MLS Coach of The Year: Predictions
By Sean Maslin
The MLS award season is in full swing and we here at MLS Multiplex are not immune. Over the next two weeks we will be taking a look at the major awards. In today’s edition, we will look at the MLS Coach of The Year
It is perhaps the most unenviable position in sports, being the manager of a club. If a team does great then the manager is seen as a genius. But if they do poorly, well then they are in the unemployment line looking for another job. Ben Olsen of D.C. United, Sigi Schmid of Seattle Sounders, and Gregg Berhalter of Columbus Crew are up for the award.
The history of the MLS Coach of the Year award is a mixed bag of some of the great coaches in North American soccer (Bob Bradley, Sigi Schmid, and Bruce Arena) and one year wonders (Greg Andrulius and Frank Yallop in 2012).
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The one constant seems to be though that the league likes awarding it to coaches who either turn around a squad in one year (Bob Gansler in 2000, Yallop in 2001, and Bruce Arena in 2009 to name a few) or do well in the club;s first year of existence (Thomas Rongen in 1996 and Bob Bradley in 1997).
One important point that should be mentioned is that a team’s performance in the playoffs will not positively or negatively affect any of these coaches chances for winning the award. This is due to the votes having been tabulated before the end of the regular season.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the contenders:
Oct 3, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen reacts to a call from the sidelines against Sporting KC in the second half at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Olsen
D.C. United (17-9-8, 59 points,) first place in the Eastern Conference
Winning only three games in the MLS Regular Season in 2013, Olsen turned around one of the worst teams in MLS history and made them not only a contender but the top team in MLS history. Their plus 43 point difference was the greatest point difference in MLS history and Olsen was a key reason for it.
One of the most difficult things that a manager has to do is integrate different players and styles to the status quo and hope that everything makes sense. This is something that all managers have to do, but is unique to MLS in that whole rosters are overturned due to the restrictive salary caps and Supplemental Drafts.
For Olsen this influx of new players meant that he could improve upon the club’s horrendous 22 goals scored and their equally terrible 59 goals allowed.
By integrating the likes of center-back Bobby Boswell, midfielder Davy Arnaud, and forwards Chris Rolfe and Fabian Espindola in with a solid young nucleus of players, Olsen was able to create a lineup that featured speed but also sensibility. United were tied with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the fewest number of goals allowed in 2014 with 37 and scored 53 goals, which was the sixth-highest in the league.
Beyond the numbers, it is Olsen’s attitude that helped move this team up the standings. Never the flashiest player, Olsen was much more of a player who would dig down and grind out results on the pitch. He has brought this same attitude to United, always looking for a result despite the opposition. It is precisely the reason why he and United were able to win the U.S. Open Cup in 2013 and why they were able to be only one of two MLS teams to make it to the CONCACAF Champions League Quarter-finals.
The biggest blemish to his record might have been the Eddie Johnson situation. Did he stick with him too long when it was apparent that he was not a good fit for his system?
United’s one win against Western Conference opponents makes it pretty difficult to rationalize taking him over Schmid. But MLS has shown time and again that they love the comeback coaches.
Sep 27, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter celebrates with fans following the teams 2-0 win over the Montreal Impact at Crew Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Gregg Berhalter
Columbus Crew (14-10-10, 52 points,) third place in the Eastern Conference
The former U.S. Men’s National Team defender came into 2014 with a Columbus Crew side that was filled with talent, but lacking chemistry and discipline. A late 2013 run for the MLS Playoffs showed that they had the skill players but not the form to get them into the playoffs.
The 2014 Crew team (14-10-10, 52 points) might not look that different from the 2013 team (12-17-5, 41 points) if you look at the numbers. But that eleven point difference can be directly attributed due to the play Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark, center-back Michael Parkhurst, and Berhalter. With the Crew’s emphasis on defense (42 goals allowed, 4th lowest in MLS) and an experienced center-back the team were able to build through the midfield and hide their deficiencies at the forward position.
This style of play suited Berhalter during his playing days and did wonders for the Crew. Berhalter also seemed to be more willing to allow players like Justin Mearam and Ben Speas to grow with their positions and avoided the quick hook mentality that his predecessor, Robert Warzycha,was known for.
Although the Crew at times looked like a team that were done with 2014 (the club won just one match between April 5th and July 19th,) Berhalter’s patience paid off with the club winning 7 of their last 10 matches and clinching the three seed in the MLS Eastern Conference.
The one biggest problem for Berhalter is that his accomplishment in moving the club up 11 points in the standings comes against a manager in Olsen whose team had a comeback season of the ages and Schmid, whose team won a double. Any other season Berhalter might be considered the best. But in 2014 his accolades just do not stand up.
Oct 25, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid talks to the crowd after the game between the Seattle Sounders FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Los Angeles 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Sigi Schmid
Seattle Sounders (20-10-4,) U.S. Open Cup Champion, Supporters Shield Champion
No manager had more to gain and more to lose in 2014 than Sigi Schmid. While there were plenty of clubs that believed that they could win trophies in 2014, the expectations in Seattle were much higher with the team having yet to win the MLS Cup.
After a season of offloading the troubled Johnson and bringing in established veterans like Kenny Cooper and Marco Pappa (although he was really just coming back from Europe) Schmid had to come into 2014 that nothing other than trophies would be acceptable. Although Seattle has won trophies in the past, continued failures in both the MLS and CONCACAF Champions League playoffs had left the supporters wanting more.
Schmid has not only survived in 2014, but his team has already won every trophy that they were eligible for. The club’s victory in the U.S. Open Cup and edging of the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Supporter’s Shield race has put them squarely at the top of the pecking order in MLS. Schmid was able to meet these expectations all while managing injuries to key players, shuffling a defensive line, and deal with the nagging transfer talk of left-back Deandre Yedlin.
But Schmid and the Sounders regular season was far from perfect. This team struggled immensely in defending (50 goals allowed) and would often have to be carried by strikers Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey to get a win or a point. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, after all that is the point of paying Designated Player money for players. But this was not a dominant team that won their double handily; this was a team that struggled at times to find their form and relied heavily on their star players.
Prediction: Olsen
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This was a very difficult choice. Although all three had excellent seasons, Berhalter’s credentials fall a little short of what both Olsen and Schmid were able to accomplish. He had more to work with than Olsen and did not have the expectations that Schmid had so his success does not really match up with the other two.
The interesting thing about Olsen and Schmid is that both coaches would have been fired if they had failed to meet their club’s expectations. But what separates Olsen from Schmid is that D.C. United’s expectations should have been much lower than the Seattle Sounders. No one expected them to win the Eastern Conference.
Schmid and the Sounders have yet to meet their expectation of playing in and winning the MLS Cup. So while we can call Schmid’s season a success, does it truly match up to Olsen’s if his club have not completed all of their goals?
Agree or disagree with this decision? Let us know!