Real Salt Lake: 3 options for a new manager, after parting with Jeff Cassar

Real Salt Lake has chosen to move on from head coach Jeff Cassar just three games into the 2017 Season. A look at the potential fallout and new coach.

Following a slow and sluggish start to the new year, RSL has dismissed head coach Jeff Cassar. Real Salt Lake has not won a match since August of last year. Cassar’s overall stint has mostly been filled with frustration, as the team struggled at various time throughout his tenure.

Cassar took over for Jason Kreis following Real’s 2013 MLS Cup run, after Kreis announced he would be moving on from RSL and leading NYCFC in their inaugural season. Kreis led RSL through the most successful years in the club’s short history, and Cassar definitely had large shoes to fill.

The timing seems to be the most curious aspect of the firing. While the dismissal itself didn’t catch many by surprise, due to RSL’s recent struggles, firing the head coach just three weeks into the season is a cause for concern.

Cassar himself told RSL beat writer Chris Kamrani that he was “shocked” by the decision. GM Craig Weibel gave a glimpse for what’s next at the team’s press conference following the announcement, stating,

"“Well, without getting too specific, because that kind of gives you guys a lot to speculate on, we will look for someone with shared values, shared vision with where we’ve aligned ourselves as an organization with how we’ve built our roster.While I won’t share all of the details and exactly how I view those, it’s definitely going to be somebody that aligns very closely with our vision and identifies with our fan-base and understands what’s important to our organization and our fan-base.In terms of coaching search, it will be expansive. It will be a lot of different names — a lot of different names from multiple countries. We will narrow it down as we go through the search and narrow down what fits the needs of our organization the best.”"

As the team moves on from their previous head coach, we take a look at some potential candidates and what the future may hold.

Keeping Things in House

Sep 14, 2013; Harrison, NJ, USA; New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke looks on against Toronto FC during the first half at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls won the match 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Goalkeeper coach and RSL assistant, Daryl Shore, has been announced as interim head coach while decisions are being made. Shore has head coaching experience himself, as he was the lead man for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL from 2010 to 2013 before coming to RSL.

The team also announced that the technical staff would remain the same. The appointment of Shore was also a surprise in itself, as former MLS Supporters’ Shield winner Mike Petke was hired to coach the Monarchs this off-season.

Petke led the New York Red Bulls to the Shield in 2013 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014, before being controversially replaced by current coach, Jesse Marsch. With Petke not being giving the head role immediately, one has to question if he will be given an opportunity at all. A sentiment shared by the MLS Armchair Analyst, Matt Doyle.

Previous to Cassar replacing Kreis, a similar coaching change was made by the club. The team chose to move on from John Ellinger just four games into the season, with then captain Kreis immediately retiring to take over as head coach. The team could tempt fate twice, as they have called a press conference involving captain Kyle Beckerman and an” important announcement”. At the time of this writing, it remains to be seen what the details of the conference pertain to.

Daryl Shore could have a good chance to build on his experience and a good run could land him a long-term gig. The Seattle Sounders chose a similar path after moving on from long time coach Sigi Schmid mid-season. Seattle gave long-time assistant, Brian Schmetzer an interim position (along with Nico Lodeiro), and the club went on to win MLS Cup with one of the most dramatic turnarounds in MLS history.

Bringing in MLS Experience

Jun 19, 2016; Harrison, NJ, USA; Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid looks on against the New York Red Bulls during the second half at Red Bull Arena. Red Bulls won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Sigi Schmid could be an easy option to replace Cassar. Schmid is no stranger to MLS, having coached the Galaxy from 1999 to 2004, then taking over Columbus in 2006 before landing the Seattle job in 2009, becoming the first MLS coach in the team’s history. Sigi was released in similar fashion to Cassar, with the lack of results and under performance being the main factors in the mid-season change. The similarities could cause the club to look in a different direction.

Wade Barrett is another MLS name who has been thrown around as an option for the club. Barrett took over the Houston Dynamo in May last year, following the dismissal of Owen Coyle. With the change, Barrett took a Houston team who was 3-7-2 under Coyle to a 4-7-11 record to finish out the year. Many thought Barrett deserved a shot as a head coach, but Houston ultimately chose to go with the more experienced Wilmer Cabrera, and are off to good start for 2017. With Houston’s quick turnaround, the RSL front office could have taken note.

Mar 4, 2017; Sandy, UT, USA; A general view of Rio Tinto Stadium during the first half of the match between Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC, which ended in a scoreless draw. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Bringing in Fresh Blood

While the sample size is small, the immediate success of foreigners Patrick Viera with NYCFC and Tata Martino with Atlanta United cannot go unnoticed. Team owner, Dell Loy Hansen could take this chance to splash on a big name coach himself. While RSL has traditionally been known as a small-market, small-budget team, things under Hansen have shown a little bit differently. From stadium upgrades, to the new $50 million academy financed by Hansen himself, the team seems to be changing with the times.

The change is possibly most obvious in player salaries. While league salaries have gone up as a whole, under Hansen RSL has splashed on Designated Players Burrito Martinez, Yura Movsisyan, and Albert Rusnák. The team has also been linked to USMNT players Aron Johannson and Landon Donovan, who they offered a hefty DP contract in a wild off-season. Both moves ultimately didn’t come to fruition because of “MLS” reasons, but they show Real’s new ambition.

Whether or not that ambition appears in a coaching role is the next question. Maybe the club offers Donovan a head coaching role, or the team could try to land a recognizable foreigner to be the lead man (Claudio Ranieri, anyone?).

Is this the change the team really needs?

Maybe the coaching change is less important compared to a simple change in formation. Cassar left the 4-4-2 Diamond the club was known for under Kreis, to play a 4-2-3-1. Matt Doyle has long mentioned RSL would be better off pairing Yura and Plata together up top in a two forward formation. Given the pieces RSL currently has, a two forward pairing makes a lot of sense.

Along with a potential change in formation or playing style, the long winless streak gives a new coach a chance at becoming an immediate fan favorite by simply getting results and getting RSL back to its winning ways. An argument could be made that Schmid would not have needed to be fired if a game changer like Lodeiro was just around the corner. Similarly, had RSL found a way to fix their finishing woes, Cassar could still be at the helm. If RSL can simply start winning again, it may not matter if Shore or Ranieri is in charge.

Regardless, RSL fan’s wild ride since the 2013 MLS Cup just keeps on rolling.

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