The Colorado Rapids have parted ways with head coach Robin Fraser, the club announced Tuesday morning.
The decision comes amid a slide that’s seen the Rapids fail to win 17 of 18 games dating back to mid-May, the lone win in that stretch coming against FC Dallas in July.
Fraser took over in August 2019 as the ninth head coach in club history and led the team to a playoff appearance in 2020 and historic 2021 in which the club finished at the top of the MLS Western Conference. All-time with the Rapids, Fraser, a former defender with Colorado, went 47-48-34.
The club announced Chris Little has been named interim head coach for the final eight games of the 2023 campaign, as Colorado (3-13-10, 19 points) sits dead-last in Major League Soccer.
The team consistently had disappointing results following the 2021 season, including missing the 2022 playoffs by four points. While there was a sense of optimism the 2023 season could be different, it’s been just the opposite. The Rapids are on pace for a historically bad season as the team has scored 16 goals in league play and is on track for its lowest points-per-game total in its 27 seasons as a franchise.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Robin for his commitment to the club and for what he achieved during his time here as head coach,” Rapids president Pádraig Smith said in a team statement. “This was a difficult decision but one we felt was necessary to best position the club to return to the playoffs and ultimately compete for trophies. We thank Robin for his four years of dedicated work and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
Fraser was one of three Black head coaches at the start of the 2023 MLS season, but since, two have been fired. That includes former Chicago Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson, who was let go in May after less than a season and a half in charge. Now, Columbus Crew’s Wilfred Nancy is the lone Black head coach in MLS.
Smith will address the media Wednesday morning with a news conference set for 11:30 a.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
This story is developing and will continue to be updated
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
Source: Read Full Article