photo by Jennifer Buchanan/USA Today Sports
By FRANCO PANIZO
The MLS season is winding down and the pressure is ramping up, especially for those coaches on the hot seat.
Less than two months remain in the MLS campaign, and the battle for playoff spots is as intense as its been all year. All the clubs in both conferences are still mathematically alive, and continue to jockey for positions above the red line. The ability to get results remains absolutely vital, and a failure to do so down the stretch could prove costly.
Frank Klopas found that out the hard way last month, as he was the first MLS coach fired in 2015Â due to the rut that the Montreal Impact were in. Not even having games in hand and a good shot at reaching the postseason was enough to prevent him from being dismissed.
Several coaches across the league are under similar type pressures. Some need to reach the postseason to help ensure that they return next year, while others need to do even more to avoid possibly getting canned.
Here is a look at the MLS coaches on the hot seat right now:
FRANK YALLOP
Chicago Fire
Record:Â 7-15-6
Outlook: No playoffs
The Chicago Fire have had a disastrous season, and the misery was only compounded this past weekend. The Fire took a 2-0 lead on the road against the New York Red Bulls, but then crumbled and conceded three straight to drop their 15th game of the season, which is tied for league-worst.
Chicago is a real long shot to make the playoffs at this point, and questions about Frank Yallop continue to be asked. After a poor first year at the helm of the Fire, Yallop was able to retool his roster this past offseason. The results and performances have not been favorable, however, and club owner Andrew Hauptman may be starting to look elsewhere for a coach that can live up to the expectations of “competing and winning at a consistent level” that he stated when he hired Yallop.
JASON KREIS
New York City FC
Record: 7-14-7
Outlook: No playoffs
It might not be fair to judge such an experienced coach on one lousy season with an expansion club, but that is the type of situation Jason Kreis signed up for when he joined a club in a big market like New York where winning is not only expected, but demanded.
New York City FC has been abysmal for much of the year, and Kreis shoulders some of the blame. He has struggled to consistently settle on a lineup, not found the right recipe for defensive success, been unable to get the best out of his two biggest midseason arrivals, and has been very critical of his players in recent weeks.
It has not all been on him, of course. He has had to deal with plenty of injuries, and did not have all three Designated Players on his roster until midway through the season. Nonetheless, Â the campaign has been far below what NYCFC envisioned and promised to its fledging fan base.
SIGI SCHMID
Seattle Sounders
Record:Â 13-13-7
Outlook: Playoffs
There were questions as to if Sigi Schmid was the man to lead the Seattle Sounders a year ago, and they are starting to resurface once again.
The Sounders are one of the most expensive teams in the league, but that has not stopped them from hitting a recent funk that has some wondering whether they will even make a playoffs. Right now, Seattle is in fourth place in the Western Conference, but the three teams that are directly behind the club all have at least one game in hand and trail by three points or less.
Even if the Sounders stay above the red line, Schmid will likely need to do more than just make a postseason appearance. He has one of the more talented rosters in the league with the likes of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins at his disposal, and the preseason expectations for Seattle was that it should contend for an MLS Cup.
JIM CURTIN
Philadelphia Union
Record: 8-15-6
Outlook: No playoffs
It has been far from pretty in the City of Brotherly Love. Jim Curtin and the Philadelphia Union have endured a rough campaign in which they have won just eight times 29 matches. Their playoff hopes are almost extinct, and there is currently not much reason for optimism when looking towards next year.
This season was Curtin’s first full one on the job, but more was anticipated from him and Philadelphia after the way he led the Union as the interim manager in 2014. What is also going against him is that the club’s fans are starved for a playoff berth, and this will make the fourth straight year without an appearance barring a miracle. A saving grace could be a win in the U.S. Open Cup final.
JEFF CASSAR
Real Salt Lake
Record:Â 9-11-8
Outlook: No playoffs
Real Salt Lake has a tradition of winning and competing for trophies, but Jeff Cassar’s sophomore season coaching the club has not been up to snuff.
RSL is currently the second-worst team in the competitive Western Conference, an unfamiliar position for an organization that is usually near the top of the standings. Salt Lake’s place in the table is made to look worse by the fact that the club moved away from its tried and tested 4-4-2 diamond formation at the start of the year.
As it stands, Salt Lake will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and its passionate fans are none too pleased about that.
PABLO MASTROENI
Colorado Rapids
Record: 8-10-10
Outlook: No playoffs
The cellar dwellers of the Western Conference, the Colorado Rapids have just not looked the part for much of the year. The club recently had a spike in production, but the postseason once again does not look to be in reach for second-year head coach Pablo Mastroeni.
More worrisome for Mastroeni is his club’s lack of offensive punch. Despite bringing in reinforcements like Designated Player Kevin Doyle this year, Colorado is the worst scoring team in the league with just 26 goals in 28 games. The defense has been impressive, allowing just 30 tallies, but some are still skeptical about the overall direction of the club.
GREGG VANNEY
Toronto FC
Record: 11-12-4
Outlook: Playoffs
It might seem easy to take over a star-studded team, but Toronto FC proved last year just how difficult it can be.
