Octavio Zambrano - New Sporting Director

What's Zambrano's story?

 

I'm more surprised that they actually finally hired a sporting director.

Well for one he is the second winningest coach in MLS history (Mighty Bruce is first). If nothing else his MLS record makes me slightly hopeful he can a) point Curtin in the right direction (since he ain't going anywhere) and b) keep Nick Sak the hell away from any player or game day stuff.

 

http://www.empireofsoccer.com/philadelphia-sporting-director-40710/

so we have a GM now?

 

Back in 2009, Octavio Zambrano was someone who I posted the below in regard to hime being as a sleeper candidate for the Union head coach or GM job - looks like it may come true a few years later:

http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/who-should-be-the-head-coach.987047/page-3

Goff is probably the best US soccer reporter in terms of getting inside scoop - he does not post idle rumors. With MLS assistants and USMNT assistants in the middle of their seasons/qualifications, Goff's info helps the cause of my sleeper head coach candidate - Octavio Zambrano (coach of MetroStars during Nick's tenure - he was the Galaxy head coach before that time) - who is wrapping up this season as head coach with FC Tatabanya in Hungary. With an expansion team like Philly, I have to wonder if Nick is comfortable handing the head coaching keys over to someone with no pro head coaching experience when he can bring someone on board now, with whom he has worked with in the past, to help with player scouting. It also could make Zambrano a potential General Manager candidate in addition to a head coach candidate. Zambrano has maintained MLS links while in Europe - he had arranged several of his Yank Abroad players MLS preseason trials and attended last winter's SuperDraft Combine. For folks unfamiliar with Zambrano, here are some links related to him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Zambrano

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...68/mccarthys-musings-zambrano-forges-mls-path

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=378629&cc=5901

 

I remember when the team was announced, several people on here wanted us to hire him. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten a sniff from an MLS team recently. Perhaps having managed in 5 nations will have built up his connections (admittedly two of them are shit soccer countries).

Yup. I remember him being talked about. I wonder where this team would be if they had hired him instead of Nowak.

Edit: An interest quote from your ESPN article:

"'It's pretty mind boggling to think that a coach with his record can't even get an interview,' said Nick Sakiewicz, the former MetroStars president who hired Zambrano as head coach in 2000 and fired him in 2002. 'We parted ways in 2002 because the team needed a change, not because Octavio wasn't a good coach.'"

 

I put this in the FO thread but with a new Zambrano thread, here is some of the info and links I posted there:

Back in 2009, Octavio Zambrano was someone who I posted the below in regard to hime being as a sleeper candidate for the Union head coach or GM job - looks like it may come true a few years later:

http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/who-should-be-the-head-coach.987047/page-3

Goff is probably the best US soccer reporter in terms of getting inside scoop - he does not post idle rumors. With MLS assistants and USMNT assistants in the middle of their seasons/qualifications, Goff's info helps the cause of my sleeper head coach candidate - Octavio Zambrano (coach of MetroStars during Nick's tenure - he was the Galaxy head coach before that time) - who is wrapping up this season as head coach with FC Tatabanya in Hungary. With an expansion team like Philly, I have to wonder if Nick is comfortable handing the head coaching keys over to someone with no pro head coaching experience when he can bring someone on board now, with whom he has worked with in the past, to help with player scouting. It also could make Zambrano a potential General Manager candidate in addition to a head coach candidate. Zambrano has maintained MLS links while in Europe - he had arranged several of his Yank Abroad players MLS preseason trials and attended last winter's SuperDraft Combine. For folks unfamiliar with Zambrano, here are some links related to him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Zambrano

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...68/mccarthys-musings-zambrano-forges-mls-path

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=378629&cc=5901

 

Huge news, if confirmed. I know nothing of this guy but a bit concerned he's just an old metro contact of Sak's I hope he's not stuck in MLS 1.0 thinking.

 

He was Head Assistant Coach for Vermes in Kansas City in 2009 - 2011 so he should be acclimated to MLS2.0 as they were good when he left (won the East in 2011).

