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Ellinger hired as Hyndman’s top assistant with FC Dallas

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FC Dallas has announced that former Real Salt Lake head coach John Ellinger has been hired as the team’s lead assistant coach under new head coach Schellas Hyndman.

The announcement comes as no surprise after rumors had surfaced earlier in the week that Ellinger would be brought on to provide some experience for Hyndman, who is undertaking his first professional head coaching job. You already got my take on both hirings earlier in the week, but I do want to make something clear. John Ellinger had no success as an RSL head coach, whether with drafting talent or actual match results, but I do think he could be perfectly suited to be an assistant coach. He has a reputation for being a player’s coach and working well with young players, something you want in an assistant.

The scary part is the whole notion that his past experience in MLS will help Hyndman navigate the crazy rules of MLS. If Ellinger has learned from his mistakes, and he made plenty of them, then there might be hope for FC Dallas, but if he didn’t, then he and Hyndman are doomed to fail.

What do you think of the news? Share your thoughts, opinions and ‘blind leading the blind’ jokes in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. It feels good to know that RBNY isn’t the only team to make very stupid decisions. 🙂 This makes me laugh. Ellinger of all people?! HAHAHA

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  2. Terrible move by the Hunt boys. As an FC Dallas Supporter I’m disappointed. I think FC Dallas is definitely a team for the future. They’ve got a good nucleus of young talent (Cooper, Alvarez, McCarty, Moor, Oduro, Thompson, Burse, Toja, Rocha) I mean this team could be nasty in a couple of years. They should have stuck with Morrow. He would have turned things around. I mean SMU has a great college program, I repeat…COLLEGE PROGRAM. MLS is completely different. Who knows maybe the talent on the field keeps things going for FCD.

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  3. Well, if there was any doubt about Hyndman being a bad choice, there isn’t now. I love the Hunt’s for what they have done for soccer, but it would be best for the league if they finished selling off their teams.

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  4. I think it speaks badly of Hyndman. The sense I get is that he wanted someone with MLS experience (not a bad decision) but he knew Ellinger from working at his camp. Surely he has to have had other connections who know MLS other than Ellinger? if Ellinger is the best he can do, than what that tells you is that Hyndman has a circle that doesn’t have much pro access or connections.

    Ives, I understand the position that Ellinger might make a good pro assistant (which he did play earlier–Columbus in their first season or second as I recall). But you’d think Hyndman would be comfortable working with young players.

    To me, this is about comfort rather than need. You’d think Hyndman would pick someone who has some latin connections or good exposure overseas (Ellinger’s record in those areas as a scout and recruiter aren’t good) or someone who either has recently played in MLS or has demonstrated success in the league. Maybe Ellinger will work out but the reasons I intuit/suspect that he was hired speak poorly of Hyndman.

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  5. I’m an FC Dallas fan and I was really disappointed by the firing of Steve Morrow. Sure, FC Dallas looked terrible against the Galaxy but I don’t think that justified the firing of a solid manager like Morrow. Now we’re getting a guy with no experience in the professional game and another guy whose experience was a disaster. Remember Ellinger’s first pick in a superdraft? Now, some years later, Nik Besagno has now been loaned out to a USL side. As I said, a disaster. I hope that this does not foretell a swoon of several seasons for the Hoops. Look, we’re already classified alongside the Metrobulls as a team who has won absolutely nothing in 12+ years. This is frankly embarrassing. The Hunt boys have no clue what they are doing to their own franchise. Such is life.

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