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?
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