Jesse Marsch will now guide Montreal into MLS. (ISIPhotos.com)

There were rumors about this earlier in the week and in the end it came true. The Montreal Impact are gearing up towards their inagural MLS season next year and have named their head coach that will lead them into MLS. Montreal has named former Chicago Fire, DC United and Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch as their first MLS head coach today.

Marsch had been an assistant coach with the US National Team under Bob Bradley for the last couple years. He worked with various youth sides through the US National Team as well and will likely try and lead a youth movement of some sort in Montreal with that experience.

“It’s an honour to be named the first head coach of the Montreal Impact in MLS,” said Jesse Marsch. “It’s a great opportunity to establish something special. There are good soccer people in this organization that are committed to doing things the right way. My time in MLS and with the US National Team exposed me to this game at the highest level. We will be committed to the process of becoming a winning team.”

I had a feeling someone would go after Marsch after Bob Bradley was dismissed recently from the USMNT. It shows how well respected Marsch is as a coach and really its a bit shocking that his former club, Chicago, didn’t make a bigger pitch to get him.

Leading an expansion team is never easy but it should be a good chance for Marsch to show off his coaching style. I think this is a great hire for the Impact.

Timbers technical director Gavin Wilkinson (left), new head coach John Spencer (center) and club majority owner Merritt Paulson (right) (Photo via Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers)

In probably what has become the worst kept coaching secret in Major League Soccer is about to come true tomorrow. The Portland Timbers are se to hire former Houston Dynamo assistant John Spencer as the club’s first MLS head coach.

Spencer’s name has been linked with the job since last year when he met with team owner Merritt Paulson  and  general manager Gavin Wilkinson.

The Timbers had interviewed other candidates including former Chicago Fire manager Denis Hamlett.

But Spencer was always their guy. Once he left the Dynamo last month out of the blue it was pretty obvious around the league circles what was going on with him and Portland.

The hiring itself is a good move. No doubt Spencer knows MLS well and how to manage it’s silliness. He also is good with young players, which Portland will probably have a decent amount of going into their expansion season.

Swedish coach Hans Backe takes over a tall task of coaching the New York Red Bulls. (Getty Images)

After weeks of waiting for the New York Red Bulls to hire a coach today they have announced the hiring of 57-year-old Swedish coach Hans Backe. He most recently worked as head coach of English League two side Notts County, a job he quit after just seven weeks.

Richie Williams and Des McAlennen will remain with the Red Bulls as assistant coaches.

Backe was a long-time confidant to Sven-Goran Eriksson. He worked closely with Eriksson on multiple occasions, including with Manchester City and as an assistant coach with Mexico during Eriksson’s failed time as manager there.

The Swede takes over a club that was beyond pathetic in 2009. Throw in the fact that he has no knowledge of MLS and this could be a bad move once again by this club. Let’s not forget that the man who hired him, Eric Soler has just a little more knowledge about the league than Backe does here.

The club is keeping Williams which should help out a bit but I can’t say this move is a good one yet.

Seeing how Backe’s time with Notts County ended, I kind of think this could go down the same path. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Williams take over as manager by the middle of the season here if things go bad once again in New York.

What do you make of this hire? Backe has a good resume but that doesn’t always do well in MLS.

Curt Onalfo is set to become DC's next manager. (Brian Stevens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

In a way one could say DC United is settling for Curt Onalfo as their next head coach. They’ve looked high and low but in the end it seems like Onalfo is their guy.

A couple reports suggest that DC will make the change as early as today. This decision comes just a couple weeks shy of Akron head coach Caleb Porter turning down the job to stay with the Zips on the college level. (EDIT: DC announces the hiring of Onalfo as their head coach.)

This should be the first of a lot of changes this offseason for DC. Onalfo will be set to guide a DC club that has underachieved for two seasons in a row, or four if you count the disappointing Supporter’s Shield winning seasons that didn’t yield a MLS Cup birth. The club is also going to have to make some big decisions on players too this winter. Ben Olsen just retired and forward Luciano Emilio could be set to leave MLS as well.

But thankfully for the Black-and-Red the talent is there with young stars like Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. If they have yet another solid draft next month they could be set to contend once again in the eastern conference.

Is Onalfo the right man for the job after getting canned in KC after two and a half seasons? Even with his ties to DC from the late late 90s I do question the move. I do see it as a settling move since there were no other coaches out there that wanted this position. DC does have a long way to return to it’s glory days if you ask me and I’m not sure if Onalfo is the right guy for that task. His KC clubs for some reason never progressed into anything special and typically stayed around .500% each year.

With Onalfo off the market and DC out of the coaching search race it now leaves both New York and Chicago left to find a manager here.

What do you all make of this hire by DC? Good move or are they just settling for someone here?

I first read this report earlier this morning and thought the idea was a good one. Goal.com is reporting that former US Men’s National team star Eric Wynalda is in discussions with the Chicago Fire about their head coach opening.

Fire technical director Frank Klopas flew down to the LA area recently to meet with Wynalda. Klopas has interviewed several candidates in the search for Denis Hamlett’s replacement. Two successive appearances in the Western Conference final wasn’t enough to save Hamlett’s job, as locker room disturbances and a lack of titles brought an end to his two year stint as the Fire head coach.

Now some don’t like Wynalda, some hate him and I’m sure there are few out there that do love him. I really have no issue with him and the things he’s said over the years on ESPN and now on FSC.

