In hindsight, the mistake was protecting Ali Krieger, who clearly had no interest in staying with the Freedom.
They picked up Ashlyn Harris My general feeling about Gabarra is that he's always been an excellent talent evaluator, but not so good at coaching them to play as a coherent unit. I think most of his success came from getting the right players, but they played to something less than their massive potential once on the pitch. Still, I applaud his years of service to the Freedom and really wish they could retain him as chief scout. So is Emma Hayes in line to rejoin the WPS coaching ranks? How about Gabarra's wife, is she still at Navy? Any other candidates?
How about Jen Grubb as a coach. She has coaching experience and now in the WPS as assistant for SBFC. It may be nice to have her back with the Freedom.
Good point. I joke that the Freedom are where world-class attacking midfielders go to die. Considering how Anne Makinen, Pu Wei, and Homare Sawa turned out, it's not that much of a joke. Carin is still at Navy. In fact, they live just north of Annapolis - Jim would sometimes grouse about the commute to the Soccerplex and kept hoping for a SSS to be built east of DC.
One thing about Emma Hayes. As much as I have questioned her decisions as coach of the CRS, if you guys are looking for a coach that is in the mold of Gabarra, someone who will eat, sleep, and work 24/7 for the Freedom, then Emma Hayes is your coach. When she was with the Red Stars she worked hard not just coaching the team but appearances, camps, etc. From what I understand, she was CRS 24/7. IMO, she will do the same in Washington. What kind of coaching decisions she will make, that you will have to find out.
Jen Grubb would also be a nice addition for two more reasons 1) She is a member of the Hall of Freedom and 2)A women head coach would set a great example.
I continue to be baffled by this line of reasoning. Choosing a highly qualified, experienced, coach would set a great example. Hiring someone with no previous experience is risky and could certainly be used to show you couldn't get said qualified person to take the job because of (fill in the blank) low pay, lack of confidence in the league, etc. Have Grubb & Hayes as assistants (one because of her potential, one for her experience), but hire a head coach with a track record of success at a serious level (i.e. college/pro). Don't be like Atlanta.
Grubb has experience as an assitant within WPS / Sky Blue FC and Hayes was formerly Head Coach of Chicago. Who would you suggest the Freedom go after seeing as most coaches with Head Coaching experience at a high level and a winning track record are already spoken for?
Grubb has one year as an assistant, Hayes was less than successful at CRS. That's experience? A start to a list (I tried for folks with local ties, but couldn't resist a couple of others) . . . Dave Nesbitt Joe Russo (maybe you could get him on sabbatical from TCNJ) Amanda Cromwell (current UCF coach) Shannon Cirovski Pat Farmer Keith Tabatznik Nikki Izzo-Brown (WVU) Scott Frey (Messiah) Danny Sanchez (Wyoming) I think it's naive to think all the good coaches are already somewhere else - isn't pro soccer supposed to be the top of the food chain? Make somebody an offer . . .
Why would any of those college coaches leave their post in exchange for low pay and an uncertian future within WPS?
I think there's an element of getting what you pay for - the better question is why wouldn't WPS offer competitive salaries for coaches? As far as I know, they do . . .
Does anyone have an idea of what the WPS coaches are paid? Seems like it would have to reasonably competitive with Women's D1 college salaries. There was some speculation on the College BS Board that the Ansons and Jerrys of the world make 130-160k base plus incentive and camp fees.
You're likely better connected to the coaching world than I am but I've always been under the impression that WPS was not offering the same level of salaries and working conditions as NCAA Div I schools (or top Div II, III). Even more so going forward as teams continue to try and slash costs to stay afloat. I also believe that until WPS proved a bit more stable (ie lasts more than 2 or 3 years) talented coaches are going to look at the college game first. NCAA gigs are too secure (relatively) and WPS viewed as too risky. I can't see any coach w/ a current NCAA gig voluntarily giving up that NCAA gig to take a WPS one. Are quality coaches on the men's side flocking to USL/NASL teams? Or are they more likely to stay in the NCAA (if they can't get MLS gigs)? I think it is the latter. Now, I do think, in the right situation, a relatively young (talented up & comer) coach that has only been an assistant (at a mid/high level NCAA team) or someone w/ high success in the club game that wants to make the next step would looks at WPS. But the club coach would be giving up pay.
Found this article today. On the women's side, a leading candidate could be right under the Freedom’s nose, as former U.S. women’s national team coach April Heinrichs still resides in the Washington area, and the word I’m getting is that she has expressed interest in replacing departed Jim Gabarra, who didn't take long to land on his feet at Sky Blue FC. Heinrichs was the U.S. coach from 2000-04, a position she inherited from after spending half a decade as the assistant to Tony DiCicco. After guiding the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and a third-place finish at the 2003 Women’s World Cup, Heinrichs finally got to the top of the podium in 2004 at the Athens Summer Olympics. Heinrichs spent 2006 as the head coach at the University of California, Irvine, but she has been out of coaching since. Another candidate’s named that I’ve heard is Terry Foley, who is currently the director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Independenc http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sports/blogs/penalty-kicks/Coaching-candidate-talk-104949909.html
I read this to. Seems like April is the front runner for the job. I would like to see Foley given a chance he did a fantastic job at philly.
Interesting. When the CRS and ATL jobs opened up I wondered if Heinrichs was interested in a return to head coaching. The write ups she's done about the U20 WWC (as a member of the technical committee) give indications that perhaps her coaching philosophy has changed as the game has changed. Aside from being where she lives, I am not sure WAS as the team that I see being the best fit for her--player personnel wise. If I were interviewing her, I'd ask serious questions about how her view of the game & coaching has evolved since circa 2003 and how she'd implement it. And if she has how shall I say this nicely... improved her player management skills so that all the returning players are on board Heinrichs could be a nice hire.