Struggling New England Revolution Fire Manager Brad Friedel
For the third time in eight days, a struggling MLS club has fired its manager.
The New England Revolution became the latest to do so, firing Brad Friedel a day after the club's 5-0 loss to the Chicago Fire. The Revolution, at 2-8-2, sit at the bottom of MLS's Eastern Conference and have conceded an astounding 30 goals in 12 games. In firing their coach, the Revs follow the Colorado Rapids, which dismissed Anthony Hudson on May 1, and expansion side FC Cincinnati, which axed Alan Koch on Tuesday.
Friedel, a former U.S. national team standout and longtime Premier League goalkeeping great, was in his second season as Revolution coach, a 12-21-13 tenure that–as was the case with Hudson and Koch–was marked by plenty of struggles and blatant criticisms of his own players. The club has conceded at least three goals in each of its last four matches, including a 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday that preceded Wednesday night's defeat in Illinois.
Assistant coach Mike Lapper takes over in the interim for the Revolution, who appear to be a long way from the club that reached five MLS Cup finals–though lost them all–between 2002 and 2014.
