Today's news out of Salt Lake puts it at 8 out of 13 head coaches who played in the league. Looking through the media guides, I've found these players in front office positions. It misses USSF guys like Novak, Diaz Arce, Maissoneuve, and national broadcast folks like Wynalda. But it's an interesting list. Colorado is the only team I didn't recognize any former players on. Alexi Lalas is the furthest up the food chain so far: Chicago Fire - assistant coach Denis Hamlett CD Chivas USA - head coach Preki - assistant coach Martin Vasquez Colorado Rapids - none Columbus Crew - assistant coach Robert Warzycha - assistant coach Mike Lapper - TV color commentator Dante Washington FC Dallas - head coach Steve Morrow - assistant coach Oscar Pareja - assistant coach Marco Feruzzi - goalkeeper coach Jeff Cassar DC United - head coach Tom Soehn - assistant coach Chad Ashton - assistant coach Mark Simpson - youth development directory John Maessner Houston Dynamo - head coach Dominic Kinnear - assistant coach John Spencer Kansas City Wizards - technical directory Peter Vermes - head coach Curt Onalfo - assistant coach Kris Kelderman - assistant coach Chris Henderson - TV color commentator Brian Roberts Los Angeles Galaxy - president Alexi Lalas - head coach Frank Yallop - assistant coach Paul Bravo New England Revolution - director of soccer Mike Burns - TV/radio color commentator Greg Lalas New York Red Bulls - technical director Jeff Agoos - assistant coach Richie Williams - assistant coach John Harkes Real Salt Lake - head coach Jason Kreis - assistant coach Brian Johnson - director of soccer development Brian Kamler - TV analyst Robin Fraser - radio analyst Brian Dunseth Toronto FC - head coach Mo Johnston
Balboa was sort of a "good will ambassador/VP of Balboa" up until this year, but I don't think he actually had any real duties. According to someone who was at the opener, Balboa is no longer associated with the organizations in any official capacity.
Nice work, thanks for posting. Today´s latest hire of Jason Kries from the field to Major League Soccer head coach May 3, 2007 proves once again you don´t have to apply for these jobs. Rightly so many want MLS to be the first and to take a leading role in offering non-caucasions these same wonderful opportunities, regularly and equally. I hope there is not an argument that this should remain a bastian of caucasion opportunity only. The current former players hired into MLS opportunities are equally as capable as their Asian or black teammates that were never offered the same MLS coaching jobs. So yes it is being voiced to help the powers that be realize a concious or unconcious exclusion of Equal Employment Opportunity. The proof is in the results not in the excuses. America is the best at leading and correcting these economic exclusions. Therefore sooner rather than later we woul like to see inclusion. Let these kids that you are hiring to run and chase a ball see that they too can be hired into positions of administration and authority after they have finished being used for $28,000 salary a year or more. Even major players black players having earned small fortunes are excluded from administrative and coaching hire in MLS. Don´t you have some favorite players that you think could make fantastic additions to coaching or to the league?
Huh, yeah. But I guess he's gone now. Manny Lagos is the Director of Sport for the Minnesota Thunder. I guess I could look through the USL ranks, and find a bunch of other former MLS players.
And the reverse - Steve Nicol was a player/coach in the USL before he got the NE job. Is there anyone else who made a similar move?
I can't name 3 former MLS players that were Asian. Chung, Bo, and? I really think you have to look at this a bit different though because its not a caucasian thing. There are the Euro's like Nowak, Nicol, Mo, etc. There are the former US national team players like Harkes, Vermes, Agoos, Burns, etc. There are former MLS standouts like Kreis, Pareja, Preki. Then there are players who aren't really any of the above like Onalfo, and Soehn So where am I going with this? For whatever reason there aren't a wide variety of Asian or Black Euro's that have come through MLS. For whatever reason there are very few national team standout black players to consider. Eddie Pope is the first that comes to mind when I think of that group. Former MLS standouts lend to some options with perhaps Roy Lassiter (coaching a youth club I believe), Mark Chung, Robin Frasier (doing TV) Now the final group is where I have to scratch my head and say perhaps we need more diversity, but the other groups are simply not all that diverse to pick from. I definitely like seeing players like Nowak, Pareja, Preki, and Kreis get their chances. I think you will see more of this in the future as it seems that many MLS coaches are simply being determined as not having the right stuff: Dir, Sampson, Ellinger, Andrulis, Clarke, Gansler (although he produced results IMO), Rongen, etc.
Fifa considers Iran part of Asia, for footballing purposes. San Jose had highly touted Iranian international Khodadad Azizi.
Kimura has a dev contract with the Rapids right now. What other Asian players are currently in the league?
Asia is the new Africa. The up and coming talent is being bought up by European sides. MLS can't really compete in the market for usable Asian talent right now. The cool thing is that the league is finally finding some nuggets of South American talent that escaped the European scouts. The majority of foreign imports comes from our region for some very obvious reasons that have nothing to do with preferences. They have to do with economics and affordability. MLS can afford Carlos Ruiz from Guatemala, but they generally can't afford a similar player from Nigeria, South Korea, or Argentina.
Brian Ching's surname suggests he is of Asian descent. IIRC, Nick Rimando is part Filipino and would therefore be considered Asian.
Sounds like the folks who figured Nick Garcia would wind up with Chivas USA because all folks named Garcia have to be fluent in Spanish, right?
The poster that brought this up surely meant census bureau Asians and not continental soccer Asians. Which also makes Indians caucasians I believe (I know that India and Europe were both populated by people who came from the same people/area).