East notes: Scouting for SuperDraft
Coaches, staff swarm college fields as NCAA tournament begins
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That trite maxim might hold true in some quarters -- exercising and declining contract options, releasing players and heading overseas to scour the world for new talent to name but four -- but it doesn't necessarily apply to the rather less heralded world of college scouting.
Throughout the fall, coaches across MLS have littered fields and stadiums across the country to survey the talent pool ahead of the MLS SuperDraft in January and queried college coaches to get their take on professional prospects. The evaluation process continues during the conference tournaments -- the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament is a universal meeting ground for MLS coaches, for instance -- and the NCAA Division I College Cup in Cary, N.C. (Dec. 11-13).
As the NCAA tournament swings into gear this weekend, many teams across the Eastern Conference will operate at less than full scouting strength as numerous coaching openings (more on that later) deprive teams of key contributors to those assessment efforts as the pre-Combine scouting ends and the foreign scouting commences.
"It's pretty simple," New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "When you take a guy who knows what he's talking about out of the equation, then it hurts you."
Losing a head coach or a trusted assistant forces teams to adjust their scouting practices on the fly even though clubs complete a significant part of the work during the season. In the wake of Tom Soehn's departure in D.C., United general manager Dave Kasper has leaned on incumbent assistants Chad Ashton and Mark Simpson to help him in the player evaluation process. When Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes took over as permanent manager last week, he noted that he wants to add another assistant and a scouting director to his current staff to aid him as he juggles coaching and player personnel duties. New York's technical and coaching staffs worked together during the season on scouting efforts, handing the Red Bulls a base to continue their ongoing scouting efforts as they sort out their 2010 situation in the front office and on the sideline.
Most teams focus on nearby colleges during the season for logistical reasons and branch out when possible -- depending on personnel and budgetary considerations -- when the season concludes. Regional scouting benefits some teams more than others depending on the location because not all clubs benefit from high-quality college competition in their area. In one illustrative example, the presence of Boston College (ACC) and nationally ranked Harvard (Ivy) made it easier for New England to withstand the late-season loss of assistant coach Paul Mariner because Mariner had the opportunity to see plenty of teams and report back prior to his departure, according to Revolution vice president of player personnel Michael Burns.
"We're able to see a lot of the college teams that come in here and Paul had seen a lot of those games before he went back to England," Burns said. "So did Gwynne (Williams, Revolution goalkeeper coach) and Stevie. While we haven't seen the Indianas and the UCLAs of the world, we've seen a lot of the ACC and the Ivy League teams that have come through here."
The biggest impact of losing a member of the coaching staff isn't felt in the number of games watched -- that didn't change in the Revs' case, according to Nicol -- but in the number of eyes trained on a game or a player at a particular time.
"Nobody sees everything all of the time, but with the three of us together, somebody sees something and you go from there," Nicol said. "When you've got a guy as good as him, that's what you're going to lose."
As the coaching carousel turns: With every Eastern Conference team now preparing to watch MLS Cup from home, the focus can now shift to the rampant uncertainty on the benches across the conference. Three teams currently have head coaching vacancies to fill, while one side just hired its new manager and another is pondering whether or not to offer its current coach an extension. Add in the departure of a prominent assistant coach and six out of the seven teams are currently on the hunt for coaching help.
Here's a brief look at the landscape entering the offseason:
Chicago: Fire coach Denis Hamlett has reached the end of his two-year contract and is expected to meet with Chicago brass this week to discuss whether or not he will return in 2010, according to Chicago Now. Multiple reports have suggested that Hamlett won't be returning to the Windy City, but the final resolution remains uncertain given Hamlett's work to coax an injury-riddled squad to the cusp of a MLS Cup berth for the second consecutive year.D.C. United: United continue to search for a replacement for the departed Soehn, but the club "has no update on the search," according to a team spokesperson. Former United midfielder and current New York interim boss Richie Williams and former Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo are among those to have interviewed for the position, according to The Washington Post.
Kansas City: Vermes assumed the role of manager last week, but that doesn't mean the Wizards are done hiring. As mentioned above, Vermes would like to bring on a scouting director and an assistant coach and Wizards president Robb Heineman has promised to provide the necessary resources to give Vermes whatever he will need as he juggles his on- and off-field tasks.
New England: Nicol remains under contract for the next two seasons, but the Revolution need to hire Mariner's permanent replacement. Burns said the team "is in search mode" to fill the opening and would prefer to make a hire sooner rather than later. Charleston Battery assistant Mark Watson served as an interim assistant of sorts in Mariner's absence at the tail end of the campaign and could be a candidate for the full-time gig.
New York: The search for Juan Carlos Osorio's replacement is on hold until the Red Bulls hire a new sporting director to oversee operations. "After our search for a sporting director is concluded, we will continue the process of finding the next permanent head coach of the team," according to a team spokesperson. The pressing question: will Williams remain on the market long enough to remain a candidate once the sporting director comes into the fold? Onalfo has interviewed for the sporting director role, according to The Washington Post.
Toronto: The Reds are in the market for a coach with MLS experience to fill their vacancy. Several outlets have linked former Chivas USA coach Preki with the top spot at BMO Field with Soccer By Ives reporting that the two sides were close to a deal earlier this week. If Preki opts for the potential vacancy in Chicago (a move mooted by several sources during the fall) or pursues other options instead, then TFC would have to move further down its list.
Kyle McCarthy covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com and serves as a contributing editor for Goal.com USA. Kyle can be reached at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com.
