This year’s impressive run of coaching job security has come to an end as Montreal has fired manager Frank Klopas just four months after the team’s run to the CONCACAF Champions League final.
The move came hours after the Impact’s loss to Canadian rivals Toronto that continued a five-match winless streak which includes four losses and just two goals scored, leaving Montreal with just 28 points, one off the bottom of the Eastern Conference table.
Assistant coach Mauro Biello, who has spent the last six seasons on staff at Montreal, will take over on an interim basis.
There was much speculation surrounding Klopas’s position after finishing last season - his first in charge - with the league’s worst record. However, they qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League via the Canadian Championship, and their run to the finals bought the head coach more time. Unfortunately, that time has run out with the club sitting on just 11 points from its last 11 matches.
Despite Montreal’s recent woes, the logjam at the bottom of the Eastern Conference means, while they are just a point off the bottom of the table, they also still remain largely in playoff contention just a point below the qualification line.
Biello’s first match in charge will be next weekend’s matchup with the Chicago Fire, a crucial matchup against a team a point below the Impact.