Brian Bliss says he hopes to bring stability and a hands-on approach to the Chicago Fire after stepping in for the sacked Frank Yallop.
The interim manager had been the Fire's technical director, but all that changed on Sunday when the team parted ways with Yallop and hired Major League Soccer executive Nelson Rodriguez as general manager.
Bliss hopes to draw on his experience as interim manager of the Columbus Crew as he takes the reins for the remainder of the 2015 MLS season. The former U.S. national team player managed the Crew for eight games at the end of the 2013 season.
"Obviously you're looking to stabilize," Bliss said in a story on MLSSoccer.com. "It was the same thing in Columbus, I've been in this position before.
"I'm just looking to get a little bit more direction, a little more stability, [to] try to focus on the next five games and getting a way, a style and an atmosphere generated that can hopefully project some wins.
"There's no magic wand at this point, but there's a formula to how I work and I believe it will breed some success."
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The Fire have had a terrible 2015 season and are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference and have the worst record in the league. Bliss spoke to reporters after overseeing his first training session on Monday alongside assistant coach and Fire vice president Logan Pause.
"I'm more hands on," Bliss said. "I like to get right in the middle of it. I think they need to hear my voice to be able to play as an extension of how I want them to play. That's just my style and how I coach, it doesn't matter if it's the first or the last day on the job, that's how I work."
Veteran goalkeeper Jon Busch was upbeat about the change in coaches and said players will always know where they stand with the new boss.
"Blissy is very detail oriented, very structured," Busch said. "He has a passion for the game, he wants to play. It's going to be a bit more up-tempo game with him, but he's honest as well.
"Good or bad, he's going to be honest with every player and that's something I like with my coach. Whether you like what he's telling you or not, as long as he's honest with you, you can respect that. I think it's going to be a good thing."
The interim boss said he knows the rest of the season will serve as an audition for him to show Rodriguez what he is capable of, but added he wasn't focused on next season at this point.
"It's at the owner's discretion," Bliss said about his future. "I'm here to try to help the club and move us forward in these next five games. If they think that I'm doing a good enough job and if they want to talk about a future role in this position I'm open to it.
"I've always said that I'm comfortable in either role, coaching or as a technical director. I've spent more time over my career in the locker room and on a field than I have in an office and I still think that's where my skill set lies."