San Jose Earthquakes Fire 1st-Year Manager Mikael Stahre
Mikael Stahre's tenure in MLS didn't even last a full season.
The San Jose Earthquakes fired their first-year manager on Monday and have promoted assistant Steve Ralston to take over head coaching duties for the remainder of the season. The Earthquakes have an MLS-worst 20 points through 28 games and were eliminated from playoff contention with nearly two months remaining in the season, compiling a dismal campaign.
San Jose has four wins overall, but it's only beaten two clubs thus far, with a pair of victories coming against Minnesota United and, surprisingly, an FC Dallas team that is challenging for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Stahre is not alone in leaving the club, as his assistant, Alex de Crook, is also headed for the Avaya Stadium exit.
The MLS XI, Week 29: Zlatan's Audacity, BWP Has All the Answers
“We felt we needed a change and decided that the six remaining games represent an opportunity for all of us to begin heading in a new direction and to evaluate our options actively with a single goal in mind: to strengthen our first team for the upcoming season and beyond,” San Jose general manager Jesse Fioranelli said in a statement.
Ralston, who has been an assistant for the last four years between the Houston Dynamo and Earthquakes, becomes San Jose's fourth manager since June 2017. Dom Kinnear, now in charge in the interim for the LA Galaxy, was ousted that month and replaced by Chris Leitch on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. Stahre, who had found some success overseas in Sweden, took over last November.
