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Silverbacks decline option on head coach Haynes

BrianHaynesAtlantaSilverbacks1 (AtlantaSilverbacks)

By DAN KARELL

For the second time in three years, the Atlanta Silverbacks will be looking for a new head coach.

On Monday evening, the club announced that they had declined to exercise the contract option of head coach Brian Haynes, parting ways with the 51-year-old after barely 15 months in charge. Haynes took over as head coach in 2012 as former U.S. Men’s National Team forward Eric Wynalda stepped down from his interim head coaching position to be the team’s Technical Director.

Haynes lead the Silverbacks to a memorable North American Soccer League Spring Season title in 2013, but the team struggled mightily in the Fall season, earning just 16 points in 14 matches and falling to the New York Cosmos two matches in a row, the latter match in the Soccer Bowl final at their home stadium.

“We ended the 2013 season on a downward trend and failed to generate any momentum going into the Soccer Bowl,” Silverbacks Chairman Boris Jerkunica said in a statement. “The organization didn’t feel good about the direction we were going in 2014, and had to make the tough decision of declining Brian’s contract option.”

The Trinidadian manager finished his first full season in Atlanta with a record of 10-9-7 (wins-losses-ties).

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What do you think of this news? Surprised that the Silverbacks would cut ties with Haynes? Do you see Wynalda becoming the full time head coach?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. So you play 14 games and move onto a championship, what a joke. MLS will eventually move to 30 teams and make a true 2nd division of soccer. Where are the 25k stadium plans for teams other than the Cosmos? Mark my words MLS will own both divisions once FIFA sees MLS is the only entity capable of doing so and they’ll allow the expansion to create promotion and relegation which they want as well as a change in the winter schedule.I LOVE the Cosmos but I can’t watch NASL because the quality is maybe worse than the A league but they chose to sleep with a pig now they must eat the bacon

    Reply
  2. I saw the Cosmos play in this league and they are clearly another level above all the NASL teams.
    Just like Akron (from few years ago) is with the college game, you can see they should be playing at a higher level.

    We will see how the Cosmos do against MLS teams in the Open Cup but NASL seems like a cakewalk for them so far.

    Reply
    • The Cosmos came in at a different level than everyone else. I think their performance has lifted expectations of all the boats in the NASL – thus the firing of the Silverbacks coach. Interesting that Traffic is focusing on one team only. Could it be they want to focus their resources to match or exceed the Cosmos? If so, this is a good sign for the league. I say put as much money as you can into these NASL teams and lets be done with the MLS as soon as possible.

      Reply
    • Travis: In the NASL, the winners of the spring and fall seasons meet in the Soccer Bowl. Atlanta earned a berth in the Soccer Bowl by winning the spring season.

      Reply
      • The winners of each season face off at the yearly championship.
        If Atlanta had won the fall season then they would have faced the second place team. I think its a pretty cool format. Teams can change so much over a year and this is a better look at their performance levels.

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