The trendy name to NYCFC train just keeps moving right along. Over the past year and a half the child Manchester City and the New York Yankees has taken Major League Soccer’s pitch to pick up big name international stars quite liberally. After securing the likes of David Villa, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, and Mix Diskerud ( a name in U.S. Soccer fields) it appears that the team is looking to go with a big name coach to replace Jason Kreis.
In a report originally conducted by Goal.com’s Ives Galarcep it was revealed that City F.C. management is currently in talks with Fabio Capello about the NYCFC managerial position. That position is currently being held by Jason Kreis who just led the expansion side to a 10-17-7 record. Despite Kreis’ coaching credentials (2009 MLS Cup Champion) Galarcep’s report indicates that City management is, “seek[ing]a high-profile option to help NYCFC improve on a disappointing first season in MLS.”
If NYCFC is looking for a name coach with experience Capello certainly fits the mold. The Italian has coached at some of the best clubs in the world, including AC Milan, AS Roma, Juvventus, and Real Madrid. He has five Serie A titles (four with Milan and one with Roma) two La Liga titles with Madrid, and won one UEFA Champions League title with Milan.
The problem with Capello though is that most of his success came in the 1990’s and that results have been hard to come by as of late. His stint as manager of England’s national team is perhaps best known for his conservative policies at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. While he did qualify with Russia for the 2014 World Cup the side under-performed in a soft group and did not make it out of the Group Stage.
What Capello does have in his favor is that he does have experience working with both Frank Lampard (with England) which may have been the original selling point. If Capello can get Lampard, Pirlo, and Villa to build off of a quality finish to a difficult 2015 campaign then perhaps he is the right person for the job.
But the move is a gamble for NYCFC and MLS. Capello has minimal experience with American soccer and although the big three have certainly played in top clubs in Europe the problem NYCFC faced during the 2015 season was the talent drop-off. NYCFC cannot buy a team in Major League Soccer and if they do not develop young players to put around Villa, Pirlo, and Lampard then they will continue to have troubles.
Of course if Kreis does get fired it will likely mean that there will be major reshuffling among the coaching ranks in MLS. Kreis is considered to be one of the top young coaches in American soccer and proved during his tenure with Real Salt Lake that he can build a team from the ground up. The Chicago Fire would obviously be a major contender to land his services.
In the end any managerial decision that is made by City Football Group this early in their existence will be met with skepticism from those inside and outside of MLS. But NYCFC proved late last season that their is some rhyme to their reasoning so Capello could be the piece that brings this time closer to their goal of winning titles.
