Fired after seven games? Is that a record?

A man who has just been fired

The Cedar Rapids Rampage of the Major Arena Soccer League fired first-year head coach Jonathan Greenfield on Thursday but didn’t tell anyone until after Saturday’s 14-11 win over the Kansas City Comets. General Manager Chris Kokalis has taken over as the interim.

That got me wondering if Greenfield’s seven-game stint was the shortest to start a season by a head coach in indoor soccer history.

Guess what? It’s not.

Here’s the list of indoor coaches who left their posts early in an indoor season.

Quick Hooks For Indoor Soccer Coaches Since 1978
GmsCoachTeamSeasonW-L
3Mike PilgerCleveland Force2002-031-2
3Peter SkourasBuffalo Blizzard1994-951-2
3Heinz Wirtz*Illinois Thunder1990-911-2
4Omid Namazi*Philadelphia KiXX2002-033-1
4Bret Hall*Chicago Power1994-951-3
5Jeff KraftWichita B52s2014-151-4
5Cliff BrownFort Wayne Flames1986-872-3
5Eddie FirmaniNew York Cosmos1984-852-3
5Adrian WebsterPhoenix Inferno1981-820-5
6Daryl DoranSt. Louis Ambush2015-160-6
6Ian FultonPortland Pride19971-5
6John Giles*Vancouver Whitecaps1983-843-3
6Gordon Fearnley*Cleveland Force1978-792-4
7Jonathan GreenfieldCedar Rapids Ramage2017-184-3
7Kevin HealeyBaltimore Blast2002-032-5
8Chris KeenanDetroit Neon19951-7
8Willy RoyChicago Sting1986-871-7
*Resigned

So Greenfield is not the first guy to get fired in under nine games, but he is the first guy to ever get fired in under nine games with a winning record at the time of his dismissal.

The Rampage has now played 48 games in their history (their 49th will be this afternoon in St. Louis against the winless Ambush) and their next head coach will be their fifth. Jeff Kraft departed after a 5-15 maiden season in 2015-16, Hewerton Moreira bailed and joined the aforementioned Ambush after a 12-8 resurgence last season, and now Greenfield is gone, to be replaced on a permanent(ish) basis before Cedar Rapids’ next home game on Dec. 22 (also against St. Louis).

Kenn Tomasch

Kenn Tomasch

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