I'm worried.
On the face of things, swapping out Wallace for McCarty is a straight-up win. Wallace had a decent rookie year as a wide midfielder, was hit or miss in the center of midfield, and was a work in progress at left back. McCarty is fresh off a terrific season where he really came into his own as a two-way midfielder and hasn't even entered what should be his peak years as a player yet.
On the other hand, the trade happened just after United lost Jordan Graye in the expansion draft. Now I'm not going to make the assumption that Graye would be a starting outside back for us, and he certainly had his troubles this past year. But he also showed excellent athleticism and a desire to get forward that promised much for his future use as a wingback. In one day, we went from having two promising wing-backs (Wallace and Graye) to zero. What if whatever coach the FO finally brings in wants to play with wingbacks? Poor sod is left with Burch, Zayner, and McTavish, only one of whom, to my mind, is a competent fullback, much less a wingback. And wasn't fullback depth one of our severe problems last year? Praying that everybody stays healthy doesn't strike me as a solution for lack of depth.
And while we're hovering tangential to the great coaching hunt, Goffster says we may be back to square one. You remember, the guy that Payne said wasn't ready? Coming on the back of getting rejected by their top candidate last year and the insistence that we'd be going for an experienced, possibly foreign candidate this time around, I've got to figure that (1) potential candidates are taking a look at the club (including the ridiculous posturing and poor personnel decisions of a front office likely to stick them with a roster full of shlubs, an owner shopping for financial help, and a decaying stadium with no replacement in sight) and saying "thanks, but no thanks" (ergo, this) and/or (2) Payne/Kasper's willingness to blame anybody but themselves is a huge turn-off for anybody jumping into what looks a risky rebuilding project.
Does McCarty fix any of this? Not in isolation. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that a two-way central mid would have been about fourth or fifth on my wish list for next season, well behind such obvious needs as defensive depth, attacking speed, and reliable finishing. There may be some master acquisition strategy that the McCarty trade is but stage one of, but I'm going to hazard a guess that that's just not likely. Pardon my cynicism, but I've seen this scattershot, promise much and under-deliver approach one time too many. I'm strapping on my leaden shorts in preparation for Disaster 2.0.
You?
So That's Why They Wanted Allsopp
And we thought United's finishing was wretched...
Ouch.
Does kind of explain why Danny Allsopp was in demand in Qatar though...
Ouch.
Does kind of explain why Danny Allsopp was in demand in Qatar though...
Thoughts on USA v. South Africa
The temptation to hyperbole is certainly stalking the room, but I'll choose a more measured response to the USA's MLS + Euro-scrub grab bag team beating South Africa in South Africa. It is only one game against a slightly weakened opponent after all. If anything, we saw further confirmation of Bob's ongoing commitment to two holding mids, danger and creativity coming from the flanks, disciplined defense in two banks of four, and little in the way of dictating the match. Not much there to sink your teeth into. Still, I've got some thoughts on the players involved...
* Can we see the back of Findley already? If he had another trick to pair with the speed, say finishing or dogged pursuit of defenders or crossing, then maybe I'd have a little more time for him. At best he's a late-game sub to run at tired defenders...which is exactly where Kreis has him at RSL. I've seen enough. Next!
* Bunbury is a more interesting prospect. Big, fast, and can get his shot off — much more of a solitary forward type in the Altidore vein and has played the role successfully with the Wiz (gonna take a while to get on board with the whole "Sporting KC" poseurism). I was impressed by his effort as well. Definite January camp material.
* The pair of Agudelo and Diskerud earned call backs for January as well. Hard to believe the kid only got time at the end of the year for Red Bull, but he looked pretty fearless, if somewhat overwhelmed by what he'd done as he wheeled away to celebrate the goal. Diskerud has that Dempsey-style daring on the ball that so few of our players have, and that alone should put him in the mix (no pun intended) going forward. The assist was icing.
* Lichaj was a touch too reckless, but I'd rather he be that than too tentative. Heir apparent to Dolo. Good on both sides of the ball, though I'd like to see more discipline defensively, which should come with seasoning. Like his Villa teammate Guzan (who also did what he needed to do and proved he belongs), both need more playing time. Houllier has been bringing younger players into the mix in his short time thus far at Villa; here's hoping both benefit from that policy, and soon.
