Union's Nowak blames 'communications' issue with Califf

THE CHORUS of a very popular Led Zeppelin song goes like this: "Communication breakdown, it's always the same. I'm having a nervous breakdown, drive me insane!"

Of course, in this instance the band was speaking in reference to a woman. But these same lines can apply to the behind-closed-doors shenanigans that led to Union captain Danny Califf's missing only his fourth-ever match on Sunday. Califf was sidelined for what manager Peter Nowak later described as slow progress from Dec. 6 knee surgery, but the captain had no idea that was the underlying factor in his benching.

In fact, following the Union 2-1 loss to Colorado in the home opener Sunday, Califf told reporters blankly, "Oh, I guess I have a knee injury."

In his weekly news conference Wednesday at PPL Park, Nowak - as only Nowak can - acknowledged that perhaps he wasn't clear with his captain and offered a mea culpa of sorts.

"We did have a conversation, and it was very helpful and humble," Nowak said. "Communication is very important on both sides, and I acknowledge that. Not just for me, but for every coach. With that said, as a coach, you have to make a decision on who is playing, and that's what happened here."

From what Nowak said, Califf is unlikely to start Saturday in Chicago, as the strength and conditioning staff is still working to get him up to game speed, which he did not have in the season opener against Portland.

"We are trying to prepare Danny not only for this week, but for the next 32 weeks," Nowak said. "I think he understands that."

Meanwhile, a communications issue that wasn't Nowak's fault was Tuesday's call-up of defender Sheanon Williams to the U.S. under-23 national team ahead of Olympic qualifying matches beginning Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. Williams replaced Josh Gatt, who was recalled by his club team in Norway.

"Everybody was caught by surprise," said Nowak, who coached the U.S. Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. "I communicated to [current U.S. U-23 coach Caleb Porter] at the end of our January camp and right up to our game in Portland, and was told they had a better option. We had no indication he'd be leaving for camp. This is a drastic change, not just for the player, but for our team. He wasn't with the Olympic team for 10 days. It's all about communicating, and it wasn't there. We still have a couple of days to get ready with preparation and I am confident in our group."

Nowak said it's not out of the question that Raymon Gaddis will make his debut, given the loss of Williams, who could miss as many as three matches because of qualifying. Although Gaddis is a rookie, it's not his skills that concern Nowak.

"He's doing well in training. He's making great progress," Nowak said. "The speed of the game [mentally] and the tactical part is still what he's working on. He's a tough defender. He can run the line very well, but sometimes things can get fast, and we don't know how he'll respond."

Additionally, Nowak revealed that Gabriel Farfan, who played left fullback last season, suffered a minor injury in practice Friday and is questionable for this weekend.

Contact Kerith Gabriel at gabrielk@phillynews.com.