Longmeadow's Jay Heaps is entering his second season as the head coach of the New England Revolution of MLS Soccer
The sport of soccer has been grabbing some big headlines this week.
FirstManchester United defeated Aston Villa 3-0 to win the club's 20th English League title on Monday.
Two days later, Barcelona, a perennial Champion's League champion was, for all intent and purpose, unceremoniously bounced from this years tournament when Bayern Munich beat them 4-0.
And on Wednesday Robert Lewandowski scored four goals as Borussia Dortmund defeated Real Madrid 4-1 in the other Champions League semi-final.
The world loves soccer. There are those of us here in the United States that love soccer too. But here in New England, our 'football' team, are Patriots. And oh how we love our Patriots.
But just in case you weren't aware there's another team that plays at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, and that team, the New England Revolution, is coached by one of the most highly decorated athletes to ever come out of Western Massachusetts.
That athlete is Longmeadow's Jay Heaps, and he's entering his second season as the head coach of the New England Revolution of MLS Soccer.
"The second time around there's more of a comfort level," said Heaps. "I played in 300+ games, but it's not the same. I wanted to carve out my own approach. I want to implement my own way of doing things.
"I'd say this year the players know what I want. I know them and they know me. When I was a player I'd get on a teammate's case for not giving it his all. Now I have to do that as a coach and it's just different. But I respect the players and they respect me. It's just part of the learning curve."
Through the first six games of the season the Revolution sit in second to last place in the MLS Eastern Conference. The team's winless streak reached five last weekend with a 4-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls. The early lack of success has been tough to take, especially when you consider that success has followed Heaps every step of his professional career.
After a standout career at Duke, where he won a national player of the year award, he was drafted by the Miami Fusion and earned the MLS Rookie of the Year honors. But his arrival in New England in 2001 was the turning point for Heaps. He was a shut down defender on four MLS Cup final qualifying teams. He was named an MLS All-Star, and last year was named the 6th head coach in team history.
"I've been so blessed to have taken the road I've taken. When I went to Miami it was such a young team, and I was able to play right away. Then when I was traded to New England there was actually a slight chance I could have ended up in Colorado. That would have changed my career entirely. Who knows how things would have worked out. My best days have been right here in Foxboro, and I hope the best days are the ones to come."
But not all the days have been positive ones for Jay Heaps and the rest of the Revolution family. The days following the Boston Marathon bombings have been heart-wrenching. Two players, goaltender Matt Reis and midfielder Chris Tierney, were directly impacted by the bombings.
Reis' wife Nicole was running in the marathon to raise funds for the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. Her father, John Odem, in town to watch his daughter run, was severely injured in the explosion, and remains in the hospital. Chris Tierney's girlfriend was also near the finish line explosion, and suffered burns and shrapnel wounds.
"It's been very difficult," said Heaps. "We had the day off for the marathon and for many of our international players, this was their first Boston Marathon. There were a handful of us near the finish line that day, but for Matt and Chris, their loved ones were directly effected. We're all praying for Matt's father-in-law and Chris' girlfriend. It puts a lot of things into perspective."
With a game against the Philadelphia Union scheduled for this Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, Jay Heaps and his New England Revolution will looking for a fresh start, a new beginning to a season they hope concludes with a trip to the MLS playoffs. Jay Heaps has had few regrets during his pro soccer career, and he's not about to start here.
"I don't have any regrets as a player," Jay said. "Maybe some disappointments. Like the 2006 M-L-S Cup Final, that one still burns a little bit. We're capable of making the playoffs, and if you can get into the post-season, anything is possible."