* Ream was a bit hit and miss for me positionally and in challenges, but his passing was certainly assured, particularly in comparison to the likes of the awful Spector and the mixed bag presented by Rogers. We know Rogers can dribble and use both feet well. That's wonderful. Now if he had a bit more effort and consistency, we might have a player on our hands. Back into the oven with Robbie, he's not quite done. Spector needs a serious change of club scenery before he gets another call.
* Pause and Carroll were what they are, steady central mids of slightly less than international caliber. It's nice to know we have tremendous depth there, but they're probably C-team material at best.
* Gaven and Bedoya, but particularly the former, had some good moments, and both are solid fringe players, haunting the outskirts of a 23 man roster. Goodson is probably a little closer to the starting 11 than either of them. In fact, I'd start him now over Gooch, pending the latter's getting more minutes of first-team action. Of course, doing so means Bocanegra in the middle, which means Bornstein on the left. Still not sold on Jonny, but maybe playing in Mexico will round him as a player.
* Borchers is a reasonable option if we're facing an aerial attack and should get another look at the annual January camp. Not sure about Agbossoumonde, who didn't get much time, but it can't hurt to have young center backs lying around.
Did I miss anybody? I guess the overall impression would be that there were interesting prospects here, but that's mostly what they were — works in progress — with the notable exceptions of Goodson and Guzan, who are both deserving of bench spots and maybe more with the first team. I'd put Gaven, Bunbury, and Bedoya on my shortlist 23 with a chance to make the 18, and Lichaj would be in that same boat if only we weren't so thin at fullback. As it stands, our relative weakness there puts him solidly on the bench and probably keeps Bornstein flirting with a starting spot, particularly given how poor Spector has been. Agudelo, Ream, and Diskerud merit some thought, but aren't threats to be in a first-choice 23 yet.
And you?
* Can we see the back of Findley already? If he had another trick to pair with the speed, say finishing or dogged pursuit of defenders or crossing, then maybe I'd have a little more time for him. At best he's a late-game sub to run at tired defenders...which is exactly where Kreis has him at RSL. I've seen enough. Next!
* Bunbury is a more interesting prospect. Big, fast, and can get his shot off — much more of a solitary forward type in the Altidore vein and has played the role successfully with the Wiz (gonna take a while to get on board with the whole "Sporting KC" poseurism). I was impressed by his effort as well. Definite January camp material.
* The pair of Agudelo and Diskerud earned call backs for January as well. Hard to believe the kid only got time at the end of the year for Red Bull, but he looked pretty fearless, if somewhat overwhelmed by what he'd done as he wheeled away to celebrate the goal. Diskerud has that Dempsey-style daring on the ball that so few of our players have, and that alone should put him in the mix (no pun intended) going forward. The assist was icing.
* Lichaj was a touch too reckless, but I'd rather he be that than too tentative. Heir apparent to Dolo. Good on both sides of the ball, though I'd like to see more discipline defensively, which should come with seasoning. Like his Villa teammate Guzan (who also did what he needed to do and proved he belongs), both need more playing time. Houllier has been bringing younger players into the mix in his short time thus far at Villa; here's hoping both benefit from that policy, and soon.
* Ream was a bit hit and miss for me positionally and in challenges, but his passing was certainly assured, particularly in comparison to the likes of the awful Spector and the mixed bag presented by Rogers. We know Rogers can dribble and use both feet well. That's wonderful. Now if he had a bit more effort and consistency, we might have a player on our hands. Back into the oven with Robbie, he's not quite done. Spector needs a serious change of club scenery before he gets another call.
* Pause and Carroll were what they are, steady central mids of slightly less than international caliber. It's nice to know we have tremendous depth there, but they're probably C-team material at best.
* Gaven and Bedoya, but particularly the former, had some good moments, and both are solid fringe players, haunting the outskirts of a 23 man roster. Goodson is probably a little closer to the starting 11 than either of them. In fact, I'd start him now over Gooch, pending the latter's getting more minutes of first-team action. Of course, doing so means Bocanegra in the middle, which means Bornstein on the left. Still not sold on Jonny, but maybe playing in Mexico will round him as a player.
