Tim Hanley is a highly respected goal keeper coach based in the Bay Area. His career spans over three decades in professional soccer, particularly in Major League Soccer, (MLS). A few interesting aspects of his career and coaching philosophy include:

• Began coaching goal keepers in 1997 at a time when specialized goal keeping was still rare.
• Was part of 4, MLS Cup winning teams. (2001, 2003, 2006).
• Participated on the coaching staff of 6, MLS Cup finals and multiple U.S. Open Cup Finals.
• He believes goal keeping success is 30% physical and 70% mental. 
• His focus in training is on decision making under pressure, emotional management, and developing confidence and resilience.
• He is known for his adaptable coaching style and ability to tailor his approach to the
• personality needs of each goal keeper. 
• Over several years he has built his career working with MLS teams including, San Jose Earthquakes,
• Houston Dynamo, L.A. Galaxy, Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union.

While athletes often stand in the spotlight, the journeys of coaches remain mostly invisible, yet their influence is deeply embedded in every athletes success. I took the opportunity to connect with Tim and ask a few questions. 

SZ: Do you have a top three most memorable moments so far in your long coaching career? If so what made the moments so memorable to you personally?

TH: There is nothing that can match the development of a young player and watching them grow into a wonderful adult that quite possibly, you as a coach influenced. So with the youth teams, and Stanford and still having positive relationships with the players as they have cool adventures and jobs and families etc. This the ultimate.

However narrowing experiences down to moment(s), and not necessarily in this order; 2001 San Jose Earthquakes. In 2000 the worst team in the league and then in 2001, Frank Yallop, Dominic Kinnear and I took over the coaching. This was a rag tag group that went against all odds and won the MLS Cup. The context is always what makes anything special in my opinion. I was having a challenging year on a personal level. My life was a mess and sad, and then  September 9/11 happened. Our season was dramatically affected as we all were, but winning a Championship is what one must do in professional sport and this was the first one for me.

A second memorable moment that comes to mind was the 2007 LA Galaxy-David Beckham experience which was really beyond the imagination. Every coaches dream I supposed.

But the 2020 Columbus Crew MLS Cup Championship season was the most challenging day to day coaching experience I have ever been involved in. A match in Seattle in the first or second week of March when Seattle was the Covid epicenter; season suspended following our match, to the “MLS is Back” tournament in Orlando, we called the “Bubble,” sitting in a hotel room for six weeks….George Floyd…there was a lot. Winning that Championship in the training and match challenging environment was the most difficult coaching I have ever experienced. I remember just being relieved that the season was over. This was also the first time I noticed that I was actually more happy for everyone in the room that had never won anything than I was for myself. I had won three MLS Cups by this time and watching the players and coaches celebrate was absolutely the greatest.

Third memorable moment, 2015, I came “home: to work with the San Jose Earthquakes again. In 2016 we hosted the MLS All Star Game, that in itself wasn’t a big deal as I had coached in three previous All Star Games before. When I had returned “home” my younger brother was a year into a battle with cancer and by 2016 it wasn’t going well. I was trying to do my job, working with the GK’s, and I am trying to focus. During that time I received a 2a.m. call and am rushing on my motorcycle from a hotel in SJ to my brothers house. He passed away that day. As I reflect on that moment of time my coaching changed. I had always been intentionally very casual in my approach, keeping the whole “pro sports-entertainment” in perspective. I think I kept that and maybe became an even better mentor to “my” keepers. 

SZ: What are some of the biggest changes and challenges as a GKC in recent years? Ex:

Player/coach relationships and acquiring the mental skills to consistently perform at a professional level.

TH: I think technology in and of itself has created the biggest change. We are provided with a tremendous amount of review data, via video, and statistical analysis. I now see GKC hires based on presentations. As the salaries have grown the player profiles have changed in some respects. We have a number of expensive “seasoned” international GK’s coming over; and getting the right amount of “by in” and work can be a challenge. 

Professional GKC’s have a very different player coach relationship as we are off to the other end of the pitch to start our work. We have the opportunity to work as a group and take care of each other in a more personal manner than the 1-10 coach field player ratio. I have three to four guys everyday. It is the best as it allows me to teach.

The more in tune I am with each GK it helps me evaluate what can assist them in any given moment. I worked with one really good GK that would get so worked up in his match warm up that I would distract him by asking how his wife and kids were and what they were up to. He would just laugh after answering. He knew what I was doing, “come back, come back.” 

SZ: When a GK makes as error in a potentially pivotal point in a game – not fatal, during training do you work out methods to help GK mentally let go of the last moment and connect fully on the present? If so what are some examples. 

TH: This is easier with the professionals. They know every season there will be two or three real exposures. Embarrassment is part of the landscape. My message has always been, “Well good we got that out of the way, it is going to happen and happens at every level.” This is done with humor. What I do not allow is shifting blame.

During a match if I have a chance for a teachable moment, say halftime; I can talk with my GK and let him know that the team will do everything they can to pick up for the GK that made the error. Encourage him to “let it go” as we can’t have him carrying the past with him for the next 45 min. 

When I work with youth level players, working on embarrassing moments is a part of our training. I will embarrass a GK intentionally, without malice, in order to illicit the right reaction. Over time this works.

SZ: With a rigorous schedule of training and travel what have you found useful for self care to remain motivated year after year?

TH: As far as my self-care during the less than glamorous training-travel-match-recovery-training…I have always relied on the same tools, every morning, coffee, meditate-some sun and stretch. I use a journal everyday. I do not watch TV, and when I leave the facility I remove myself from my work as much as possible. 

SZ: Tim thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your experiences and thoughts.

*Featured guests are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro.

Quakes/Wizards