Role Revival
After five seasons and a trio of titles with the Galaxy, Peter Vagenas looked set to move on. The former UCLA player from Pasadena was hotly rumored to be heading north, to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Galaxy Coach Steve Sampson soon put an end to such notions.
“For me, it was very important to keep Pete here, and it wasn’t easy,” he said. “There were a lot of clubs that were interested in him. It isn’t just the things that he can do on the field, but his leadership off the field that I value.”
So much so that Sampson appointed Vagenas, 27, team captain.
“I think he has the enormous respect of the players, he has the respect of the staff and he has the unique ability to link the two in a very mature way,” Sampson said.
There was more to Sampson’s plan than a simple leadership change. He also wanted Vagenas, long a defensive standout, to become an offensive threat as well.
“He was sure I could do the defensive side, but I think he saw something a little more,” said Vagenas, with the team for titles in the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the 2001 U.S. Open Cup and the 2002 MLS Cup. “He challenged me to add to my game on the other side of the ball and try to become the most complete midfielder I can be.
“It was a hard transition. I fought it, instinctively at first, and still do, I think, because it’s so ingrained, I’ve been doing the same thing for so long. Even in practice I get yelled at all the time for not [getting more involved in the offense].
“It’s not that I don’t want to do it, but consciously it’s just not one of my first thoughts.”
The transition is working, though. The Galaxy has won four in a row and Vagenas, who had only one goal in the last three seasons, already has scored twice in helping the Galaxy to a 4-1 start. He still finds that difficult to fathom.
“Goals, for me, is a new thing in this league,” he said. “Obviously, they’re exciting to score. It’s a whole side [of the game] that I’ve never seen. But by no means do I step on the field now and think that my priority is to score goals. That’s the furthest thing from my mind.”
Sampson said having Vagenas as a deep-lying threat was exactly what he was seeking.
“I wanted that because in looking at the league, every team that has been successful has had central midfielders who have been able to score goals, to get in behind defenses,” he said.
“I still think Pete has a lot more to offer.... I think he can be even more dynamic, but he’s well on the way to achieving all of those things I’m asking him to do. He’s gaining weight, he’s getting stronger ... he’s becoming much more of a physical player, and he’s scoring goals now.”
One reason is because Vagenas’ partner in central midfield, Brazilian Paulo Nagamura, is picking up the defensive slack when Vagenas moves forward.
“He’s willing to do all the dirty work,” Sampson said of Nagamura.
As for the captaincy, Vagenas said it came as a surprise.
“For me, it was an honor more than anything,” he said, adding that following in a line of former captains such as Dan Calichman, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Alexi Lalas, Kevin Hartman and Cobi Jones was “the greatest thing. Just to be part of that lineage.
“They joke with me all the time because now I’m stuck with some of the things they used to have to do. I’m the guy who has to butt heads with the coach on behalf of the team.”
The changes all might add up to Vagenas once again catching the eye of U.S. national team Coach Bruce Arena.
“As long as this team has done well, he’s given players on this team opportunities,” Vagenas said. “So I think my main goal is to make sure that this team is at the top of the table or as close to it as possible. Bruce has been fair enough that I think opportunities will come.”
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Vagenas’ record
Peter Vagenas’ year-by-year statistics with the Galaxy:
*--* Season Games G A Pts 2000 16 3 1 7 2001 26 3 3 9 2002 17 0 3 3 2003 20 0 0 0 2004 12 0 1 1 2005 5 2 0 6
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Source: mlsnet.com
