Bob Bradley (left) is out as Metros coach and Mo Johnston is in as interim coach. MetroStars photo
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com editor
In a surprise move, Bob Bradley has been fired as MetroStars coach by team president and general manager Alexi Lalas, BigAppleSoccer.com has learned.
He will be replaced on an interim basis for the rest of the season by assistant coach Mo Johnston, according to reliable sources in the league.
Many soccer observers felt Lalas would allow Bradley to direct the team the rest of the MLS season.
Johnston will guide the Metros when they take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field in Chicago on Wednesday night.
The team is expected to make a noon announcement, followed by a 3 p.m. conference call with the media.
The fifth-place Metros (10-9-10, 40 points) trail the Kansas City Wizards for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
They have lost their last two games -- 1-0 at the New England Revolution and a 4-1 home defeat to D.C. United last Saturday. Apparently, Saturday's result was more than Lalas could take.
Unless the Metros reach the playoffs and do some damage in the post-season, Johnston is considered a longshot to be named permanent coach.
Lalas is expected to move quickly on a replacement. Some names that have been mentioned include:
* Canadian National Team coach Frank Yallop, who won two MLS Cup crowns with the San Jose Earthquakes. But it appears unlikely that he would leave that position at this time. However, scuttlebutt around the league has Yallop interested in the Los Angeles Galaxy job if current coach Steve Sampson is fired or leaves.
* Kearny, N.J. and former U.S. National Team and D.C. United midfielder and captain John Harkes. Harkes, who recently was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, has no head coaching experience.
* Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear, who worked with Lalas in San Jose last year. Kinnear, a strong candidate for MLS coach of the year after losing Landon Donovan and several key defensive players to injuries, has guided the club to a league-best 17-4-9 mark. He obviously is still employed by the Quakes, but there is talk of the team getting new owners and moving the team elsewhere. That could free up Kinnear. However, if Lalas wants to move quickly, he probably would have to wait until early November to get Kinnear at the very earliest.
* Manchester City assistant coach Juan Carlos Osorio, a former assistant under Octavio Zambrano. While Osorio is knowledgeable about the game, he hasn't been a head coach yet.
Bradley was in his final year of a three-year contract. Entering this season he was under fire for the team's mediocre playoff performance the past two seasons.
The 47-year-old Bradley had a 32-31-26 record with the Metros, going 11-10-9 in 2003 and 11-12-7 last year. He was 0-3-1 in the playoffs, the Metros scoring only once.
It would not be surprising if Bradley joined the staff of U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena for the 2006 World Cup in Germany before pursuing a new head coaching position in 2007.
Neither Lalas or Bradley could be reached for comment.
In a story on BigAppleSoccer.com last week, Lalas was asked what type of job Bradley has done. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bob, for the work that he does, for his passion he has for the sport, the league and for his players, and the loyalty he shows to his players.
"A lot of that stuff is behind the scenes and it is difficult for our fans and the masses to see it. To be fair, ultimately, 90 minutes is what the (coach) is judged on."
But he questioned the team's heart and inconsistent results.
"It's a strange team," he said. There's times when I recognize the heart of a team that can compete for a championship and there are times when I question if the heart is beating."
Bradley had forged his reputation as coach of the Chicago Fire, leading the 1998 expansion to the MLS Cup championship in its first season and capturing U.S. Open Cup titles in that year and in 2000. The Fire also reached the 2000 MLS Cup final, losing to the Kansas City Wizards and goalkeeper Tony Meola (now a MetroStar).
Michael Lewis can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. He will only answer e-mails and letters with names or that are signed.
