MLS Owners Need to Look at USL Coaches
After watching two legs of the FMF final and seeing the tactics on display, it reminded me of what is lacking in MLS. Despite having been in business for 14 years, MLS has not evolved tactically the way it should have: in fact the second tier USL is a more tactical league, which features differing styles of play implemented by qualified foreign managers.
MLS, on the other hand generally has teams playing a similar brand of football (excepting DC United, of course) which is dire to watch at times. Kevin Payne’s recent fine at the hands of Commissioner Don Garber, reinforced to me how defensive MLS’ is about criticizing the product. I have maintained for sometime that USL is a more tactical league than MLS.
For this opinion, I have been ridiculed a hater and worse anti-American soccer. I am not sure how supporting the sport at the grassroots level in second tier markets in our lower leagues makes me anti-American soccer, but again some fans confuse what is good for MLS business wise as what is good for American soccer.
I had a lengthy conversation the other day with a British journalist who has watched both USL and MLS. He conceded the quality of player and level of play is higher in MLS, but that USL features more tactics, more strategy and is in some cases better to watch for the neutral. MLS has relied on turning former players into managers, while USL clubs have in many cases gone out and hired foreign managers who have their coaching badges from UEFA or another governing entity.
Given the continued struggles the US has had with MLS’ players in big international matches (most recently the 2009 Gold Cup Final where an MLS oriented squad lost its shape after the first Mexican goal and then subsequently lost its composure), it would be wise for MLS owners to take a serious look at USL Managers.
Here is a short list of current USL Managers who deserve a look in MLS:
- Teitur Thordarson (Vancouver)
- Martin Rennie (Carolina)
- Adrian Heath (Austin)
- Gavin Wilkinson (Portland)
- Graham Smith (Ventura County Fusion)
A point that I made to you the other day Kartik is 6 of the 11 USL teams had foreign coaches last year. A name not on your list that has already coached in MLS was Colin Clark.
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the Montréal coach should be in your list his young but did a great job whit a team that was searching itself.
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Both Clark and Dos Santos deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done with their sides.
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No love for Zinho? lol
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Interesting observation. I’m not particularly adept at figuring out tactics at the best of times, which is probably why I didn’t notice, but you are right I think. It would be nice to see more coaches promoted up from he lower leagues.
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The lack at looking at coaches from USL-1 in the past has made me wonder if there’s not something more to the MLS vs. USL relationship… Why is MLS seemingly looking at college coaches before they look at pro coaches at lower divisions?
DC United has shown a lot of interest in Akron’s Caleb Porter when Carolina’s Martin Rennie, a well regarded coach, isn’t that far away at all. Cirovski from Maryland was also said to have been in the mix for United.
I also look at SH going to FC Dallas, though it seems like more of a local hire, why not try guys that are actually running pro clubs?
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Heath actually has experience coaching in English Football at Burnley and Stoke.
This is contrasted with the MLS who currently has ZERO coaches that have managed clubs in top European leagues. ZERO! Can you believe that? Our top flight league relies on former players and college coaches to “develop” players.
No wonder the league’s player development record is spotty at best.
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You are correct. MLS does not like to acknowledge USL exists or may have some quality. Hiring a USL coach after firing an MLS one, usually a former player is an admisssion of defeat and the MLS/USSF cabal will never allow it.
Any team that hires a USL coach will be blackballed.
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It is all about MLS continued isolation from the outside footballing world.
Did anyone catch Grant Wahl’s tweets last week?
Foreign coaches are arrogant, and young American coaches who are former players need to be hired instead?
No wonder the league is so unappealing.
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MLS is losing the hard core Euro footy fan with its continued insistence on playing glorified hack and run soccer perfected in the American college game.
Without serious style changes, MLS will never be anything more than a blip on the American sports scene or International soccer radar.
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Very good points. MLS has a myraid of dumb rules that make it impossible to hire coaches or technical directors without a specific knowledge of the league. Thus, the teams are constantly hiring inferior coaches and GMs. So many soccer people want to come to America but when faced with the dumb rules, they stay away.
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I think the new NASL will be good in forcing MLS to change. USL under Marcos dictatorship did some great things but was too inept from a PR standpoint to affect change with the NFL type ownership if MLS.
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The problem is MLS is run by NFL people who have put in place an intricate set of rules only people from within the league would understand.
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