"Most all great coaches at least two thinks in common. They have been hired, and they will be fired" - Timo Lekoski. (Or maybe Fabio Capello, or possibly Larry Bowa.) There are far too many signs pointing towards Caleb Porter as our next coach. Let's get this party started.... Welcome aboard, one and all! And remember, you are always riding first class when you are riding The Caleb Porter Hate Train!
Can someone explain to me the Porter hate beyond, ‘he looks like a bro who drinks energy drinks’? I see a successful MLS resume, a deep connection to NEO (something the Haslams certainly value) and him having coached our captain in his formative years. How is it not a strong (potential) hire?
True. He had the extreme good fortune of coaching against Gregg Berhalter. Coincidentally, that was the last MLS playoff game he won.
So what does the USSF do? Hire the guy who was the last person to lose to Caleb Porter in the playoffs.
Story Time with Flyer Fan... The night before MLS Cup 2015, I actually left my house so I could meet Zak, @Placid Casual, and @hangthadj at whatever Endeavor Brewing used to be called. I hadn't seen Seds for a few years since, well, he's a New Yorker now so he doesn't mingle with us Midwest rubes as much. Anyway, I walked into the place and saw Seds talking with a group of Portland fans. And what was the first sentence I heard? "Well, you guys seem pretty decent but I just have to say Caleb Porter in an asshole and I'm not sure how you can support that guy."
He reeks of smugness with his greasy haircut and expressionless affect but like, what’s he done to be ore-ordained a jerk?
Porter is the kind of person that is just never, ever wrong, and it just gets old. I've had the chance to speak at length with guys that played for him at Akron, and folks that worked for him in Portland. An anecdote from a player: "Here's the thing. Caleb always gets a bad rap. I'll give you an example. We were up like 5-0 on BG or someone like that, just a complete mismatch. And one of our guys gets chopped down, an obvious red, but there's not even a whistle. And they're all like, 'Stop whining. It's 5-0.' But Caleb was right to be pissed." Portland was interesting because even after it was clear everyone should just stay out of Caleb's way, that GM Wilkinson kept meddling. And then Paulson was/is outspoken for an I/O as well. So it was always a battle. As far as the guys I knew, they would bust their asses for him all year, and then when it would come time for their expertise to be used, they would basically be overlooked. Whether that was Caleb, or Gavin, I don't know. Keep in mind, that isn't what they told me (they were still on the payroll at that time, after all), but it sure looked like that is what happened. Every year. Anyway. Porter would be a really smart hire for the Haslams IMO. No need for a Bocanegra, Thorrington, or Reyna type to "help" with the scouting, contracts, etc. Just give him the keys and be done with it. He isn't my first choice though. There are a few young managers in Chile (Beñat San Jose and Nicolas Larcamón) that I would like to see, and I've always loved Octavio Zambrano, too, who has completely turned Medellín around at the moment. But I'd be totally ok with Caleb. After all, the guy is capable of winding up Pep. I'll take it.
I gonna be in the minority but after watching the Boca Jrs series on Netflix I would rather have GBS's Brother
I misread your comment. I read it as "GBS's boner" and thought, "Yeah, I can totally dig." My brain is fun.
You almost owed me a new tablet. I had a mouthful of Coke when I read your post and it took all of my strength not to spray it all over