by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney
It's taken a few years, but finally MLS teams are making the right coaching moves.
The cadre of coaches in the league has never been stronger. Bora Milutinovic and Bob Houghton? Foreign fiascoes. Frank Stapleton and Walter Zenga? Great players, period.
If a foreigner wants to make it here, he'd better learn the ropes, as Steve Nicol did with the Boston Bulldogs before moving to the Revs, and Frank Yallop did as a player and assistant coach in Tampa Bay and as a D.C. United assistant before taking over in San Jose.
College coaches with MLS aspirations should remember Sigi Schmid won three NCAA Division I titles and sent more than a dozen players into the league before taking over the Galaxy. Greg Andrulis had modest college credentials and had to wait five years as a Crew assistant to get his chance.
If any man can right the listing ship that is the MetroStars, it's Bob Bradley. And Dave Sarachan is a capable candidate to maintain the high standards Bradley established in Chicago.
Players make the game, but just having good players isn't enough, as proven by the MetroStars last year and D.C. United the past three seasons.
Contraction and competition for spots has strengthened team rosters, yet someone has to harness that talent.
The past three seasons have produced three different champions: Kansas City, San Jose, and Los Angeles. The Metros have yet to win a title; Bradley is expected to make them serious contenders, so that turns up the heat on Mike Jeffries in Dallas and Tim Hankinson in Colorado and Ray Hudson in D.C.
With national team coach Bruce Arena practicing what he preaches about MLS success begetting national team opportunity, the bar for the players has been set higher than ever.
The coaches who meet that standard will flourish, and the league and the sport will be better for it.
by Soccer America Executive Editor Ridge Mahoney