It's been known for a while Katic wasn't being considered for a permanent head coach position, but other than that it's been quiet. A couple weeks ago one of the local sports writers hinted the Hounds were looking at coaches from the NCAA. Today this came out- 530391712481677312 is not a valid tweet id Brandt has a hell of a resume and turned around Navy's program. Could be exactly what the Riverhounds need as long as he's allowed to pick his players. Long detailed bio here- http://www.navysports.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/dave_brandt_397281.html
He went to/coached at Messiah, so he probably still has some ties to Pennsylvania (that's a plus). I have no idea what a D1 college coach makes, but do you think the Hounds could offer him something good enough that he would consider moving back? Especially since payroll is going to be a reduced next year.
Dejan (well sourced local sports writer) seems to think it's close to happening - http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2014/11/14/friday-insider-russ-real-farewell/
I think Brandt would be a great choice. Where ever he's been his teams have won. And he does a great job of developing players at those places. His team also usually play a possession style of game similar to the Dutch with a 4-3-3. He's a great student of the game and I think he would greatly improve the team. Also, I think that MLS teams would feel comfortable sending their young players to the Hounds for the season. And he would also help the academy set up.
545020827532791808 is not a valid tweet id I'm sure Steffens is a fine coach but it doesn't have the hype that Brandt would've
I doubt it, especially for a D3 team. It's only us supporters who care about hype. I also think it would've been easier to market a "big name" college coach around here, though the Hounds would actually need to do some marketing first. The knee jerk reaction from some of us was disappointment they didn't snag Brandt. But after thinking on it I think Steffans is the kind of veteran coach the Hounds need right now. If he was able to be successful in Charlotte he should be able to be successful in Pittsburgh.
I agree, Eagles were in the final 2 years ago and usually performed well on a shoestring budget. You have to imagine their coach was part of that success.
Dave Brandt will probably be best and happy at the collegiate level. I'm sure there are a number of big time D-1 programs pursuing him. Hiring Steffens is a great short term solution. He is a well respected successful coach in USL and seemingly has enough connections to always find quality players as he did in Charlotte. Maybe a few of his guys will join the Hounds rather than the new Charlotte team. He should also have the respect and approach to add some discipline to players who may not have been focused enough last season. Niko is not a favorite for Assistant but his influence may ultimately be directed to coaching at the Academy where he has performed well in past. He does present some transitional help to Steffen in evaluating current players, needs and trialists starting in January. The big news is bringing in a heavy weight as president. Nightingale could be the guy to find some big money to back the team as well as use his connections and influence to attract some quality players. He might even be the key to the Hounds re-establishing a relationship with Dynamo or another MLS team. I'm sure he didn't come cheap and Tuffy had to come up with a big-time compensation package. Things will be interesting in the next 90 days.
Steffens is a quality guy. His CV does well for him. If anyone is familiar with Charlotte's setup, doing what Steffens did there is remarkable. Best of luck to him in the future. I was thinking Brandt may have been heading to Pittsburgh though, the Naval Academy had an assistant coaching job posted. Didn't know if an assistant went out early since Brandt was moving along. I guess that's not the case now.
They got rid of the CEO position and he's now the "Sporting Director", whatever that means. Kind of sounded like he was going to work with the academy teams and PDL players.
Sporting Director is not an uncommon position in European clubs and may be directed to Academy and PDL (which I believe is part of the bankruptcy plan to separate the amateur/developmental and pro segments of the business). Also suggests he will have little or nothing to do with the Stadium operation. There may be more revelations coming concerning the Academy and other operations. Stronger affiliation with Allegheny Health Network (AHN) suggests one. Anxious to see when Nightingale lands in Pittsburgh and begins managing the organization in earnest. He may be the kind of visionary Kutney hoped to be, that is having great ideas and then implementing them SUCCESSFULLY.
I think this is a pretty good choice for this team. They get a experienced coach at this level. Hey has the history of doing well with a very small budget. And he also has some pretty good international contacts. And he's seems to have some good MLS contacts.
Team needs to find MLS affiliate - besides having access to some good young players, the players loaned to a USL club are paid by the MLS team and represent salary savings to the team. If the Hounds have no affiliate, they will be at a severe disadvantage in terms of depth of talent and salaries.