"I want to win. I want a culture, that's important, not just in the locker room but in the organization. The support’s there. You always have a chance to win but you've got to do a lot of little things well. I'm probably too obsessive. But I'm hoping to win something here in Pittsburgh."
You would think Lilley’s track record would have led to Major League Soccer – American soccer’s top-tier professional league. He’s interviewed for top or assistant positions with the New England Revolution, FC Dallas and Columbus Crew, among others.
"I would never rule it out," he said of coaching in MLS. “It was probably seven or eight opportunities where it just wasn't in the cards at the time."
Influence Felt Far and Wide
Lilley has still made an impact in MLS as several of his former players made names for themselves. That includes Seattle Sounders president and GM Garth Lagerwey and Atlanta United president Darren Eales (both Hershey), three players from Vancouver – Minnesota United technical director and former Canadian international defender Mark Watson, former Canada international midfielder Nick DeSantis, who has served the Montreal Impact in several capacities, and former Canadian international midfielder Nick Dasovic.
"I tried to look at how much the league's grown and I'm making a difference," Lilley said. "I'm proud of the fact that a lot of guys that I coached had been head coaches or are execs in MLS. It's nice to hear that 'I picked up a lot being around in your environment, what it's going to take to win.'"
Lilley’s Riverhounds, who started their 2022 USL Championship campaign unbeaten in five games, have a mixture of youth and veterans.
Former Jamaican international forward Dane Kelly, 31, is second in league goal-scoring (four). Former Cameroon youth international forward Albert Dikwa, 23 was named USL Championship player of the week. Midfielder Kenardo Forbes, 33, another ex-Jamaican international, was one of five players brought in from Rochester to establish the proper culture.
A History of MLS Cupsets
Lilley's teams have competed with MLS clubs before in the Open Cup. When he was a rookie coach in 1997, Hershey played their MLS affiliate, D.C. United.
The defending 1996 double MLS and Open Cup champions rested only two players that day -- Marco Etcheverry and John Harkes. Their lineup included future National Soccer Hall of Fame members Jaime Moreno, Eddie Pope and Jeff Agoos, and several U.S. internationals. Tony Sanneh, who converted the winning shootout goal, Jesse Marsch, Roy Wegerle and Richie Williams were among them.
The Link LonkApril 16, 2022 at 10:24PM
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/04/big-balancing-act-for-bob-lilley-and-his-hard-traveling-riverhounds
Big Balancing Act for Bob Lilley & his Hard-Traveling Riverhounds - U.S. Soccer
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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