Carlos de los Cobos was outed in Chicago. (Getty Images)

Of course the day I decide to take most of the day off to rest, relax, buy a new bed, all that usual holiday stuff is the day that not one but two MLS coaches get canned. Teitur Thordarson in Vancouver and Carlos de los Cobos in Chicago.

I’ve said for the majority of this season that I thought de los Cobos was on a short string and seeing how the Fire haven’t won a game since March, it was pretty obvious his time was running out. Frank Klopas will step in as interim boss and don’t be shocked if he ends up being the full-time head coach by the end of the year or the start of next year.

Same goes for Tom Soehn in Vancouver who is taking over for Thordarson. Soehn has been comping at the bit to have a coaching gig since his days in D.C. and based on the way he helped form this club through the SuperDraft and the Expansion Draft I think he was doing some long term thinking for this club.

I say that because both situations feel a lot like Kansas City when Peter Vermes outed Curt Onalfo a couple seasons ago. With Vermes as interim boss he had a big say in the coaching hiring and in the end he thought he was the man for the job. My gut tells me Soehn and Klopas will likely follow suit. Or at least one of them will.

But why the black Monday, or pink(slip) if you will for these two? Simple, both had high expectations on them and neither came close to living up to them. de los Cobos was a victim of not knowing how to coach in MLS properly. The Fire had the talent while he was in the Windy City but he never knew how to properly utilize guys like Marco Pappa, Patrick Nyarko, and others on the team. Instead he would complain about work ethic which in my opinion can be okay if the club is at least winning here and there. The Fire just weren’t winning and a lot of that fell on de los Cobos for not getting the most out of his guys. More than likely it was a situation of the players not really wanting to play for him.

Up in Vancouver the expectations were too lofty for an expansion team from Thordarson. He went into the season saying he wanted to be a world top 25 team. Yes, top 25 in the world. After winning the season opener and battling back in a wild game with Kansas City, it looked as though the Whitecaps would be the expansion team to contend with this season, not Portland. Now, that isn’t the case. Vancouver hasn’t won in ages and when they’ve come close they give up a late goal at home and blow the three points.

Take Kansas City off the table here for a moment as they’ve played two or three fewer games than both Vancouver and Chicago and you’ll see why both coaches got fired. KC may be the worst in terms of points right now but the Fire and the Whitecaps have no excuse considering the amount of home games each has played so far in comparison to KC.

So this leaves us with who is next? Right now you could make a case for a couple guys like Aron Winter in Toronto (you know they just love firing coaches up there), Steve Nicol in New England (yup, he’s on the list as the Revs continue to be inconsistent this season), and Robert Warzycha in Columbus (he blew up the roster and now it is starting to show).

Do I see one of these guys or someone else getting the pink slip at some point this season? No but it wouldn’t shock me. You have to remember at the end of the day winning is a big part of this and if these teams don’t win it typically comes down to the coaches.

Both Vancouver and Portland may be a little over a year away from putting a Major League Soccer club on the field but both took a big step forward this past week in hiring technical directors.

Vancouver hired former DC United coach Tom Soehn while Portland announced their current head coach Gavin Wilkinson was getting the position.

Why are both hires good? It is a matter of getting a head of the curve as expansion teams. Basically both are taking the Seattle route here and are getting on top of things before it gets too late. With the league expanding like it has these past few years, new clubs like Portland and Vancouver are able to see how to do things and how not to do things.

We saw this sort of thing out of Seattle before they entered the league last year. They set out early to hire a staff that would get the ball rolling quickly for them. They made a former MLS star Chris Henderson their technical director and really they haven’t looked back since. It was a move that helped set them up to where they are now, which is no doubt a reason why both Portland and Vancouver got the ball rolling on these hires this week.

Both Soehn and Wilkinson have plenty of time to help build these clubs going into next year. I’d take it that the hire of Wilkinson means that Portland is probably set on hiring someone else as a head coach, like Houston’s John Spencer.

Its going to be interesting to see how these two clubs handle things moving forward. Its funny that both hired technical directors right around the same time. No doubt both will probably make a point of trying to out do one another which can only mean good things for their fans. Nothing wrong with some healthy competition here as they take the proper steps forward at becoming the next MLS clubs.

