Oct. 24, 2011 – Steve Nicol dismissed as Revolution coach

Steve Nicol guided the Revolution to four MLS Cup finals, the 2007 U.S. Open Cup title and 2008 SuperLiga championship in 10 years as head coach. Nicol had a remarkable run with the team, though he never sought to be hired as head coach by the Revolution, even turning down their offer in 1999. Nicol became player-coach of the A League Boston Bulldogs in 1999, having been recruited by former Revolution striker and Harvard coach John Kerr. After Walter Zenga was fired in 1999, Nicol was named interim coach for the final two games of the season, then refusing Revolution GM Brian O’Donovan’s full-time offer,  believing he needed more experience. In 2002, Nicol became an assistant to Fernando Clavijo, then interim coach after Clavijo was fired with a 2W-4L-1D record. The Revolution appeared to be out of contention late in the season, but went unbeaten in the final six games (5W-0L-1D) to finish in first place in the Eastern Conference, then reached the 2002 MLS Cup final, a 1-0 extra time loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy before a 61,316 crowd at Gillette Stadium. Nicol was named MLS coach of the year and signed a two-year contract, continuing to work on a series of short-term contracts. When Nicol left the position, the situation was termed an agreement to “mutually part ways.” In “5 League Titles and a Packet of Crisps,” Nicol wrote that Robert Kraft had told him “it was time to move on” after a season-closing 2-2 draw at Toronto FC on Oct. 22, 2011.

Nicol now an analyst at ESPN-TV, proved to be among the most successful coaches in MLS history, compiling a 111W-108L-81D record. The Revolution appeared on the verge of capturing the 2006 MLS Cup, following an extra time Taylor Twellman goal, their first in 346 minutes of finals play, but lost on penalty kicks to the Houston Dynamo. Twellman again provided the opening goal in the 2007 final, but the Dynamo again rallied, this time for a 2-1 victory.

Nicol instilled a pragmatic, winning attitude in the team, also establishing a pattern for late-season rallies. The Revolution closed with a 6W-0L-1D run in 2003; 3-2-2 in ’04; 2-1-2 in ’05; 5-0-2 in ‘06; 2-2-2 in ’07. But the Revolution failed to replace several key players and began declining, missing the playoffs in 2010 and ’11 after eight successive post-season appearances. Nicol’s persistence and sense of conviction, plus an extraordinary ability to find talent in the MLS draft, brought success. Nicol also made tactical maneuvers, including switching to a 3-5-2 from the 4-4-2 alignment he had honed while playing for Liverpool FC. Nicol’s motivational abilities inspired the Revolution to overachieve, but could not overcome the combination of injuries and the team’s declining talent pool. Chris Aduama photo

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY