Less than 24 hours after a well-sourced report surfaced, the Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes made Dominic Kinnear's move official. Both teams hastily threw together press conferences on Wednesday morning, which themselves were preceded by releases from both teams.
Dominic Kinnear will join Earthquakes after this season
Earthquakes fire current head coach Mark Watson.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Making way for Kinnear’s hiring, the Earthquakes also announced that Mark Watson had been relieved of his duties. Watson’s tenure ends with the Earthquakes riding a 13-game winless run that ensured they would miss the playoffs for a second straight season. Watson had taken over early in 2013 after Frank Yallop and the Earthquakes mutually agreed to go their separate ways.
Kinnear won't actually assume his new role with the Earthquakes until the end of the season and will guide the Dynamo through their final two matches, against the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire. Current assistant coach Ian Russell will take over the Earthquakes' head coaching duties for their final two games, against the Vancouver Whitecaps and Chivas USA.
Kinnear has long been linked with a potential move to the Earthquakes, where he was an assistant coach from 2001-03 and the head coach from 2004-05. Kinnear grew up in nearby Fremont, Calif., and his family still mostly lives in the Bay Area.
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