Piotr Nowak

Piotr Nowak

Nowak speaking to the press.
Personal information
Full name	Piotr Nowak
Date of birth	July 5, 1964 (1964-07-05)
Place of birth	Pabianice, Poland
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Philadelphia Union (head coach)
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	1860 Munich	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–	Philadelphia Union
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Piotr Nowak (Polish pronunciation: [pʲɔtr ˈnɔvak], English: /ˈpiːtər ˈnoʊvæk/; born July 5, 1964 in Pabianice) is a Polish former professional soccer player. He is currently 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, and former head coach of United States U-23 men's national soccer team.

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 FC Kaiserslautern. After that, Nowak moved to 1860 Munich, 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 December 20, 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, which competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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

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.

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.

Statistics

Manager

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	L	D	Win %
D.C. United	2004	2006	94	42	27	25	44.68
United States U-23	2007	2009
Philadelphia Union	2010	Present	63	19	23	21	30.16
Total			157	61	50	46	38.85

Updated on October 20, 2011.

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 current MLS coaches

External links

• Profile at TFF.org