Meet Adam Waterson: LA Galaxy's own Aussie secret weapon

Adam Waterson has already won the AFC Champions League, and he’s now got his sights set on an MLS Cup title with American giants LA Galaxy.

Could Waterson be the best Aussie in football you’ve never heard of? Perhaps that’s because he’s a strength and conditioning coach.

And to be fair to the man known almost universally as Ads, he’s already pretty well known.

That’s because when the Western Sydney Wanderers won the AFC Champions League in 2014, they did so as arguably the fittest team in Asia – thanks largely to Waterson.

It was enough to make plenty of sides in Asia take notice, including FC Seoul, and Waterson soon found himself headed to the South Korean capital to work for one of the K League’s biggest clubs.

When things didn’t necessarily go as planned, Waterson found himself back in Australia and itching for an opportunity to get back into professional football.

Enter LA Galaxy.

“The move over came about when I saw the job advertised online,” Waterson told me. “I spoke with a few friends who had worked in the MLS in various roles and they all spoke highly of the league, so I applied.

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“I had numerous interviews with the club and eventually was offered the Head of Strength and Conditioning role, and started in early January.”

And it’s been a case of so far so good for a trainer now working with players like Ashley Cole, Giovani dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini.

“My early impressions of the MLS have been excellent,” says Waterson.

“Firstly, the training facilities at the Stubhub are class. Everything is right there in the same precinct. We have access to top quality pitches, gym facilities, recovery facilities and eat meals together in the players room. The players are really well looked after by the Galaxy.”

And for a club synonymous with David Beckham and that regularly plays in front of big crowds at their purpose-built Stubhub Center, perhaps it’s no surprise that no expense is spared for a side chasing a record sixth MLS Cup.

“A big difference from the A-League is the investment in the back room performance staff,” reckons Waterson.

“Our performance team at the Galaxy is led by High Performance Manager Pierre Barrieu, (and we have) a sports scientist, strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist all assisting in the day to day management of the group.

“The club also has an exceptional coaching staff led by Sigi Schmid.”

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Waterson’s cause was probably helped by the fact Tim Cahill blazed a trail for Aussies in the MLS, although there’s another slightly more unfamiliar name who’s enjoyed a successful coaching career in the States – Chris Sharpe.

The former goalkeeper has long been settled in Denver with his American-born wife Nicole, and Sharpe has been on the full-time coaching staff at Colorado Rapids since 2014, after arriving at the Rapids as a player in 2008.

Sharpe also spent some time at LA Galaxy, and he once told me he thinks the MLS will soon become one of the top leagues in world football.

“MLS has changed immensely. My first year in the league was Beckham’s first season, and fortunately for me when I came to the MLS in 2008 my first club was LA Galaxy for the whole pre-season, “Sharpe said.

“At the end of pre-season, Colorado offered me a something that was more appealing to me, so I ended up here.”

“I think first and foremost the money that the owners are now looking to spend on their clubs is becoming more enticing, which I think is separating the MLS from the A-League” he added.

It’s a sentiment mirrored by Waterson, who says the foreign talent on display in the MLS has helped take the league to another level.

You wouldn’t put it past coaches like Waterson and Sharpe one day returning to Australia and helping out with the development of the A-League and the Socceroos.

For now, though, the pair are busy making it big in America.