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Mat Rooney

October 11, 2016 Email

Mat Rooney



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@rooney_matthew

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The era of Benito Floro has come to an end and since then everyone has been wondering who will take his place. Replacing Floro will be an interesting task. Despite his failures in competition, Floro did a great deal of groundwork for the future of the CanMNT and his CV likely appealed to the fence-sitters that dawned the red. The next coach will need to continue this work instead of just rebuilding. They must be able to find what worked and improve upon it.



Former Canadian national team player Terry Dunfield wrote a great piece on the subject and proclaimed there is one must for the next coach: CONCACAF or MLS experience. Anthony Totera has also made pleas for the next coach to be an American or non-Canadian due to no Canadians being ready for the position. I largely agree with both but would add Liga MX to that list Dunfield published and believe there might be a few Canadians that could handle the gig.



About a week ago, Daniel Squizzato of MLSsoccer.com published a list of people who've had their names tossed around for the role. The list was Canadian heavy, wasn't terribly high profile and seemed to drift from Dunfield's (who again played for the national teams) desires for the next coach. It also excluded some reasonable Canadian names. We don't blame Squizzato for the list's lack of pizzazz as it was based on the online chatter, which for the most part has been with a Canadian focus. Hoping to help get the conversation going down a higher profile path, here is a list of coaches that RedNation would like to see take over the position and some Canadians who deserve a mention for the job.



Sigi Schmid (German-American/63) – As the most winning MLS coach in history, he guided LA, Columbus and Seattle to a number of championships and won himself MLS Coach of the Year twice. Having departed Seattle earlier this year, Schmid could be the most capable coach to get the best out of an MLS-heavy roster currently available. His work with the United States U20 team is also a massive plus. All that said, some might be concerned about Schmid's health, he was forced to miss a game last year on doctor's recommendation and broke his leg earlier this year after a fall in his home. His reported $500,000 salary might also be an issue.



Guillermo Vázquez (Mexican/49) – Canada hasn't won in a Central American nation in a very long time. Without being able to do so, Canada are unlikely to qualify for a World Cup. It's been suggested before that a Latin American coach could be a difference maker when it comes to playing in such a hostile environment. Vázquez has had a great deal of success in Mexico and may be able to end Canada's Central American drought. He's earned a great deal of praise in the past for his work with Pumas and Cruz Azul, winning championships with both, and currently might just be the best coach in CONCACAF without a contract. While language might be an issue, he has turned teams around before and many would be shocked and excited if he plied his magic to turning Canada around.



Mike Petke (American/40) – When Petke was sacked by New York Red Bulls, fans got mad. He's a good coach that guided the Red Bulls to their first ever piece of silverware. Between being an assistant and a head coach, the 40-year-old Petke has 4 years of experience coaching at the MLS level which might be a bit too green for some, but in that short time he enjoyed a great deal of success.



Owen Coyle (Irish/50) – Currently with Blackburn Rovers, Coyle is one of the most high-profile coaches with MLS experience ever. While he was unable to find success during his year and a half long time with Houston Dynamo he likely got a good idea of the talent and standard of play MLS players are capable of and how it can be used. As said before, Floro's CV was likely appealing to fence-sitters and the fact Coyle has coached in one of the world's top 3 leagues and won promotion into said league would likely have similar appeal.



Mark Watson (Canadian/46) – The most shocking omission from Squizzato's list, Watson is a Canadian national team legend, has MLS head coaching experience and is available. Between 2004 and 2010, he worked with either the U20 or senior national team before moving into an assistant role under Frank Yallop at San Jose. He would become San Jose's head coach during the mediocre 2013-14 era before returning to an assistant role with Orlando City from 2014 to this year. While his time as a head coach might not have been the best, he definitely knows Canadian and MLS soccer.



Alen Marcina (Canadian/37) – With all the buzz Marc dos Santos gets, I can't help but feel that Marcina should get a mention. Another snub from Squizzato's list, Marcina has actually enjoyed more success than his NASL counterpart dos Santos, having won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 2014 with San Antonio. While he lacks either MLS or international experience, he does come with playing experience, including in the US, Caribbean and at popular Greek club, PAOK, and has managed high profile non-Canadian players. He is currently available.



Dwight Lodeweges (Dutch-Canadian/58) – Lodeweges has always sort of been under the radar for Canadian fans but he's worth a mention. The Calgary-born coach never represented Canada but did play for the Edmonton Drillers and Montreal Manic back in the original NASL day and served as the head coach of FC Edmonton prior to their first season. Lodeweges has had nearly 30 years of coaching experience spent between Netherlands, Japan and Canada, including several seasons coaching in Eredivisie and a short stint as PSV's head coach. He is currently available.