SAN JOSE, Calif. — A day after summoning head coach Dominic Kinnear and assistant coach John Spencer into his office and terminating them of their coaching duties, San Jose Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli held court with the media to discuss the decision.
With the Quakes coming off a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday and moving into fifth place in the Western Conference — above the red postseason qualification line — the timing seemed curious, but Fioranelli said that he made the decision in the last two months that Kinnear would not have his contract renewed at the end of the season, and last week decided to fire him a the midway point of the season rather than wait for him to finish the campaign.