While eight teams prepare for the 2009 MLS playoffs, seven other teams prepare for the MLS off-season and plans for the future. For several of those teams, coaching is one obvious place to start considering a change.
Toronto FC announced on Monday that interim coach Chris Cummins won't be back for next season. That raises the obvious question: who is next? Cummins was only a stopgap when he filled in for John Carver, who resigned close to the beginning of 2009. A number of coaches have dark clouds hanging over their future, especially for a manager like Tom Soehn, who failed to lead D.C. United to the playoffs for the second season in a row.
Two coaches, Peter Vermes and Richie Williams are under special circumstances, as they were coaches for just a couple of months. Williams helped the Red Bulls earn a little redemption, culminating in their 5-0 win against Toronto on Saturday. Vermes and the Wizards floundered, as the club only managed a 3-6-3 record under the Technical Director. Schellas Hyndman and Gary Smith are both longer shots to get sacked, but both did fail to make the playoffs.
Who do you think is out the door next? Cast your vote in the poll below (and yes, we meant Gary Smith, not Gary Clark).
Has Williams earned a chance to show what he can do as a head coach with the Red Bulls? Will he end up elsewhere? What will happen to Tom Soehn?
Share your thoughts below
Yallop shouldn’t be on this list, who should be is John Doyle, he is caring two hats in the area and is double dipping. How is it that Chicago has a successful academy program but Doyle doesn’t want to involve his youth club with the quakes, better to get two checks then to build a solid foundation.
They’re just being polite. The fanbase is unanimous in that they want Tommy gone, if that’s any indication of how the management feels.
This one is simple Hambhocklett.
I’m torn. Soehn is not the answer to what we need, but he isn’t the problem either. There are compounding problems for DC: age, coaching, lack of quality defenders.
All of these do need to be answered this offseason. Soehn has been with the team for 5-6 years, but I feel it’s time for him to go.
Speaking of United, I was happy to see Gallardo score a stunning free kick in the Superclasico for River Plate over the weekend. Glad he’s gone, but salt in the wound hurts.
I have a feeling Klinsman will be an employee of MLS next season.
It had better be Sohen and quick. We can’t handle another season with him. We need a new coach and new players – the sooner the better.
Many MLS coaches are looking forward to new jobs in food bagging at the local super market. Or maybe they can coach a youth team… which I think soehn thought he was doing by starting everyone.
Richie is not a bad coach. I think the RBs need a new technical director and GM. Their front office with trades and player personnel is awful, but Williams made the team play in a way that Osorio could not. Sadly, I think he’ll be run out so the RBs can hire Klinsman or Phillip Brown to run the team into the ground at their own stadium.
At the beginning of the season I though Hyndman and Soehn wouldn’t make it through the year. Hyndman might survive now, though he doesn’t deserve to IMO, because of his buddy-buddy relationship with the Dallas FO and their late season form…but Soehn, I cannot see a reason to keep him at all.
Smellass Hineyman is probably safe considering Dallas’s late season run.
Where is the option for Hamlett?
Williams is gone, even though he deserves his shot at running the ship. Maybe Soehn being out will open the door for Williams to return to DC and run the team there. Vermes is the best GM in the country, he will go back to that position and once Chivas USA is eliminated from the playoffs will open discussions with Preki, Kansas City loves Preki. One guy that is in the hot seat that has not been mentioned is Denis Hamlett, if he doesn’t win the MLS he’s gone. It is very clear that Blanco and him don’t get along or see eye to eye. And if they want Blanco to come back, watch for a new coach to come in. Shoot they just inducted Armas into the ring of fire, maybe he wouldn’t mind coaching in it, either in Chicago or NY. Ives what is Armas doing these days?
Toronto is a toss up, they have a solid team and should have made the playoffs, a change at the helm will only help that team.
I don’t understand that short-term thinking by management. Metros/NYRB have had some very good coaches under contract, along with a list of excellent players over the life of MLS.
Stability is the key. You have to give good people a chance to do their work without worrying about short-term results. That’s not just true in sports.
SOEHN MUST GO! The players stopped trying, but you can’t replace a whole team
@ Srose13: Nobody’s made positive statements about Soehn except for Soehn. They’ve said good things about Kasper, and he’ll be back next year. I’d be willing to bet a good chunk of cash that Tommy is gone. It’s too bad, because he’s a really good guy, but i think a change is needed.
I think NYRB will let Richie go because he’s not a sexy enough name to go with the opening of the new stadium. Well, NYRB’s loss will be DC’s gain, I hope. I think Williams did a good job in his two interim stints, and I think he’d make a good, no-nonsense coach for DC.
