The Houston Dynamo have named Wade Barrett interim head coach for the remainder of the 2016 season.
Barrett, who has been with the Dynamo as a player or coach since the club moved to Houston ahead of the 2006 season, led the team in their two matches since former head coach Owen Coyle left Houston to be closer to family in England on May 25.
The Dynamo picked up results in both matches under Barrett, drawing at Vancouver on May 28 and at Dallas on June 2. The Dynamo were 0-6-0 on the road before the two draws.
“Wade has given a lot to this club through the years, first as a player and now as a coach, and we believe he is the right person to lead the team at this time,” said Dynamo general manager and vice president Matt Jordan, in a statement released by the club. “Our goals set forth in preseason remain the same, as we prepare to start the US Open Cup next Wednesday and resume league play. As an organization we are focused on moving forward to achieve our goals and have a successful season.”
Barrett, 39, assisted on the first goal in Dynamo history and captained Houston to their MLS Cup titles (2006, '07). He retired as a player prior to the start of the 2010 season and immediately joined the club’s coaching staff. He remained in Houston after the departure of former head coach Dominic Kinnear to San Jose following the 2014 season, assisting Coyle before taking over for the former Houston head man last month.
Assistant coaches Paul Rogers and Paul Caffrey will continue to assist Barrett after the trio worked together in the two matches following Coyle's departure.
“I want to thank Gabriel Brener and the ownership group, [Dynamo president] Chris Canetti and Matt Jordan for the chance to lead this club forward,” Barrett said. “Houston is my home and this club, in its entirety, is in my blood. We have a tremendous opportunity to create a standard of performance that will make the city and our fans proud.”
“We do face challenges over the next few months but also great opportunity,” Barrett continued. “This club was built on the foundations of hard work, discipline and selfless work towards a common goal. We will use that as our platform to improve in all areas both on and off the field. The Dynamo have a championship pedigree, but we can't look back. Day by day, week by week, we will look to drive this team forward to become the best version of ourselves we can be.”
Despite their results in Barrett's first two matches, Houston remain last in the Western Conference standings, with 13 points through 14 games. They'll return to action on June 15, when they host USL club San Antonio FC in the US Open Cup. Houston will return to MLS play on June 18 at home against D.C. United.
