Padraig Smith talks about firing of Mastroeni, next steps in radio interview

In the first comments following the sacking of Rapids manager Pablo Mastroeni, Interim General Manager Padraig Smith paid tribute to Mastroeni for his contribution to the club, laid out a few details on the rationale behind the firing, and turned the conversation forward to what comes next.

After thanking Pablo for his work on the field and from the sidelines, Smith acknowledged his status as a ‘club legend’, before turning to the firing itself.

Smith said: “We know this team had put a lot of priority on defense and grinding out results, and that’s not good enough.”

After noting the poor record this season was a major step backward from the team’s successes in 2016, Smith looked ahead to the upcoming search for a new head coach.

“We owe it to the players to conduct the most thorough search possible. We also want to give (interim coach) Steve Cooke a chance to show what he can do.”

Smith explained that the club’s next coach was going to have to align his tactical philosophy with the philosophy of the club: a philosophy that Smith himself is certainly a big part of crafting and promoting.

“We want a coach that is good at developing talented young players... and wants to play attractive attacking football.”

Before signing off, Smith reminded listeners that the Rapids are totally focused on getting a result this Saturday against DC United under Steve Cooke, and that the club is not waving a white flag on this season. “We’re only 10 points below the playoff red line.”

While the team may be talking about their focus about the here and now, clearly a lot of big moves have been made that will take months to begin to crystalize. We’ll keep updating all of the latest developments out of Commerce City.