MLS coaches (current and potential) and coaching thread

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by xbhaskarx, Aug 30, 2017.

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I can't believe this guy has a job coaching in MLS

Poll closed Sep 30, 2018.
  1. Veljko Paunović

    12.0%
  2. Gregg Berhalter

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Ben Olsen

    23.1%
  4. Mauro Biello

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Jay Heaps

    13.7%
  6. Patrick Vieira

    2.6%
  7. Jesse Marsch

    0.9%
  8. Jason Kreis

    4.3%
  9. Jim Curtin

    15.4%
  10. Greg Vanney

    0.9%
  11. Óscar Pareja

    1.7%
  12. Wilmer Cabrera

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  13. Sigi Schmid

    5.1%
  14. Adrian Heath

    10.3%
  15. Caleb Porter

    0.9%
  16. Mike Petke

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  17. Chris Leitch

    2.6%
  18. Brian Schmetzer

    0.9%
  19. Peter Vermes

    1.7%
  20. Carl Robinson

    4.3%
  1. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There are plenty of threads on potential USMNT players, youth development, new stadiums, expansion teams, etc. but little just on coaching. It could be argued that the weak link in American soccer is the quality of the coaching.
    Maybe that's now starting to change with a some recent additions, but there are still plenty of mediocre coaches hanging onto MLS jobs. Even teams with recent success have tried to go cheap with unproven former players (Jeff Cassar at RSL) or retreads with a history of failure (Curt Onalfo in LA).
    Meanwhile, it's tough for coaches from outside the league to get their chance, whether it's foreign coaches who are new to the US (although that may now be changing with Vieira and Martino), lower division coaches (Cabrera being an exception, although even he had coached in MLS before), or college coaches (Caleb Porter being the only one to make that move recently).


    Increased pressure on managers a positive for MLS

    For the first time since 1999 and for just the third time in MLS history, four coaches have been fired by their clubs in the middle of the 2017 season.

    Jeff Cassar (Real Salt Lake), Dominic Kinnear (San Jose Earthquakes), Curt Onalfo (LA Galaxy) and Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids) all received the axe this year, with Cassar the first to get the boot in March and Mastroeni the most recent to be dismissed just a couple of weeks ago. Their dismissals tie a record for most in-season firings in MLS history.

    The firings reflect a new reality in MLS: There’s more pressure on coaches now than at just about any other time since the league first kicked off in 1996.

    New York Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch spoke about the increased pressure on managers around the league in his notable interview with ESPN’s Taylor Twellman during the broadcast of his team’s 1-1 draw against NYCFC on Friday night.

    “It’s the reality of our league becoming more prominent and more important,” Marsch told Twellman. “Now with the money that investors are putting in, there’s always going to then be more pressure.”​


    Which coaches should be on the hot seat?
    Who should be the next MLS coach to get the axe?
    Which coaches should MLS teams be looking at?
    Any former players who could be successful coaches?

    The poll only allows 18 choices, so no Steve Cooke (who is interim in Colorado) or Tata Martino (doing well in his first season)...
     
  2. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Paul Tenorio: Savarese out at Cosmos?

    [​IMG]

    According to a source with knowledge of the talks, the New York Cosmos are preparing for life without coach and sporting director Giovanni Savarese.

    The source said Savarese could be looking to move on from the Cosmos, with a hope, perhaps, that he will finally get a chance at an MLS job. The Cosmos are beginning preparations and doing initial legwork on replacements for Savarese, who has led the Cosmos to three NASL titles.

    Savarese has been a candidate for multiple MLS jobs in the past, including most recently Minnesota United.
     
  3. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think the current top 5 hot seat candidates are:

    -Jim Curtin: does Philly have the ambition to replace him?
    -Jay Heaps: Revs fans seem to be sick of him
    -Sigi Schmid: LA are even worse now than they were under Onalfo, and his contract is just through the end of this season
    -Adrian Heath: he'll get another year but probably shouldn't
    -Ben Olsen: he'll get a chance in the new stadium but his teams are hard to watch

    In terms of lower division coaches, aside from Savarese, you'd think some MLS team might try to lure Nesta away from Miami...
    I'd like to see a really ambitious team try to create "the next Atlanta" and go after Guillermo Barros Schelotto... sad that he's not already here because Columbus decided to stick with the tactical genius Robert Warzycha.
    From the current assistant coaches, Robin Fraser probably remains the one most deserving of a shot.
    There are plenty of players getting close to retirement who could potentially make it as coaches, Rimando, Parkhurst, Beckerman, Larentowicz... could Javi Morales be the next Pareja?
     
