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.