Why isn't Colin Clarke back on some club's radar? (USLSoccer)

Its hard to believe that three clubs are still without a head coach this evening. Well one has an interim head coach but two big time clubs in Major League Soccer end the day without a lead boss, which could be setting them back a bit for the upcoming month with the transfer window opening up and the SuperDraft.

Yes I am talking about you DC United and Chicago Fire. Both still lack a manager after parting ways with Tom Soehn and Denis Hamlett respectively.

Last night we heard news that DC would not be able to get Akron head coach Caleb Porter which put their coaching search into a big spin. SBI broke news earlier that DC even went as far to try and get San Jose manager Frank Yallop and Houston assistant John Spencer for the job. San Jose said they couldn’t approach Yallop and Spencer said he wasn’t interested.

Yikes.

Are things that bad that no one wants to coach in DC? Second of all it says a lot about what DC thinks of former Kansas City manager Curt Onalfo who seemed to be the next guy in line after Porter. But with Porter out of the picture it just sounds like Onalfo was not good enough (which he isn’t by the way) to get the job. Now DC could still go that route if they end up with no other options but it sounds like they will continue to drag their feet in this search until they get someone better than Onalfo.

Why isn’t DC going after someone like RSL assistant Robin Fraser? Or former Dallas manager Colin Clark who’s now in the USL with Puerto Rico.

Chicago isn’t much better here with their search. According to ESPNChicago.com the Fire aren’t completely sold on their two final choices that were reported in former DC boss Tom Soehn or Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch.

Honestly if I were the Fire I’d go for Soehn. I know things didn’t pan out in DC with him but honestly the guy can coach in my opinion. DC just had a loaded schedule with some injury issues the years he was there. Chicago won’t have as loaded of a schedule in 2010, just possibly SuperLiga again.

The ESPNChicago article also mentions some other possible candidates for the gig like Thomas Rongen (not a bad pick), Spencer (who won’t take a job until 2011 with Portland), and Clarke.

What do I think each club will do? Honestly I wouldn’t be shocked to start hearing John Harkes name for the DC gig here soon. I know he’s comfortable with his job at ESPN but he did do some assistant coaching under Bruce Arena in New York. In the end I do kind of see United settling for Onalfo. As for the Fire I think they’ll end up with a surprise pick like Clarke or even Rongen if they can get him away from his U-20 national team post.

2009 was a rough season for Ben Olsen and DC United. (Getty Images)

We knew going into 2009 that the calendar for DC United could be a fairly packed one. Possibly Champions League matches, US Open Cup title to defend, summer friendlies, and of course the regular season slate. It turned out to be just the case as DC United played a schedule so packed this year it definitely raised some eyebrows about how little depth MLS clubs really do have.

Manager Tom Soehn rarely had time to get his club fully fit for a game as it seemed he would go from Open Cup game to regular season game to a Champions League game all within a week time and time again. He did have veterans like Ben Olsen, Jamie Moreno and Christian Gomez for the better part of the season but even they didn’t have enough in the tank to keep the Black-and-Red above water.

There were some bright spots though for United fans to hang their hats on. The club didn’t finish with a losing record, though having that many draws on the year does tell you a thing or two about how rough their defense was this year. We did see some promising things out of rookies Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. To think when Pontius was picked last January United fans called the team crazy for picking him, looks like he made them eat their words as he is a finalist for rookie of the year.

The club looked like a playoff team for the first few months of the season but yet again just like in previous season a dip in play during August and September did this club in for good. Blame the loaded schedule, blame injuries, blame poor defense, or blame whatever the club dipped badly in those final months of the year.

Now Soehn has moved on and United fans are left wondering where to turn next.

What Went Right In 2009:
When things were clicking the offense was easily one of the best. And when their defense did them no favors early in games this club was certainly the best in the league at coming from behind to at least get a draw. Early on in the year DC came back in games with loads of late goals from Pontius, Luciano Emilio and Jamie Moreno. Building a solid mix in the midfield should help out for years to come.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
Defensively things weren’t the best with this bunch. I recall earlier in the year I said this bunch was inconsistent and got blasted for the comment. Turns out it was pretty darn true as they gave up 44 goals this season, one more than their offense scored. Depth was also an issue in the back as Soehn had to basically redo his lineup for a lot of the games. I think the real kicker was losing the US Open Cup to Seattle though at home. I think that game kind of signaled to a lot of folks, including myself, that this bunch just didn’t have the makings of a playoff team after all.

