Orlando City parted ways with longtime assistant coach Ian Fuller raising some issues with hardcore supporters and questions bout the team’s future.
Orlando City has transitioned fully from the upstate USL program into a full-fledged MLS team. That is a big jump from what is essentially the minor league to the premiere division.
The team already said the transition was challenging in ways they did not expect as they made the step up. And that may ultimately mean more tough decisions would have to be made.
There were numerous players and staffers who made the step up with the team to MLS. Some beloved players were left out — notably striker Jamie Watson and goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo.
Fans seemed to understand. There is a great increase in talent, not everyone on the beloved, dominant USL teams could make it.
Yet something this week struck a nerve after Orlando City announced it was parting ways with longtime coach Ian Fuller, a player and coach who came over with the team from Austin.
Fuller released this statement to Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel:
“I’m absolutely devastated to be leaving the club. I think from what Adrian and I have built with the team from day one, five years ago, and to compete very well as an expansion team, I was very pleased with it and I will take nothing but pride out of what we accomplished here.”
The release, as Tenorio notes, caught many by surprise. Fuller was a big part of the team.
It caught no one more by surprise than the supporters. They were a bit angrier than most with the way the departure occurred.
A group of them gathered outside of Orlando City’s downtown offices to protest:
— RUCKUS (@RuckusOrlando) December 18, 2015
— RUCKUS (@RuckusOrlando) December 18, 2015
— RUCKUS (@RuckusOrlando) December 18, 2015
Certainly, these are the kinds of passionate displays you would expect from an invested fan base. It is not typical of American sports teams to see fans rally behind assistant coaches.
Although there are some comparisons. Orlando City should have a chance to explains itself. Or maybe the team does not owe an explanation. It made a business decision and is ready to move on from there.
Orlando City’s first season where it did not experience success on the field — the team was a perennial contender at the USL level with that eye on MLS but fell short of the playoffs in the first MLS season — brought some questions about the organization.
They failed to “defy expectations” and make the playoffs. That was something of a failure. Certainly something the franchise has not experienced since coming into existence in Orlando.
The whole situation with Fuller seems to want to ask the question what fans can expect from the organization they cheer for as far as openness and transparency. Does the organization need to explain itself to its supporters?
Certainly if the team suddenly decided to trade a budding young star like Cyle Larin or an established star like Kaka, they should likely explain the reasoning behind that and a vision for the future.
The issue with Fuller is more one of loyalty. Maybe a stronger statement explaining that it was time to move in a different direction would placate those unsure of the team’s current direction. Maybe even that would not be enough.
What the move does show is the expectation and urgency with Orlando City is changing somewhat. The Lions are expecting more and are not happy with just sniffing the Playoffs in their expansion season.
And not even longtime staffers are safe if they cannot get the team moving in the right direction.
