Crew Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has a chance to finish his first MLS season in exclusive company.
Since MLS switched to its current playoff format in 2011, only four other first-year head coaches who completed a full season with their clubs made the MLS Cup Playoffs at the conclusion of the campaign.
This year, Berhalter is one of six first-year coaches attempting to match that feat. Real Salt Lake's Jeff Cassar seems likely to do it, along with Oscar Pareja's FC Dallas. Carl Robinson's Vancouver Whitecaps and Berhalter's Crew are on the bubble as of now, with Pablo Mastroeni's Rapids and Frank Yallop's Fire likely to miss out.
Should Robinson and Berhalter's sides make the MLS Cup Playoffs, and assuming Cassar's and Pareja's join them, that would make just eight out of 19 instances where a full first-year head coach successfully qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs under the current format:
<strong>Coach</strong> |
<strong>Club</strong> |
<strong>Year</strong> |
<strong>Record</strong> |
<strong>Playoffs?</strong> |
Gregg Berhalter |
CLB |
2014 |
11-9-10* |
-- |
Wilmer Cabrera |
CHV |
2014 |
6-18-6* |
No |
Jeff Cassar |
RSL |
2014 |
13-7-10* |
-- |
Robin Fraser |
CHV |
2011 |
8-14-12 |
No |
Jay Heaps |
NE |
2012 |
9-17-8 |
No |
Frank Klopas |
MTL |
2014 |
6-18-6* |
No |
Jesse Marsch |
MTL |
2012 |
12-16-6 |
No |
Pablo Mastroeni |
COL |
2014 |
8-14-8 |
-- |
Ryan Nelsen |
TFC |
2013 |
6-17-11 |
No |
Oscar Pareja |
COL |
2012 |
11-19-4 |
No |
Oscar Pareja |
FCD |
2014 |
14-10-6* |
-- |
Mike Petke |
NY |
2013 |
17-9-8 |
Yes |
Caleb Porter |
POR |
2013 |
14-5-15 |
Yes |
Martin Rennie |
VAN |
2012 |
11-13-10 |
Yes |
Carl Robinson |
VAN |
2014 |
9-8-13* |
-- |
Marco Schallibaum |
MTL |
2013 |
14-13-7 |
Yes |
John Spencer |
POR |
2011 |
11-14-9 |
No |
Aron Winter |
TFC |
2011 |
6-13-15 |
No |
Frank Yallop |
CHI |
2014 |
5-8-16* |
-- |
* Indicates season still in-progress
Berhalter is currently on-pace to steer his side to a season with more wins than defeats. Only three of the 13 previous coaches to complete a full year from this group accomplished that, with Cassar, Pareja and Robinson also on-pace to achieve that this season.
