San Jose’s Frank Yallop captures MLS Coach of the Year

A compelling case could be made for Ben Olsen as coach of the year. I certainly tried during our ProSoccerTalk awards conversations.

But my PST colleague Richard Farley beat me into submission, making a case for San Jose Earthquakes boss Frank Yallop as convincing as any of those Law & Order types on TV ever could.

I guess he was right … at least in most voters’ minds.

Yallop did, indeed, win MLS Coach of the Year today as MLS post-season awards continue to roll out.

Farley pointed out, among other things, that Yallop’s setup helped squeeze career years out of several players. He also told us …

At the beginning of the season, few were picking San Jose to make the playoffs. The West was tough, and their talent just didn’t look up to snuff. Early on, though, it was apparent that he had fused the parts together to create a greater sum. In a year in which they were supposed to be gone by November, San Jose cruised to the Supporters’ Shield.”

“You could say all the stars aligned for him, but that’s a lot of stars and a very straight line. It’s far more plausible that Yallop’s done an incredible job.”