What’s Next:
First up is finding a coach (paging Richie Williams). After that it will come down to cutting some fat on the roster that just doesn’t produce. Important items to get this winter have to include a solid starting keeper (I think a trade for Kevin Hartman may be a wise move) and getting their defense back in order. I’ve always been a firm believer that defense wins in any league. This club really isn’t far away from being a big time contender again in the league but they just need to get better on defense.

DC United has announced today that Tom Soehn has removed his name from consideration for the team’s manager. The team was told this morning that Soehn was out and the search for a new manager would start.

“Tommy has done an outstanding job at D.C. United, first as an assistant and then as our head coach,” said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. “Over the past three seasons, Tommy has faced greater challenges than any other Major League Soccer coach. His record in all competitions this season was outstanding and he should not be judged on the basis of missing the MLS Cup Playoffs. Tommy is a fine young coach and I know we will face him in the future in MLS play. I wish him all of the luck in the world.”

Most felt this was a change that was going to come down sooner rather than later by DC this fall. I would imagine the list of coaches that DC is looking at is pretty deep including former United midfielder and current interim manager at New York, Richie Williams.

With Soehn gone he goes on the list of coaches that were canned or quit this year in Major League Soccer. Soehn joins the company of John Carver, Chris Cummins, Juan Carlos Osorio and Curt Onalfo.

Empty stands were a common sight at Pizza Hut Park this year. (Getty Images)

I hope everyone is getting use to the longer days again after the time change this weekend. Nothing like getting darker a bit earlier again here but that’s just how it goes. I have a few goodies to discuss tonight leading off with a big time look at something former Chicago Fire GM Peter Wilt sent Alexi Lalas a few years back. After that I have an update on a U-17 player possibly turning pro and the defense of Tom Soehn.

Back to Peter Wilt though. Buzz Carrick at 3rdDegree wrote a big story on this earlier today and he implied this material towards FC Dallas. I think not only FC Dallas front office members need to look into this but so do a few other clubs in the league. It stems from a email that Peter Wilt wrote Alexi Lalas right before Lalas took over as the GM of the old San Jose Earthquakes back in 2004.

Basically it is 12 keys to running a franchise along with 10 secrets to sell MLS. Obviously Lalas never really took half of these items to heart as he was canned by the Quakes and then the Red Bulls and then the Galaxy all within a couple years. But the items listed are certainly valuable that a lot of clubs outside of DC, Houston, Seattle, and Toronto need to pay attention to.

Now I won’t go and list everything off here but there are some key points that would certainly improve a lot of clubs attendance numbers and possibly their on-field production. One that jumped out at me was “Get people to CARE about the sport, team and league”. It seems far too often teams aren’t going after the real crowd that does care about those three things. I’ve always said a way to fix the attendance issues to is to market to your own, meaning market to those that already love the sport not just the mom and pop crowds that we’ve seen for years. Look at Toronto and Seattle for example do you think they market to the soccer moms out there? Hell no, they quickly marketed this new club to those hardcore fans who then were able to amp up the excitement to those less hardcore about the sport.

Another that jumped out to me was in the secrets to MLS area. Wilt said to use the phones and emails to get folks back. Now I know a lot of folks hate cold calls or junk email but believe me they do work in ways that you’d never believe if done correctly. Especially with email and the internet. We live in an email world these days and I can’t tell you how many clubs I get emails from that don’t give ticket info and what not. I know ticket salesman don’t have the easiest of jobs but I think at the end of the day you have to try and some clubs just don’t try hard enough.

I really don’t believe it is rocket science to get people to come to MLS games. Wilt had the right idea before he was canned in Chicago. Some clubs just get it and others continue to fall behind the bar.