* Borchers is a reasonable option if we're facing an aerial attack and should get another look at the annual January camp. Not sure about Agbossoumonde, who didn't get much time, but it can't hurt to have young center backs lying around.
Did I miss anybody? I guess the overall impression would be that there were interesting prospects here, but that's mostly what they were — works in progress — with the notable exceptions of Goodson and Guzan, who are both deserving of bench spots and maybe more with the first team. I'd put Gaven, Bunbury, and Bedoya on my shortlist 23 with a chance to make the 18, and Lichaj would be in that same boat if only we weren't so thin at fullback. As it stands, our relative weakness there puts him solidly on the bench and probably keeps Bornstein flirting with a starting spot, particularly given how poor Spector has been. Agudelo, Ream, and Diskerud merit some thought, but aren't threats to be in a first-choice 23 yet.
And you?
EFCOG or Death by Swiss Bolt?
Okay, so the Goffster says the FO is talking to Lucien Favre, formerly of Hertha Berlin, another name presumably tumbling from the lips of our oh-so-successful central European contacts. There is some good in this. Consider (via Honigstein at the Guardian)...
When Favre took over 18 months ago, they were a laughing stock and widely tipped to be relegation fodder. A tenth-placed finish in May hardly set the pulses of the notoriously hard-to-please Berliners racing, but a few excellent manoeuvres in the transfer market and some coolly efficient wins have earned the neutrals' respect, if not exactly adulation.
Hmmm. Turning around a laughing stock? Excellent transfers? That sounds the ticket, doesn't it? The fact that the following season saw a title challenge also speaks to his favor. But (Honigstein again, the emphasis is mine)
It's certainly evident that a little cynicism and defensive rigidity go a long way in a league that has been high on an endless of supply of carefree attacking football of late. "Simply top" was Kicker magazine's headline on Monday. A nice pun, for simplicity is indeed the key. Hertha's struggles against lesser teams who sit even deeper than they do have exposed the limitations of their counter-revolutionary approach
Problem numero uno. How does a defensive, counter-attacking style fit with Payne's self-professed style mandate? I remember the commentary at the time of Hertha's title challenge. It was full of bile about how terribly dull and negative they were. Isn't that precisely the type of system Payne disparaged in the likes of New England and Colorado? Problem numero dos. MLS isn't exactly flourishing with "carefree attacking football," now is it? How successful would Favre's approach prove in a less open league?
Now, there's nothing to say that Favre might not have a few additional tricks up his sleeve. Indeed, I know little of what the sides he coached in Switzerland played like. I only have a deep suspicion of the words "Swiss" and "tactics" in the same sentence, as they tend to be methodical, cynical, and dire, accusations, as demonstrated above, frequently leveled at Favre's Hertha side.
Still, he's a proven hand at making poor sides better at a high level (we'll ignore the fact that after going 4th in his second season, he got sacked after losing the first six games of the next season, a season that eventually saw Hertha relegated). Maybe the master plan (am I a fool to think there is one?) is to instill some solidity, and maybe bring in a few Euro-diamond transfers (a la the Red Bulls' Euro bosses bringing in Lindpere), all the while setting up a system the fans hate so they'll rejoice when Benny rides in on his white horse as the "savior" in 2-3 years.
I'm willing to be corrected on any of this or proven wrong in the long term, but I'm not exactly tittering with delight if this is the type of boss the FO is on the hunt for.
DC United Next Coach Cup | The Final
Our fearless, delusional leadership is busy spending "concentrated time discussing who fits the vision we have," dragging in the EFCOGs and apparently leaving no domestic stone unturned. All this in hopes of having a new boss installed in a month (they "hope" — I remember last years' debacle, so you'll grant me a little skepticism).
Fine. Fat lot of good it'll do whoever lands the job given the tools that the myopic meat puppets pulling the personnel strings will hand them. Accountability? Where? Must have missed it on the way in...
Anyway, let's get the final contestants strapped into the Thunderdome, shall we?
In the bald corner...former Northern Ireland international and journeyman forward of various tiers of English football, the dismissed Dallas boss turned "General" of Puerto Rico; it's 48 year-old Colin Clarke!