  4. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  5. mjlee22

    mjlee22 Quake & Landon fan

    Nov 24, 2003
    near Palo Alto, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    i am listening to an ExtraTime Radio podcast where they interview Dan Hunt, son of Lamar Hunt. He thinks the reason why FC Dallas has such a great academy system is because of the players his dad brought in at the start of FC Dallas. Those mostly foreign-born players stayed in the area and developed the club teams. Also, Lamar Hunt got the stadium built and I suppose funded a lot of the early infrastructure.

    of course, a lot of owners are going to say things like that, but maybe it's true in this case.
     
  6. ToMhIlL

    ToMhIlL Member+

    Feb 18, 1999
    Boxborough, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I voted for Heaps to get the axe, but that should surprise no one who has visited the Revs board in the past few years. Many people were questioning his hiring right from the start and he has done absolutely nothing to dispel the thinking that he is unqualified and inexperienced, even after 6 years. His in-game substitutions rarely make sense, his tactics are naive at best, and his player management of sometimes difficult personalities and egos is nonexistent.

    He was saved by Jermaine Jones in 2014, should have been let go after 2015 when the team declined, should definitely have been let go after 2016 when they didn't make the playoffs. But Burns cited they missed out on "goal differnece" (which is technically true, but they were toast for weeks leading up to that), and claimed the team was "on the cusp" of being an elite team.

    Bottom line is while the Revs are not world-beaters, they do have some talented players and should be in a much better place than they are now. They haven't won a road game on US soil since 2015 and are notorious for blowing leads with bonehead plays that turn wins into draws and draws into losses.

    He needs to go. Period.

    Savarese wouldn't be a bad choice, and he fits the Krafts' main criteria:
    • Willingness to work cheaper than a "name" coach
    • Eager to get a shot at an MLS job, even if it's a stepping stone
    • They "know" him, as an ex-Revs player
    • Done well with the chaotic environment of the Cosmos (not that the Krafts care about results)
     
    TOAzer and The Franchise repped this.
  7. Bluecat82

    Bluecat82 Member+

    Feb 24, 1999
    Minneapolis, MN
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The story was going around that Savarese was the Loons first choice, but the Cosmos (have I mentioned lately that I have really loathed the Cosmos since like 1975?) wanted a boatload of cash, Joe Mauer, the Mall of America, the Christian Brothers hockey stick factory and the deed to the town of International Falls as compensation.
     
    Gamecock14 and Sachsen repped this.
  8. The Franchise

    The Franchise Member+

    Nov 13, 2014
    Bakersfield, CA
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Voted for Olsen, but Curtain, Heaps, and Heath are solid choices as well. It seems like there was a little too much coaching stability the last couple years, so there are plenty more changes which can be made even after four midseason firings.
     
  9. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Heaps and Olsen both underachieve.
     
  10. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Speaking of Burns... not many front office guys get publicly blasted by high-profile agents on twitter:





    I doubt the Cosmos wanted *that* much money for Savarese, who was entering the last year of his contract... Whatever it was, it would have been worth it to have Savarese instead of Heath. Heath is great at working with forwards but that's about it, and he's always ready to blame everyone but himself (that seems to be a pattern with Orlando coaches). If Minnesota was too cheap to bring in any DPs, they should have at least spent money on a coach and hired Savarese...
     
  11. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Olsen often overachieves, because DC is cheap and has less talent than most teams. And yet he's not a good coach. That may seem like a paradox but it's true... The American David Moyes?
     
    TOAzer repped this.
  12. Bluecat82

    Bluecat82 Member+

    Feb 24, 1999
    Minneapolis, MN
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Which, to be fair to both Manny and Blooter, could be as simple as Waxman doesn't represent anyone they wanted (edit: or felt they could reasonably afford).

    I freely admit to not knowing who Waxman represents, however.
     
    BrianLBI repped this.
  13. Lancaster FC

    Lancaster FC Member+

    Oct 2, 2007
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I saw the article on the MLS website: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/08/30/sabetti-10-coaches-who-would-be-good-fit-mls... and then I saw this thread and it got me thinking.

    I think it might be a sign of the growth of the league that foreign coaches are starting to do better as MLS coaches. Yes there are some uniquenesses to MLS, especially travel and salary cap. But for years foreign coaches seem far more likely to fail than to succeed. I'm frankly shocked that Vieira is doing so well, and Tata M seems to have transitions extremely quickly and well in ALT. Now both are at clubs that have significant ambitions, but I do think it is a sign of maturity for the league that we can now support both developed coaches and quality international coaches.

