COMMERCE CITY — Ask Gary Smith what soccer means to an Englishman like himself and he succinctly spills his soul.
“Is there anything else? I’m not sure that there is,” Smith said Thursday in his office at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, where he has risen from second assistant coach in February to interim head coach, after Fernando Clavijo and the Rapids agreed to split in August.
On the walls behind Smith hang pictures of famous Arsenal players — the London-based club where Smith’s father began coaching when Gary was a teenager — and famous goals, such as Lawrie Sanchez’s header that gave Wimbledon a shocking victory in the 1988 English FA Cup final.
Smith has ties to all of them. His experiences as a player, coach and scout have connected him to the top players and coaches in the English leagues.
With their fingerprints pressed upon his mind, Smith will attempt to steer the Rapids (8-12-3) off the rocks and into the MLS playoffs to salvage a tumultuous season.
“I like to think that somewhere along the way, a little bit of everybody will come out, and then I’ll add some of my own personality to it,” said Smith, 39, whom Arsenal recommended to the Rapids.
Surrounded by stars
From the garden behind his grandparents’ house in north London, Smith could hear the roar of the crowd at White Hart Lane when Tottenham would score. His father, Roger, played for Tottenham when it won league and cup competitions in 1961.
Roger Smith spent six years there, rubbing shoulders with giants such as tactician Danny Blanchflower from Northern Ireland, Scottish legend Dave Mackay and English goal machine Jimmy Greaves.
Years later, with his son studying his every move, Roger parlayed his humble playing career into coaching the academy team at Arsenal, Tottenham’s bitter local rival. Though he had grown up a Spurs fan, Gary, who would begin his professional career in southwest London at Fulham, became a Gunners fan.
Tottenham played with a cocky arrogance, Gary Smith said, while Arsenal was disciplined, rigid and respectful.
“I was drawn to that side of it more than the Tottenham side,” Smith said.
Roger Smith’s contacts would widen as he became academy coach at Wimbledon during its famous “Crazy Gang” days.
Sanchez, Dennis Wise, enforcer-turned-Hollywood menace Vinnie Jones and Neil Sullivan would become massive stars in the 1980s and 1990s.
“They became, and have become, part of my circle as well,” Gary Smith said. “I’m very, very fortunate to be able to pick the phone up to incredible and experienced people that were very much spinoffs from being associates of my dad.”
Gary Smith’s playing career ended in the mid-1990s, after stints at Barnet and Colchester United. His coaching career — mostly as an assistant — began at Wimbledon and progressed to Wycombe and Watford.
Smith mingled with figures such as manager Martin O’Neill, English goalkeeper Ray Clemence, defender Tony “Mr. Arsenal” Adams and Terry Burton.
Little things a big deal
While Clavijo and Smith share a common passion for the sport, their styles couldn’t be more different.
Practices under Clavijo were almost esoteric. He would often observe quietly — sometimes simmering — for long stretches before making corrections.
Smith chatters constantly, analyzing every move, discussing options, asking questions and demonstrating exactly what he wants to see. The greatest sin to Smith is a player who can’t motivate himself.
“His focus on the details, the little things, have been paramount in the last three weeks,” captain Pablo Mastroeni said.
Said second-year midfielder Nick LaBrocca: “He makes it very clear about what individual roles are and how they fit into the team picture and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
With Smith as interim coach the Rapids are 1-2-0 and coming off a 1-0 victory at FC Dallas. The lineup, formation and tactics have changed, but problems like inconsistent offense and leaky defense remain.
As for the possibility of change at the end of the season, Smith won’t say if he’d take the job permanently if offered. There are too many questions, and too much soccer to be played and analyzed and practiced. And that is Smith’s preoccupying passion.
“If you can imagine pretty much every minute of the day, either talking about it, thinking about it or being involved in it, for probably 30 years now . . . you start to get an idea of how intense it can be,” Smith said.
Rapids coaching history
Years Coach Record Departure
1996 Bobby Houghton 11-20-0 Fired
Last-place finish doomed this Englishman. Currently coaching India’s national team.
1997-2000 Glenn Myernick 63-61-4 Resigned
Guided team to MLS Cup final in 1997 and U.S. Open Cup final in 1999. Passed away in 2006.
2001-04 Tim Hankinson 39-45-30 Fired
Led Rapids to 2002 Western Conference final but not much else. Current men’s head coach at Fort Lewis College.
2005-08 Fernando Clavijo 39-49-25 Resigned
Led team to 2005 and 2006 Western Conference finals but missed playoffs in 2007 despite a better lineup.
2008 Gary Smith 2-2-0*
Named interim coach with 10 games remaining.
*Credited with victory as assistant when Clavijo was away.
Today’s game
Who: Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City
TV/radio: Altitude/KNRV 1150 AM
At stake: The Rapids (8-12-3) are three points outside the MLS playoff picture with seven games remaining. The Fire (11-7-5) beat the Rapids 2-1 in April and boasts stars such as Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Brian McBride.
