After today's announcement that Chris Cummins will not return to Toronto, two of Major League Soccer's highest profile franchises are without head coaches. Red Bull, denizens of North America's biggest market and with a new stadium on the way, and Toronto, with their rabid fan base and consistent sellouts, failed to make the playoffs (both spectacularly, though the latter's last day heartbreaking loss to the former leaves the question of which was worse up to debate); with crucial decisions to be made on the coaching front, are both of these teams primed to make big splashes?
Both clubs ended their seasons with interim managers; Chris Cummins in Toronto might have held on until next year had the Reds not fell on their faces so dramatically, and Richie Williams in New York was unlikely remain in the top job no matter how the remainder of the season played out. With the off-season underway, the watch begins for how the two clubs will fill their vacancies; one needs to appease their angry supporters while the other needs to bring attention to themselves after a poorly-played and poorly-attended season.
New York Red Bulls
The focus for the Red Bulls moved away from the field almost immediately as soon as the final whistle sounded against Toronto. Those fans committed to and emotionally invested in the team are as excited for the opening of Red Bull Arena as anyone, though they naturally want to see the product on the pitch get much, much better for 2010. Rumors of Thierry Henry joining New York after the World Cup are nice, but they do little to ease fears that the Red Bulls will head into their new facility with another weak squad. The excitement that a new stadium brings will only carry so far, and so it's incumbent upon the club's Austrian overlords to make a splash. Whether they decide to do that via player signings or through a big name head coach (or both) doesn't really matter; the important thing, from a ticket-selling standpoint, is to push the interest level as high as possible.
The club was recently linked with former Chelsea man Avram Grant, and while the Israeli's resume isn't overly impressive outside of his time with the Blues, he would have been a massive managerial name on this side of the pond. With Grant moving on to Portsmouth, New York is back in the market for a manager, and I doubt it would surprise anyone if they used the hiring as equal parts football-move and PR-fodder. It is New York, after all, and if the club decides to throw a little of its corporate cash around, there's no reason to believe that they couldn't lure a big name.
Who the Red Bulls might target is a mystery; do a search for the club in Google News, and you'll be inundated with stories about Henry's potential signing. Finding a competent head coach should be a higher priority, and I'm still not convinced that the Henry rumors have legs.
Former Italian National Team and Napoli manager Roberto Donadoni, who played with New York during their early Metrostars days, is available, and could be top of the list.
Toronto FC
Toronto doesn't need to sell tickets. Their fans are passionate and vocal, and in light of failing to make the playoffs in their third year, increasingly frustrated. MLSE, the club's owners, have to be feeling the heat; it's more than just bloggers and message boards, with some of the city's biggest media outlets weighing in with scathing pieces that "enough is enough". Outgoing interim manager Chris Cummins alluded to broke promises on the part of the club, something that only fans the flames of dissatisfaction among the rank and file.
So in which direction does TFC head? The club finds itself at a crossroads, caught between being Canada's biggest club, dealing with all that entails (including snapping up almost every big Canadian name available), and residing squarely in the bottom half of Major League Soccer.
Splashy moves during the off-season guarantee you nothing, of course, and Toronto might be better served to take a pragmatic approach in their coaching search, even if it means choosing someone who won't send the supporters into rapturous hysterics. Who would send TFC fans into those hysterics is a mystery to me; while certain segments would surely fall over backwards if someone like, say, Sven-Goran Eriksson was hired, the more thoughtful of the bunch might see such a move as a pandering attempt to quiet the mob and a sure portent of ultimate disaster. As the Ruud Gullit experiment in LA proved, it takes a special "name" foreign coach to deal with the complexities and irregularities of the MLS system, and the chances aren't good Sven would be one of those guys.
Not that I'm suggesting Eriksson would seriously consider MLS or that MLSE would seriously consider Eriksson, I'm simply using the Swede as an example.
Perhaps more relevant than my idle speculation that Toronto might look to make a splash is the question of whether or not they should.
New York appear the more obvious of the two to go the big name route, though I think it's conceivable Toronto ends up with a head coach absolutely no one expected; do you see either club making a splash, and if so, who should they bring in?
