Wade Barrett officially the interim, “Houston is my home and this club is in my blood”

Wade Barrett prior to Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City. Photo credit: Victor Araiza/Prost Amerika.

The Houston Dynamo have promoted assistant coach Wade Barrett to the interim head coach position for the remainder of the 2016 season, the club announced Tuesday.

Following Owen Coyle’s departure from the club on May 25, the head coaching responsibilities were shared by Barrett with fellow assistant coaches Paul Caffrey and Paul Rogers. Coyle was confirmed just over a week later, on June 2nd, as the head coach of Football League Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

Barrett shared the following comments on his appointment as interim through the team’s news release:

“I want to thank Gabriel Brener and the ownership group, [President] Chris Canetti and [General Manager/Vice President] Matt Jordan for the chance to lead this club forward. Houston is my home and this club, in its entirety, is in my blood. We have a tremendous opportunity to create a standard of performance that will make the city and our fans proud.”

“We do face challenges over the next few months but also great opportunity. This club was built on the foundations of hard work, discipline and selfless work towards a common goal. We will use that as our platform to improve in all areas both on and off the field. The Dynamo have a championship pedigree, but we can’t look back. Day by day, week by week, we will look to drive this team forward to become the best version of ourselves we can be.”

Barrett is scheduled to speak to the Houston media following the Dynamo’s practice on Wednesday.

Drafted 12th overall in the 1998 MLS College Draft by the San Jose Clash (known today as the Earthquakes), Barrett won the 2001 MLS Cup and in 2002 was named to the MLS All-Star team and the MLS Best XI. After the conclusion of the 2002 MLS season, Wade plied his trade with European clubs Aarhus Gymnastikforening and Fredrikstad FK.

He returned to the Earthquakes for the start of the 2005 season and helped the club to the MLS Supporters Shield, the award given to the team with the best regular season record. At the end of the 2005 season, the Earthquakes team was relocated to form a new franchise in Houston.

Barrett lifted the MLS Cup with Houston in 2006 and 2007 and wore the captain’s armband for 138 of his 140 appearances with the Dynamo. Upon retirement in 2010, Barrett transitioned to assistant coach under Dominic Kinnear and kept that role under Owen Coyle.

Houston Dynamo General Manager/VP Matt Jordan commented the following via the team’s news release:

“Wade has given a lot to this club through the years, first as a player and now as a coach, and we believe he is the right person to lead the team at this time. Our goals set forth in preseason remain the same, as we prepare to start the U.S. Open Cup next Wednesday and resume league play. As an organization we are focused on moving forward to achieve our goals and have a successful season.”

The Dynamo are currently in a two-week break from MLS play, in observance of  Copa America Centenario.

The Dynamo will host USL-side San Antonio FC in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15 at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo returns to MLS play against D.C. United on Saturday, June 18.

Victor Araiza is a beat writer covering the Houston Dynamo for Prost Amerika.
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