Twitter is the place for instant reactions, so it should come as no surprise that everyone had an opinion on the New England Revolution firing Brad Friedel. Here’s a rundown of what people are saying. After leading the Revs to a 2-8-2 record to start the 2019 season, people predicted that this move was coming. And Brad Friedel is the third head coach to get the axe, with the Revolution announcing his firing minutes ago. Not surprising. It was crystal clear from the outside he had lost the locker room and they were not playing for him anymore. #NERevs #MLS — Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) May 9, 2019 Seriously, watching the Revs tonight (for a half) and then looking at the stat lines ... it reminds me of Sigi's final match with SEA, that terrible afternoon in KC. Looks like team has quit — Steve Davis (@SteveDavis90) May 9, 2019 It's easy enough to say the Revs should release Brad Friedel, but the squad looks so lost you wonder if it even matters who #NERevs would hand the job to. Not sure the talent is there to move Revs up the table, but perhaps a coach w/more experience could squeeze more out of them — Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) May 9, 2019 While many recognized that Friedel needed to go, there’s a sizable population who believe that his firing won’t solve all of the Revolution’s problems. Friedel was a problem. No clear system, couldn't get players to respond, etc. He wasn't THE problem. The Revs don't spend on roster, miss on most of their big signings and don't hold their execs accountable. They've had a bad product for years. No one cares, no one shows up. https://t.co/2hlrOzOC0c — Sam Stejskal (@samstejskal) May 9, 2019 ok Friedel is out at NE, but that roster has been a disaster for a few years now. Mike Burns??? GM’s can’t continue to hide behind head coaches. https://t.co/ADtUSizDtd — Stu Holden (@stuholden) May 9, 2019 I honestly believed that Brad Friedel would turn around the #NERevs . Not sure he was given what he was promised when he took over, but in the end, results matter. This doesn’t solve all their ills. Not by a long shot. — Rob Stone (@RobStoneONFOX) May 9, 2019 I'm no fan of Brad Friedel, but I do feel bad for him in this regard: Until the @NERevolution get a soccer-only stadium, they appear to have no interest in a major investment in talent. That said, the #NERevs had to do something. https://t.co/oAFUVE6flm — Doug Banks (@eDougBanks) May 9, 2019 Some people are already thinking of what will come next for the Revolution. Truly, there is nobody more qualified. He turned a team around back in 2002 and led them to successful runs year after year. Honestly, I would give @SteveNicol61 the job right now. Old school becomes new school. https://t.co/ERx42CugNX — Alejandro Moreno (@AleMorenoESPN) May 9, 2019 Bruce Arena still has the stigma of the USMNT qualifying debacle around his name but he knows MLS and if anyone could make it work with the #NERevs its Arena. The question is are the Krafts ready to commit more to running the Revs? If not, I’m not sure anyone can succeed there. — Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) May 9, 2019 Finally, many people close to Friedel spoke about Friedel’s personality when he was away from the field. There's no question that change was necessary, but on a personal level, I do want to say this: Brad Friedel, from day one, treated everyone in our digital department with respect and like we were part of the team. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. — Jeff Lemieux (@jeff_lemieux) May 9, 2019 Say what you want about Brad Friedel, he was class act off the field. #NERevs — Dave Cherubin (@DaveCherubin) May 9, 2019 Did we miss any of your favorite tweets? Share them with us in the comments section!<doc-sep>On Thursday, the New England Revolution announced that they had relieved head coach Brad Friedel of his duties. Here are three thoughts on the decision. It was the right move. The hiring of Friedel was uninspiring from the beginning. While the former netminder has an impressive playing resume, his lack of professional experience was a concern. Friedel’s high-press system was impressive at first and had me second-guessing my initial thoughts. When opponents adjusted, it became clear that Friedel was over his head. This became more and more apparent as time went on. Friedel frequently changed his lineup in search of an effective starting XI and had no qualms about benching players or making halftime substitutions. He even questioned his player’s effort on different occasions. By the end of his tenure, it was clear that Friedel had no answers, which is why it was time for him to go. Friedel didn’t leave things better than he found them. When Friedel took over as head coach, the general consensus was that the Revs had a promising roster that was under-performing. Now, the roster is in disrepair. During his first season in charge, Friedel sent way known entities like Kei Kamara, Krisztian Nemeth , and Lee Nguyen (that last one was probably going to depart anyway). The new arrivals, such as Gabriel Somi, Wilfried Zahibo, and Michael