Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By IVES GALARCEP
Chivas USA is still searching for a head coach after parting ways with Robin Fraser, and the recent dismissal of special advisor Johan Cruyff from Chivas Guadalajara has left a cloud of uncertainty about just who will handle the responsibility of finding a replacement for Fraser.
If that task really does fall to team owner Jorge Vergara, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Goats are considering hiring someone with no head coaching experience, but with ties to both Chivas USA and Chivas Guadalajara.
Chivas USA is considering hiring former Mexican national team star and Chivas USA captain Ramon Ramirez to be the team’s next head coach, sources told SBI on Thursday.
Ramirez spent the 2005 season, Chivas USA’s first, with the team before returning to Mexico. A long-time player for Chivas Guadalajara, Ramirez made 121 appearances for the Mexican national team.
While Ramirez has the pedigree as a former Chivas USA and Chivas Guadalajara player, what he doesn’t have is head coaching experience. He wouldn’t be the first former player to step into a head coaching role without experience in MLS, Jason Kreis, Ben Olsen and Jay Heaps are recent examples, but Ramirez only spent one season in MLS as a player (seven years ago) and would likely have to hire a coaching staff with MLS experience.
The Goats had been linked to former Chivas Guadalajara head coach Efrain Flores two months ago, but the news on that front has gone cold. Chivas USA has also recently been linked to former U.S. National team and Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Steve Sampson, who was spotted having lunch with Vergara recently.
When asked about a move to Chivas USA last Saturday, Sampson told SBI that he was definitely interested in the job, but that nothing was signed yet.
One scenario that might make sense is hiring both Sampson and Ramirez as a package deal, with Ramirez as the head coach and Sampson as assistant head coach. Given Vergara’s volatile ownership style it is a good bet that whoever is hired as Chivas USA head coach would probably not last the entire season.
What do you think of this development? See Ramirez being a good fit? Surprised Jesse Marsch isn’t being mentioned as a candidate?
Share your thoughts below.