It was one season at the helm of Chivas USA and out for Martn Vsquez, seen here when he was announced as the club’s coach last December (Photo: Juan Miranda/Chivas USA).
In a major shock, Coach Martn Vsquez was fired by Chivas USA Wednesday afternoon after leading the club to a 8-18-4 record in his first season in charge.
Despite the woeful record, club officials had repeatedly said they considered this a rebuilding year and insisted Vsquez would return next season. Instead, Vsquez didn’t even last 12 months in the job.
“This was a difficult decision for our organization to make,” said Chivas USA Vice President of Soccer Operations Stephen Hamilton. “Everyone at Chivas USA has a great deal of respect for Martn, both as a person and a coach. Unfortunately, after this difficult season came to a close, we decided to move in a different direction. We all wish Martn the very best in the future.”
Vsquez, a former assistant coach at the club from 2005-2007, was hired Dec. 2, 2009. He had also served as an assistant coach to to Jurgen Klinsmann at Bayern Munich in Germany.
He was the first Mexican-American head coach in MLS and remade the club’s squad, bringing in Latino players in numbers not seen since the club’s (awful) inaugural season.
But in truth the personnel and lineup decisions Vsquez made were often bewildering and did little to inspire confidence (Galaxy castoff Alan Gordon and former Utah Sunday league player Justin Braun are really MLS quality starters in attack? Really?).
Worse, the club appeared to be losing the loyalty of the relatively small fan base it boasts.
So who should take over?
Klinsmann (who lives in the OC)? Former player Jesse Marsch, now an assistant to U.S. Coach Bob Bradley? Any other suggestions?
Updated:
Steve Sampson? Octavio Zambrano?
Updated
Reporter Phil Collin had a little more in today’s dead tree edition on the firing of Vasquez. It’s interesting to note that despite public assurances from Chivas USA brass to the media that Vasquez would be retained for next season, he himself never received that assurance personally (it was me who asked the question Collin talks about in his story, by the way).
