I've complained about the last game as much if not more than others, but it's worth keeping in mind that most MLS teams spend much of the season more or less alternating good and bad games. Before this we has two pretty decent wins, and the most we could have realistically hoped for on the road against NYRB was a draw. That said, when starting a rookie a midfeilder we need the veterans to step up with much better passing, and a total ban on dummies and back heels when on the attack.
He's a coach who has been here seven years and has a losing record. What other club keeps a coach for seven years with a losing record? With the opening of the new stadium, the whole organization needs to be torn down and built up again. Front office, coaching staff, academy, most of the first team players, etc. It's a very poorly run organization.
We just signed on a new Academy director who seems very qualified. While canning Olsen et al. based on record could be justified, a clean sweep of everything is not. Trouble is, our current owners are not soccer people. They're merely sports/entertainment franchise management people, and I certainly don't trust them making sound soccer decisions.
A club that made the playoffs the last 3 years, maybe? Olsen's total record is weighed down by a couple of historically bad seasons where the quality of players was so poor that no coach could have had a winning record.
Add to that the simple question I keep asking to everyone of the "Fire Olsen" crowd. Who are you gonna replace him with? Sasha is not coming. Harry Redknapp just took over Birmingham City. Without a viable replacement firing Olsen is flawed.
Not sure that is a valid argument anymore. Atlanta didn't even look at Sasha or Harry. They just went out and found a coach that would lend some credibility to a new team and attract players. We can do the same. I'm not in that group anymore because I don't think the organization has standards and a structure that would attract anyone better than Ben. james
I picked Harry and Sasha at random, not because I thought they would be good fits or likely to take the job. My point is unless you have a replacement in mind it is pointless to replace Ben.
Made the playoffs? In a league where over half the team make the playoffs? Wow, that's a low bar. And we've been terrible once we get to the playoffs.
I doubt it. We have an ownership that is not capable of hiring a better FO and a FO not capable of hiring a better technical staff. Our best, probably slim hope, is that our technical staff improves on its own.
Ben is learning - slowly - but he still seems to revert at times to his old penchant for favoring effort over skill. IMO, an example of this regression was switching Nicky to LW when Nyarko went down, rather than bringing in Neagle or Le Toux.
I actually agree Ben is learning but the current combination of ownership, FO and technical staff means DCU will not get another MLS cup.
Since 2011, we have finished (in the Eastern conference) 7, 2, 10, 1, 4, 4. That's not bad for a team that is among the lowest in player payroll. I would compare with Moyes at Everton. Did consistently decent (top half of table) on a low budget, well liked by his players, never really won anything. Apparently their ownership was OK with this, since he stayed until ManU came calling (SAF did him no favors there). I've said before that our current ownership does not seem to have ambitions beyond this. You think another coach would do better with the squad we have? Why? Who is on our bench not playing that should be?
I would have started Neagle in place of Nyarko, too, and kept NDL at right back. But still, the squad we have is not going to contend for the title no matter who the coach is. I would say that, besides Acosta, central midfield and striker are our weakest spots right now - hardly a recipe for success.
We have the money to afford much better players...look at some of the 2016 salaries. $425K for Sarvas? $535K for Saborio? $336K for Halsti? $256K for Franklin? $235K for NDL? And some of the players brought in over the years...Pajoy, Salahi, Emilio Part II, Crayton, Alsopp, Castillo, Neal, Doyle, etc, etc. Consistently bringing in past their prime and/or overpriced players, or simply guys who just aren't very good at all.