I guess the Rochester Rhinos head coaching search is down to 3. Laurie Callaway who coached Syracuse last year and disbanded. He coached San Jose back in the day. Is leading candidate reports indicate. John Harkes interviewed last Thursday and reports are Econimides and Donner loved him. He has no significant coaching experience so I think their in love with his pedigree. Harkes likes the fact Rochester will likely go to MLS in the next few years and has their own SSS. Jeffries has the most MLS head coaching experience: Reading 3rd degree as I do I don't think he had much of the team's repect and it showed. He very quiet and not much of an inspirational leader. Who's your guess will get the job?
If "Captain 4 Life" took the job then maybe I would believe that MLS was really considering eventually allowing the Rhinos into MLS. But I don't believe it. MLS doesn't seem to want Rochester. Not "sexy" enough along with some other "challenges". Harkes' interest makes me thing that I may have misjudged the Rhinos chance to move up. Interesting. Very interesting...
I was very pleased when I saw that the Rhinos were looking at Harkes, and these choices are just about as good. Jeffries may not have been the best coach in MLS, but I think he got a bum rap when the team moved to Southlake in 2003, and everything collapsed. He deserves another chance somewhere, whether the Rhinos give it to him or not, I dunno. Right now, this looks like a tossup - all three have different qualifications for the job. I'm just glad that the team is, at last, replacing Ercoli.
Jeffries won in New Orleans, had Stern John, the late Mickey Trotman, Russell Payne, and had a very entertaining team.
It's hard to not do pretty well when you've got by far the best-funded team in the league; Ercoli's performance in the last few years, as the league has gotten more competitive, has left a lot to be desired.
I was a fan of the now-defunct Syracuse A-league team. Calloway did a fantastic job there in a garbage stadium and with average players. The team made a fantastic run to the semi-finals after starting the season pretty poorly. Calloway seemed extremely good with the fans and the media. I know that he wanted to stay in upstate NY, as his family seemed to like it here. Rochester would seem like a good fit. Saying that, I'm a DC fan. Go with Harkes.
If Harkes gets the nod then the Rhino's will be in the MLS in the next two years no later...anyone else and it's a sign that the Rhino's won't be in untill 2006 at the earliest.
I didn't know that "Captain 4 Life" had that kinda guaranteed pull. You might be overestimating his juice...
I don't see the coaching decision factoring in at all. Harkes has mentioned that he wanted to get into coaching, and with the MLS jobs being taken, he's going after the next best gig.
The thread dealing with soccer related news stories in the N&A fourm made it seem that Calloway was popular with the Rhinos FO. Do you think he'd ask for less then Harkes?