Even in the best of times, like making the Major League Soccer playoffs in two consecutive seasons and making runs in the U.S Open Cup (2019) and MLS playoffs (2020), Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath has been the target of criticism from supporters who disagree with his lineup choices, in-game tactics and substitution patterns.
Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath: Social media 'biggest enemy' of coaches
The Minnesota United coach has had success with the Loons, but his tactics also draw a vocal opposition from supporters. Those voices grew louder when the team, with lofty expectations this season, lost its first four matches.
May 26, 2021 at 4:43PM
In the worst of times, like losing four consecutive matches to start this season, the noise grew even more substantial. The #heathout hashtag on Twitter went into overdrive and only dissipated somewhat when the Loons won their two most recent matches.
"The most important thing is it calms everything down and takes the desperation out of every press conference, the social media for the clubs," Heath said of the 1-0 victories over Vancouver and Dallas during an appearance on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast. "I get that it's part and parcel of the world we live in now. I think it's become probably the biggest enemy for any coach now is social media. Everybody is an expert. Everybody has an opportunity to express their opinion. ... I would never, ever tell a doctor or a dentist or a lawyer what their job is, and yet I seem to have everybody in the world (who can) do my job and can tell me what I'm doing wrong."
Heath was smiling as he said much of that. After all, he's more "Wonderwall" than about looking back in anger, if we can extend an Oasis metaphor beyond just the club's victory song.
He doesn't venture much into the social media fray, which is part self-preservation and part self-awareness.
"I at times am too excitable. What I would say in the spur of the moment," Heath said. "But I do know that when you are 0-4 it's not going to be nice things that I would have been reading."
Instead, he retained faith in the plan Minnesota United put into motion before the season: adding veterans to a group that came within minutes of playing for the MLS Cup last season before falling 3-2 to Seattle.
He was encouraged by some of the process of those first four matches, even if the results didn't go the Loons' way, and he knew that two long-awaited arrivals would soon be in the mix: French first-division forward Adrien Hunou and Argentine left-side attacker Franco Fragapane. Both of those players are training with the club ahead of this weekend's match against Real Salt Lake.
It's similar to his coaching peers in Minnesota who also came into the year with high expectations. Manager Rocco Baldelli is trying to pull the Twins out of an awful rut, and a 5-1 stretch has at least created a hint of optimism. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is staring at an 0-3 start after a trip to the league semifinals a year ago.
"The most important thing for me is trying to keep an even keel," Heath said. "Not going too crazy exciting-wise when we're winning and not being in the depths of despair when we're losing. Somewhere in the middle is where you are."
Even if social media typically is not.
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