KC Current
What we learned about former KC Current head coach Matt Potter’s dismissal
KC Current general manager Camille Ashton met with the media this afternoon to discuss the recent dismissal of former head coach Matt Potter.
Kansas City Current general manager Camille Ashton met with the media this afternoon to discuss the recent dismissal on Wednesday of former head coach Matt Potter. In her opening statement, Ashton said that there are “certain things we cannot respectfully share,” but that the club wanted to be transparent about what they could share.
What we learned
- The club’s recent start of 0-3 was frustrating, and they felt it was an appropriate time to take action, believing every decision made is in the players’ best interest.
- There was a breakdown and disconnect in the leadership communication and ultimately trust with the staff.
- The Current’s decision had nothing to do with the Mykiaa Minniss accusations or any of the players.
- The club is not aware of any violations of the CBA in the Minniss incident (which had been speculated as part of the reason for Potter’s firing).
- The league and NWSL Players Association are fully aware of the reasons for Potter’s dismissal. There is nothing to investigate regarding this decision.
- “We act with immediacy in any circumstance with any situation that comes to light. We felt this was having a significant impact on our culture and our staff,” Ashton said on the timing of the decision.
- Ashton traveled to Houston this Wednesday to dismiss Potter.
- All players were informed on the decision and were given an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns.
- There is no set timeline for a permanent head coach hire, and the club believes in interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom.
Ashton was very careful to not give full details for the actual reason(s) for Potter’s firing. Perhaps she is legally bound by what to share at this point, but it left plenty of questions. What we know now is that this decision to fire Potter was results-based, combined with a breakdown in communication between Potter and management. Perhaps there were higher expectations this year that Potter had just not quite met after a 0-3 start.
Perhaps this story will keep developing or perhaps this is just how the Potter era ends in Kansas City.
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Oh you wanted and argument. This is abuse!
“Ashton traveled to Houston this Wednesday to dismiss Potter.“
Ok. So I’m guessing the communication issue wasn’t merely over Potter leaving the cover sheet off his TPS reports one too many times with Tuesday’s being the final straw.
And it is bullshit for her to say Wednesday was about the players and their match as the reasoning behind ownership/the club not better addressing this before today. Unless she means it was about making sure the players were forced out there as the first ones to answer questions about a major decision they apparently had no input or knowledge of until a few hours before kickoff? I stand corrected. How very player first.
“Results based” is a good excuse for a team that has started 0-3 with a -6 goal differential, but it continues to ring hollow. The team was 0-3 from Saturday on, so why wait until hours before kickoff in a completely different city to take action.
Kat, I agree with your concern about the players ending up being the first to field questions. I feel like Lo did well in her brief postgame TV interview, but she shouldn’t have to be the first Current employee to respond to questions.
I didn’t get to go to this presser, but it’s one I need to watch back. Cami and Matt were always both evasive in answering questions and this screams of more of that.
Plus, as Kat mentions, it lingered in the air for days without anything but a press release and a new coach and players have to answer the media. Sperry called them out on Twitter and then they didn’t even send out the PR invite until Friday morning for a Friday afternoon presser.
The optics are very bad.
With such a brash decision they clearly wanted to be damn sure the league and NWSLPA wouldn’t get involved before saying more themselves.
And while I also find the overall evasiveness troubling, I will say that just because the club is adamant no players were involved does not mean other parties who need/want privacy or protection were not. I’m trying to keep that in mind as this story unfolds (or dead ends?).
Dear Kansas City sports: would you PLEASE stop finding new ways to leave a sour taste in my mouth? Sincerely, a loyal regional fan.
Quick thoughts – Minniss was treated badly. No sugar coating that. Her mom posting about it does throw up a red flag for me, but the real red flag is that she quit soccer immediately. I am simultaneously upset that she was treated like an afterthought and okay with her being cut. If this was the adversity that broke her, she wasn’t going to make it as a pro.
I don’t think the organization handled Potter well and I don’t like anyone losing a job, but he was not good enough imo. I watch a few NWSL games a week and we are easily the worst passing team in the league. Potter’s go-to tactic is “hoof it long and hope,” which is okay for a struggling-to-compete team but definitely not one with Debinha.
While results under Potter did turn around, the play on the pitch never really did. Since he got canned, that’s changed. Just watch how many passes the team strings together! I don’t know why Potter’s firing was handled so badly but it needed to happen. He’s a mediocre (by win/loss rate) college coach, not the kind of driven, this-team-is-my-life coach I’m sure the organization wants.