Can change spark playoff push?
Cabrera’s departure shocks the players, who say it’s time to ‘turn the page’ and ‘step up’
In a small way, former Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera may have been a victim of his own successes.
In 2017, Cabrera coach took the Dynamo to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Last year, he led the club to its first U.S. Open Cup title and this year the Dynamo jumped out to their best start in team history, standing 5-1-1 at one point.
But in leading a team with the lowest payroll in Major League S occer, Cabrera struggled to steer it through a tumultuous summer, prompting ownership and the front office to change directions on Tuesday. Cabrera was out and assistant Davy Arnaud was appointed the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
“Really coming off this last road trip, in communication as a club with our ownership group and board, we felt that it was collectively the correct time to make
this decision to give the team a fresh perspective,” general manager Matt Jordan said Wednesday.
“We’re only six points out of the playoffs. We have a good group. I spoke to the group this morning and I said to the team, ‘Look, this is the same team that had the best start in club history. And you don’t go from having the best start in club history to then having the difficulties we’ve had over the last six, eight weeks.’ ”
Cabrera’s departure shocked players.
“This caught (me) by surprise, and I didn’t expect it,” midfielder Oscar Boniek Garcia said. “It is an unfortunate situation. We now have to lift ourselves up under new leadership and on Saturday we have to turn the page.”
Garcia emphasized that Cabrera and the players share the blame for the team’s 9-13-3 record.
“Our responsibility has now increased. It falls on us, the players
who are on the field who play and set the rhythm,” he said. “We have to make an impact on the field and change the course. We can’t think about the past and just focus on the tasks at hand.”
Added defender A.J. DeLaGarza: “We haven’t been performing well. There is no way that we should or could go from the best start in franchise history to a collapse in the summertime. Something had to be done and that was the direction they went in. The same guys are here, but now we need to step up.”
Arnaud hadn’t seen the change coming either.
Partially because of that, he hasn’t considered his role with the Dynamo beyond this season.
“This is the environment at times, but certainly the last 24 hours has been hectic,” he said. “I haven’t been able to think about December or what comes at the end of the season. My focus has solely been on ‘What can I do right now? What can we do right now to affect this group in a positive way?’ ”
Jordan suggested that Cabrera had an opportunity to salvage his job heading into August. But the team’s recent four-game losing streak, punctuated by back-toback road losses, ultimately led to discussions about his future with the team.
Jordan didn’t give a clear timeline for when the team hopes to name its next full-time coach, although he said Arnaud will be considered — he declined to detail how Arnaud will be evaluated over the nine remaining regularseason games.
“Does he understand our total club structure from the academy to our USL team to our first team?” Jordan said of the ideal candidate. “Is this coach committed to a culture of creating a culture of development? That’s something that’s very important for us as we continue to progress the club.”
Moving forward, the general manager said he’s focused on providing Arnaud with the resources to help the Dynamo climb back into playoff position. In a more immediate way, that could include the addition of a staff member.
“I think the most important thing for us right now is that we need to prepare for the game on Saturday,” Jordan said. “We need to see progress. The important thing for us is we just start chipping away and gaining points and steadily working our way up the standings.”