He may not have the coaching experience but in a way I kind of think this is the shot in the arm the Fire need here. They’ve been good for the last few years but haven’t gone to that next level. With a guy like Wynalda leading the way it could work out. In a way I’d kind of like to see this happen.

DC's Kevin Payne is looking high and low for a new coach.

Some more news has come out today about DC United’s on-going coaching search to replace Tom Soehn. Yesterday we mentioned that Richie Williams is out of the running but a few more names have emerged thanks to Steve Goff’s latest report this afternoon. One name isn’t shocking at all if you follow the college game here in the States.

Akron head coach Caleb Porter is said to be one of the top candidates for DC’s head coach spot. Porter is a very good coach that has taken his Zips on an impressive run over the last few years going 68-11-7 record in four seasons, including 23-0 and a College Cup berth this year. As good as Porter has been in Akron one has to wonder will a 34-year old college coach that has very little MLS experience (played for both San Jose and Tampa) be a good fit for a big time club like DC?

Other names may make a little more sense though right now. Goff also mentions former KC front man Curt Onalfo as one of the candidates still left on the table along with current RSL assistant Robin Fraser, and DC assistant Chad Aston. The report also mentions DC will be looking at some foreign based coaches as well.

Honestly the club does need some sort of new direction here going into 2010. I like the idea of giving a guy like Fraser a shot over someone like Porter who has done well with a college team but will veteran players really respect someone younger than them? Hiring Onalfo doesn’t make a lot of sense to me since his teams in KC really never progressed over the years that he was in charge there. He just seems to be a better number 2 than a number one at this point. Thing is he does have knowledge of the DCU system which is always good to have.

Who DC goes for is really up in the air from here if you ask me. Either way the club will need to make a choice sooner rather than later. Goff said it would probably be in the next ten days so maybe United fans will get someone they want for Christmas here.

DCU fans who do you want here?

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This may come to be a bit of a surprise to most that follow DC United. According to Steve Goff the club has removed interim New York manager Richie Williams from their shortlist of coaches that they are looking to hire.

Goff says the club is looking to make a hire this week and is looking currently at former Kansas City manager Curt Onalfo, some college coaches and some from overseas.

If you ask me this is quite a shocking development. For months I’ve been under the impression that Williams was the guy for DC. I wonder what changed along the way or if Williams himself decided not to head to DC. My guy feeling is if Onalfo isn’t the guy then DC turns to a college coach here.

Chivas USA is set to name a new head coach tomorrow afternoon at the Home Depot Center and according to both SBI and Steve Goff that man will be Martin Vasquez.

Vasquez apparently beat out former LA Galaxy and USMNT head coach Steve Sampson for the gig. Obviously his roots were a big factor for this hire, not to mention his background with clubs in Mexico and with Bayern Munich in Germany helped him out.

He has spent time as an assistant coach for Sigi Schmid in Los Angeles and with Bob Bradley at Chivas USA. This is Vasquez’s first professional head coaching position.

With the Chivas USA out of the coaching search game, Chicago, DC and New York are still without a head. According to reports all three are expected to be filled in the next two weeks.

Preki is headed north to Toronto FC. (Getty Images)

Former Chivas USA head coach Preki will be introduced as Toronto FC’s fourth head coach.

Preki led Chivas USA to the playoffs in all three seasons he was head coach, but he will be looking to improve on three first round exits.

With Preki in town you have to believe the Toronto roster may get a little makeover in the winter months. We all know about the history between him and former league MVP Amado Guevara during their time together with Chivas. But he does come in at a time when talent is very good in the midfield with guys like Dwayne De Rosario, Sam Cronin, and DP Julian de Guzman are on the roster.

While I was hoping Preki would take up shop with Bob Bradley and the national team I do think this will be a good fit for him as there is already more talent there in Toronto than when he got started with Chivas. He’s the tough coach this team needs and if he can work that defense into shape like he did with Chivas this year then I have to think Toronto will turn into a playoff team next season.

Now that Toronto is off the coaching search it leaves a coupe clubs without a manager still. New York, DC and Chivas USA all still have manager questions going into next week’s expansion draft. From the sound of things I doubt any of those will make a decision before next week.

What do you all make of Toronto snatching up Preki as their next coach? Wish they had gone a different direction or is he the right fit?

Peter Vermes is now the head coach of the Kansas City Wizards. (Getty Images)

I guess Peter Vermes liked coaching enough after all. Today the Kansas City Wizards are set to remove the interim tag from Vermes title and name him their full time head coach.

The Wizards will formally announce Vermes as the club’s head coach at a press conference later today at the Wizards Swope Park Training Complex. No word yet if Vermes will keep his other position as the team’s technical director.

The Wizards posted a 3-6-3 record under Vermes, but did close out the year going 3-3-3 in their final nine matches.

Seeing Kansas City lock up their coaching issues should put some pressure on Toronto, DC and New York to do the same in a matter of time. New York may take the longest of the three as they are still trying to figure out some other things before they hire a new coach.

I do like that KC decided to make this move before the expansion draft but still I don’t know if Vermes is the right guy for the job. He’s been with this club for three years now as their TD and to be honest we haven’t seen this club progress all that much with him as TD. He needs to act quickly in getting some fresh talent to this roster to get things going in the right direction.