Report: NYCFC in talks with Fabio Capello

From the Will you people ever learn? file, New York City FC are reportedly in talks with unemployed Italian manager Fabio Capello.

As first reported by Goal.com’s Ives Galarcep, Capello tops a short list of candidates to replace current head coach Jason Kreis, who despite NYCFC’s expansion status in 2015, is on the hot seat after failing to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs in year one of his tenure.

From Galarcep’s report:

Sources have confirmed to Goal USA that the 69-year-old former England national team manager is in discussions with New York City FC ownership to take over as the club’s new head coach.

Capello would replace current NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis, who has been rumored to be on the hot seat as the club’s Manchester-based ownership seek a high-profile option to help NYCFC improve on a disappointing first season in MLS.

As the above lede intimates, this is a spectacularly bad and shortsighted idea from the City Football Group, which joint-owns NYCFC, Manchester City and Melbourne City (Australia). Anyone who watched NYCFC for more than five games in their first MLS season could tell you that the last thing that team needs is more “star power.”

For starters, a perfectly capable, proven coach by MLS standards is already employed by the club. Kreis not only won the 2009 MLS Cup with Real Salt Lake, doing so on one of the league’s smallest budgets, but alongside general manager Garth Lagerwey engineered one of the most consistent winners over a span of seven years in MLS history.

unding his appointment was, “Will he be allowed to build and coach the team his way, without major decisions being made from well over his head?” Given the signings of 36- and 37-year-old midfielders, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard respectively, who looked completely unable to assert themselves during their first half-season in MLS, it’s probably safe to answer that question with a big, fat “no” at this point.

It took the folks in charge of Man City a number of years to figure out that irresponsibly spending obscene amounts of money wasn’t going to automatically bring success in the Premier League. While MLS remains a league dwarfed by the size and talent of the PL, the same lesson must be applied if NYCFC is to ever function as something more than a grower of the Man City brand Stateside.

Credits: NBC Sports