U.S. Soccer Hall-of Fame member Eric Wynalda is the new interim coach of the Silverbacks.
Wynalda, 43, made 106 appearances for the national team from 1990-2000, and was inducted into the hall of fame in 2004.
He is replacing coach Alex Pineda Chacon and director of soccer Rodrigo Rios, who were fired over the weekend following a 3-0 loss at San Antonio. Wynalda will lead the search for a permanent coach. He will join the team in time for Tuesday's game at Carolina.
Despite overhauling the roster in the offseason by adding numerous experienced players to improve on last year's 4-20-4 (w-l-t) record, the Silverbacks have struggled in their second season in the NASL. They are 1-8-5, winless at home (0-4-3) and have a minus-16 goal differential.
Wynalda is mostly known today as an outspoken commentator from his time at ESPN and currently at Fox Soccer Channel. But he will bring several tangibles to the job.
He knows offense: He retired as the national team's leading goal-scorer (34). He played in three World Cups.
He knows how to relate to a team filled with international players: He was the first American to play in Germany's top league when he joined FC Saarbrucken in 1992. He has also played in Mexico as well as Major League Soccer.
He knows how to relate to players who are fighting for a chance: He has played for different teams up and down the soccer ladder, from scoring the first goal in MLS history when he was a member of San Jose to playing for the Charleston (S.C. ) Battery in the lower-level USL.
Wynalda doesn't have a lot of experience as a manager, but what he has done is impressive. Earlier this year, he guided Cal FC, an amateur side he put together, to the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this year, defeating the MLS' Portland Timbers in the third round. It is considered one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history.
The Silverbacks will play at Minnesota on Saturday and will return home to host Puerto Rico on July 14 in Wynalda's debut at Silverbacks Park.
