Mondelo and Manning are reunited in Tampa Bay; Swift and Counce must continue their search

He was a candidate for both jobs, yet in the end, Alfonso MondeloÆs past association with Bill Manning won the day.

Mondelo was announced as the MutinyÆs new head coach after Manning spent nearly two months evaluating and interviewing candidates.

ôWe have talent on this team,ö said Manning of a franchise that hasnÆt reached the second round of the playoffs since the inaugural 1996 season. ôI think Alfonso will give us that edge, that extra bite we need.ö

It is success in the playoffs that Manning cited as one of his reasons for picking Mondelo.

They worked together ù Manning as GM, Mondelo as head coach ù with the Long Island Rough Riders, who won the USISL title in 1995 and never missed the playoffs in MondeloÆs four seasons.

ôIn 1997, we beat Rochester in the first round and in the second round, we came up against a Montreal team that was better than us, but he outcoached Montreal to beat them,ö said Manning. ôEven the æ96 team, after weÆd lost Giovanni Savarese and Tony Meola and Chris Armas [to MLS], we still ended up in the final four.ö

Mondelo led the MetroStars to the playoffs in 1998, but a five-game losing streak near the end of the season and the availability of Bora Milutinovic prompted then-GM Charlie Stillitano to make a switch with one game left in the regular season.

The Metros were swept out of the playoffs in two games anyway, and under Milutinovic the following year, they staggered to the leagueÆs all-time worst record at 7-25. Mondelo moved on to coach the MLS Project-40 team.

Mondelo had also been high on Andy SwiftÆs list, but the Dallas GM recognized early in the hunt that if Mondelo took an MLS job, Tampa had the inside track.

THE FINAL THREE. Rochester coach Pat Ercoli, U.S. U-17 head coach John Ellinger and Mondelo were the three Tampa Bay finalists.

Manning cited three reasons for his final choice: success in the playoffs; the previous experience of working with Mondelo; and fluency in Spanish.

ôHim being bilingual will help us,ö said Manning. ôWe have Carlos Valderrama, who will probably play his last season next year, and he doesnÆt speak English.

ôThis was a very tough decision, and I think I could have worked very well with either Pat or John. Alfonso and I know each other, and I feel he brings more tools to the table for this team.ö

Mondelo had been the favorite from the moment Manning dismissed Tim Hankinson, but the GM says Mutiny CEO Ed Austin played a significant role in researching the candidates.

ôThe hardest part was that all of the candidates brought something different,ö said Manning.

These are the questions to be weighed by Swift and Colorado general manager Dan Counce (see story on page 12 of the December 18 issue) as their searches continue:

Will the next assistant coach to step up be a rousing success like Bob Bradley or a disappointment like ôCachoö Cordoba?

Can a college coach emulate the success of Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmid?

Is the A-League a road to glory or the kiss of death?

And if you pick a former MLS head coach, thatÆs no sure thing, either. Moving from Los Angeles to the MetroStars was a rebirth for Octavio Zambrano, but Lothar Osiander ù stripped of the Galaxy reins and ousted as a Mutiny assistant ù is struggling to escape oblivion in San Jose.

RISKY BUSINESS. Both Swift and Manning acknowledge the risk of replacing coaches who reached the playoffs in 2000. Of the four teams that missed the postseason ù Columbus, Miami, San Jose and D.C. United ù none booted their coaches.

ôWeÆd been in the playoffs every year with Dave, but we hadnÆt reached the final, and other teams around the league had,ö said Swift. ôIn making this move, weÆre telling our fans just making the playoffs isnÆt good enough.ö

The decision to fire Dir will cost the league the remaining two years of his contract, which is reportedly worth about $70,000 per year. He will paid unless he accepts another job within MLS, and he is on CounceÆs list.

Swift narrowed his pool of nine candidates down to a handful, two of which he would identify: SMU head coach Schellas Hyndman and Chicago assistant Mike Jeffries.

Manning likens himself to Kevin Payne, among other GMs. The good side of that has three MLS Cups. The bad side is a team that lost its ownership group and practice facility in the same season.

ôHim and Peter Wilt and Nick Sakiewicz,ö said Manning. ôThose are the people I look at, and their success is what I try to learn from.ö

Like those of Swift, ManningÆs decisions are subject to the approval of MLS chief operating officer Mark Abbott, who oversees the league-run teams.

The decision to jettison Hankinson wonÆt cost the league anything. Manning declined an option on his services for 2001.

With his head coach aboard, Manning will resume his efforts in the business community as well as the soccer community.

Swift, meanwhile, goes back to his list.

ôIÆm glad for Alfonso,ö said Swift. ôHeÆll do a good job in Tampa.ö

by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney