Pablo To Be Next Coach?

The Rapids posted this image of Pablo at the draft today

All signs seem to be pointing to Pablo Mastroeni as the lead candidate to be the next Rapids coach.  He will meet Monday with the club about the position after expressing his interest in it today.  The club has been putting on a PR press for him recently, with a series of videos about his path back to the Rapids on the website.  Multiple national reporters have said he's the leading candidate.  Today at the SuperDraft Pablo was apparently handling most of the public roles the head coach usually fills.  All of these seem to be strong indicators that he's at least the leader for the job at the moment, if not already on trial.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Mastroeni announced as the "interim" coach next week, only to have the interim tag removed early in the season once he proves he doesn't fall flat on his face in the role.  Given that we've heard no other rumors of any other candidates being interviewed but a very public article about Pablo's interview it appears to be his job to lose.  Recent leaks have also suggested that it was a conflict with Pareja that led Pablo to leave the team in mid-year to try to find playing time in LA, so its probably not a surprise he came right back as soon as Pareja was off to Dallas.

Given the parameters that have floated about for what the Rapids are looking for in their next coach, Pablo fits.  They have Bravo to handle the roster, and Metgod to handle tactics and training.  They want a emotional leader to be the face of the team and inspire the troops.  They also want somebody with Colorado ties that's ready to be here for a decade.  The last piece, always unspoken with KSE, is that they want somebody cheap.  Mastroeni checks all of these boxes.

That said, this would be a big roll of the dice by Hinchey and Bravo.  Pareja left a team with some solid talent that should be expected to make the playoffs this year.  The coaching chaos this month has thrown a wrench into that plan, chaos that could have largely been avoided trough better planning by the Rapids FO, and can largely be overcome by hiring an experienced coach that could re-focus the team.  Pablo's inexperience could make things worse, not better, if he's hired.  He's always been known for his fiery temper, but the team probably needs the exact opposite now, some stability through all of this.

If Pablo gets the job and is successful, his legendary status at the club will grow even larger and Bravo and Hinchey will deserve a tip of the cap for getting through the rough offseason.  If he fails to succeed immediately though, the blow back should be more on who put him in the position than on Mastroeni.