Piotr Nowak

Piotr Nowak

Nowak speaking to the press.
Personal information
Full name	Piotr Nowak
Date of birth	(1964-07-05) 5 July 1964
Place of birth	Pabianice, Poland
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1979–1983	Włókniarz Pabianice
1983–1984	GKS Bełchatów
1984–1985	Zawisza Bydgoszcz
1985–1986	Widzew Łódź	10	(2)
1987–1990	Zawisza Bydgoszcz	30	(9)
1990–1992	Bakırköyspor	54	(16)
1992–1993	BSC Young Boys	42	(4)
1993–1994	Dynamo Dresden	23	(2)
1994–1998	TSV 1860 München	93	(15)
1998–2002	Chicago Fire	114	(26)
National team
1990–1998	Poland	24	(3)
Teams managed
2004–2006	D.C. United
2007–2009	United States U-23
2007–2009	United States (assistant)
2010–2012	Philadelphia Union
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Piotr Nowak (/ˈpiːtər ˈnoʊvæk/; Polish pronunciation: [pʲɔtr ˈnɔvak]; born 5 July 1964 in Pabianice) is a Polish former professional soccer player. He was most recently the head coach of the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.

Nowak enjoyed a successful playing career in Europe, playing for Polish clubs such as Zawisza Bydgoszcz and Widzew Łódź, before going on to play in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany. He was voted one of the best players in the Bundesliga for the 1995–96 season while playing with 1860 Munich. He moved to the United States in 1998 and played four years with Chicago Fire.

Nowak was also an important member of the Poland national football team throughout the 1990s, earning 24 caps, serving as national captain for several years, and being voted Polish Player of the Year in 1996.

As a coach, he is a former assistant coach of the United States men's national soccer team under Bob Bradley, former head coach of United States U-23 men's national soccer team, and former head coach of the Philadelphia Union of MLS.

Playing career

Club

Nowak began playing professional football at the age of 15, when he debuted in 1979 for Włókniarz Pabianice in his native Poland, with whom he played his first four years. Nowak would go on to play for Zawisza Bydgoszcz, Motor Lublin, and Widzew Łódź before leaving Poland for Bakırköyspor of the Turkish first division in 1990. Nowak then played for Young Boys Berne of Switzerland and Dynamo Dresden before moving to the Bundesliga in 1994 by signing with 1. FC Kaiserslautern. After that, Nowak moved to TSV 1860 München, where he would play until 1998, and with whom he was voted the best playmaker of the Bundesliga for the 1995–96 season, as well as Polish player of the year in 1996.

In 1998, Nowak moved to the United States to play in Major League Soccer for the Chicago Fire. In their inaugural season, Nowak led the Fire to a victory in the MLS Cup, and was soon recognized as one of the best players in the league. He also led the Fire to two US Open Cup victories, playing 114 league games for the team, registering 26 goals and 46 assists. Nowak played with the Fire until 2002, when, due to salary cap constraints, he was traded to the New England Revolution, which immediately spurred his retirement.

International

Nowak was also an important player for the Polish national team, which he captained for three years, and for whom he played 24 games and scored three goals.

Coaching career

After a year off, Nowak was appointed as head coach of D.C. United starting in the 2004 season. He quickly pulled the team together and led D.C. to their fourth MLS Cup.

On 20 December 2006, the Washington Post reported that Nowak would be leaving United to act as assistant to Bob Bradley with the United States Men's national team, and the Under-23 Men's national team,^[1] which competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

On 28 May 2009, Nowak resigned from his position with the United States Men's National Team.^[2] Subsequently, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Nowak would be the first head coach of the MLS' Philadelphia Union when it begins play in 2010.^[3] On Friday, 29 May 2009, Nowak was introduced to the Philadelphia media.

Nowak was fired by the Union on 13 June 2012 after a series of controversial moves including the trade of the Union's leading goal scorer, Sebastian Le Toux, captain Danny Califf, and number one draft pick Danny Mwanga. Before he was fired, Nowak had presided over the Union's worst season to date, posting a 2–7–2 record.^[4] The official reasoning behind the firing was revealed in July 2012 when Nowak filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the team. Union officials claimed that Nowak had breached League rules relating to collective bargaining agreements, negligence in managing the health and welfare of players during practices and games, and breaches of team rules, including "orally berating and physically intimidating fellow employees."^[5] One source has said Nowak may have actually profited from these player transactions.

Honors

In 2003, Nowak was named the first member of the Ring of Fire, the highest honor the Chicago Fire bestows, and his name and number 10 are displayed high at midfield at their stadium, Toyota Park. In 2005, Nowak was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI. In 2012, Nowak was honored at a halftime celebration of the Fire's 15th season with other Fire greats.

For his contribution to promotion of Poland abroad and achievements as a coach, he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 2005.^[6]

Statistics

Manager

Updated on 27 May 2012.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	6 May 1990	Soldier Field, Chicago, USA	Costa Rica	2–0	Win	Friendly
2.	25 April 1995	Górnik Zabrze Stadium, Zabrze, Poland	Israel	4–3	Win	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
3.	7 June 1995	Górnik Zabrze Stadium, Zabrze, Poland	Slovakia	5–0	Win	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
Correct as of 11 October 2010

See also

• List of MLS coaches

References

External links

• Profile at TFF.org

v t e United States men's football squad – 2008 Summer Olympics 1 Seitz 2 Wynne 3 Orozco 4 Bradley 5 McCarty 6 Edu 7 Holden 8 Szetela 9 Davies 10 Feilhaber 11 Adu 12 Altidore 13 Ianni 14 Rogers 15 Parkhurst 16 Kljestan 17 McBride 18 Guzan Coach: Nowak