The polls close on Sunday evening with a Monday morning post mortem to follow. Democracy, thou tattered whore, let's do this thing!
Fine. Fat lot of good it'll do whoever lands the job given the tools that the myopic meat puppets pulling the personnel strings will hand them. Accountability? Where? Must have missed it on the way in...
Anyway, let's get the final contestants strapped into the Thunderdome, shall we?
In the bald corner...former Northern Ireland international and journeyman forward of various tiers of English football, the dismissed Dallas boss turned "General" of Puerto Rico; it's 48 year-old Colin Clarke!
A strong run has seen the boss of the recently crowned D2 champion Islanders force his way into the final, ending the cinderella charge of Earnie Stewart.
And his competition, in the hirsute corner...a one-club man (loans be damned...particularly that one, and you all know why), trying to drop that "interim" bit from his coaching tag, the Bearded Bombardier, the tireless former midfielder with the heart of a lion; it's 33 year-old Ben Olsen!
Olsen's faced the stiffer competition on his road to the final, narrowly hanging on by a single vote to beat out Caleb Porter in the semifinals.
This one's for all the tainted marbles in that rat-infested pile of rubble on the Anacostia. You know the drill, folks...
The polls close on Sunday evening with a Monday morning post mortem to follow. Democracy, thou tattered whore, let's do this thing!
DC United Next Coach Cup | Semifinals
I find it somewhat surprising that of the quarterfinal contests, the only one that could be described as "close" was the Colin Clark v. Richie Williams matchup. I suppose that could either speak to the relative strength of the survivors or the sad lack of quality in the candidate pool. Regardless, now that we're down to a final four, I expect things will take a turn for the more competitive, though each of the remaining contestants has some glaring weakness that might mar their bid. Rather than outline those weaknesses here and perhaps influence the vote, I'll wait for a wrap-up post on the whole competition. So cue up "Eye of the Tiger" and let's get this thing going...
Voting wraps up on Friday, leaving us the weekend for the Next Coach Cup final.
Voting wraps up on Friday, leaving us the weekend for the Next Coach Cup final.
Playoff Wrap: Quarterfinals, Second Leg
The twisted genius of Bruce Arena? Sure, it was embarrassing for the Gals to get dumped from the Champions' League qualifiers by a division 2 team, but who's laughing now? All three MLS sides that made it through to the group stage of the CCL and subsequently qualified for the playoffs (Seattle, Columbus, RSL) are now packing their bags for the offseason. Were tired legs a factor? Would Arena be that cynical?
To recap...
New York 1:3 San Jose (2:3 on aggregate)
Metro. Playoff. Failure. The legend continues. I said in this space last week that I had this little itch the Quakes would make things interesting in this second leg. I just didn't know how interesting. The Red Bulls certainly controlled large swathes of the game, and that Agudelo kid looks a keeper, but they just couldn't find the final ball often enough. And the set pieces? Miserable stuff from DPs Angel and Marquez. Speaking of final balls, what about Bobby Convey? That lob to Wondolowski for the winner you maybe expect from him. But goals? As a United fan, I'm still shaking my head in disbelief that he managed to finish not just once, but twice, and in pressure situations to boot.
Columbus 2:1 Colorado (2:2 on aggregate, 4:5 on PKs)
I expected the result, but not in the manner it arrived. I was fairly certain that the Crew would come full-bore from the opening whistle, get pegged back on the counter and then huff and puff trying to find two goals, ultimately collapsing after all those extra Champions' League and Open Cup matches piled on their tired legs. After two straight first-round upset losses, I wonder if Warzycha's seat is starting to get hot. Something about this situation is starting to smell of Soehn's United of a couple seasons ago. Is it too early to predict that the Crew win the Open Cup but miss the playoffs next year?
