New England Revolution assistant coach Richie Williams was placed in an awkward position he never bargained for but is confident in his ability to oversee the task at hand.
Williams, 51, will be the club’s field manager of record when the Revolution host LIGA MX entrant Atlas FC in the Leagues Cup tournament round of 32 match on Thursday night (8) at Gillette Stadium.
Williams, who is in his fifth season as an assistant, became the interim head coach on Tuesday when the Revolution placed Bruce Arena on indefinite administrative. The action was in response to an ongoing investigation conducted by Major League Soccer regarding allegations that Arena made “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.”
“We are all professionals and we do this for a living, players and coaches and everybody in the building,” said Williams. “We just want to approach this like we approach it every day and being good pros.
“We have been doing a lot of the same things we’ve always done and had success with over the years. They will be ready to go and there won’t be a super amount of change. We just need to focus on ourselves and concentrate on ourselves. If we do that, everything will take care of itself and we will do well.”
Revolution team captain and 2021 league MVP Carles Gil extended a show of support for Arena while expressing his confidence in Williams’ ability to manage the game.
When asked if he had ever heard Arena utter insensitive or inappropriate remarks, Gil simply replied “no.” Gill has the pulse of the team both on and off the pitch and will be Williams’ conduit throughout the match.
“With Richie, it is very good with him through the five years and everybody knows him,” said Gil. “Richie knows everyone and this is a very difficult situation for him because its was (something) that happened very quick.
“He is doing a very good job and we are with him and he is with us. We will try to make it work (Thursday night) on the pitch.”
The MSL transfer window opened on July 5 and rumors are circulating that All-Star goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, a member of the Sebian National Team, may be headed to Europe. Petrovic had limited participation in practice this week but was with the team on Wednesday. Williams would not say if Petrovic will be in goal against Atlas.
“We are going through some things with Djordje right now that we are trying to sort out,” said Williams. “It is ongoing with Djordje right now and he did participate in some of the training so we will see what happens.
“We still have to make our decision on the (Starting XI) team, we haven’t given out the lineup yet.”
The Revolution’s go-to guy in the opening round matches was forward Giacomo Vrioni, a 24-year-old designated international player from San Severino Marche, Italy. Vrioni netted the first Leagues Cup hat trick in the Revolution’s 5-1 victory over Atletico San Luis on July 26 at Gillette Stadium.
Vrioni has scored eight goals across all competitions this season, with tallies in the last four games. Vrioni and striker Gustavo Bou have become fixtures at the Revolution’s front end with Gil controlling the flow from the center midfield. Bou, a designated international player from Argentina, had a goal and two helpers against Atletico.
“I think early he had a difficult start with us because of some injuries trying to be with us quick,” said Gil. “But obviously with us now every one can see he is feeling good and we are very happy with him for the goals he has scored.”