The Colorado Rapids continued their quick descent into chaos, announcing the departure of Managing Director Jeff Plush on Tuesday. Plush was mainly involved on the business side of things for the Rapids, but was heavily involved in the construction of Dick's Sporting Goods Park and was one of the people conducting the search for their new head coach.
The Rapids also parted ways with coach Gary Smith at the end of the season. Just one year ago, Plush and Smith helped engineer a MLS Cup victory for the Rapids. Smith had publicly clashed with Plush and technical director Paul Bravo prior to his leaving. Now, only Bravo remains.
Although the Rapids are putting a nice face on this move, saying that Plush will still be an advisor with the team, an ESPN report suggests there is more to it. Whether or not Plush and the Rapids parted ways amicably, this does leave the team in a less than desirable situation.
No clear candidate has emerged to replace Smith and the team has already interviewed four coaches. The Rapids had hoped to have a coach in place in time for Christmas, but that now seems unlikely. If a coach is not in place by the Jan. 12 SuperDraft, he will have missed out on a significant portion of this offseason as the team has already gone through the Expansion Draft, the first stage of the Re-Entry Draft and has already made a decision about many of the players currently on the roster.
For more on this situation, be sure to check out Rapids blog Burgundy Wave.
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