Storylines is feeling a bit nostalgic this week as Gaff’s former team comes to town. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how MNUFC’s leading man came to the Twin Cities and what stops he made along the way.
European Beginnings
For many former players-turned-managers, the transition to the sidelines comes after a well-earned rest. For Adrian Heath, the two sides of the game briefly coincided during his second stint at Burnley. During the 1996-97 season, Heath took charge as a player-manager, leading his side to a ninth-place finish in the second division.
Though that season marked the end of his playing career, his managerial journey was just beginning. After some time coaching Sunderland’s reserve team, Inchy was appointed as Sheffield United manager in 1999. He left the club after five months, rejoining his former Everton teammate, Peter Reid, at Leeds United. Heath later followed Reid to Coventry City, where he served as caretaker manager in both 2005 and 2007 while the club looked for permanent replacements.
Coming to America
Much like Prince Akeem and Neil Diamond before him, Gaff took his managerial talents stateside in 2008 when he took charge of the Austin Aztex. When he arrived in Texas, the team was playing in the USL First Division, a league that later gave way to the USL as we know it today. When the club relocated to Orlando in 2010, they took their manager with them.
Life in O-town was kind to Inchy, seeing the manager win the USL title in 2011 and 2013 as well as USL Coach of the Year honors in two consecutive seasons. He oversaw the team’s transition from USL to MLS, officially becoming a Major League Soccer coach in 2015.
After a whirlwind nine seasons with the organization that was once the Aztecs, Heath said goodbye to warm weather and traded purple and gold for black and blue in 2017. For the second time, he helped bring a new team into Major League Soccer, guiding Minnesota United through the transition and beyond.
Heath remains the only person to manage during MNUFC’s time in Major League Soccer. Now in his seventh season with the club, the Englishman has instilled a high level of consistency in the organization, leading the team to the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. The squad’s best finish under his leadership so far was a run to the 2020 Western Conference Final, where they narrowly lost to the Seattle Sounders.
Worlds Collide
Saturday’s game will pit two clubs molded by Adrian Heath’s influence against one another. For Orlando, he ushered in an era of success that helped catapult them to the top tier of American soccer. For the Loons, his instruction and guidance have shaped the foundation of the club’s Major League Soccer identity. No matter how you slice it, he has been an integral piece in the development of both markets.
While he’s always a focused and passionate presence on the touchline, hopefully Gaff can take a moment to step back and appreciate what is unfolding in front of him this weekend: two teams he molded, thriving on the biggest stage this nation has to offer. After the Loons are up a couple of goals, of course.
MATCH INFO
Minnesota United FC vs. Orlando City SC
Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota
04.15.2023 | MLS Game #7
7:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass, 1500 ESPN)