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The Case for Tom Soehn

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I’ve thought about defending Tom Soehn for his job at DC for these last couple weeks even though I’ve had him on the hot seat for a while. Steve Goff the Soccer Insider just beat me to it at the end of the day and his numbers presented here do bring up a fair argument that could help Soehn out. I still believe he’ll get canned but the fact that his club has had one of the busiest schedules over the last couple seasons and they’ve been a little above .500% at the same time does show how tough it is to be a manager in this league. Goff says that when Soehn was given a full week to prepare for a game his club typically came out on top (in the 14 games that he had a week to prep United was 8-3-3). Next season DC will only have league games and US Open Cup games to deal with so maybe they should keep Soehn around for another year. Maybe.

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Gil To Turn Pro After U-17 World Cup?

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I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the US’s U-17 team play in this year’s World Cup but the pieces I have seen have mostly been about Luis Gil. He’s thinking of turning pro after this year’s Cup and even thinking of going the MLS route. Gil is still very young and very raw but he will be a solid Generation adidas candidate if he does go pro.

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Beckham Going Back To Milan

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Yeah GoldenBalls got his wish yet again and I am honestly happy for both LA and Beckham that this deal got done now and not later on. Beckham will officially join AC Milan on December 28 and remain with the club throughout their season which ends on May 16, 2010. He will then re-join the Galaxy when the summer transfer window opens in July 2010. We all knew he would return here after the World Cup which means if England goes far we won’t see him until August. I know the releases all said July but lets be honest he won’t come back until August.

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First up, the coaching hot seat update.

Basically nothing has changed in my mind since my last update. I do think that Chris Cummins stands the best chance to keep his job if his club reaches the playoffs. Without a playoff trip he will easily join Tom Soehn and Jason Kreis in the pink slip line.

My big question is however if Tom Soehn does get fired by DC United this off season, how long will it take them to get former United star Richie Williams as their new coach? Believe me that would be a great hire for them and for Williams. I know he is currently the interim manager at New York right now but we all know they are looking for a bigger name to help open that new stadium next year.

I really do believe the likely candidates for firing are Soehn and Kreis here. Both had clubs with very high expectations this year and each have under delivered on those expectations. Soehn did have a rough schedule with a load of extra games but that won’t be good enough in DC. As for Kreis I think it comes down to management seeing if he has taken this club as far as he can, which the answer is yes. I just don’t see RSL going any further than a below average club each year under Kreis.

Also, don’t sleep on someone like Denis Hamlett getting canned at the end of this year as well. His Fire have massively under produced this year based on the very high expectations placed on them. I know they are close to clinching but they haven’t exactly lit the league up this year like most thought.

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MVP Update:

With Landon Donovan winning the player of the week award (again) this past week I had to wonder how that will affect his MVP status this year. To be honest it did help it but there are still a couple more candidates out there that are far better than what Donovan has been this year. And don’t get me wrong, Donovan has been great in 2009.

Right now if I had to vote today my three votes would go to (in no particular order):

1. Shalrie Joseph (New England)
2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus)
3. Jeff Cunningham (Dallas)

I won’t give away who I’d be placing as the top choice yet because I still don’t even know that one yet. Joseph has pretty much put a New England side that is ravaged with injuries on his back. He leads the club in scoring and continues to help them push towards a playoff spot. For the Revs to not have Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston, Chris Albright and now Jay Heaps healthy this season you’d think they would have had no shot at the playoffs. But with Joseph leading the way it is possible.

Now I really shouldn’t have to explain GBS here. His stats don’t lie and even though he totally missed a PK this past weekend against Seattle I would still vote for him.

As for Cunningham, I go back and forth on him. Since the trade of Kenny Cooper he has scored a lotta goals. He’s scored 15 goals in 12 games. Yes 15 goals in 12 games. Even though Dallas really has no shot at the playoffs they do have a go-to scorer in Cunningham. People may not like him as a MVP selection but if he continues on his current pace he could end up with 18 or 19 goals on the year and be the Golden Boot winner.

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Garber Sees MLS Model As More Stable Than Euro Leagues

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Its a bold statement anytime Don Garber opens his mouth out the league in European territory. Why do I say that? Because he usually comes up with statements like the league is more stable based on the salary cap than the current situations in most European leagues. Yes very bold but also yes to being pretty true. While I think we are ages and I mean ages away from seeing top leagues in Europe adopting the MLS structure for player contracts and a salary cap I do think it could happen. If enough owners in Europe are tired of big clubs spending away then it could happen.

