The Rapids on Tuesday made another major front office move, when the club said it is severing ties with managing director Jeff Plush.
The move comes less than a month after Colorado fired coach Gary Smith — and just more than a year after the team won the 2010 MLS Cup.
The only remaining on-field executive to survive the Rapids recent shake-up, so far, is technical director Paul Bravo, the team’s second-in-command.
Smith butted heads publicly with management in October over an internal power dispute. A month later, the team declined to extend Smith’s contract. Now Plush joins him on the outside.
The Rapids said Plush will consult with the team to hire his replacement — and that he will stay involved in their search for a new coach.
The Rapids have said they hoped to hire a new coach before the Jan. 1. The club told The Denver Post that at least four candidates had been interviewed, as of last week.
But with Plush now out, the timetable may change.
“Jeff has played an important role in so much of the Rapids’ recent success on and off the field,” Jim Martin, Kroenke Sports president and CEO said in a release. “Jeff has poured his heart and soul into the Rapids. We are indebted to him for his hard work and unrelenting dedication to the Colorado Rapids and Major League Soccer.”
Plush was Rapids GM the past six years, after he moved from Kroenke’s main office, where he was previously a marketing executive for five years.
The team went 65-67-54 in his time, and they qualified for the MLS playoffs in 2006 (where they got to the Western Conference finals), 2010 (MLS Cup winners) and this season (a second-round exit).
The team is also in the middle of offseason player moves. The club on Sunday re-signed veteran midfielder Brian Mullan to a multi-year deal. They also said they were close to adding new contracts for midfielder Steven Emory and were in contact with defenders Miguel Comminges and Danny Earls.
The Rapids also must prepare for the Jan. 12 MLS SuperDraft.
