WHEN asked what coach had the most influence on him during his many years spent on soccer pitches around the world, West Vancouver native Mark Watson is quick with an answer: Frank Yallop.
There'll be a lot of Frank Yallop - another Lower Mainland guy who played for many years with Watson on the Canadian national team - in Watson's style when he stands on the sidelines as a professional soccer head coach for the first time ever this weekend, guiding the San Jose Earthquakes in an MLS matchup against the visiting Colorado Rapids.
"He was very influential, he's a great coach, he taught me a lot about dealing with the team, dealing with the players, getting the most out of the group," Watson said about the man who brought him on as an assistant a couple of times, once with the Canadian national team and again with the Earthquakes. "You're a product of all of your environments. You may take more out of certain coaches and I will take a lot out of Frank because he was very successful."
Yallop, in fact, put together such a strong season in 2012 that he was named the MLS coach of the year. That's why it was such a shock when Yallop and the Earthquakes "mutually agreed" to part ways last week after San Jose started the 2013 season with a 3-6-6 record that put them near the bottom of the Western Conference.
You can include Watson, who was promoted from his assistant coaching position to interim head coach, among the many shocked observers.
"I think everyone was really surprised," he said. "I know it hasn't been the season we were hoping for to date but I think it came as a real shock to everyone."
When the North Shore News caught up with Watson on Wednesday the shock had subsided and the reality of the task at hand had settled in.
"There's two sides," he said. "Obviously it was a tough situation initially. Frank had been here a long time, I've been his assistant for a long time. It was a tough situation to see him go but it's the nature of the business. I've been given the job, I'm thankful that they had the confidence in me to do that and I'm focused on the job at hand."
Watson talked about another influential coach in his life - his father Keith, who played for the University of British Columbia and was Mark's first coach with the West Vancouver Soccer Club.
"He was my coach for a long time with the West Van Spuraways," said Watson. "A lot of great memories. I remember it being a big thing at the time. Youth soccer was really big, my team was my group of friends. We worked together twice a week for training and then games and tournaments. It was a great experience and I still have friendships from those days."
Watson graduated from Sentinel secondary and, according to his bio on the West Vancouver Soccer Club's website, was actually more interested in basketball at the time - he went to Capilano College to play hoops. Still a soccer star as well though, Watson was picked for a B.C. provincial team that toured China. That stint
got him some national attention and he was selected for Canada's under-23 national team, the beautiful game slowly boxing out basketball as his No. 1 sport.
A professional soccer career followed with stops across the globe, including teams in England and Sweden as well as several squads in several leagues across the United States and Canada. Meanwhile Watson carved a permanent spot in the starting lineup of the national team, playing in 78 games as a defender. He is currently the third-most capped player in team history.
While his playing career was winding down Watson began coaching with the Canadian Olympic (under-23) team and after retirement Watson became an assistant with the Charleston Battery before reuniting with Yallop in San Jose in 2010.
Now for the first time in his career he'll take the first chair as a head coach. The 42-year-old said he's ready for it.
"I've been involved in the game a long time, I've been coaching for quite a while now and I've been able to learn from a lot of great coaches. I've spent a lot of time on the training field dealing with players, preparing the team for games. I think I'm ready to go."
Watson for the time being is labeled the "interim" head coach so there are no guarantees beyond this season. That suits him just fine though, he said - all he's thinking about is the next match.
"My job is to get this club back on the right track. We have a good team, we had a fantastic season last year and we've got really the same group together. We've dealt with a lot of adversity this year, a lot of injuries and suspensions and different things, but my job is solely focused on helping the team prepare for primarily Saturday but then the rest of the season, getting some wins and getting into the playoffs."
While Watson's future is full of both questions and promise, he still is able to take a moment to look back at the past and marvel at all that the game has given him up to this point.
"It's been incredible," he said. "As a younger guy you maybe don't think about it too much at the time but looking back now I had some incredible experiences, went to some great places, played in a lot of different countries both for Canada and professionally. I was very fortunate in that regard. I think the one thing that did catch me early on was just the passion of the game around the world. The game is definitely passionate in North America but it's still growing. I think some of the other cultures of the world you're amazed at how important the game is to the people. It's such a big part of their culture. To go to some of the stadiums and see the fans and speak to the people there and know just how much the game means to them was a real eye-opening experience."
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Watson and the Earthquakes will make one more appearance in Vancouver this season for an Aug. 10 game against the Whitecaps at BC Place.
