The following interview took place on Friday, November 15th while the Charleston Battery and Blackbaud Stadium played host to the CONCACAF Under 20 Qualifying Tournament. I was luckily able to have a few moments to have a discussion with Battery president, Nigel Cooper, before the games resumed in this tournament. I'd like to thank Nigel and the rest of the Battery organization for allowing a-league.com this time.
a-league.com: How long have you been in Charleston?
Nigel Cooper: I've been here 13 years now, June of 1989.
A: What are the team's big goals going into 2003?
NC: The same as last year: (to) win the championship. Obviously last year we were pretty disappointed with the finish that we had. Injuries certainly caught up with us. We lost both of our starting central defenders in the playoffs and we lost Steve Klein towards the end of the season. We lost Eric Wynalda at the beginning of the season. We lost Terry Phelan for a lot of the season. So injuries caught up on us. We're disappointed with the way that we ended last season. We made good changes last season in defense. I think our record speaks for itself. Seeing that those were successful changes, we'll go forward with the same intentions to have a solid defense and to win the championship.
A: Speaking of Terry (Phelan) and Eric (Wynalda) is there any chance that either or both will be back next year?
NC: Terry's still under contract for another year. Eric I believe is retired and is pursuing a broadcasting career.
A: Do you anticipate any big-name signings?
NC: We're always looking for talented individuals. We're certainly not out there going for big name players necessarily but if someone's got talent then we'll consider all and sundry.
A: What's it been like being able to host an event such as this?
NC: I think it's a tremendous honor. It's nice that U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF can consider a facility like Blackbaud Stadium to host this event. We'd obviously like to make it a great success. It's a lot of work without a shadow of a doubt. We feel that it's putting Charleston further on the international map and we're happy to be a part of it.
A: Speaking of events, could you tell me a little about Brit Fest and why everyone should come to it at least once?
NC: Absolutely, we normally celebrate this on July 3rd, the day before Independence Day. We've just had fun with that particular date as the 'Last Day of British rule in Colonial America', so it'll be the 227th anniversary this year, I believe. We just have a lot of fun with it. Good opportunities to poke fun at ourselves and have fun with the English people. I'm English myself but now a bonafide American. It's a good opportunity to do things that are typically British and typically crazy and just have fun with it. Hopefully the American contingent here can enjoy it equally.
A: Any chance we'll see the Battery play an English team as a Brit Fest game?
NC: Well, I don't know about a Brit Fest game because it's right in the middle of the season but we'll work on it. Obviously, with the schedule in England, it could be a good time for a preseason match. We've got some good contacts in the UK that we are pursuing.
A: Did you make it to Florida for the AOM? How was the trip? Did you get much rest and relaxation or was it a hectic weekend of work?
NC: Scheduling is the big issue at the November AOM. This year the scheduling mechanism went a lot more smoothly than it has in previous years. Usually it takes a good two days to come up with it. I think the league put in some good changes to the process. (They) had mediators involved in the whole process. At the executive level we discussed the various changes that were coming: the different point system, falling much more in line with the way soccer runs in the rest of the world. The playoff format is also different. I think it's beneficial in that it places more emphasis on the regular season. In prior years it's been a question of just making the playoffs as any seed and then worry about things in the playoffs. Last year, we had an excellent regular season and then faltered in the playoffs. I think it's important to place more emphasis on the regular season, with fewer playoff spots and then go forward into the finals.
A: So are you glad to see the bonus point go?
NC: I am, in that I think it's important that we fall in line with the rest of the world with the points system. I do think that the bonus point does encourage some additional scoring. I think additional scoring in the game is important. High scoring games will be more exciting to our fans. So I have some mixed feelings but certainly, most importantly from a league standpoint, we needed to fall in line with the rest of the world.
A: Are you glad to see the A-League expanding into new markets such as Syracuse?
NC: Absolutely. It sounds like it's going to be an excellent franchise. I'm happy to see expansion wherever. I'd love to see more expansion in the Midwest and the West Coast. I think the teams in the Western Conference are under immense financial pressure to play their games. We have a travel equalization scheme in place but it still means that those teams, like El Paso, have a horrendous travel schedule no matter what. So the more teams that we can get into the league the better it will be for all of us.