 

Honestly, this may have me buy ST for next year. It's all I've been asking for, invest in the infrastructure.

I'll just wait for the smarmy press conference though first.

 

This is a step in the right direction.

I wonder who's idea this was. I saw somewhere Nick fired him from the Metrostars.

 

Sak hired and fired him with the MetroStars but said the firing was more about making a change and was surprised he had not yet gotten another MLS head coach position, so Sak is likely the one who suggested him to the rest of the front office.

Other than the linkage to Sak, Zambrano brings experience and a diverse perspective that others in similar Union positions never had going into their roles. Zambrano was Technical Director or General Manager at Deportivo Pereira (Colombia) and El Nacinonal (Ecuador) with both teams improving quite a bit under his reign - his El Nacional role was more of being a TD for all youth and reserve teams. As for the Union folks who oversaw some of the activities a Sporting Director would manage, here is a stroll down memory lane:

* Piotr Nowak (Manager) - experience was a few years as DCU head coach (they have a GM so he did not oversee player personnel decisions)

* Diego Gutierrez (Head of Scouting and Player Development, Sporting Director): his experience was being a player agent

* Rob Vartughian (Technical Director) - prior experience was being a goalkeeper coach

* Ricardo Ansaldi (Director of International Player Development) - his experience was owning and running an international soccer tours company that brought teams to Argentina and Uruguay

* Chris Albright (Technical Director) - had a few months as Assistant Technical Director before getting the full time gig once Vartughian was fired along ith Hackworth

 

I'm hearing, per sources, that the Union are not going to hire Octavio Zambrano as stated in other reports. #DOOP

— Kristian Dyer (@KristianRDyer) September 30, 2015

 

Classic Union.

 

Negotiation tactic?

 

The 11 month global search continues!

 

I do not think so - Dyer was the one Sak fed the "we tried to buy Bedoya" story during the final days of the STH renewal period to help boost sales.

While the Union may just be downplaying a potential Zambrano hiring until after tonight's game, conspiracy fans could think the story is a plant by Kansas City to distract the Union based on Zambrano's ties with KC.

Do you still follow Sporting KC closely?
Sporting KC is my club. I watch all the games on the internet. I get online and read all the recaps and everything about the club. I’m in tune with who’s coming and who’s going and how everyone’s playing. I follow very closely and the internet gives me the ability to do that from Colombia.

What was your favorite moment from your time with Sporting KC?
My favorite moment was when we inaugurated the stadium. I saw the birth of my boy in Kansas City and the birth of this franchise of Sporting KC. These two events, obviously one is personal and one is sports related, but they are both things that you only can live once in your lifetime. My first son coming into the world at the same time as Sporting Kansas City was special. To see all the preparation that came into making it happen was just unbelievable. The ownership of this franchise is incredible because when I came the team was the Wizards so I went through that whole metamorphosis. All the different issues that came up with the name and with the colors and all of it was fascinating. So when the stadium was finally opened and we played that first game it was a “wow” moment.

http://www.sportingkc.com/news/2013/05/catching-octavio-zambrano

 

Did anybody realize Diego Gutierrez was Sporting Director (I thought he was just Head of Scouting and Player Development)? Guess Nowak must have given him a secret promotion as part of the Michael Orozco Fiscal transfer fee kickback plan. Well at least we can now forget about the team still looking to hire its first ever Sporting Director - we apparently already had one.

.@EmpireOfSoccer Diego Gutierrez was Head of Scouting/Player Dev & Sporting Director - role was more limited than Zambrano's would likely be

— Union Rumors (@UnionRumors) September 30, 2015

 

Classic.

We're all cautiously optimistic about this, so of course the Union come out and quash it immediately. Hopefully that's just because the contracts aren't signed yet...

 

Sources: Union to fire fmr Metrostars boss Octavio Zambrano as first ever Sporting Director

 

After the name leak I now anticipate that they will soon announce a promotion within, we will hear that Chris Albright meets all the exact criteria they are looking for in the new Sporting Director position. Congratulations, Chris!

 

He's just humoring Union Hulk to start the relationship off on the right foot. Smart.