Mancienne were sub-par despite being on big contracts. Things didn’t improve much during Friedel’s second year, as the new faces haven’t been awe-inspiring. Carles Gil looks like the real deal, but Edgar Castillo and Juan Fernando Caicedo have been inconsistent. Meanwhile, the breakout stars of 2018 (Cristian Penilla and Luis Caicedo) have been in and out of the lineup. Let’s not forget that a host of youngsters were added without a clear plan to get them minutes. This can’t all be pinned on Friedel (more on that in a minute), but it’s difficult to imagine applicants being excited about the current state of the Revs roster. A new coach won’t make the Revs elite. A better, more experienced coach would get more out of this roster than Friedel did. That said, it’s going to take more than a new voice on the sideline to put the Revs in the upper echelon of MLS. Whether it’s because they hired a second rookie coach or signed off on puzzling transactions, the front office share some of the blame for the Revolution’s recent failures. A change in philosophy, approach, or leadership is needed if the Revs are going to be more than a team battling for a playoff spot.<doc-sep>For the third time in eight days, a struggling MLS club has fired its manager. For the third time in eight days, a struggling MLS club has fired its manager. The New England Revolution became the latest to do so, firing Brad Friedel a day after the club's 5-0 loss to the Chicago Fire. The Revolution, at 2-8-2, sit at the bottom of MLS's Eastern Conference and have conceded an astounding 30 goals in 12 games. In firing their coach, the Revs follow the Colorado Rapids, which dismissed Anthony Hudson on May 1, and expansion side FC Cincinnati, which axed Alan Koch on Tuesday. Friedel, a former U.S. national team standout and longtime Premier League goalkeeping great, was in his second season as Revolution coach, a 12-21-13 tenure that–as was the case with Hudson and Koch–was marked by plenty of struggles and blatant criticisms of his own players. The club has conceded at least three goals in each of its last four matches, including a 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday that preceded Wednesday night's defeat in Illinois. Assistant coach Mike Lapper takes over in the interim for the Revolution, who appear to be a long way from the club that reached five MLS Cup finals–though lost them all–between 2002 and 2014.<doc-sep>
The New England Revolution have fired manager Brad Friedel after a poor start to the season that included two recent heavy defeats. Assistant coach Mike Lapper will take over the club on an interim basis. - Carlisle: Does MLS have a double standard problem with Ibra? - Davis: Sebastian Lletget is the most interesting man in U.S. soccer "The New England Revolution announced today that Brad Friedel has been relieved of his duties as the club's head coach, effective immediately," the team said on its website. "Revolution assistant coach Mike Lapper will take over as interim head coach while the club begins the search for its next head coach." Friedel, who was hired in 2018, finished his time in charge of New England with a 12-21-13 record. His only prior head coaching experience was a stint in charge of the U.S. U19 national team. His tenure with the Revolution began with some promise, as he introduced a high-pressing style that sparked the team to a 5-3-2 start. But the Revs faded badly down the stretch, winning just three of their last 17 games to finish in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, nine points adrift of the sixth and final playoff spot. Results didn't improve in 2019, and Friedel took to criticizing his players' perceived lack of motivation in public, citing the lack of promotion/relegation as a reason for the team's poor mentality. Brad Friedel won just 12 of his 46 matches as New England coach. Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Friedel's long-time relationship with GM Mike Burns -- the two are former national team roommates -- was thought to allow him more time. However, following a 6-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Union last weekend and a 5-0 loss to the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, the decision was made to dismiss Friedel. New England hasn't reached the postseason since 2015 and ranked in the bottom quarter of the league last year in terms of salaries. Lapper, 48, is in his second season with New England after joining the club as an assistant coach in November 2017. The former U.S. international has previously been an assistant with the U.S. Under-19 squad (2016-17), West Virginia University (2013-15), and spent nine seasons with the Columbus Crew (2005-13). Lapper enjoyed a 12-year playing career as a defender from 1991-2002. He began his professional career with VfL Wolfsburg in Germany, before joining Southend United in England's second tier. Lapper then went on to play six seasons in MLS with Columbus from 1997-2002. At international level, Lapper made 43 appearances for the U.S., and was part of the U.S. squad at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.