If you would have told me on June 11, when Dome was hired, that we'd be sitting here tonight, I'd have thought you were crazy.
This was one of the best teams in MLS -- maybe the best team in MLS - under Patrick Vieira. Dome broke them.
The hope was that we'd be ready for the playoffs, that Dome's half of the season was all in preparation for the playoffs. Well, we sucked in the playoffs. Those two Philly games were a mirage. We could have beaten Atlanta -- this series should have been much closer. We have the personnel. This was the best team we've ever had, and the numbers were no better t han they were last year. The second half of the season was a joke.
I don't think Dome will be fired this offseason, but I'm really not convinced he deserves to stay. At the very least, he should have a short leash next season. Because the job he did in taking the 2nd-best team in MLS into a .500 outfit the rest of the way while crashing out in the conference semis again ... this wasn't good enough.
The players he brought in, too, do not give me confidence in him. Amagat w as atrocious, and Castellanos, while he has some good skills, came on in the 2nd half and took a giant dump all over the field tonight. Dome's players he brought in do not give me confidence in his abilities, and the coaching job he did does not give me confidence either.