With so many clubs in debt over seas can you blame Garber for being so happy to say his league’s model is working? No. I’m willing to bet in the next few years that most MLS clubs will at least be on good terms each year when it comes to balancing the books, if not happily in the green each year.

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Beckham Rising?

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Go down to number 8 on Steve Davis’ weekly MLS wrap and read the part about David Beckham. Boy does Davis speak truth to ever bit of what Beckham is doing these days in the league. While the hype is down on him the play is definitely up. He truly has found his own here in the league. With him in the lineup the Galaxy have gone 5-2-2 with 1.44 goals a game. Without him they’ve been slightly worse going 6-4-9 and only 1.11 goals a game. You do the math, the Galaxy are better with him.

I’ve gone back and forth on a couple coaches, which is why they may appear on the fringe of this list. But for the most part the top guys on this list are there for a reason and have a lot of work to do to get out of the hot seat.

Two clubs will are searching for a coach as we speak right now. Both New York and Kansas City have interim coaches and are probably keeping a very close eye on what’s going on around the league right now.

With that said here is what should be the final WVH Coaching Hot Seat of the year. The order is really just a list, I think each are just as much under fire as the next here.

Chris Cummins (Toronto FC): The only thing that may save this guy is a trip to the playoffs. With a workable schedule it is possible but any stumbles on the way only put more fuel on this man’s fire. This club has the talent but under Cummins they really haven’t progressed any more than they did under John Carver.

Tom Soehn (DC United): Again playoffs will save this guy but I still kind of wonder if that will even be enough at times. It could be safe to say that he will need to guide his team to the conference finals to really be safe from a pink slip here. This club has so much talent yet lacks any consistency to get solid results game after game.

Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes): Yallop nearly fell in the fringe category for me but at the end of the day I just don’t know if this is working out in San Jose. It could also have something to do with the partnership with John Doyle in picking out talent that isn’t working out there. I don’t see a change coming this winter unless this club really bottoms out to finish the season. Look for his butt to remain hot going into next year. Year three is going to decide a lot in San Jose.

Jason Kreis (Real Salt Lake): Another guy that needs a playoff run to save his job. I still wish he would have become FC Dallas’ coach instead of RSL’s a couple years ago but it is what it is down here in Dallas. But back to Kreis and his job. Playoffs will certainly be enough to keep him around for another year but anything less and I have to believe he will be out of the door by the end of the calendar year.

The Fringe Category:

Schellas Hyndman (FC Dallas): There’s no way Hyndman will get canned in Dallas even though the team is pretty much a train wreck. Hyndman is building his club the way he wants it though and its just going to be a thing that Dallas fans have to wait out and see if it works. I’m on the fence to believe that it will work out for him in Dallas. Honestly you can’t keep signing former SMU players for this club, it just won’t work out well that way.

Denis Hamlett (Chicago Fire): With expectations so high this season surrounding this club, Hamlett really needs a deep run, if not actually making it to MLS Cup 2009 in Seattle to save his butt. I really believe that after this season the Fire are going to lose a lot of key guys and if they don’t finish well it could be Hamlett that sees a pink slip because of it. He’s on the fringe now due to where his club is at here this season but with how things have gone on in the locker room this year you have to wonder if he is the right fit for this club.

Preki (Chivas USA): Okay this one really isn’t about a pink slip. For some odd reason I have a feeling that no matter how Chivas finishes this season Preki will move on from Chivas USA to go to Kansas City. Just a gut feeling. He won’t get fired but he will some how resign as Chivas’s coach after the season. Call me crazy but I see that going down with him.

Somehow this man still has a job. (Getty Images)

In light of Kansas City dismissing manager Curt Onalfo yesterday evening, I figured it was high time I updated my coaching hot seat look once again. Funny thing was yesterday I was already set to work on this and got caught up in something else, by the time I went back into it last night the news came down about Onalfo.

And yes, if you are wondering he was going to be on the list.

But looking at the rest of the sack race here I figure it is easier to break things up into a couple different groups. See we all figure coaches with clubs near the bottom of the table need sacked but in the case of a couple teams, that just won’t happen, at least not this season. In other cases there are a couple coaches that should feel some heat based on how their clubs are doing and based on pre-season expectations placed on them. Lastly, there is a group that just needs to go and saying that it really could be just a matter of time.

