Rapids Reportedly Down To Final 4 Including...Chris Armas?!?!

After some time off I was planning to get into some post-season analysis tonight, but this afternoon there were reports that the Rapids are close to naming the new manager, with a final 4 that includes interim coach Chris Little and new name Chris Armas.  The only other two names seriously linked to the job have been Jack Wilshere and Efrain Juarez.  So a quick recap on the first three and then more on Armas at the end:

• Jack Wilshere

Current Arsenal U-18's coach, a position he took last summer (2022) after retiring from a 13 year playing career, primarily with Arsenal.  34 caps with England.  Took the U18s to the U18 FA Cup final last season.

• Efrain Juarez

Recently joined Club Brugge as an assistant after being at Standard Liege as an assistant last season, and NYCFC as an assistant the three years before that.  In all of those spots Ronny Deila was the manager while Juarez was his right hand man.  Before that a 13 year playing career in Mexico, Europe, and MLS and  almost 40 caps with Mexico.

• Chris Little

Obviously was the interim manager of the Rapids after Fraser was fired, leading the team to a 1 PPG average in his 8 games.  Has a 20+ year career of being an assistant in MLS and lower leagues, and a head coach of youth/reserve teams or college teams.  A very short playing career before he became a coach.

• Chris Armas

Armas is the new name here, but isn't a new name to American soccer fans.  Armas had a long MLS career with the Chicago Fire and the National Team.  He missed out on the 2002 World Cup after blowing out his knee in a match that spring, which opened the door for Pablo Mastroeni to take his place on that roster.  After retirement he was an assistant in Chicago and NY, with a stint as a college women's coach in-between.  In 2018 when Jesse Marsch left for Red Bull Salzburg Armas was promoted to head coach and led RBNY for 2.5 seasons before being fired near the end of 2020.  After that he was hired as Toronto's head coach that offseason, but was fired after 15 games.  Since then he's been an assistant at Manchester United and Leeds, again under Marsch, being promoted to co-interim manager when Marsch was let go.

Chris Armas is largely considered to have been one of the worst coaches in recent MLS history.  He took over a Supporters Shield leading RBNY side in 2018 and kept them in that position, but in their first playoff game that year immediately changed their tactics and lost 3-0 at home to Atlanta, leading to a 3-1 series loss in the first round.  Each year after that the team got worse, dropping to 6th (12th overall) in 2019 and 6th (13th overall) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and crashing out of the MLS Is Back tournament in the group stage.

His time in Toronto was worse.  Hired in the 2020-21 offseason he won 1 of his first 11 league games (along with 2 draws) an was fired after a 7-1 loss to DC on July 4th.  That's a 0.45 PPG rate in Toronto. 

The idea that Armas is a finalist for Colorado just reiterates that this organization is deeply unserious about being competitive.  The near universal response to this news across MLS social media tonight is sympathy for Rapids fans that might have to put up with their club hiring him.  He has shown no ability to manage a team in any sort of successful way, his greatest success came when the team was set up for him with investment and coaching by Jesse Marsch and Red Bull, two things he won't have in Commerce City.  The only box he checks is that he's cheap and desperate to get another chance.

In these four candidates you have a youth coach, an assistant coach who's made a career for working for one manager, an internal hire that has no top-level management experience, and a retread who's been fired by two other MLS clubs (who in recent times have appeared to be almost as poorly run as the Rapids).  None of these guys are likely to come in and turn this organization around.  At least with Wilshere it would be an indicator of trying to do something different, and Juarez has some experience in Europe and maybe some connections in Mexico (and has been the right-hand man for a solid manager).  there's a possibility that they could be a surpising young manager.  Little or Armas would be very poor choices that would set this team back even further from the hole they're already in.  No other team would even consider them for the role (though I understand why you would leave the current interim who's under contract for next season in the running until the end).