Tuesday's Daily: Moving To MLS

With J Hutcherson -- Yesterday's announcement that John Hackworth is moving from National Team assistant to Philadelphia Union assistant creates an interesting situation for the Major League Soccer expansion club. Both head coach Peter Nowak and his chief assistant will be attempting to reverse a trend.

Historically, a United States National Team coach moving to MLS doesn't do well enough. Admittedly, we're not operating with a large number of examples but it's a simple point. None of them left their first stop on their own terms. We all know that, almost without exception, coaches are hired to be fired. The tweak on that for soccer is taking over the National Team. It just doesn't seem to work in the opposite direction. At least not at first.

Bruce Arena's time with Red Bull NY ended after his employers decided the only definition of success was winning MLS Cup. Curt Onalfo lasted longer with the Kansas City Wizards, but he was let go after two and a half seasons. There's an announcement scheduled for later today that is expected to name the Technical Director that hired him and then took over on an interim basis as his official replacement.

Arena's previous assistant at National Team level, Dave Sarachan, took the Chicago Fire to first, winning the Supporters' Shield in '03, and then to worst, finishing last in 2004. Two US Open Cups under his tenure weren't enough, and he didn't make it through the 2007 season in Chicago.

With Arena as coach/GM and Sarachan as assistant with the LA Galaxy, both are in the process of completing a turnaround. Both likely never saw themselves in the position to need one. After all, these were the two coaches that took the United States to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002.

Nowak and Hackworth don't have that pedigree. Nowak was brought on as US National Team coach Bob Bradley's chief assistant and coach of the Olympic team. He resigned in the summer of 2009. Hackworth followed, with both of them choosing to leave before the completion of the World Cup cycle.

Unlike the other examples, neither Nowak nor Hackworth have coached at senior World Cup level. Both passed on that opportunity for the initial season of the Philadelphia Union.

As statements go, that's a significant one. What it means in practice is up for interpretation. Part of that will wait to see what happens this summer with club and country.

Where this leaves Bob Bradley is not immediately clear.  The market for head coaches in MLS is wide open this off-season, with multiple clubs looking for a change.  You would think a National Team assistant job with a trip to the World Cup already in place would appeal to a lot of coaches.  Then again, you would probably think that would've included Nowak and Hackworth.

Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves.  Please, tell me all about it.