Change of Seasons : Thomas Gets Players to Put Soccer First at Laguna Beach

The law according to Andy Thomas, new boys’ soccer coach at Laguna Beach:

Surfing, skiing and snowboarding are out; soccer is in.

It’s taken a few members of the Artist soccer team awhile to come to grips with Thomas’ law, but they’re learning. Players began the year showing up for practice in surfing shorts and sneakers. Now they practice in soccer jerseys and soccer cleats.

They have taken to Thomas’ new aggressive, wide-open, long ball-style of play. For the first time in 10 years, the Laguna Beach boys’ soccer team is the Pacific Coast League champion. The Artists finished the regular season Friday by beating Costa Mesa, 3-0. The Artists are 15-4-3 overall and 8-0-2 in league.

And just like that, a school known for its volleyball, tennis, water polo and surfing is a soccer school. Last week, more than 400 people turned out at the football stadium to watch the Artists defeat rival Laguna Hills. Two years ago, Laguna Beach was lucky to get 20 fans for home games.

But some habits die hard.

Two days before the Artists’ biggest game of the season against Estancia, three starters put Thomas’ law to the test: They went snowboarding at Big Bear on a vacation day. One of the players, Spencer Herbert, the team’s second-leading scorer, slightly separated his shoulder after flying down the mountain.

Thomas benched the three starters for the first half against Estancia.

“I couldn’t believe these guys would do something like that when we’re trying to clinch the league and get ready for the playoffs,” Thomas said. “But I have to realize they don’t all have the passion for the game that I do.”

Laguna Beach trailed, 1-0, at the half but wound up with the tie it needed to clinch the league title. The Artists’ goal came late in the game on a header by senior Chris Whitworth off a long throw-in from senior midfielder Seth Simchowitz.

Where Thomas comes from, the Isle of Man--a small island off the coast of Scotland--they don’t ski or surf.

“If we skied, it’d have to be in the mud,” he said.

They play soccer and referee disputes between England, Scotland and Ireland.

Thomas was hired to replace Mark Vanderbeek, who held the job for five years and last year took the Artists to a second-place finish in the Pacific Coast League. But the Laguna Beach soccer booster club wasn’t happy with the direction of the program, so they recommended Thomas to Athletic Director Greg Marshall.

Thomas played two years for the South Hampton youth soccer team in England and four years for Leeds University in England. He came to the United States four years ago and coached the frosh/soph team at Trabuco Hills for one year and the Mission Viejo junior varsity for one year. Thomas also runs the All-England Soccer Academy based in Southern California during the summer.

Simchowitz and Whitworth said Thomas has been the difference this season.

“It’s a different mentality this season,” said Simchowitz, who is being recruited by California, Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara. “We have a respect for the coach and we have a different level of commitment.”

Said Whitworth: “We weren’t organized last year. We knew we had some talent. We weren’t sure what to do with it. Andy has pulled us together.”

First, Thomas had to pull them apart.

He planned on implementing a short passing game, but he scrapped that after he saw how small Laguna Beach’s field was and how bunched together everyone was.

He switched to a long-ball style that requires Whitworth and the other forward to run down balls in the corner and cross the ball to the middle.

Whitworth, who is being recruited by Oklahoma, San Francisco and San Diego State, has a team-leading 13 goals--seven in league, four of them have been game-winners. Herbert has five league goals and junior goalkeeper Mike Labeda has five shutouts in league and has allowed only eight goals in open play (non penalty shots or free-kicks) all season.

Thomas said he’s not looking at this season as a fluke. He is playing four juniors and five sophomores regularly and is excited about the crop coming up in the American Youth Soccer Organization.

“Some of the 11- and 12-year-olds here are just as good as some of the younger ones in England,” Thomas said.

Now if he can just keep his team off the slopes before the Southern Section Division IV playoffs begin Friday, Laguna Beach might have a chance to win a section title.

“I hope all the snow melts this week,” he said. “That way, they won’t be tempted.”