Report: Peter Luccin remains the front-runner for FC Dallas’ head coaching job
Report: Peter Luccin remains the front-runner for FC Dallas’ head coaching job
The turnaround under Luccin has been good but clinching a playoff spot will be better.
As the Major League Soccer season draws near to Decision Day next month, two significant questions occupy the minds of every FC Dallas fan. Will the club secure a spot in the MLS Playoffs this year? Additionally, who will become the next head coach?
In a way, the two go hand in hand with one another. A playoff berth likely means interim manager Peter Luccin will be asked to stay around a bit longer as the next head coach of the club. But even if that doesn’t happen, it appears he is still the front-runner for the spot.
GiveMeSport’s Tom Bogert reports that Luccin remains the front-runner for the vacant head coaching spot, despite the club not being in a playoff position at the moment.
No decision has been made or contract agreed with Dallas going through the final stages of their coaching search, but sources are confident Luccin is top choice.
Under Luccin, Dallas are performing at a playoff pace — 1.64 points per game in 14 matches. Over the course of a season, that would put them in fifth place in this year’s West, within touching distance of second. The biggest improvement has been the attack, which is averaging 2.2 goals per game under Luccin after 1.2 under Nico Estevez this year.
BDS Take
In a way, none of this should be surprising to anyone who has been watching FC Dallas under Luccin this summer. The team has looked drastically different, and the energy surrounding the team has been different since the club let Nico Estevez go in June.
The Hunts have a long history of going with someone they know well instead of going outside of the box with a hire. Estevez was one of their first outside hires after years of hiring fairly internal candidates that they were more familiar with. Luccin has been a part of the organization for more than a decade both as a player and coach.
Based on what my sources have told me about their coaching search, it hasn’t been a very big one so far. The team made it fairly clear that they wanted to see this season out and how Luccin fared before going through too many rounds of interviews with other candidates.
Do I think Luccin is the right guy long-term for this club as manager? Honestly, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Again, the vibes and energy has been different since he took over and I do think over time, with the right off season moves, the defensive issues will get sorted out under Luccin.
But I also get where some folks will come in and say this move isn’t ambitious at all from the Hunts. Which, in a way, they’re not wrong in saying.
The big capper will be if Luccin is able to guide the club into the playoffs in these last four games. FC Dallas currently trails Minnesota United by five points in the Western Conference standings. With four games to go, that is a fairly large mountain to climb, especially when their next two games will be on the road, where they’ve only won once this season.
I would prefer an experienced manager that has a track record of relative success in managing mid-table or bottom-table teams in bigger leagues where they had to manage within a budget. Relative success in those situations would be a team that generally avoided relegation battles, had occasional deep runs in domestic cup competitions and was able to play somewhat front-foot, expansive football instead of just playing against the ball.
But that kind of manager will be expensive relative to what the Hunts have traditionally been willing to pay, so it's probably unrealistic that they would go that way. Luccin is the "safe" hire because he's known, he knows the league, the team has responded well under him, and he's CHEAP.
He's probably the best hire a FCD fan can hope for.
I agree Joe! I have been mostly encouraged by the play on the field. In the times where it has been lacking, I think Peter has pushed for accountability, which the players seem to acknowledge (possibly appreciate).
I’ll admit that I don’t know the pool of viable coaching options for FCD. I think there are some solid players on the roster and going with a new coach might reset that a bit.