:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44302848/119457734.0.jpg)
Houston, you now officially have a new head coach. Tuesday morning Chris Canetti announced at a press conference that former Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic manager Owen Coyle would join the Houston Dynamo to become the 2nd head coach in the club's history.
Coyle was earnest over the press conference and repeatedly said that while he did not have all of the answers, he did want to learn which he went on to say meant that assistant coaches Steve Ralston, Wade Barrett, and Tim Hanley would all be staying with the club.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Coyle says the current staff of Ralston, Barrett and Hanley are staying. Good move at keeping exp guys around.</p>— Darrell Lovell (@DarrellLovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrellLovell/status/542352005763579905">December 9, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Chris Canetti and Matt Jordan offered more insight into the hiring process and both noted Coyle's respect for MLS citing Coyle's record of signing players such as Stuart Holden and Tim Ream as well as his respect for the Dynamo's history and traditions. Coyle expressed a desire to grow the club and have it prepared for the future, not just the present which was a trait coveted by Canetti and Jordan.
Overall, Owen Coyle seems ready to take the reins from Dominic Kinnear. He has an eye on the past with his keeping of Ralston, Barrett, and Hanley which will help him work with our current roster with ease, and an eye for the future of the club in its evolution into Dynamo 3.0. Initial impressions mean a lot and Coyle really knocked it out of the park in his first Dynamo media appearance. There's a lot of work to be done in the off-season, with Coyle noting the need to sign players up front and in the back (he's been paying attention!), but one thing is clear: it's an exciting time in Houston.
You can watch the entire press conference here:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LWS8ibecnsg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>