Ellinger Says Goodbye….For Good.
By: Wiz | August 8th, 2007All you have to do is mention the name John Ellinger to Real Salt Lake supporters and you are likely to hear a mixed response. Some of the supporters who have followed US Soccer respect him and are dumbfounded by his lack of success at Salt Lake. Those who have followed the MLS are a little less likely to acknowledge John as an accomplished coach. His record with the club was less than stellar 15-37-16. While Ellinger has an eye for the development of younger players that talent never really translated into success in the professional ranks….as of yet. Was Ellinger ever really given the funds needed to get RSL into the playoff race right up front? Was he a victim of a diluted talent pool due to the rapidly expanding league and restrained by a franchise vision that didn’t match the supporters desire to see results now?! With Chivas USA and Toronto FC having success right off the bat (1-2 years into the league) did the landscape of allowing the expansion teams to come along awhile change? I admire Ellinger for what he has done in the amature ranks. I don’t think manager of a MLS expansion team that needed to put wins on the board was right for him. Being a technical director or talent scout would have been more to his talents. Here is the bigger problem; MLS 18 man rosters should not be for developing players. It seemed that RSL had/has to many “projects” on the roster.
Ellinger’s departure now leaves a huge hole in the front office. Can coach Kreis handle the managerial, training, talent aquisiton and contract negotiations by himself? His first attempt at hiring a coach cost us around 20k and a draft pick. What are your thoughts?
Category: Team News
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