It’s hard to imagine a first-year coach, in any sport and at any level, having a more successful season than the one Charlie Naimo enjoyed as pilot of the Pali Blues Soccer Club. That’s why he’s the winner of this year’s Palisadian-Post Coach of the Year Award. From the moment he arrived in Pacific Palisades, Naimo took charge of every aspect of the team’s development, from public relations to recruitment to scheduling to team practice and, most importantly, to coaching on game day. Naimo pieced together a talented group of players, yes, but he also molded his squad into a cohesive unit capable of matching any opponents’ style. A prime example of Naimo’s innate ability to know what buttons to push and when was evident in his substitution patterns during the latter stages of the W-League championship game. The Blues trailed FC Indiana, 1-0, with less than 10 minutes left but rallied for two late goals to cap a perfect season. “We really struggled to make anything happen at the start of the second half, so I switched from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3 formation to try and get some energy up top,” Naimo said later. “Our depth was a huge reason why we won the game. Our bench gave us the energy we needed.” Fresh off leading the Blues to the W-League title in August, Naimo was named General Manager of the Los Angeles franchise in the new Women’s Professional Soccer league. The team begins play in the league’s inaugural season in April. Naimo will continue to coach the Blues even as he oversees soccer operations for the new pro team. “The two teams will absolutely be connected,” he said, referring to the link between the pro club and W-League side. “Our goal for the Pali Blues is to repeat as W-League champions, and we will continue to develop a strong presence in our local soccer community.”
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