Legion parts ways with Tommy Soehn

The Legion today announced it has relieved head coach Tommy Soehn of his duties. Interim coaching duties will be assumed by Eric Avila, currently the first team assistant coach.

The decision had been expected by many observers around the USL, although its timing is perhaps a little strange. The Three Sparks had a bye last week; logically, if such a move were to be made, doing it as early as possible in the two-week break would seem to make sense.

However, the club also announced last Tuesday the hiring of Nick Hall as Chief Business Officer. A major part of his mandate is to grow the club and improve the fan experience. It’s likely not a coincidence that the BJCC has this week announced fan-friendly concession pricing for all events at Protective Stadium and other venues. But more importantly, he sees the need to increase attendance at Legion games. Attendance has dropped significantly over the past year or so; a somewhat organic boycott protesting Coach Soehn’s continued employment is a definite part of that, as are the on-field performances, especially at home. Once that hiring decision was made, I think the writing was on the wall for Tommy.

I am sad to see him leave; we had a very good relationship and he will be missed. Unfortunately, it was fast becoming inevitable. With a very poor start to the season and no apparent change in playing style despite a much-improved roster, something had to give. And it’s almost always the head coach that takes the hit.

So…what now? The club has stated that a national coach search is under way (and possibly has been for a while). That seems a little limited; why not a global search? Obviously, coaches already in the US will be more knowledgeable about the USL and the American game in general but even so.

For a start, all US leagues are either early into their season or about to start it. The only exception to that would be college soccer which mostly plays in the fall. Some college soccer is played in the spring but should be ending soon. So any professional coach is either already busy or is one of the few sitting at home unemployed, which is usually for good reason.

One name who recently joined that second group is Peter Vermes who was let go by Sporting Kansas City just 10 days ago. He was the longest-tenured coach in MLS by far, having held the position since 2009. That’s an eternity in a job that is notoriously unstable. KC won numerous titles under his leadership and he could be a good candidate.

Another name that has been mentioned is Eamon Zayed, the Irish-born Libyan who played for Indy Eleven, Charlotte Independence (in their Championship days) and the Chattanooga Red Wolves, among others. He is nominally the head coach of the Northern Colorado Hailstorm right now although that may not be the case. The Hailstorm, despite some success (they are the reigning Jägermeister Cup champions) left USL League One under the shadow of dubious ownership and are joining the new League for Clubs this year, which will kick off soon. He has Birmingham connections: his wife is from Vestavia (Shana Sherrod, who played softball at MSU). He’s a definite possibility.

Personally, I think the club should throw a real curveball and hire someone unexpected. One name that comes to my mind is: Eric Wynalda. Wynalda is a US soccer legend (especially in his own mind) both as a player and as a coach. He’s not afraid to speak his mind and is controversial on just about any topic you can think of. If nothing else, he would be entertaining. He’s also a big proponent of the USL’s planned move to promotion and relegation. Beyond that he’s currently homeless as his house in Thousand Oaks, CA was burned down in the recent wildfires. Sounds like a perfect time to move.

Whoever the new coach is, this is the dawn of a new era at the Legion. The club has had just one head coach in its history so this is now uncharted territory. Hold tight, it’s about to get interesting.