RSL 1:1 FC Dallas (2:3 on aggregate)
How huge was that late goal from Avila last week? RSL probably still should have found a way to at least force this one to extra time, but a combination of poor finishing and a gimpy Kevin Hartman barred the door. Of course, saying that, Dallas could have equally tallied a few more if they were more lethal themselves, and LA will be duly worried about what they bring on the counter. Undoubtedly, we're going to see Dema dogging Ferreira to break up the springboard for such attacks, but that could easily backfire if the red mist descends. It'll be interesting to see what RSL looks like next year. They ran to a large degree on a potent mix of confidence and home form this year. Will the self-belief still be there after an early playoff exit? And MLS HQ? Why is the team that finished fourth in the league playing the team that finished second in the first round of the playoffs? For that matter, why is San Jose playing Colorado for the Eastern Conference crown? I know Americans are lousy at geography, but sheesh!
Los Angeles 2:1 Seattle (3:1 on aggregate)
Tepid bow-out from Sigi's green machine, though they had the chances to make things much more interesting. It's funny how the rest of the team struggled when Montero was hot, but then Montero completely lost his form when the team started gelling. Like Columbus, Seattle had the added burden of going the distance in the Open Cup and six Champions' League group stage matches to contend with, but in the end, it's the finishing that let them down the most in both legs. And I think Sigi will be particularly displeased with the marking on set pieces, considering that said plays are one of LA's most lethal weapons and had to be a focus of his preparations. As a coda: no blame falls on Keller for the two LA goals in this match, but I wonder about his future. True, he made some excellent saves over the course of the year, but for every one, there was at least one face-palm moment to match.
The Conference Finals
Three out of four upsets in the first round. Does the pattern continue in the MLS Cup semifinals, or, as MLS insists on maintaining geographical inanity, the Conference Finals? One thing is for certain: we'll have at least one "dark horse" in the final looking to replicate RSL's surprise bid from last year. The question is: which one? Both Colorado and San Jose are excellent on the break, but it's hard to break against a team who are looking to counter themselves. Indeed, both regular season matches ended in 1-0 wins for the home team.
Prediction? Colorado are not as wasteful of chances as New York. San Jose struggle in the chilly altitude. 2-0 Colorado.
The other half of the draw sees the Galaxy entertain FC Dallas. Both teams have injury worries and looked a bit suspect at the back, despite going unpunished, in their first round matchups. That said, both were facing teams that carried fairly potent attacking threats. Also, both goalkeepers are a bit dinged, which could make things particularly interesting, especially if we go to penalties. I think this one boils down to the Dallas counter versus LA set pieces. Which team proves most lethal in their speciality? Does Dallas show enough discipline to keep from picking up silly fouls? Can both teams keep eleven men on the field? I suspect things may get a little chippy and wonder if there may be some significant suspensions heading into the final for whichever team makes it there.
Prediction? My gut tells me Dallas will carry the day, but I can't look past the fact that LA won both regular season meetings, so I pick LA in a surprising knockout competition goal-fest, 3-2. And is it too much to ask that LA go through but both Donovan and Beckham pick up suspensions, throwing MLS HQ into a tizzy? Thanks in advance, soccer gods.
To recap...
New York 1:3 San Jose (2:3 on aggregate)
Metro. Playoff. Failure. The legend continues. I said in this space last week that I had this little itch the Quakes would make things interesting in this second leg. I just didn't know how interesting. The Red Bulls certainly controlled large swathes of the game, and that Agudelo kid looks a keeper, but they just couldn't find the final ball often enough. And the set pieces? Miserable stuff from DPs Angel and Marquez. Speaking of final balls, what about Bobby Convey? That lob to Wondolowski for the winner you maybe expect from him. But goals? As a United fan, I'm still shaking my head in disbelief that he managed to finish not just once, but twice, and in pressure situations to boot.
Columbus 2:1 Colorado (2:2 on aggregate, 4:5 on PKs)
I expected the result, but not in the manner it arrived. I was fairly certain that the Crew would come full-bore from the opening whistle, get pegged back on the counter and then huff and puff trying to find two goals, ultimately collapsing after all those extra Champions' League and Open Cup matches piled on their tired legs. After two straight first-round upset losses, I wonder if Warzycha's seat is starting to get hot. Something about this situation is starting to smell of Soehn's United of a couple seasons ago. Is it too early to predict that the Crew win the Open Cup but miss the playoffs next year?
