San Jose Earthquakes fire general manager John Doyle
The San Jose Earthquakes are revising their philosophy after the franchise and general manager John Doyle went their separate ways on Monday.
Doyle is credited for helping ease the transition back into Major League Soccer following a two-year hiatus in 2007, and during his time on the job oversaw two playoff runs and the hoisting of the 2012 Supporters' Shield.
But he has now been fired, leaving technical director Chris Leitch to take Doyle's old post on an interim basis. Head coach Dominic Kinnear and his backroom team keep their roles with the side placed seventh in the Western Conference.
"I would like to express my sincere thanks to John for his nine years of service with the team as general manager," said Earthquakes president Dave Kaval. "He was an outstanding leader who helped relaunch the Earthquakes in 2007. We will be forever grateful for his contributions to the San Jose Earthquakes. We wish John the best of luck in his future endeavors."
He added, "At this time, we feel that the organization needs a fresh approach to our soccer operations. We believe that we have the players and coaching staff that can make a run at the playoffs and we are fully behind their efforts."
Kaval said Chris Leitch "has a great shot" to win the job long term, but that he owes it to the fans to conduct a search.
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) August 29, 2016
Making the postseason would be a welcome respite from the usual disappointment suffered by the Avaya Stadium faithful.
The league's playoff format is one of the most forgiving in professional sport, but despite seeing American soccer luminaries such as Bobby Convey, Chris Wondolowski, and plenty of talented goalkeepers ply their trade San Jose, the team's experience in the knockouts is lacking since it was re-admitted into MLS.
The Earthquakes are currently three points short of the sixth-placed Portland Timbers in the Western Conference, and welcomes the Seattle Sounders in domestic duty on Sept. 10.