Some thoughts on Nico Estévez' depature

After a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United on June 8th, FC Dallas announced Sunday evening they’ve parted ways with manager Nico Estévez. Below is the club’s statement posted on Twitter:

Luccin’s first match at the helm is Saturday, June 15th against St. Louis City at Toyota Stadium.

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As the season wore on, this outcome felt inevitable. Dallas only has three wins on the year, none of those on the road, and currently sits in 13th place in the Western Conference. Their 18 goals on the season are tied for bottom of the conference with in-state rival Houston.

After the 0-0 draw at Seattle, Estévez said this in his post-game presser (video courtesy of FC Dallas digital content manager Garrett Melcer):

This felt like a moment, albeit it early in the season, you’d be able to look back on as a crossroads. Where either the season turned around or it didn’t. In the nine games after this Dallas posted a 2W-4L-3D with the last win coming on May 11th against rival Austin FC. In that time frame Dallas scored 12 goals while conceding 13.

If you can fault Estévez for the results he didn’t get after a successful 2022 season, you can’t fault him for how he carried himself. In a now unfortunately headlined (can’t see the future folks) profile for D Magazine, I laid out his philosophies and how others viewed him. The overarching reaction I got in sourcing that piece was that he cared about the universe around him. He cared about his players, the front office, everyone involved.

You felt it when you talked with him. There was an earnest quality about how he projected. There was never a power dynamic struggle, it was just a conversation. His energy when he would describe certain tactics, excitement when the team was doing well, and his general vibes were contagious. You wanted him to succeed because you could feel how much he did as well.

A pair of stories if you’ll indulge me. After that feature came out, which was my first and took me months to put together, I was nervous about the reception and whether or not I did a good enough job. One of my flaws as a writer is inferiority, never feeling good about what is instead nitpicking about what could have been. That evaporated the next day however when I went to training. As he was walking out onto the training field, Nico saw me and broke into a big smile. He thanked me for such a nice article, and that he thought it did him a good service. It was a small moment of kindness he didn’t have to extend but did anyway. It did this anxious writer a lot of good.

The other is from earlier this season. During his weekly availability I asked him about some stats that I had previously tweeted talking about the team’s passing issues. He noted that he saw them and wasn’t sure the accuracy before going on to talk about the issue. The next day at training I was alone watching the squad warm up when I hear someone call my name out. It was Nico. He wanted to talk more about the numbers I had pulled. He wasn’t mad, quite the opposite. He liked seeing them because it gave him something to think about and check on to see how the team might do better. We discussed it for a few minutes before shaking hands so he could go lead training.

Those represent the person he is more than anything else. While there’s going to be plenty of criticism over the next days and weeks, hopefully this is a reminder that behind the manager and his decisions there’s a man with a family who tried his best.

Unfortunately for everyone involved his best wasn’t enough, and even so it isn’t all on his shoulders. Injuries plagued this squad all the way back to last year. Without Alan Velasco and Paxton Pomykal, Dallas is missing two of its most critical parts. Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola, and Sebastian Lletget have all missed significant time over the last 16 months as well. Whereas the magical 2022 run the club seemed impervious to injuries, the same can’t be said for the time following.

What you can lay at his feet is the offense, which over the last 12 months is best described as timid. Through this year’s first 16 MLS games Dallas posted two or more goals four times and three or more once. The latter mind you ended as a 3-3 draw when Dallas gave up 3 goals to Real Salt Lake after leading 3-nil.

At times it looked like there was an invisible fence right at the attacking zone. Players didn’t make runs or passes deep in enemy territory enough, opting instead to go backwards time after time. Near the end of Estévez’ tenure it seemed fair to question what the offensive plan was period. Too often in postgame something to the effect of “We just need to be more brave” or “We didn’t do well enough in the final third” rang out. For whatever reason the message wasn’t getting through, and as a result someone else will be giving postgame talks.

While it didn’t work here, I wouldn’t be shocked if after some time it did somewhere else. Estevez’ teams are good defensively, and while they aren’t the most dynamic offensive sides 2022 showed his style can succeed when given the right tools. If you’re a team leaking goals and needing someone to restore good feelings in your locker room, he’s a good choice for that.

Of course, the question now becomes who gets the job long term?

Here is some pure speculation. I can’t state enough that nobody is feeding me names, there’s no #sources or some such. This is just stuff in my brain and my read on the situation alone.

Peter Luccin

The interim is always worth including in this conversation. Luccin has an impressive CV as a player and commands the utmost respect of the room. If he’s able to turn the ship around during his time at the helm, him getting the full-time job wouldn’t be a shock. It’s dependent on the results but rule it out at your own peril.

Eric Quill

If you asked me for an early betting favorite, this is the name I’d give you. The current head coach of New Mexico United spent two years at the helm of North Texas SC, played for the club in 2004, and is generally well regarded around Frisco. With names like Tarik Scott, Nolan Norris, Diego Garcia, and others closing in on first team spots Quill becomes an attractive name due to his previous work with talented youngers under the FC Dallas banner.

Frank Lampard

Remember that above disclaimer about speculation? This suggestion is the biggest reason for it. After middling stints in England, including a disastrous run at Everton, Lampard is still looking for his next challenge. Major League Soccer could be that next destination. The former all world midfielder was a finalist for the Charlotte FC job this offseason, which eventually went to Dean Smith. With reports he’s turned down other job offers we can’t rule a trip to MLS. While his abilities at touchline tactics are in question at the highest level, his morale building and reputation could carry well in MLS.

What makes this unlikely is the complete 180 it’d represent when it comes to previous manager hires for Dallas. It’s just hard to imagine someone of Lampard’s stature roaming the Toyota Stadium touchline for multiple reasons. That said, if you’re trying to make a splash ahead of rumored renovations to Toyota Stadium, he’s a name to consider.

Gio Savarese

The former Portland Timbers and New York Cosmos manager is currently available after getting let go this offseason by Portland. He’s been doing work for Apple’s coverage of MLS and would likely have a good understanding of what Dallas needs from that perch. During his time leading the Timbers he went to MLS Cup twice while making the playoffs four years out of five. What could hold Savarese back is the same thing that cost Estevez his job: a lack of goal scoring. The highest single season goal getter during his tenure scored just 11 goals. While roster construction and injuries were an issue in those years, it could create some reservations about his ceiling in Frisco.

Bruce Arena

This feels the longest of long shots. Obviously, the cloud around Arena’s suspension and subsequent resignation at the end of his New England tenure still exists. There’s also the fact that he’s 72 and might not want to take on a project like this. You’d also be fair in asking about his ability to connect with younger athletes with his particular style of management. That all said he has won 5 MLS Cups, 4 Supporters’ Shields, 4 MLS Coach of the Years, and a trio of Gold Cups. Arena is a winner, and if you’re looking to go uber experienced American coach by resume he’s the choice. What that choice comes with in 2024 is the thing anyone looking to hire Arena needs to balance.

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