RSL 1:1 FC Dallas (2:3 on aggregate)
How huge was that late goal from Avila last week? RSL probably still should have found a way to at least force this one to extra time, but a combination of poor finishing and a gimpy Kevin Hartman barred the door. Of course, saying that, Dallas could have equally tallied a few more if they were more lethal themselves, and LA will be duly worried about what they bring on the counter. Undoubtedly, we're going to see Dema dogging Ferreira to break up the springboard for such attacks, but that could easily backfire if the red mist descends. It'll be interesting to see what RSL looks like next year. They ran to a large degree on a potent mix of confidence and home form this year. Will the self-belief still be there after an early playoff exit? And MLS HQ? Why is the team that finished fourth in the league playing the team that finished second in the first round of the playoffs? For that matter, why is San Jose playing Colorado for the Eastern Conference crown? I know Americans are lousy at geography, but sheesh!
Los Angeles 2:1 Seattle (3:1 on aggregate)
Tepid bow-out from Sigi's green machine, though they had the chances to make things much more interesting. It's funny how the rest of the team struggled when Montero was hot, but then Montero completely lost his form when the team started gelling. Like Columbus, Seattle had the added burden of going the distance in the Open Cup and six Champions' League group stage matches to contend with, but in the end, it's the finishing that let them down the most in both legs. And I think Sigi will be particularly displeased with the marking on set pieces, considering that said plays are one of LA's most lethal weapons and had to be a focus of his preparations. As a coda: no blame falls on Keller for the two LA goals in this match, but I wonder about his future. True, he made some excellent saves over the course of the year, but for every one, there was at least one face-palm moment to match.
The Conference Finals
Three out of four upsets in the first round. Does the pattern continue in the MLS Cup semifinals, or, as MLS insists on maintaining geographical inanity, the Conference Finals? One thing is for certain: we'll have at least one "dark horse" in the final looking to replicate RSL's surprise bid from last year. The question is: which one? Both Colorado and San Jose are excellent on the break, but it's hard to break against a team who are looking to counter themselves. Indeed, both regular season matches ended in 1-0 wins for the home team.
Prediction? Colorado are not as wasteful of chances as New York. San Jose struggle in the chilly altitude. 2-0 Colorado.
The other half of the draw sees the Galaxy entertain FC Dallas. Both teams have injury worries and looked a bit suspect at the back, despite going unpunished, in their first round matchups. That said, both were facing teams that carried fairly potent attacking threats. Also, both goalkeepers are a bit dinged, which could make things particularly interesting, especially if we go to penalties. I think this one boils down to the Dallas counter versus LA set pieces. Which team proves most lethal in their speciality? Does Dallas show enough discipline to keep from picking up silly fouls? Can both teams keep eleven men on the field? I suspect things may get a little chippy and wonder if there may be some significant suspensions heading into the final for whichever team makes it there.
Prediction? My gut tells me Dallas will carry the day, but I can't look past the fact that LA won both regular season meetings, so I pick LA in a surprising knockout competition goal-fest, 3-2. And is it too much to ask that LA go through but both Donovan and Beckham pick up suspensions, throwing MLS HQ into a tizzy? Thanks in advance, soccer gods.
DC United Next Coach Cup | Quarterfinals
The original field of 34 is now down to 8 as the group stage and first round of knockout matches are in the books. Just one of the matches went to penalties, with Twitter breaking the deadlock (what, you're not following me?) to send Earnie Stewart through to the quarters and end the run of dark horse candidate Wilmer Cabrera. Predictably, the "high seeds" have generally held serve to this point, but it's going to get particularly interesting as they start to meet each other. And so...
Power up the democracy engines. You have two days to send your candidates through to the final four, which I'll start the polls for on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
Power up the democracy engines. You have two days to send your candidates through to the final four, which I'll start the polls for on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
DC United Next Coach Cup | Round of 16
And on to the knockout stages we go...
There were two big surprises in the group stage. The first would be Wilmer Cabrera storming out of the qualification matches and running away comfortably with his group. The second would be Preki's dismissal.
Let's think about this for a second. Yes, he wasn't successful with TFC this year and paid for it. But who has been successful with that train wreck? There's a reason they cleared house (paying attention United?) this year. So, putting TFC aside, what had Preki done in his first three seasons as a coach?
