Nowak: A no-nonsense coach

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. -- At 39 years old, Peter Nowak still looks just like he did six years ago while joyously hoisting the Alan I. Rothenberg trophy over his head to celebrate the Chicago Fire's MLS Cup title in 1998.

He still dons a mullet-in-training hairstyle, speaks of the game with boyhood exuberance and looks as though he could go the full 90 minutes if he was called upon.

In fact, Nowak blends in so well with the D.C. United players that it's hard to pick him out as the team strides through the hotel lobby after a having a group dinner during their preseason training down here in the Palmetto State.

But make no mistake - Nowak isn't one of the boys. Despite having played with one of his players -- Dema Kovalenko -- and against most of the men on his roster during his five-year career in Major League Soccer, there's no question about who is the boss of this group.

Since being named D.C. United's manager on January 7, the former Chicago Fire captain has quickly given last year's underachieving side the discipline and organization that it not only needed, but was hungry for after two years of playing for Ray Hudson.

"It's his way or the highway," says central defender Ryan Nelsen, who was named to Major League Soccer's Best XI last season. "There's the same rules for every player, and if you're not happy with that, then get lost. That's how it should be, too. So there's no question as to who the Head Cheese is around here."

Nowak isn't Herb Brooks from the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team or even a Bobby Knight or Bill Parcells clone in the making. The D.C. United players don't hate him. Not in the least bit. But there is a bit of fear there.

Despite his warm and outgoing personality that helped make people love him in Chicago, Nowak is also a disciplinarian, and has been described as being "very strict."

His training sessions are described as being physically demanding and competitive, where's he's constantly reinforcing commitment to the team. He holds to a maxim that if one player takes one play off or takes a shortcut, a game can potentially be lost, which is why he won't allow letdowns to slip by.

Much of this philosophy comes from the five years he spent in the German Bundesliga (1993-97) playing for 1860 Munich (1994-1997), Kaiserslautern, and Dynamo Dresden.

Back then, his teams would train so hard during the week that he would hardly ever leave his house on his off-days every Sunday. Playing for some of the more renowned clubs in Europe meant doing a lot more than showing up for training and games, as well, which greatly influenced Nowak.

"There was a constant demand for professionalism, both on and off the field, where the little things like being more than on time for training, preparing mentally for training and matches, taking P.R. and media commitments seriously, and respecting and giving back to the fans," explains Dave Kasper, D.C. United's Technical Director.

To achieve this type of professionalism, Nowak is very up front with the players, letting them know exactly what he expects from them by going through a detailed itinerary with them as a group each morning to outline meal times, team events or appearances, and even media obligations.

Quite impressive considering that Nowak hardly ever thought about coaching while in the midst of his 23-year career that started in Poland at the age of 15.

"It only popped into my head a couple of times," says Nowak. "I never made plans to do this."

That all changed last season, though, when he traded in his Chicago Fire jersey for a suit in the front office as the team's Director of International Relations and Soccer and Business Adviser.

While working in a wide-ranging role, he purposely stayed away from going to games for the most part. Because when he did, the bug hit him. He'd see the fans and the atmosphere and want to be out there.

"What I was missing was the 'big game,'" he says. "I missed being around the guys and just in the game in some way."

Once the idea of coaching got into his head, he kept it mostly to himself. It was only after consulting a few close friends and a pair of coaches he respects a great deal, that he started pursuing his new career.

"I spoke to Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley," says Nowak with a smirk. "And I got very positive feedback from those guys and they encouraged me to do it. As I thought about it each day, my heart started beating faster. I didn't want to rush things, but I was so ready for it."

Once Hudson was let go in November, Nowak's intentions were made known to the D.C. United brass, including team president and CEO Kevin Payne and Kasper.

They were immediately interested due to Nowak's reputation - not as much as a player, but as a leader.

On a team that has an odd mix of youthfulness, MLS lifers, a few pseudo "bad boys" and a couple of longtime veterans of the international game, they felt that Nowak's staunch leadership style would serve the side well.

"Peter commands respect," says Kasper. "He has a strong personality. He knows what it takes to win a championship and all the important little things that a team needs to do day-in and day-out to be successful. Sometimes these things aren't comfortable, but they are absolutely necessary. He has a good balance between being intense and showing a lighter side to the team.

"And at the end of the day, players respect him because they know he's been there."

He's also offset all the media hype surrounding the 14-year-old sensation Freddy Adu by speaking about the team concept on a daily basis, striving to achieve the type of spirit his teams had under Bradley in Chicago. Thus far, it's been working.

"Before Peter came along, we were a group of individuals," says Nelsen. "It's been that way for a few years, really. But it's not that way with Peter. He's come in and instilled a team mentality that our locker room hasn't even seen."

That sort of team-first mindset is what originally attracted Nowak to MLS in the first place.

Even though it was his friend Shep Messing who had tried to entice him to the U.S. on several occasions, it was Nowak's meeting with Bradley in Munich prior to the 1998 MLS season that swayed his opinion.

"We thought the same way as far as team building and work ethics it takes to win," says Nowak. "That's why I not only left for the U.S., but was confident that we'd make it work in Chicago."

The relationship that he enjoyed as Bradley's de-facto assistant coach and true field general out of the center of the midfield has helped shape his coaching style as well.

"When you are a player, you play with and against a lot of players all over the world, and you want to steal all the best moves and skills you see," he says. "It's the same as a coach. There's a lot of information I got from Bob over time. He also helped me make this decision. So he's been a very important person in my life."

Then he pauses.

"But those days are over now. (Bradley) is on the other side."

Though Nowak's comment comes with a smile on his face, there's a seriousness to his message, nonetheless.

Coaches are the first ones to get fired when things go wrong, and even more so when you're a rookie on the sideline just two years removed from being a star player in the same league. So he's more interested in looking forward right now than looking back. And what he sees is promise.

"We're still learning a few things, but the group is getting stronger every day," he says, pointing out the improvements he's seen in rookie Josh Gros and his new center midfielder Bobby Convey. "They are doing a great job right now, and I feel very strong about this group going forward."

Of course, that includes young Adu.

"With his skills and his speed, he's going to be very dangerous," says Nowak. "He's smart enough, too, that I'm not going to worry how he's going to play. But I will be patient with him because things will not happen overnight."

Nowak said that Adu will play in D.C.'s season-opener against San Jose next Saturday (ABC Sports, 4 p.m. ET), but that this season will not be about Freddy Adu, and he won't allow when he does and does not play to overshadow his side.

"I have 24 Freddy Adus on my roster," he says. "And, you know what? They all want to play in the home opener.

"What's most important is that it's a new beginning for all of us. And we're ready for it.

"We have to rewrite a new chapter in D.C. United's history."

Marc Connolly covers American soccer for ESPN Soccernet.com. He can be reached at: shaketiller10@yahoo.com.