Dynamo players past, present question club's decision not to hire Wade Barrett
The Houston Dynamo will not be hiring interim manager Wade Barrett on a full-time basis and will instead be turning to Wilmer Cabrera, according to a report by FourFourTwo.
That decision isn't sitting well with Dynamo players from both the past and present.
Barrett, a former standout player at the club, took over for the ousted Owen Coyle midseason and steadied the ship some for Houston, which still failed to make the playoffs. The club went 4-7-11 under Barrett after a 3-7-2 spell under Coyle. One of the league's most successful franchises, with four MLS Cup final appearances and two titles, the Dynamo have fallen on hard times. Cabrera, a former U.S. youth national team coach, Chivas USA manager and Colorado Rapids assistant under Oscar Pareja, most recently guided the Dynamo's USL affiliate, Rio Grande Valley FC
Current forward Will Bruin voiced his opinion almost immediately, saying it was "very foolish" not to let Barrett have the full-time job.
Defender Sheanon Williams offered a similar opinion:
Former Dynamo standouts Stuart Holden and Geoff Cameron echoed those sentiments, with Holden questioning the direction of the club:
And Cameron even offering the LA Galaxy, who twice beat the Dynamo in the MLS Cup final, as the model:
Going in the opposite direction of Barrett would appear to contradict what club owner Gabriel Brenner wrote in a letter to supporters in August, addressing the club's struggles, though he did praise the performance of the Rio Grande affiliate, too.
"We went through a coaching change a few months ago, which was a challenging situation to navigate through in the middle of the season. However, we believe it was the right move, and we came through for the better," Brenner wrote. "We have seen measured progress under Wade Barrett, and he has done a good job. We have begun the process of restoring our culture and identity and have seen progress in that area. "Since Wade took over, the club’s overall record in all competitions is 4-4-7. While the record may not yet reflect the progress that has been made, we have been in every game with a chance to win them all. We have become a tough team to play against and defensively solid – like the old Dynamo.
As a defender, Barrett helped the Dynamo win MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007, and he was with the franchise when it was located in San Jose from 1998-2002 and returned to San Jose and accompanied the club on its move upon returning from playing overseas.