D.C. United has begun the coaching search. Here are 10 candidates it might consider.
“There is no top candidate yet,” said one team official who, like others close to the situation, did not want to speak on the record because the process just started following Olsen’s dismissal last week. “Thorough and thoughtful — we’ll take our time.”
Another person concurred, saying the organization expects to compile a thick list of contenders and might not make an offer until the MLS offseason begins in December. “Nothing fast,” the person said.
United will consider candidates from abroad, but MLS history suggests coaches with experience as a league player or assistant — or who have worked in U.S. soccer circles — enjoy far more success. The only coach without prior ties to U.S. soccer or MLS to win the championship was Argentina’s Gerardo Martino, who guided Atlanta to the 2018 title.
Most foreign coaches do not stay more than a few years because they fail to adapt to MLS’s quirks (salary cap, drafts, unbalanced schedule) or use the league as a steppingstone. United has never hired a head coach who didn’t have ties to U.S. soccer or the league.
This, however, is United’s first coaching search conducted by current management, led by chief executive Jason Levien, an American who is also a major investor in Swansea City, which plays in England’s second division. He is well connected in Europe and also speaks about the importance of Latin America to MLS’s growth.
In other words, hiring someone from abroad is not out of the question.
If the team does end up choosing someone from U.S. or MLS circles, there are several options. Here are 10 potential candidates:
Chris Armas: The former U.S. national team midfielder coached the New York Red Bulls to the 2018 Supporters’ Shield (best regular season record) in his first year but was fired last month after two subpar campaigns.
Sasho Cirovski: An MLS team hasn’t plucked an NCAA coach since Portland hired Caleb Porter in 2012, but it’s hard to ignore Cirovski’s success in 27 years at Maryland — three national titles, nine Final Fours and numerous future pros.
Jill Ellis: She won two World Cups in charge of the U.S. women’s national team and lost just seven games in 5½ years. She has never coached a club team (men’s or women’s), and MLS hasn’t had a female assistant or head coach.
John Hackworth: He has coached the U.S. under-17 national team, the Philadelphia Union and for the past three seasons second-flight Louisville City, which won the 2018 title, finished second last year and is a contender this fall.
John Harkes: The former D.C. captain has done well with lower-level expansion teams, going 16-6-8 with second-tier FC Cincinnati in 2016 and 22-11-9 over the past two years with the third-division Greenville (S.C.) Triumph.
Jason Kreis: He had a successful tenure at Real Salt Lake, winning the 2009 MLS Cup, but lasted less than two years at both New York City FC and Orlando City. He is now guiding third-division Fort Lauderdale CF and the U.S. U-23 national team.
Preki Radosavljevic: The two-time MLS MVP has been a Seattle Sounders assistant for three seasons after head coaching gigs with defunct Chivas USA, Toronto FC and lower-tier Sacramento and St. Louis.
Brian Schmetzer: A two-time MLS Cup winner with the Sounders, it’s hard to picture him leaving for lowly D.C. after spending most of his adult life in Seattle-area soccer. His contract, though, expires this year. The sides are talking about an extension.
Richie Williams: The former D.C. midfielder has been coaching for 15 years, primarily as an MLS assistant (currently with New England) but also as an MLS interim boss and head coach for U.S. youth squads and second-tier Loudoun United (briefly).
Through the end of the season, Chad Ashton will serve as United’s interim head coach. He joined the organization in 2007, working under Tom Soehn (2007-09), Curt Onalfo (2010) and Olsen.
One person close to the situation said the team will continue evaluating Ashton, 52, and assistant Nolan Sheldon, 36, but barring a late surge this season, neither is likely to rise on the list.
With six games left and a playoff berth fading, United (2-10-5) has lost five straight and is winless in eight (0-6-2).
The Philadelphia Union (10-3-4) will visit Audi Field on Wednesday on a 6-1-1 tear that has pulled it within three points of first-place Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia Union at D.C. United
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: Audi Field.
TV: WJLA 24/7 News. Live stream: dcunited.com
Records: Union 10-3-4, 34 points; United 2-10-5, 11 points.
