I'm a little let down, not surprisingly this feels like a lot of people's second choice for the position behind Fraser. In a year of second place it's only fitting that we went with Cassar.
He's not the sexy pick, but I bet he came cheap. I guess this means Cassar doesn't hate working for DLH?
As much as a lot of you seem to not be excited by this choice. Fact is Cassar has A LOT more expirience than Kries did when he started. Cassar knows the system, Kries had to start from scratch. Cassar already has the respect of the club and it's players. This wasn't a "sexy" choice, but I'm confident it was the right choice. RSL wasn't the only team considering offering him a Head Coaching position either if rumor here in Dallas was true. He's had time to develop himself under Kries, and won't be thrown into anything unexpected. High salary coaches don't ensure on field success. Sometimes the best guy is in house, and cheaper. Happens at my job too. Great pick, in Garth we Trust!
I know. I figured if it was going to be Fraser it would have been announced sooner. Although Cassar has been down in Arizona for the Combine so maybe that was holding it up and Cassar was the #1 choice.
"Cassar is a Maltese surname. "There are various possible origins of the surname. "It may be traced back to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, incorporating the island of Sicily itself, the area around Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. The surname Cassar may have derived from the given name "Cesare," and further back from the Roman family name "Caesar." In Classical antiquity, the name "Caesar" was associated by folk etymology with the Latin word "caesaries" (meaning head of hair). The Maltese Cassar coat of arms has the Latin word "SPES" (meaning "hope") inscribed on it." Jeff brings HOPE to the team! Hail Caesar! EDIT - source Wikipedia
Super underwhelmed... Not surprised by any means, but certainly not excited for this. How fitting for our club these days. It was the safe choice. Likely the second choice. The "comfortable" choice. DLH isn't exactly putting anything on the line here. Not like there was an amazing group of available coaches to select from... and going with a known quantity has its benefits... I'm just not impressed by any stretch. /wetblanket
Interesting: Chris Kamrani @chriskamrani17m Manning on Cassar hire: "We believe the talent on this team is still very, very good. We did not want to upset the apple cart too much. I guess it depends on what your definition of "too much" is, but IMO the apple cart needed to be shaken a little bit in terms of bringing on fresh blood. I still think Fraser would have been the better choice, even if it meant more money. Yes, Cassar is well versed in the Kreis ways and the RSL philosophy, but Fraser' experience outside RSL in different situations (both positive and negative) is far more valuable in my humble opinion. I would rather have a coach who has failed and then gone on to another franchise and helped them succeed than a coach who has just been sitting behind the messiah for a few years and never really experienced true failure (outside losing multiple championships). Guess we just have to trust the ones making the decisions. Chris Kamrani @chriskamrani22m Bill Manning: "[Cassar] had a plan that he presented to us to keep team operating efficiently and competing at a championship level." #RSL Hopefully his plan is to not come in second in everything we do over the next few years.
How much of this was DLH's choice though? Garth and Manning were very involved in this decision, and they have both been very good at what they do since they've come to RSL... Isnt it possible that Cassar WAS the best option?
Interesting question. I think he just might be for the moment at least. How much did the feelings of the players play into this? Did the core of the team Beckerman, Rimando, Javi, etc play a role in making the decision or at least helping? Garth said they believe they have a two year window with the team as currently constituted. I think that's the same size as the opportunity for Cassar. Win now or go home.
And I hope he was based upon the interview, the ideas presented by the candidates, the road map they showed they will use to keep RSL successful, and the intangibles that they brought to the table. But just being on the outside looking in, it's hard for me to believe that Fraser was not the better choice.
How shitty is it going to be in 4.5 years when Klinnsman steps down from the USMNT and Kreis is hired as head coach...followed quickly by his hiring of Cassar to the staff, leaving RSL again to search for a new head coach thanks to Kreis.
You could be right but on one hand Fraser gets a pass because it was Chivas and on the other he gets all the credit for getting NY the SS but no blame for flaming out of the playoffs against Houston. Maybe Jeff did a much better job in wanting the job. Only time will tell. We've had worse.
One of the coaches coalition meetings I went to was with Cassar (the final one was with Kreis - I believe I posted that previously) and I just didn't get the impression that he was head coach material. Now, maybe that will change when he isn't taking orders but is instead running the show. But I'm not excited by this at all. I was really hopeful we could make a move to get Fraser at the least and maybe even draw Bob Bradley to the helm. That said, I'm not overly disappointed with the signing, either. It makes sense and it truly promotes what RSL wants - that this is a family. One member leaves, another member, already part of it previously, takes his place. One thing I would love to see Cassar change/challenge is the teams lack of width. But it sounds like the diamond is here to stay.
My guess would be as good as yours--which is...just a guess. Comfort Cassar was the path of least resistance. The easiest route. The closer metric. Certainly not a bold move.