The off-season is time for club presidents and general managers to reflect on why their teams didn't make the playoffs, a fault which often comes down to the coaching staff. So far, none of the five coaches have resigned or been fired, but as Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald points out, it's a long off-season; he assesses the likelihood of each returning next April.
Starting with the worst of the worst, Mo Johnston (6-17-7) should stay on as head coach of Toronto FC. An unbelievable amount of injuries is partly to blame TFC's poor first season, which means the club's board is likely to give the Scot a second chance. Similarly, Galarcep says Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis (6-15-9) is unlikely to be fired. Despite a tumultuous first season in charge, Kreis bolstered the squad with some key trades and acquisitions. By the end of the season, RSL "was no longer the pushover the league looked forward to playing." In Columbus, Sigi Schmid is in even better shape, having recently told the Columbus Dispatch that he's been retained for the 2008 season. That said, an improved Crew side still failed to make the playoffs for the third year running.
For the second straight year, Los Angeles with Frank Yallop at the helm failed to make the post-season. That end-of-season run was remarkable, but it's far from ensuring him a third season in charge. Galarcep doesn't think he deserves the boot, mostly because his power was stifled greatly by the Beckham situation and the unbridled tinkering of GM Alexi Lalas. Of all the coaches, Galarcep thinks Colorado's Fernando Clavijo should go. The team showed zero improvement during his three-year tenure.
No comments yet.
