Interim Coach??

[bshredder]

Looks like we are going to play games in the fall with an Interim coach. Is this a good idea?? I don't think so. Too often interim coaches eventually get hired full time and more often then not, they are the wrong person for the job. Isn't that how Sampson got hired in the first place.


http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=375834&root=us&cc=5901

[Wahoo]

Looks like we are going to play games in the fall with an Interim coach. Is this a good idea?? I don't think so. Too often interim coaches eventually get hired full time and more often then not, they are the wrong person for the job. Isn't that how Sampson got hired in the first place.


http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=375834&root=us&cc=5901

That is how Sampson got hired.
They let Bora go, and in the meantime the team started playing well, and enjoyed playing for a coach that wasn't the disciplinarian that Bora was.
In the beginning, Sampson was praised for being a players coach... oh how things change.

[Adam Zebrowski]

it seems to me, nowak has emerged as a primary candidate...

the klinsmann part seems very open ended, like he wants to do something, but doesn't want to be head coach soon...

ebst news was the copa america push...

do gold cup with one roster, and copa america with a 2nd one...

i'd sent u-23 or olympic team to copa america

[chessplayer]

How about we let Mooch coach a few games and give him a chance to take the wheel? He hasn't been seriously mentioned anywhere as a possibility, but I hope he and Curt Onalfo end up coaching or asst-coaching (in Onalfo's case) somewhere.
Hey, maybe Onalfo could coach UVa or replace Williams as the assistant there.. that'd be for another thread though.

[saxman]

I posted this crazy idea elsewhere earlier today. I suppose it would be difficult to do with the Euro season in full swing in the fall, but how about this. We have a friendly with Reyna, McBride and Pope as our coaches. (Use current training staff and maybe have Mooch as an assistant as well) We get a players perspective on who they think should be getting the calls into camp. We have a player from the front line, the mid-field and the defense to offer their knowledge and insight after years of experience at the international level. The game(s) is also used as a tribute to Reyna, Pope and McBride for their contributions to the Nats. This would not allow for the whole "interim coach becoming the new coach by default" thing. These guys know they aren't auditioning but would certainly still be so closely tied to the team that they couldn't think about losing these matches, even if they are friendlies. And who knows what UsSoccer or the next coach might learn from this.

OK, I know it is a crazy, crazy idea, so fire away!!

[Adam Zebrowski]

i'd approach it with a january camp being critical...

get 3 friendlies then...

do copa america and gold cup early summer..

this would require 2 or 3 friendlies in late spring....

[Mrs. FlapJack]

I posted this crazy idea elsewhere earlier today. I suppose it would be difficult to do with the Euro season in full swing in the fall, but how about this. We have a friendly with Reyna, McBride and Pope as our coaches. (Use current training staff and maybe have Moose as an assistant as well) We get a players perspective on who they think should be getting the calls into camp. We have a player from the front line, the mid-field and the defense to offer their knowledge and insight after years of experience at the international level. The game(s) is also used as a tribute to Reyna, Pope and McBride for their contributions to the Nats. This would not allow for the whole "interim coach becoming the new coach by default" thing. These guys know they aren't auditioning but would certainly still be so closely tied to the team that they couldn't think about losing these matches, even if they are friendlies. And who knows what UsSoccer or the next coach might learn from this.

OK, I know it is a crazy, crazy idea, so fire away!!


I like your idea...sounds like fun.

Alternatively, what about just having several coaches take a 1 game turn.. coaches could get a call up just like players do :)

[appoo]

Just say NO to flavor of the Month MLS coaches

[Adam Zebrowski]

so you want a revolving door, how does this prepare the usmnt for a coaches system, and what coach is evaluating players during a practice??

i'd just let the usmnt hibernate until january of 2007...

[FirstStar]

so you want a revolving door, how does this prepare the usmnt for a coaches system, and what coach is evaluating players during a practice??

i'd just let the usmnt hibernate until january of 2007...

Revolving door is a bad idea, I agree, but I wouldn't put the team under wraps until January. USSF needs to think about putting a good product out there to build on the market interest generated (or discovered) during the World Cup. Mooch would do as well a job as most anyone for a few meaningless friendlies. Just (please!) make is clear that he's not a candidate for the HC position. I suspect we'd see more of the same with the same ol' BA player pool. Still, it could be very interesting if Mooch decided to have some fun with his player call-ups.

