Avoiding the Drop

In the first season of a new league, there’s bound to be some growing pains. What looks good on paper and in a boardroom does not automatically translate into results on the field, and a team under fire can either grow more resilient or watch as their project slowly starts to unravel.

Still, when a Boston Breakers loss to FC Sol on Sunday put Sky Blue FC into the WPS playoffs, it was a little unsettling to discover that they were already on their third coach in what should probably have been considered a pretty succesful year.

The first coach Sky Blue FC had was Ian Sawyers. Sawyers previously had experience managing at Stanford and had won a championship in the WUSA; on top of that, he’s also married to former U.S. international Julie Foudy.

Sawyers should have been one of the better coaches in the league; instead, after six games, Sky Blue FC found themselves with one win, two draws, and three losses. Five points in six games does not a championship make, and Sawyers was suspended and subsequently released in May. Sky Blue FC President Thomas Hoffstetter had this to say on the abrupt firing:

“The disagreements between the coach, team, and management made it impossible to move forward successfully. We need to maintain the goals, and the atmosphere that is most conducive for our team, and be able to focus on building the league. Consequently, we felt this move was necessary.”

Now let’s back up a second. Sawyers, apparently, wasn’t sacked because his record sucked; he was sacked for disagreeing with the team and with management. Color me crazy, but it’s possible that Sawyers maybe should’ve been given the benefit of the doubt; if the team’s not gelled and isn’t responding to his methods, it may mean that they need more time. More importantly, if they complained to management about the coach and the coach was then fired, management’s now set a precedent for problems.

But I digress. After firing Sawyers, Sky Blue FC appointed assistant coach Kelly Lindsey as caretaker, with the understanding that she’d finish out the season in said role. Lindsey didn’t have much to work with, but she did manage to right the ship somewhat. Her motto – that the only things you can control are your attitude and your work ethic – served the team well, guiding them to a 5-3-3 record and a chance at getting them into the playoffs. Things were apparently turned around.

Or so it seemed. On July 29th, Lindsey showed up at training, gave her laptop to the equipment manager, and told the team she was resigning. A letter was sent to Hoffstetter indicating the same, and Lindsey was done.

What might cause someone to resign so suddenly? It might’ve been the suspension of one of her coaches; that same day, assistant coach Joe Dorini was suspended by general manager Gerry Marrone, and Lindsey was out of the loop on that decision. Marrone says that the suspension was due to a “pretty serious personnel issue”, and that Dorini and Lindsey were friends. Her comments in an e-mail to the Associated Press, however, seem to indicate a bigger problem:

“I am disappointed by what has been said in the press, and that Sky Blue has decided to challenge my abilities. I will not do the same instead I will share my views with the ownership group privately. I will let my record as a head coach speak for itself. At this time, as to why I left, especially when the team was on the verge of securing a playoff bid, I point to the public comments made by Sky Blue as an example of the behavior I do not wish to be a part of any longer. Most importantly, I thank the team for their efforts and hard work, and wish them the best of luck with the rest of the season.”

I’d love to find some specific references to the remarks, but the reality is that the WPS barely gets press on big things; player coach spats don’t qualify. The closest thing I can find is the following statement by Hoffstetter (who’s apparently the Jerry Jones of the WPS):

“We are shocked. We didn’t see it coming. We didn’t expect it. We did expect that Kelly would not be our coach after this season. Kelly was very close to Ian and she was put in a difficult position. She dealt with it very professionally. She tried not to let it influence her day-to-day work.

“In the end, she struggled with Ian gone. She was always seen as Ian’s extension by the players and everybody else. That was ultimately the reason why she left. It was basically Ian’s regime. I heard that she was still very close to Ian and still in contact with Ian the last few weeks and months.”

If you’re confused as to how getting the worst team in the league into the playoffs equates with “struggling”, you’re not alone. At the end of the day, it would appear that the team and management of Sky Blue FC think that Ian Sawyers is a colossal asshat and that they should never be associated with him or anyone from his coaching tree ever again.

Lindsey’s successor? Defender Christie Rampone, who will serve as a player/coach. If I had to guess, I’d say that Rampone – who’s won two gold medals with the U.S. women – didn’t like Sawyers, and that this whole thing was kind of her idea. That’s just speculation, but it feels right to me somehow.

Sky Blue FC coach quits abruptly; Christie Rampone to serve as player-coach [NJ.com]
WPS’ Sky Blue goes through 3 coaches in 1st season [USA Today]
The Moral of the Story [Brick Township Bulletin]
More turmoil for Sky Blue FC as Lindsey resigns [ESPN]
Sky Blue FC Relieves Head Coach Ian Sawyers [Goal.com]