As always if you think I am missing on any coach below or think I need to add another to a certain group, feel free to post below.

The Heat Is On But They Don’t Mind

In this group we have two coaches that very well have every right to be fired (except based on this past weekend’s results for each). Of course I am speaking of FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman and San Jose Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop. Each have lead their club to a fairly unsuccessful campaign so far and up until the thrashings they put up this past week each side had little to be gitty over this season.

Neither seem to be under any sort of pressure from their ownership. Hyndman for one pretty much has the job security that anyone would want these days. Most around Dallas view that the job is his for however long he wants to keep it. In San Jose it may be a little different for Yallop but I don’t see GM John Doyle parting ways with Yallop anytime soon. We’ll talk this time next season if things haven’t changed out there and the club is still near the bottom of the pecking order.

Feeling Some Heat

This category is a bit different, its for those that aren’t expected to get a pink slip today but could down the line if things don’t turn out like expected. Based on high pre-season expectations and some owners that like to stay active with their clubs I see two coaches that could feel some heat if things don’t go as planned. Now this category will get me some heat and I know that but if you strip emotion out of things for a second and think about it, these two guys do have rights to be on this watch list.

Tom Soehn (DC United): I put Soehn on here yet again for a number of reasons. While DC has enjoyed a decent campaign so far this year, a lot still hasn’t gone very well. With a 6-4-10 record, one could say that United are just slightly above average. Being one of the worst clubs in the league when it comes to keeping a lead and coming up lame at home in the CCL play-in round last week could get Soehn in some hot water if his club doesn’t turn things around. A lot will depend on if his club can get into the group stage of the CCL and how far DC goes in the MLS Playoffs this year in regards to his job status this winter. I think he is safe for now but there is definitely some heat there in DC.

Denis Hamlett (Chicago): One guy that not a lot of folks will want to see on here is Hamlett. I put him here because his club continues to confuse me. Very good on the road but very below average at home. I know he has had to deal with injuries to key guys, along with loads of international call-ups this season but who hasn’t here? Chicago has all the talent to win MLS Cup this year but with home play against strong clubs the way it is one has to worry about their chances. Don’t worry Fire fans, the heat is low but if you base things on expectations and things don’t pan out, then you should be worried.

Pink Slip Coming Soon

Last and certainly not least is the category that is pretty self explainitory. Most of you know who will be in this category but some of you will not like one of the coaches mention here. For months I got a lot of negative comments over placing KC’s Onalfo on the coaching hot seat based on not getting his club to progress the way people thought they should, well the same story is going on elsewhere in the league.

Jason Kreis (RSL): I put Kreis on here for a reason, like Onalfo his club really hasn’t progressed at all during his time. Sure he got them to the playoffs a season ago but their record wasn’t a thing at all to brag about (10-10-10). The same old story has been here this season, good for the most part at home, yet terrible on the road. I think Kreis can be a good coach in this league since he grew up in the system and knows how it works. I just don’t see him progressing any further in Salt Lake at this point. I don’t see him getting the boot during this season unless they start dropping games like flies. If they fail to reach the playoffs I think the ownership will have to take hard look at where this club is going with Kreis.

Juan Carlos Osorio (New York): Yeah this one really does go without saying. A lot of people wonder why he hasn’t been canned yet. Well it is simple, the ownership at the Energy Drink is waiting to see how the club does in the CCL play-in round. I think a lot depends on if they progress forward in that competition before they let Osorio go. If they do progress I don’t see him getting fired until after the MLS season is over. With little to play for it doesn’t make sense on spending money to get another head coach in there now. More than likely he will finish out the rest of the season with the club and be let go after that.

I felt Soehn was as good as gone after not making the playoffs this year but the club is doing a smart thing in letting him stay on to fix the mess that was started this past year. In all fairness he had a slew of injuries to deal with and a bunch of poor roster moves made by the club’s management.

At the end of the day stability is what counts in this league and DC is hoping they can get back to their stable winning ways with Soehn. They have a lot of work to do but Soehn is still a capable guy to do it in my book. First of all they need to get healthy and get some good defenders for them to move on here into 2009.

What do you all make of this news? Is DC doing the right thing in keeping him on board for another year or will they regret not getting rid of him sooner?