On Tuesday morning, the FC Dallas players were called into a meeting with club president and general manager Michael Hitchcock, who delivered the news that head coach Steve Morrow was dismissed effective immediately. On Wednesday, it was back to work for the team, this time under interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi.
"We knew as a team that for four games, it really had been below average being by the standards set by ourselves, the staff and the club," FCD midfielder Bobby Rhine said. "Being realistic after the home loss to L.A. that was an absolute embarrassment, yes, we're surprised. But we know that there is so much more quality here than we have been displaying. The most terrible part is that we feel that we've let the coaching staff, the management and the ownership down because we haven't met our own standards not only individually but as a group."
For Rhine, who is in his 10th MLS season, all of which have been spent with FCD, coaching changes are nothing new as the season veteran has played for four different coaches in his time with the Hoops, including Morrow.
He is the only player left on the roster who was around when Mike Jeffries was let go late in the 2003 season, replaced by Colin Clarke, who was himself released in November 2006 and replaced by Morrow. But Rhine knows the situation surrounding Morrow's dismissal was considerably different than what happened with Jeffries, now an assistant in Chicago.
"When Mike Jeffries was let go, we had just missed the playoffs," he said. "It had been an abysmal year for all of us and that was really a struggle. You could see it coming. At that point, we were all fighting for jobs at the end of the season. This situation is almost the same. It's a nice thing to know right now because you want that pressure on your team and your players. We now need to pull in as a group and realize that there have been moments that have been very good so far. There are plenty of positives in what we've done so far."
Rhine wasn't the only player who was a bit surprised by the coaching change.
"I was definitely surprised and I think most people were," said defender Drew Moor. "I thought Steve did a good job here and brought in some great players. At the end of the day, I think Sunday's result had a bigger impact than people realized. It's tough when our faithful come out and we play like we did. The players met yesterday and it was kind of a wake up call for us."
Said forward Abe Thompson: "I was a bit surprised but if the Hunts and (GM Michael) Hitch(cock) feel that it was a necessary decision, then I will have to support them. I enjoyed my time here with Steve and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. We can't afford to be bothered by the decision because we have games to play and games we have to win because we've been in terrible form lately and can't dwell on it too much."
But for starting goalkeeper Dario Sala, who is from Argentina and no stranger to seeing coaches replaced after a run of poor form, Morrow's ousting wasn't a shocker.
"In my country, this is what normally happens," Sala said. "If you're not winning games, the first one to go is usually the coach. So, I'm not surprised when it happens."
It wasn't even two years ago that Clarke was relieved of his duties and subsequently replaced by Morrow, a move that occurred in the offseason. But Moor and Thompson, who have been with FCD since 2005, see this situation a bit differently.
"I'd much rather it happen now than in September or October with playoffs rolling around," Moor said. "There is plenty of time to turn this around. There will definitely be an adjustment. It's not going to be turned around right away. It's the players that step on the field and we need to pull together. It was our responsibility on the field on Sunday."
Said Thompson: "This one is a lot different," he said. "With Colin (Clarke), you could see it coming and it was expected because we had the same result in the playoffs the second year in a row. It was at the end of the season and there was a lot of time to find a new coach. But now, they have to find a new coach on the fly and it's going to be a little bit tougher to get through and to handle, but we don't have a choice. We can't afford to feel sorry for ourselves or dwell on it."
At least one player asked about the move feels that it could have positive consequences for FCD, who is currently mired in a four-match winless streak and hasn't won in the month of May.
"In my experience, what this does is renews the team's hopes and goals because everyone wants to fight for starting spots," Sala said. "It gives everyone new life. We need to turn the page and everyone will be fighting for a job just like its preseason again."
Ferruzzi, who is the head coach for Saturday's home game against Real Salt Lake and going forward, chose not to comment after training today but did issue a statement. "Out of respect for the recent events, the players in this locker room, the coaching staff and Steve Morrow have no comment at this time," he said. "We will address things in the future."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
