Fire lets coach Hamlett go, begins search for replacement
Fire coach Denis Hamlett's long tenure with the club came to an end Tuesday when the team announced it will not renew his contract.
The change had been rumored for the past few months.
"Denis has a long history with the club and has been a part (of) its success since our inaugural year in 1998," said Fire technical director Frank Klopas. "We are grateful for his commitment to the Fire and his leadership throughout his career with the club.
"We wish him the very best, and he will always be considered a part of the Fire family. Right now, the Fire has decided to take the team in a new direction in 2010."
Hamlett held the job for two seasons and had been with the Fire as an assistant coach before that. The 2009 season ended in the Eastern Conference championship game for the third consecutive year. Hamlet was 24-17-19 as head coach.
Hamlett reportedly was not the team's first choice to replace Juan Carlos Osorio two years ago, but Houston assistant John Spencer said he turned down the Fire because its offer was not good enough.
Klopas will lead the search for a new coach, which began Tuesday with the decision not to re-sign Hamlett. The search could take several weeks.
Preki had been thought to be a candidate in Chicago, but he signed with Toronto FC last week after leaving Chivas USA.
Former Fire defender Tom Soehn could be a candidate; Soehn just split from D.C. United after missing the playoffs the past two seasons.
Former Fire coach Dave Sarachan, now an assistant with the L.A. Galaxy, is a possibility. The Fire has a new owner and management in place from when Sarachan was fired midway through his fifth season with the Fire, in 2007.
Other possibilities include Richie Williams, Martin Vasquez and Curt Onalfo, as well as Fire assistant coaches Mike Matkovich, Mike Jeffries and goalkeeper coach Daryl Shore.
Whoever the new coach is, he will have a very different roster to work with. Key players such as Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Gonzalo Segares, Chris Rolfe and Brandon Prideaux will not be back, and others could follow; the Fire also could lose a player to the Philadelphia Union in Wednesday's expansion draft.
Bakary Soumare left in August after a locker-room incident with Hamlett became public.
Several of the players expressed support for Hamlett last week when they returned to Toyota Park to clear out their lockers.
"He took us to the SuperLiga final, two conference finals in two years," said Prideaux, who retired after the season. "He had successful years. There's a lot of coaches in this league that wish they had his resume or whatnot the last two years.
"Those decisions aren't up to me, but he's done everything they've asked him."
"I think if you look at the last two years since he's taken the helm and what he's done - and for what he's had to deal with, I think he's done a great job leading this team," goalkeeper Jon Busch said.
"Again, I don't have any say in it, but my personal opinion is they should give him a new contract and give his staff a new contract because they've done a tremendous job."