It was the only possible decision.
Stephen Hart likely would have resigned if Canada had lost 1-0 in Honduras. He might have waited a couple months and told the CSA that he’s stay on to help with the transition though.
Hart is, first and foremost, a passionate advocate of the game in this country. He was always going to do what’s best for the program.
After an 8-1 loss what was best was to clean house. He started the process today by falling on his sword.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
So, let’s start by thanking him for that. Hart may not have been the world’s best coach, but he gave a lot to the program and, arguably, did squeeze a bit more out of them then maybe they had. There is a lot wrong with the men’s national team, but Hart is only a minor part of it.
I suspect there are few people in Canada more devastated by the result in Honduras than Hart. So, this is not the time to pile on.
Instead, we need to focus on the future. What does Canada need to do to avoid an embarrassment of Tuesday from happening again? What type of coach should we be looking for?
There are a couple things that are understood. According to the CSA they will make the hire following the naming of a technical director. They have also said that they will not be making an interim hire.
The timeline they are working on is roughly 6-months. They will want a guy in place for next summer’s Gold Cup, the next meaningful competition the team will take part in.
Hart was thought to make a salary in the low six-figures. So, fans are free to dream about big name hires, but they should not delude themselves to thinking that there is any chance whatsoever of a big name hire coming here.
Also, we might want to ask American fans whether big names are all that they are cracked up to be.
There is a lot of suggestion that FIFA pressured Canada to hire a Canadian as technical director. Tony Fonseca is widely thought to be the front-runner. If FIFA extends the same pressure on the head coach hire, then it’s not hard to speculate on who it might be.
Nick Dasovic, probably. It would be seen as same old, same old by most. Hiring Dasovic would be unfair to both fans and Dasovic himself. It would just be setting him up for failure.
Instead, the CSA should be looking for a guy that has a few characteristics. There is little reason to speculate as to who it might be because we likely don’t know him yet (and please stop before suggesting John Herdman – that isn’t happening and coaching women is much different than coaching men. What works there won’t necessarily work with the men).
The prototype for the next coach:
- Speaks Spanish
- Has experience working or playing in Central America
- Is willing to work for $150,000* a year or less
- Preferably has managed in a professional setting
- Has managed in a setting that requires him to squeeze the most out of limited resources.
A European would probably fail in Canada – not because they have an outdated vision of the way the game is played, or because Latin Americans are somehow more sophisticated in the game, but rather because a European would not be able to handle the working environment the Canadian manager would have to exist in.
I would start by looking in Central America or Mexico.
I would team him up with a couple young Canadian coaches. They could provide an understanding of the inner workings of the CSA and assist on the media relations front. It’s also important to develop Canadians and there is talent in this country that just needs the experience.
It’s becoming cliché to suggest that this or that hire is the “most important in the history of Canadian soccer.” Every hire is important and we begin to sound like that infamous boy that was complaining about a wolf. We’ve made a lot of most important hires. Many didn’t work out.
But, it is vital to understand that this hire is very important.
*After publishing, it was suggested to me by a CSA insider that the CSA could be willing to go as high as $250,000, plus a housing allowance, for the right candidate.