I find the timing of Paul Mariner’s departure odd. Head coach vacancies are going to start to open up right now,…and yet Mariner decided to move on a few weeks ago. Ives,…what is the word around town? Was it made clear to Mariner that he was not going to get a shot as Head Coach in MLS?
I don’t know who of the candidates listed should go. But if it were up to me, I’d fire Juan Carlos Osorio again. Just to be sure.
Ives apparently still has suppressed angst about Gary Clark and the Redskins torching the Giants back in the 80s.
(In fairness, the torching went both ways.)
As for MLS coaches, I think both Soehn and Williams are gone.
Red Bull SHOULD hire Williams but it’s no secret they want to make a splash hiring and while Williams will be a very good MLS coach, he doesn’t bring a lot of splash. And, no, that’s not a reference to his height.
IMO, the bigger question with Williams isn’t whether or not Red Bull will make him permanent head coach – they won’t – but if he’d rather go be the next head coach in Toronto or DC?
(SBI- Two things. A)Travis Clark wrote this post and B) I’m actually a Redskins fan (or was before soccer took over my life completely).)
quite possibly even if he does beat the revs
I’m surprised Richie hasn’t gotten more votes. As far as I know RBNY is the only club in the league approaching the ratio of 1 to 1 of managers per season. Hire, don’t win, fire. Hire, don’t win, fire. We don’t need no steenking stability.
Why is Vermes on this list, of course he won’t be the coach, he was just an interim coach b/c they didn’t like their mid-season hiring options. They’re going to hire a coach now and PV will remain the technical director.
Clark, Soehn and Williams will all be gone – no doubt about that.
I am *amazed* that you don’t have Yallop on that list. It was a shame what the Quakes have been doing with Yallop and Doyle. They’ve repeatedly brought in over-aged under-achievers, played the lousiest brand of soccer in the league (30 long balls to Ryan Johnson with his back to the goal in each game), failed to motivate a WC’06 starter for the USMNT, failed to build on Alvarez’ recent years of success and confidence, did not develop any real talent (unless you’re willing to count Shea Salinas, who kicks the ball behind the defender and runs hard to reach it).
They’ve somehow ended up with the worst possible players in almost every position, highlightd by Brandon McDonald playing midfield and mangling pass after pass.
I think Williams has earned a shot at being the head coach, will he get it, not if they can find a big name coach to come it and take over. I still say that I would like to see Jurgen Klinsmann take over as head coach and bring in his assistant from Bayern, that was with Chivas USA (sorry blanking out on his name). Klinsmann was known for bringing an American style work ethic to Bayern, and he has in this country and knows the game here so he would do fine. I think he would also be able to bring in some decient European players to help the squad.
If NY passes on Richie Williams and DC doesn’t grab him, they are out of their minds. DC doesn’t lack talent, they lack organization, tactical accumen, and agression. Williams brings all of that, and a history with the club.
If the lose to the Revs, Hamlett.
Come home to DC, Richie!
Also, @Srose13: those management statements are the same kind of statements they made before they fired Nowak, and the same kind of statements management (in general, not just DC) always makes before they fire someone. If they renew Soehn for next year, they’re going to lose a lot of season ticket renewals. The natives are restless.
No reason for Williams to go Philly since they already have a coach
Vermes has already said he was not going to be the Coach next year so He is the one I voted for. After that I think Soehn will be gone. I like the Idea of Richie Williams going up to DC to take that job. Hyndman is definetly staying as FCD just let go the GM and said they are bringing in a Technical Diretor to help Hyndman.
I think United has already implied that Tommy will return. All the management statements I’ve seen lately talk about what a great job he has done.
If Williams doesnt get the job then I’d expect he runs off to Philly or another team in the league as a head coach. Not that he is the best candidate for the job I’m sure RB will replace him with an overrated Euro manager who doesn’t understand the league or the rules and ultimately walks out after a few months.
RedBulls will pull in a bigger name and Richie will end up in DC. Vermes back to General Manager and perhaps Soehn takes that spot. Hyndman is safe but gets saddled with a Technical Dir (most likely Latino – which is a good thing). Gary Clark should go but probably will stay (Arsenal ties still enough – If he can leverage that relationship to add a couple players he becomes hero.)
voted for tom.
he needs to go-had a chance with champions league redemption, but failed. dc pride has slipped too far.
hopefully they go get bruce again!
Do you mean Gary Smith of the Rapids?