A: What do you think of Virginia Beach preparing to sign more big names this season in an effort to become playoff contenders in an already extremely tough division? Are there any concerns around the office that this is going to be a wild ride in the division this year?
NC: Well, no more than usual. I've never felt that any teams in our division are particularly weak. The Hampton Roads Mariners have always been a good team. There's always been a strong rivalry between all the other teams, Charlotte, Richmond, Atlanta, so there are no easy games with any of the teams. So it's not surprising and it's not worrying either. We'll just deal with it.
A: What do you think of the Southern Derby?
NC: I hate it because we haven't won it! It's a piece of silverware. Of course we want to win it. We think it's important. Local rivalries are what make soccer particularly special. You think of the rivalries in England: Manchester United and Manchester City; Liverpool and Everton; Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday; these are all tremendous local derbies. I think having a competition like that is another way of getting fans more and more involved with the game. I don't think it diminishes the importance of the league or anything like that. This is just a side tournament and one that has an important part to play.
A: What makes Blackbaud Stadium arguably the best soccer stadium in this country? Is it the fans, the team itself, the organization, or the pub?
NC: The pub. Without a doubt the stadium is tremendous. Tony Bakker has a wonderful collection of memorabilia here. It's unsurpassed by any other sports museum I believe and it continues to grow. It is a very, very special place. The pub is unique. The sports history that's in there is unique. Blackbaud Stadium is unique in that our fans are very close to the action and part of the event. Hopefully we put on a good show as an organization. It makes it an enjoyable time for all of us.
A: Besides the Battery, who is your favorite club team?
NC: Well, I'm a Chelsea fan. They're third in the Premier league at the moment.
A: What was your opinion on the US team's performance in Japan/Korea?
NC: Outstanding, absolutely outstanding. The strides that they've made in the last four years are incredible. I'm proud to be an American to see what they did. I think they had a tremendous run and were very, very unlucky not to go through past Germany. They really deserved to have made it all the way. It's encouraging to see and I think it's a real eye opener for the rest of the world that America is not as far behind as some people would have you think. Certainly the World Rankings now reflect that [editor's note - The U.S. is currently ranked 9th in the World according the FIFA rankings at the time of publication].
A: How did you feel about England's performance?
NC: Very mixed. From one moment, beating Argentina, that was tremendous, but some of the other performances were very lackluster. I was particularly disappointed against Brazil. Brazil is a tremendous team without a shadow of a doubt, but I just think England went into it scared. I think that they were overawed even before the kick off. Hopefully we'll bounce back.
A: David Seaman, past it?
NC: Not my decision to make but he's made another couple of errors recently as well. The team's performance against Macedonia was terrible. We can't tie the teams like that. A good team maybe, but England should be better than that.
A: Will Paul Conway retire with the Battery?
NC: I don't know. I guess you need to ask him. It depends on how long he's going to keep going. He might keep going until he's 42. Paul is a great player. He's shown himself to be a great finisher, a great goal scorer, and a true professional; he's great to have around. He's got a couple of years left on his contract and it'll be up to him if he can continue to keep going and if we feel he can keep going.
A: What else do you think is standing between the Battery and a championship?
NC: It's difficult to say. We've had so many things in our favor. Certainly I know that people think that we've had the best team on paper and we've got one of the best organizations. There really isn't anything that stands in our way. I think looking back on last year, to play Richmond six times and beat them four times, tie them once, lose once, and be out of the playoffs is tough for us to swallow. I think that maybe the changes in the playoff scheme will favor the teams that do well over the long haul. It will be important to do well in the regular season as well as in the playoffs. We went into every game with one goal in mind: to win. With the old playoff structure it was probably not as important towards the end of the regular season, as long as you qualified. Chris Ramsey knows he's got some owners and fans that have high expectations and want to win every game. He realizes it's not possible to take your foot off the pedal towards the end of the season. Some teams coast and then go into high mode in the playoffs. Clearly it has worked for other teams. At the end of it all it's who holds the trophy that's the important thing.
A: What are the long-term goals for the club?
NC: Profitability, 5000 people in the stands, increased satisfaction from our sponsors, and more events here. We want to entertain more teams coming in from out of the country. We've certainly got the right venue for it and we want more people coming to see Blackbaud Stadium. This is a great soccer facility and we want people to experience it.
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