Brad Friedel fired as coach of the New England Revolution
The former U.S. goalkeeper is out after 18 months in charge.
The New England Revolution announced on Thursday afternoon that head coach Brad Friedel had been “relieved of his duties” following a difficult start to the 2019 season.
The Revolution lost on Wednesday night to the Chicago Fire, 5-0. The lopsided defeat came only days after a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of the Philadelphia Union. On the season, New England is 2-8-2, tied on points for last in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.
Friedel, hired to succeed Jay Heaps as coach in November of 2017, went 12-21-13 in total. The team’s results worsened after a promising start in 2018. This was particularly true in the last four games, where the Revs conceded 18 goals, contributing to a league-worst -19 goal differential.
This was Friedel’s first experience as a coach or manager of a team above the youth level. As a player, he was a longtime goalkeeper, setting a record for most consecutive appearances in Premier League history (310). He also appeared for the United States in multiple World Cups.
According to the team announcement, assistant coach Mike Lapper will assume head coaching duties on an interim basis. Fellow assistant Marcelo Neveleff will stay with the club through June 2 before leaving to become the technical director of the Dominican Football Federation, as well as its Under-23 team head coach.
The Revolution, on top of the team’s MLS schedule, are also set to play charity game against Chelsea Football Club at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m.
