [United Soccer Coaches] convention, and he said, “Dammit,Arnie, I should have taken him! I should have listened to you.”
Berhalter became head coach of the Columbus Crew in 2014 and guided it to a 2015 MLSCup runner-up finish.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: What a classy guy Gregg is. During the MLS draft, I see Gregg and Fernando Clavijo [FC Dallas technicaldirector] talking. I went over to Gregg, “Oh man, I’m so happy for you!” And Fernando, says, “Arnie, we’re having a meeting.” They must have been talking about atrade or something. I said, OK, no problem.
I little bit later I get a text message from Gregg, saying, “Arnie, I’m so sorry wasn’t able to talk to you.”
GiovanniSavarese and Arnie Ramirez.
Alum from Ramirez’s LIU teams included future national team players such as Jorge Acosta (USA), Alvaro Barco (Peru), Richard Chinapoo (Trinidad & Tobago), Giovanni Savarese (Venezuela) and Sekou Gomez (Liberia). Mickey Kydes founded Beachside of Connecticut SC andGustavo Palomino is Technical Director of Downtown United SC.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: I tried to get Gregg to come to LIU. Itried to get Tab Ramos to LIU. I tried to get Claudio Reyna. But Brooklyn in those days wasn’t such a nice place. Now it is, but not in those days.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: Perico called me and said, “Profi, I’ve got a great player for you. An excellent player.” I checked with DaniDe Oliveira [a Venezuelan LIU player]. And Dani told me the same thing. I offered him a four-year scholarship without even seeing him.
Savaresewas also being courted by Boston University. BU alum Cheche Vidal, one of Venezuela’s top player in late 1970s and early 1980s, was well aware of Savarese’stalents.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: Cheche wanted him to go to Boston University. But when Gio came to look at LIU, he stayed with some of our guys, and he liked ourplayers. They were all Latinos.
Savarese made an immediate impression on his new teammates.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: Wewent up to Hancock for preseason training. There were a lot of new players. Everybody was shy. First time together.
There was a piano in the dining room at the camp in Hancock. Gio is lookingat everybody. We haven’t started the meeting yet. And Gio starts playing Beethoven’s Fifth on the piano. Da-Da-Da-Daaaa! Holy shit! Everybody went crazy. Wow, Gio! And that brokethe ice.
Gio and Walter Bustamante, my son, and Giovanni Battaglia wrote a preseason song and they sang it, while Gio played the piano.
ARNIE RAMIREZ: Gio played every position. He played stopper for us. Heplayed center midfield and he played center forward. I think one of the reasons why Gio is so sound tactically is because he played different positions.
He scored 50 goals at LIU. He wouldhave probably broken all sorts of scoring records if I only used him as center forward, but if I needed him somewhere, that’s where Gio wanted to played.
When we went to Puerto Rico fora preseason camp, he’d be the first guy there when we went running on the beach. He would encourage everybody. He was captain the last two years. He was a leader.
Another good interview, Mike.
I think it was important that Soccer America published those recent informative articles about Berhalter. It creates a positive public opinion and starts to create a rapport for future communications between the new coach and the public.
There is always going to be ups and downs, so it is important that people see the big picture, not just game reports. Thank you, Soccer America.
Good read, I always enjoy reading about the past history of US soccer and all the personal connections….I’m surprised Ric Fonseca wasn’t mentioned or connected somewhere to this……
Rick is from the West . We are from the East. I started coaching Collge Soccer in 1970. Rick was probably getting his advanced degrees. Met him a few times at soccer conventions.
I know Gio from his LI Roughrider days. He was the most humble player although a scoring machine for the 1995 Natioal Champions. He scored 2 in the semi’s and I said to him let’s get 2 more in the Finals. He said “if I start”. Unbelievable. That was a great team and he was a great player on it. Best of luck to him in his coaching career.
Arnie your students are now the Profe’s. Arnie that is a great honor.
Thank you n muchas gracias Profe Arnie! Yes West vs East coasters! Folks he mentions, Che Che Vidal, Ralph Perez even Terry Fisher, et. Also were members of LASCA the much remembered Latin American Soccer Coaches Association of America. But when ever west met East, it was for sure an event to remember!!!