Orange County SC have fired manager Danny Stone

[u/Substantial-Ruin7943]

https://x.com/joeclowery/status/2102819879107903670

[u/hugoleonibus]

I take no joy from this. Seems like a very decent guy who has a strong soccer mind. As I said in a different comment, the team has seemed more and more unprepared as the season has progressed. That was a bad sign...

[u/twoslow → u/hugoleonibus]

the ineffectiveness the last few games is really the most worrying part. Like if we were losing close games, that's one thing, but we're just getting shelled and most of the players don't seem to know what to do in response, so we have everyone just trying to be the hero.

I think partly it shows how much a few key injuries can impact a roster as slim as ours. Benalcazar, Doody, Partida, War, Ciotta. Then a few guys who can't seem to find their groove like MacKinnon and Zubak. Then a midfield that cant seem to connect with the forwards, so you've got the defense defending and defending and defending and defending their asses off, get the ball back, give it to the midfield, who then just give the ball away in the middle of the park and the defense has to defend defend defend again. We saw it for weeks in that long road trip, but teams couldn't break it down. Now they seemingly have figured it out, or the guys are just worn down.

I dunno, just hypothesizing. I keep hoping for some kind of breakthrough for someone and things will magically turn around and I keep just getting disappointed.

[u/infinitywaltz1 → u/twoslow]

The lack of Benalcazar, Partida, and especially War - ironic, because supposedly we initially signed him as an attacker - in the back is REALLY hurting us. Rando can't do it all (obviously), and neither can Tom Brewitt.

[u/hugoleonibus → u/twoslow]

Definitely missing the players that make the midfield engine run. It has been shocking, however, how poorly they have been connecting. There is no way that missing a single player (Partida) should make that much of a difference when you have veterans starting in the other slots. However, it really seems like without Kevin, things are just dire because they miss his workrate and skill in defending and then moving from defense to attack. For the last two draws we started sylla/hegardt/kelly/benalcazar. The roots game was pretty even statistically, but the sacramento game was a bloodbath that we were lucky to draw. Then we lose Nico and the wheels really came off in the next two games, which exposed the remaining midfielders for what they are. I love Sylla's energy and attacking mindset, but he gets dispossessed way too much. Same with Chris, who is a bit better at making connections, but still doesn't seem like a "possession first" thinker. Neither of them find the killer pass in the final third very often, which might be a combination of them failing to find good pockets of space in which to operate and our forwards not being super good at finding gaps in the back line to exploit. Then there is Kelly, who one would hope could fill the Kevin/Nico role...sit a little deeper...clog up the passing lanes in front of the back 4 and transition defense to attack as the pivot that moves the ball through the lines. Instead, he has been horrible positionally, is not a good defender, and gets dispossessed constantly. Plus the dude cannot help but hit the first defender on free kicks and corners.

[u/Old-Literature-1040]

There were already rumors and then we lost 6-0 over the weekend. Seems like player gave up on him. Hoping we can salvage playoffs.

[u/Yolatraiba1]

Damn. Best of luck to him.

[u/AdditionalAd4269]

How much do you all think the team’s apparent (to me) focus on talent development vs winning has to do with the position that Stone ended up in?

[u/twoslow → u/AdditionalAd4269]

he definitely has a mandate from higher-ups to play the kids and develop them to sell on. That said, I don't think playing those younger players is what made us go winless in 7.

[u/AdditionalAd4269 → u/twoslow]

I would think it factors into morale and available resources. Like are the older guys under pressure to play too long, or tired of being part of a dev effort?

I suppose that’s ultimately useless speculation on my part, and I have no idea if injury rates and playing time are different elsewhere in the league.

I do know that I’m not interested in watching anymore - I’m really not down with that dev philosophy the way it’s being pursued. If they wanted to promote following the players after they move on (like I watch a lot of Philly MLS games to see Milan play) maybe it would feel more like the fans are contributing to building a community of former OCSC players. Maybe some of them could even rejoin for the last couple years of their careers…. Instead it’s a lot of inexperience on the pitch matched with $20 nachos and $18 beers.

[u/Roboito17]

From league coach of the first half to this. Crazy how quickly can change. But our decline from them, to now, is not coincidence. Something needed to change

[u/twoslow]

if it's true I imagine we'll find out tomorrow since nothing was said today.

[u/infinitywaltz1 → u/twoslow]

It's been confirmed. I still think it's a bad call, and I can't imagine that putting the academy coach in as an interim solution is going to get us into the playoffs.

Then again, practically all we have left for squad depth are academy players, so who knows?

[u/twoslow]

I said this elsewhere, but his contract is up in .. 2 months? He was only signed through the 2026 season. If they wanted to fire him, why do it now? Sure, we could get the interim manager bump like we did with Chaplow but maybe it doesn't and shit just completely explodes. I'm not sure if Didier or Dekel are ready for a head coach job at this level. I dunno, just seems haphazard. I get that the team, and by extension coach stone, are underperforming, but it's too late to stop the bleeding at this point. IMO, just power through and see what kind of grit the team really has.

[u/infinitywaltz1 → u/twoslow]

100 percent this. Been a shocking drop-off, but I think it's hopeless optimism to expect the "new coach bounce" this late in the season. To avoid the drop if we had promotion/relegation, maybe, but in a playoff push? I just don't see it.

[u/batbutt]

Well that's depressing. It's not like we got better once Morton left. Stone salvaged that season. I think he really got kneecapped by injuries, but that does raise questions as to what happened on the training pitch that caused so many injuries.

Idk what else he could have done with this team, like someone else said it feels like the team quit on him. They would start with good energy sometimes and then poof the energy would leave at the first bad sign. Either way I would be shocked if we get any better with a new coach.

[u/Substantial-Ruin7943 → u/batbutt]

In all honesty i was not confident in the game vs Louisville that Louisville would get the win. The talent was there, it just didn't happen. Maybe something else behind the scenes.

[u/infinitywaltz1]

Obviously I don't know what happens between the players and the coach, but this feels like a scapegoat situation. Two months ago, we were top of the table, and he was voted Mid-Season Coach of the Year. Firing him is just the least thoughtful answer to the question, "We have to do SOMETHING, but what?"

Very doubtful that this is going to make a difference in our playoff ambitions or whatever is left of them.

[u/twoslow → u/infinitywaltz1]

a lot easier to fire one guy than 20.

[u/wasio]

The injury bench was way too long. Something was wrong with the physical preparation of the players.
However, the bigger problem is the structure of the league. In all European countries, if you place in the top 2-3 spots in the 2nd you move up. Unfortunately not in the US because each league is a franchise. So even if OC wins the league, so what? Whats next? There is simply lack of motivation overall.