Nicol out as Revs head coach

by Eric Slack

October 24th, 2011

After much speculation, the inevitable has happened. Steve Nicol's tenure as head coach of the New England Revolution is over. After a meeting today with New England Revolution Investor/Operators Robert and Jonathan Kraft, Nicol and the team "mutually decided to part ways," according to a statement from the club.

"We all agreed a change of direction was needed to reverse the trend of the past couple of years," Jonathan Kraft said. "Stevie was a successful head coach and a tremendous ambassador for the Revolution for the past decade and set a high standard for success, leading us to four conference titles in six years. We thank him for all of his contributions."

Nicol's tenure with the club was full of highs and lows. He first worked with the team as interim coach at the end of the 1999 season before being hired as an assistant prior to the 2002 season. He replaced Fernando Clavijo seven games into the 2002 season and then presided over the most successful period in the Revs' short history. The team advanced to six straight MLS Eastern Conference Championship matches from 2002 through 2007 and finished as the MLS Cup runner up in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Nicol's Revs also won the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga 2008. He leaves with a career record of 112-108-81, second in MLS in career games coached and fourth in wins.

But things have gone downhill since the glory days of three straight MLS Cup finals appearances and the Open Cup and SuperLiga triumphs. In 2010 and 2011, the Revs finished 9-16-5 and 5-16-13 respectively, missing the playoffs both years.

Nicol's time with the Revolution never produced an MLS Cup champion and the last few years have seen the team play some of its worst soccer. But Nicol should still be remembered in New England positively as the first coach to lead the Revs to respectability, not to mention putting some trophies, albeit minore trophies, in the club's previously barren trophy case.

His sacking isn't a surprise, but will he be the only one heading out the door? Mike Burns was promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel after the 2007 MLS Cup finalist season. Since that time, the team has gone from contenders to playoff also-rans to missing the playoffs entirely. Will Burns be the next to go, and who will be the next leader patrolling the sidelines for the Revolution? Although it is sad in some respects to see the Nicol era come to an end the way it has, a critical off-season for the Revolution just got a lot more interesting.