Craig Tornberg

Interview: Craig Tornberg

GM of the New England Revolution

SL had the great opportunity to interview an old friend who has climbed his way up the corporate ladder within the front offices of the New England Revolution. After a brief stint with the Miami Fusion, Craig Tornberg, returned to the Revs with a strong interest in taking the team to the top. Now he himself is at the top of the organization and now has his chance to be the difference maker.

SoccerLoop: First off, congrats on your new position as General Manager with the Revolution. You have worked your way up through the ranks within the U.S. Soccer world. Have you reached the pinnacle?

Craig Tornberg: I really feel quite honored to be recognized by the Revolution organization. It is a great honor. But to say it is the pinnacle would be an injustice to the Kraft family, Major League Soccer and all of our fans. We have not won a championship nor have we yet produced a financially successful business...Until then, none of us can rest on our laurels.

SL: You were with the Revolution in the early years of MLS and then you left to work for the Fusion, now you have returned. The team and organization has been much more successful over the past few years. What do you see are the main reasons for that success?

CT: It is difficult in a short interview to describe ALL of the ingredients that have reversed the fortunes of our on-field product, but I will try to outline some of them. When the league contracted and quality players became available from Miami and Tampa Bay, our club was in the most advantageous position to capitalize on it. Our coach at that time did well to bring in talent that continues to be heard from today (Adin Brown, Carlos Llamosa, Steve Ralston). Then we drafted extremely well over the next two years (Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph, Pat Noonan, etc.) to compliment those players. And then of course, when you investigate the success of the club, you would be remiss not to recognize Steve Nicol's steady leadership and guidance. But I will repeat my statement that this has been a full "buy-in" by the entire Revolution team and there have been many other ingredients that I have not cited that have brought the team to the brink of a championship.

SL: What are your thoughts on Steve Nicol and his direction with the club?

CT: Coach Nicol has been remarkable. Since taking over the head coaching role with the club, he has proven to not only have the technical know-how necessary to do the job, but also confidence, vision and strong player rapport that is needed. He is able to get the most out of our players. Everyone knows their role on the team and understands how their individual contribution will lead to team's success. Like all of us, he is very focused on winning the championship.

SL: We've read that the Revs may be having some salary cap issues. Is there any truth to that?

CT: All teams struggle with salary cap issues. It is not easy for any club to stay under, but that is part of the challenge.

SL: The side has come close to winning MLS Cup the past two seasons. What changes should be made in order to take the team to the Promised Land?

CT: One more win! This team is in a great position to win a championship. We have strong coaching and a nucleus of excellent players that are returning and healthy. We are anticipating a good draft. We expect to be competing for the Cup in '04.

SL: What area/areas of the team do you feel need to be strengthened?

CT: Coach Nicol will look for better performance from every position. In his system, no one has a guarantee on starting and playing time. The current starters will be challenged by extremely capable reserves. This makes for extremely healthy competition for playing time. And it pushes our level of play.

SL: What are your thoughts of Pat Noonan and his incredible rookie season?

CT: I remember watching a match in Columbus early in the season with his parents - and like most parents they were concerned that maybe he wasn't going to get the playing time to shine...I am sure they are pleasantly surprised with the turn of events...In the Champions Cup match in Costa Rica against LD Alajuelense, Pat showed his class with a cracker of a left-footed shot that beat the keeper cleanly. As the season went on, he showed more and more confidence in what he was doing. He shows so much intensity while he is playing. Going from college to the pros can be a big hurdle for a lot of players...but "Murph" (Asst. Coach John Murphy) had tracked Pat for years and was really not surprised at all at how well he made the transition to MLS.

SL: With the emergence of Pat Noonan, will the fans ever get to see a regular pairing of Joe-Max Moore and Taylor Twellman?

CT: These are three great players and I am sure that Coach Nicol will attempt to get all of them playing.

SL: The SuperDraft is right around the corner. Which players are high on your list?

CT: Friday is around the corner!

SL: Can the fans expect to see some player movement and/or trades within the team over the next few weeks?

CT: I think it is safe to say that there will be some player movement leading up to our first match.

SL: What are your thoughts of Freddy Adu and his signing with MLS?

CT: The obvious - I think that his signing is good for everyone. It allows Freddy an opportunity to play close to his home and develop his game. Great for the league, to have one of the best young players of today settle in with MLS as opposed to going oversees. It's tremendous for D.C. as another piece of their rebuilding. Terrific for the fans...this young man is a player. But I think that this signing will have a more far reaching message...Freddy is an attraction, will give the "mainstream" media a reason to cover the action, general sport fan another reason to tune in, to finally see and discover what soccer people have known for years: that we play the best game on the planet.

SL: Are the Revs looking to bring in any foreign talent for the new season? If so, from what countries and/or regions?

CT: We have our eyes open. Certainly last year's signing of "Pepe" Cancela was one of the marquee international signings for the team and the league. Coach Nicol is strong on finding complimentary players that will suit the system. Where they come from, international or domestic is only important when trying to fit the players under the league rules.

SL: What are your thoughts on the state of MLS heading into 2004? And what are your predictions for the year?

CT: I am more bullish on MLS than ever (and I am known to be an optimist) -- but so many positives are out there (team expansion, higher standards of play, stadia growth, media coverage, etc. It is easy to say that we are not there yet, and there are still those that do...but the biggest clubs in the world have been paying attention to what is happening over here in our league. There is a reason that they are. They did not expect that in eight short years this league would achieve what it has. But we need continued "buy-in" from the fans - they will ultimately be the reason for the league's success. And my prediction for 2004...see you at the Cup!

Interview by: Steven Patton