    Do we have any stats on this or are my feels not really supported by facts?
     
    Sachsen, Zamphyr and TOAzer repped this.
  14. ToMhIlL

    ToMhIlL Member+

    Feb 18, 1999
    Boxborough, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I used to talk with Ron back in the day, and he would sometimes feed me some inside, "off the record" stuff about how MLS worked then. Yeah, he can be outspoken, and like every agent, his guys are the best and players he doesn't represent are, um, maybe not as good.

    Having said that, it certainly can't be a shock to anyone with a pulse to hear that Burns isn't exactly considered a shining star. His previous employment was serving as a bridge suppport on the Southeast Expressway, and he just figured out how to use the "+" symbol on his phone last year. His only qualifications for anything is being a Kraft yes-man. Here's a guy who couldn't understand when fans ripped him a new one when the Revs voluntarily Joe Public-ed themselves out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, after hearing the excuses that they needed to "concentrate on winning MLS Cup." You may recall that, despite all the "concentration," that didn't happen either.

    So yes indeed, Waxman is correct, Burns is a blithering dolt who barely knows enough to come in out of the rain.
     
    TOAzer repped this.
  15. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There's a difference between not wanting any of his players, and not replying to messages to let someone know that you're declining their offer. Just because Waxman doesn't have any players Lagos want now, doesn't mean it's a good idea to burn that bridge (especially considering Waxman is one of the big 2-3 agents for MLS players).
    Just how busy is Manny Lagos that he can't be bothered to respond to multiple messages? Is he off in Scandinavia scouting more guys who aren't good enough for MLS?
     
  16. The Franchise

    The Franchise Member+

    Nov 13, 2014
    Bakersfield, CA
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Repped for the closing line.

    The lesson of Minnesota is that it can be easier to find MLS level players from domestic minor leagues than from Scandinavia. Partly because those leagues are no longer a step up, and partly because NASL and USL players are used to the quirks of playing here, like the frequent travel and the widely varying weather.

    Most of the top of an expansion club roster probably needs to come from Latin America. The best Americans and Canadians are taken already, and most really good European players are making more than you can offer without going far from home.

    If Heath had voiced the right concerns to ownership about the roster early enough, it's possible that most of the blame will (and should) fall on Lagos. But if the roster was built with his open input and in accordance with his stated needs, he may be in trouble. This roster wasn't good enough, and those who thought so need to own up to it. (Possibly including the team's owner.) There's just not a way to make a roster this cheap be effective.
     
    Bluecat82 repped this.
  17. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  18. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #18 xbhaskarx, Sep 2, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2017
    Orlando City lost 4-0 to the Revs and based on the post-game comments it seems like their fans are sick of Jason Kreis... what happened to him?

    https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017...tion-4-orlando-city-sc-0-2017-mls-match-recap

    More: Are we still not going to fire Kreis?
     
  19. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Man City un-Man'ed him.......;)
     
  20. Baysider

    Baysider Member+

    Jul 16, 2004
    Santa Monica
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    He needs to screw his courage to the sticking place?
     
  21. Papillon Soo Soo

    Jan 17, 2012
    I'm curious, does anyone think Ali Curtis might get another GM gig in MLS. I thought he was doing pretty good in NY. He'd be a huge step up over Manny Lagos.
     
  22. mjlee22

    mjlee22 Quake & Landon fan

    Nov 24, 2003
    near Palo Alto, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ali Curtis was interviewed in an extratime radio podcast recently, and he did not impress me at all.
     
  23. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Frank De Boer is now available... I'd love to see some ambitious MLS team go after him. Promise him three years to build something, instead of the four games he got at Crystal Palace...

    If you're a team like Colorado, DC, Philly, etc. what do you have to lose?
     
  24. Sachsen

    Sachsen Member+

    Aug 8, 2003
    Broken Arrow, Okla.
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Kroenke finally fired Mastroeni. How much longer can Heaps last under Kraft, especially after that 0-7 debacle in Atlanta?
     
    xbhaskarx repped this.
  25. ToMhIlL

    ToMhIlL Member+

    Feb 18, 1999
    Boxborough, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    At least until the end of the season.

    He'll probably "not exercise the option" on him after the end of the season, but it will be well into December before we have a new manager, and of course there will be no time in the off-season to get the team together, so we'll start the season again at 2-5-3 next year and it will be the same thing all over again.

    or he may decide that Heaps was just "unlucky." After all, they only lost by a single touchdown.
     

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