2007 - Coach of the Year, Supporters' Shield runners up, 1st in the Western Conference, playoffs
2008 - 2nd in the Western Conference, playoffs
2009 - 4th in the Western Conference, playoffs
True, he was taking up what Bradley left in place for him at Chivas, but he qualified for the playoffs all three years. Also true, he got knocked out in the first round each time in decidedly Soehn-esque fashion and had declining league finishes, but I seem to recall some pretty severe injury crises he had to deal with in 2008 and 2009. Paired with the agricultural style of his teams, maybe he's not the strongest candidate, and compared to Hamlett (two 2nd in East and 2 MLS Cup semifinals with Chicago) maybe I can see some competition (though why is Hamlett now the interim coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology then?). But Dooley? What has he done to justify such support? I'm honestly asking. As far as I can tell, his only coaching experience outside of the youth ranks was a couple of seasons in Germany almost a decade ago.
In any case, let's get on with the matchups. We'll have two days of voting, ending this time on Sunday, when I'll get the quarterfinal matches posted as well. So without any further ado...
Have at it, folks.
There were two big surprises in the group stage. The first would be Wilmer Cabrera storming out of the qualification matches and running away comfortably with his group. The second would be Preki's dismissal.
Let's think about this for a second. Yes, he wasn't successful with TFC this year and paid for it. But who has been successful with that train wreck? There's a reason they cleared house (paying attention United?) this year. So, putting TFC aside, what had Preki done in his first three seasons as a coach?
2007 - Coach of the Year, Supporters' Shield runners up, 1st in the Western Conference, playoffs
2008 - 2nd in the Western Conference, playoffs
2009 - 4th in the Western Conference, playoffs
True, he was taking up what Bradley left in place for him at Chivas, but he qualified for the playoffs all three years. Also true, he got knocked out in the first round each time in decidedly Soehn-esque fashion and had declining league finishes, but I seem to recall some pretty severe injury crises he had to deal with in 2008 and 2009. Paired with the agricultural style of his teams, maybe he's not the strongest candidate, and compared to Hamlett (two 2nd in East and 2 MLS Cup semifinals with Chicago) maybe I can see some competition (though why is Hamlett now the interim coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology then?). But Dooley? What has he done to justify such support? I'm honestly asking. As far as I can tell, his only coaching experience outside of the youth ranks was a couple of seasons in Germany almost a decade ago.
In any case, let's get on with the matchups. We'll have two days of voting, ending this time on Sunday, when I'll get the quarterfinal matches posted as well. So without any further ado...
Have at it, folks.
DC United Next Coach Cup | Group Stage
The qualification matches are over, and it's time to move onto the big dance. We'll have eight groups of four with the top two advancing to the round of 16. One vote per group. Voting closes in two days (Thursday), and the knockout rounds begin the next day (Friday).
Spread the word after you vote; democracy is people-powered.
Sample Tweet (feel free to copy and paste): I just voted...in the #DCU #NextCoachCup. You should too http://bit.ly/a3Q4aQ
Remember, polls close Thursday.
Spread the word after you vote; democracy is people-powered.
Sample Tweet (feel free to copy and paste): I just voted...in the #DCU #NextCoachCup. You should too http://bit.ly/a3Q4aQ
Remember, polls close Thursday.
Next Coach Cup 2010: The Qualification Round
We'll kick off the DC United Next Coach Cup with a rapid-fire qualification round. Most rounds will have 2-3 days of voting, but for the qualies, it's just 24 hours. And the choices here are terrifying. I've deliberately paired them by "ick" factor (somebody nominated Onalfo, so I had to throw him in the pot...but is Andrulis really a better choice?) and by "huh?" factor (Bora's still alive? Wilmer who?*). Without further ado folks, let's get voting so that we can kick off the group stage in patriotic style on election day tomorrow.
* US U-17 boss
Remember, 24 hours. Spread the word. The group stage (8 groups of 4, top two advancing) starts tomorrow.
* US U-17 boss
Remember, 24 hours. Spread the word. The group stage (8 groups of 4, top two advancing) starts tomorrow.
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