STANFORD — In his first appearance speaking with the media since being named the San Jose Earthquakes’ interim coach, Ian Russell made it clear that he is not shying away from the challenge of turning the franchise’s season around.
“I like having pressure on me,” Russell said. “I thrive off that. I believe in myself. I’m just gonna take these games and I’m going to coach the team to the best I can with our staff and try to get results.”
The 48-year-old is not just coaching to lift the morale of the last-place Quakes, but he will also be evaluated to possibly be San Jose’s permanent coach once this season is over.
The Quakes fired head coach Luchi Gonzalez on Monday midway into his second season after the team suffered its 14th loss of the season over the weekend in a 6-2 beatdown at the hands of LAFC.
Russell was elevated to lead San Jose and will be looking to start his second stint as interim coach of the Quakes with a win on Saturday in the California Clásico against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium.
“I think every interim job is an audition of sorts,” Quakes general manager Chris Leitch said on Monday. “I think Ian is going to take the opportunity and run with it. And he has to. The team is looking for a change of pace and a change of voice.”
San Jose Earthquakes interim head coach Ian Russell walks off the field after a practice at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
The Quakes are currently the worst team in MLS with a 3-14-2 record. They are winless in their last eight matches and have conceded 27 goals in that span.
While the midseason coaching shakeup was understood by the players, Gonzalez was a well-liked figure in the locker room and it was hard for them to see him be let go.
Under Gonzalez, the Quakes made the playoffs last season and he played a big part in bringing Argentinian midfielder Hernán López to the team in April.
“It’s a results-based decision and hopefully it turns out that the results do turn around from here on out,” said López through a translator. “It’s tough on a personal level but at the same time you understand.”
Russell spent the bulk of his playing career as a member of the Earthquakes in the mid-2000s. He was an assistant coach from 2008 to 2016 and was the head coach of the now defunct Reno 1868 of the United Soccer League Championship.
Russell is familiar with being the interim coach as he held the title 10 years ago.
In 2014, he was elevated into the interim role for the final two matches of the season after the Quakes fired then head coach Mark Watson. San Jose already had its eyes on a new coach as it hired Dominic Kinnear shortly after that season ended.
But unlike 10 years ago, there is no succession plan in place as of now. Russell will have a …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