[Adam Zebrowski]

i'd just let the euros focus on their clubs...

same for mls, let them take time off whenever their season ends....

january, early februrary is fine with me...

get germany to come play in the usa during winter break...

if JK is the coach, this would get the headlines in the press....

[rollo]

Revolving door is a bad idea, I agree, but I wouldn't put the team under wraps until January. USSF needs to think about putting a good product out there to build on the market interest generated (or discovered) during the World Cup. Mooch would do as well a job as most anyone for a few meaningless friendlies. Just (please!) make is clear that he's not a candidate for the HC position. I suspect we'd see more of the same with the same ol' BA player pool. Still, it could be very interesting if Mooch decided to have some fun with his player call-ups.

I do not think you would see the same pool even if it was BA himself. Thats what happens after WC and senior players retire, you try out new ones.

[sidefootsitter]

"You would be surprised, there are some very well-known coaches who have said yes, we would like to sit and talk about this. It is a very desirable job. The pay structure is not as high as the Premier League or for an international coach in Europe. But there are a lot of positives and it is a big challenge. Isn't the USSF sitting on like $50M?
As to the EPL pay, it has 3 coaches (Fergie, Wenger and Mourinho) who are making a lot of money. The rest are around or under the $2M range and are very much affordable to the USSF.


The people we are talking to, some of them are currently working in the league [MLS] or abroad, and our timetable and the framework for the process are flexible. It could happen by October, November or December.'' If it's MLS, the only coach even remotely qualified for the job is Nowak. If he conjures up another Arena-type stiff, I won't be pleased.

[RedRevs]

I think Steve Nicol deserves consideration, his success has been meteoric if you consider that he was player/coach of the Boston Bulldogs only 5 years ago. He is great at identifying talent and knows how to play and win in the WC.

[IndividualEleven]

Revolving door is a bad idea, I agree, but I wouldn't put the team under wraps until January. USSF needs to think about putting a good product out there to build on the market interest generated (or discovered) during the World Cup. Mooch would do as well a job as most anyone for a few meaningless friendlies. Just (please!) make is clear that he's not a candidate for the HC position. I suspect we'd see more of the same with the same ol' BA player pool. Still, it could be very interesting if Mooch decided to have some fun with his player call-ups.

I wonder if they're until MLS Cup. If DeeCee wins the job's Nowak's.

[Friedel'sAccent]

I think Steve Nicol deserves consideration, his success has been meteoric if you consider that he was player/coach of the Boston Bulldogs only 5 years ago. He is great at identifying talent and knows how to play and win in the WC.

I totally agree with the first part of what you wrote, but I'm not too sure about Nicol's WC pedigree. I thought he only won ~30 caps for Scotland and played in 1 WC where Scotland managed a point from a 0-0 draw. That's not exactly "knowing how to win in the WC." ;)

[FakeFlopper]

I don't really care who the interm coach is. I think that the biggest priority is for the team to get back on the saddle. Let's start early and evaluate players now. We can weed out the players that won't cut it and develope the ones that will without having to worry that the WC is 6 months away. I won't mind seeing a totally different team out there in some friendlies even if we do lose.

Who knows, in the off chance that Jurgen doesn't take the job, maybe a few good friendlies to show our potential might allow for other high profile coaches to take interest.

[Eleven Bravo]

all i know is that Sunil needs to be a little more aggressive about getting a new coach hired.

If Jurgen isn't motivated to take the position than he should not be given the position. i don't care about past results (unless, you want another 2006), i want a coach that has some balls and wants to win the world cup...not just show up and look nice.

[rms5555]

I thought Arena was still under contract until the end of the year? I don't recall any mention of him being released from his USMNT duties when he took the NYRB job.

[BronzeArt]

Freddy Adu.

He's great with the media.

He gets along well with the players.

He is a truly selfless individual.

International experience: I am sure he has watched a few EPL games.

Of course, he'd have to bulk up a little bit to fill up the official head coach shirts that Arena stretched out. A steady diet of Red Dog ought to do the trick.

Maybe, if we begged, we could get Eric Wynalda to condescend to be... like... technical director or something. I listened to him during the World Cup, and let me tell you: that is one SMART GUY!