Still, Gregg Vanney was tasked in 2015 with leading this Canadian club to the playoffs for the first time in its history. He seems to be on the way towards accomplishing that feat, but the performances continue be mixed despite boasting big names in Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore.
Reaching the postseason will undoubtedly help Vanney’s cause, but it is how the club does once it gets there that could determine whether he returns next year. With so much money invested in the club, it will likely take a strong showing that signals that Toronto FC is on the brink of transforming into one of the league’s true powerhouses.
CALEB PORTER
Portland Timbers
Record: 11-9-8
Outlook: Playoffs
It has not been the prettiest of the seasons for the Portland Timbers, but a postseason berth is within reach. The club currently holds the sixth and final playoff spot in the tight Western Conference, but needs to fend off the resurgent San Jose Earthquakes in these remaining few weeks.
If the Timbers fail to do that, Caleb Porter could be in danger. Portland missed the playoffs in his sophomore season in 2014, and a second consecutive unsuccessful campaign surely would not bode well, especially since the attack has regressed mightily by going from 61 goals scored last year to 29 this campaign.
The problem with Seattle firing Sigi and NYCFC firing Kreis is who else is out there which are upgrades? We’ve seen foreign coaches with pedigree fail time and time again, so who is available that knows the intricacies of the league that has a winning track record? I think this is why we’ve only seen one firing this far this season. I would bet a Tab Ramos- Richie Williams combo could work well given their success with the US youth teams. The most successful trend has been hiring recent retired coaches or assistant coaches like Jay Heaps, Carl Robinson, Ben Olsen, etc. Maybe we’ll see Ezra or Ante Razov take over for Sigi at the CLink?
Also if I was a Rapids fans I would be calling for Mastroeni to get the boot and be replaced by Claudio Lopez. He’s been around MLS long enough to get acclimatized, the team played well when he had to fill in, and you have to think he has the Argentine ‘friends and family’ discount.
Spot on. Another point – there just aren’t that many MLS coaches that could walk into Seattle or NYCFC and would have enough clout to command those locker rooms (not that there is really anyone out there with enough clout for a lockeroom of Pirlo/Lampard, but I digress….)
The point is, we’re not in Europe where there’s a multitude of highly qualified and experienced coaches waiting in line for jobs. Seattle and NYCFC probably have the ability to bring in a respectable European coach, but coaches with no MLS experience tend to flounder, and they won’t be given 3 years to settle in places expecting championships.
Yallop – stays
Kreis – sticks around for 1 more year then finds better job
Sigi – 1 more year then fired
Curtin – 6 more years because they can’t afford anyone else
Cassar – gone but RSL still can’t get its’ act together
Mastroeni – stays, bottom dweller next year
Vanney – fired at the end of this week because Toronto
Porter – 5 more years and finally turns the corner in 2017 when Portland is moved to the Eastern Division
I don’t see how Yallop stays. He hasn’t had good results for a long time. I think when he was with San Jose before he was with the Galaxy he did well, but since then, pretty much nada. I don’t understand why Kreis is even listed. I will bet that next year he has NYCFC in the top 3 or 4 in his division.
Yallop had success with a team that Dom put together, and then it totally fell apart the longer he ran it. Yallop is a bum, a retread, and should be gone
Chicago keeps him because they don’t know better…
Schmid is a very good coach, but I think they only offered him a 1 year deal to start this season. They had a great start, but getting destroyed for 2 months, regardless of some key injuries, probably wI’ll bury him. MLS Cup or bust for Sigi.
Porter is not championship material. But Merritt Paulson won’t fire anyone, even if they miss the playoffs. He will do anything to avoid a tough decision that exposes him. He will look for silver linings. If Timbers finish sixth again, but lose in the opening round, that will be good enough for him and sadly a lot of fans.
If Schmid goes, chances are another MLS team immediately picks him up pretty fast.
LAFC?
Schmid has a multiyear deal, if he goes it’s more likely a health thing — been out lately — than a sports thing. I know he’s willing to ditch one team for another even fresh off a title, but he lacks that freedom and Seattle would have to buy him out unless he retires.
That being said, I am skeptical of his ability to work his magic on turf. His MLS winners were grass field teams. He can’t just take SS’s money and buy players and play his same style, he has to try and do it on turf, and the fact of being on turf beats up some of the talent he signs. I think he’s a great coach but unless they spend a ton of money — somehow buy elite talent — I don’t know if they can win on turf.
I see Schmid gone, unless the Sounders make MLS Cup, win or lose. The other guys…..who the hell knows.
It’s got to be Vanney, they are about to make the playoffs!
They’re just a year away from the Supporter’s Shield. Seattle would be stupid to fire him as he was missing a lot of their best players for a lot of games in the middle of the season.
If the Union win the Open Cup, Curtin probably keeps his job, even if they miss the playoffs. There have been some poor performances this season (Saturday’s game against the Crew, for example), but the team has also been pretty unlucky with injuries to key players and more than a few refereeing horror shows. The team’s biggest issue – lack of quality depth – is on the front office and ownership, not Curtin, in my view.
It won’t matter for teams like Chicago or Philly, they are so mismanaged by their Front Offices that the problems will persist until major changes are made.
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