FC Dallas' Coaching Search
Interim head coach Peter Luccin has one more game, at home, to impress the front office. Has he done enough? What could the coaching search look like?
FC Dallas has one final game of the season as they welcome Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, but from the readings of pundits and blogs and voices around the internet, you’d think the season is done.
Drew at BigD Soccer invites you to be the GM
Matt Doyle offers his postmortem on the Dallas season
Steve Davis offers his big three questions facing the front office
SadFCDFans on X asked season ticket holders their feelings on renewals
Certainly, from the perspective of postseason play, the season is washed, but this final home game is an opportunity to leave a bit of hope lingering as another brutal offseason, full of questions, awaits the franchise.
Peter Luccin is the interim, and according to guys like Matt Doyle from Major League Soccer, he’s done enough to get the job going into 2025. We’ll talk about that in a minute.
However, I think a search process makes more sense for FC Dallas, combing through other names out in the Major League Soccer landscape even as they review Luccin’s brief tenure in charge so far. With Gregg Berhalter off the list (not that we thought he would be interested in Frisco), the pickings aren’t overly exciting as far as domestic candidates, but FC Dallas surprised a lot of us by bringing in Nico Estevez. Could they look to an unfamiliar name again?
First, how did Peter Luccin do?
Overall, I don’t want to repeat what Steve Davis did so well in his article above. Luccin definitely improved the team from what had been a disastrous beginning to 2024. Yes, we can grade on a curve here, recognizing how few coaches could work miracles in such a situation. Luccin (and Nico before him) had to face opponents without key players. During the summer, as the squad got healthier, there were glimpses of what could have been for this club in 2024.
But, yeah, it’s hard to look back at the beginning of the year and remember that opening season win, with Dante Sealy punching in a late winner, hopeful that young palyers would step up. And then, like a bad dream, we dwell on that lackluster away draw against a Minnesota United team, fielding a bunch of Next Pro players. Nico was dismissed the next day.
Luccin stepped into a team that was in shambles, but he immediately started turning things around. FC Dallas scored goals again. Petar Musa scintillated, making a case for Newcomer of the Year. Players got healthy. The play on the field, while not perfect, was at least entertaining.
But, with playoff possibilities coming down to a few needed results, FC Dallas couldn’t get it done, first at home against a visiting Orlando side (who dominated) and then a very embarrassing loss at San Jose, the worst team in the league. A credible draw against Portland in Pacific Northwest salvaged a bit of hope for what could be next year, but Luccin, just like Nico, is searching for answers with these players. His lineup choices as of late have been particularly interesting.
Essentially, Luccin is in the running, and maybe with a chance to shape the roster as he wants and move on from some players who have under-performed, he can build something special, imprinted with his tactical vision.
But, Dallas should use this chance to pause and make sure Luccin’s vision matches with this team’s future.
Bringing in an interim head coach doesn’t give a front office a lot of time to talk vision. A coaching search does.
Even if the front office is high on Luccin’s future with the team, it makes sense in the coming month or two to sit down and begin that conversation. Peter, who would you keep around? Who fits your style of play? What tactical changes do you want to bring? How far do you think we are from competing with the best? How can you deepen our commitment to bringing in youngsters?
As you do that, you are also sitting down with other candidates and evaluating how they answer those questions. That could include other in-house candidates like John Gall and Michel. It could include former FC Dallas guys like Eric Quill, now at New Mexico United, and other former Major League Soccer head coaches like Robin Fraser. If Dallas had the guts, they might even reach out to Hugo Perez, former El Salvador National Team coach, for a conversation.
Maybe Luccin is still your guy after those conversations. Maybe you decide that you need a complete reset tactically and a different voice. But you did open up that conversation and make choices, not just about a coach, but about what kind of organization you need to be.
Obviously, listen to anyone with any sense of history to this team, and you get the feeling that they probably will go with someone who has connections to the academy or front office. Nico Estevez only had minimal connections with FC Dallas via his United States Men’s National Team work. Will they select someone outside of the family again? I don’t see it either.
More than likely, a careful process reaffirms what they may desire - to give Luccin the reigns with an offseason all his own to lead this team. Or, to go for a guy like Eric Quill who has more seasoning and can work with some limited constraints.
Saturday then takes on extra importance.
Peter Luccin has had a two week break before this match. No doubt, he wants to close out 2024 with a win and show that fans can be hopeful about 2025 if he gets the job. If it is an exciting day of soccer, even if not perfect, expect the result to make one more case for why we should grade his 2024 on a curve.
Please note - FC Dallas has scheduled a postseason press conference for Wednesday, so we should learn pretty quickly the direction the front office is planning to go following the weekend.
What are your thoughts about Luccin’s job in 2024? Did he do enough?
What are you looking for from the final match of the season on Saturday?