Glenn Myernick, the former Colorado Rapids coach and US national team assistant coach, husband and father of two - "Mooch" as his friends and family called him - passed away today after suffering a massive heart attack on Friday. Mooch may not have received as much press as some other high-profile coaches in MLS at the time - Arena, Quieroz, Parreira, Newman - but he always managed solid teams that made it to the playoffs and sometimes overachieved. I'm sure Rapids fans will have fond memories of the '97 team that made it all the way to the MLS Cup and gave DC United a tough fight. Mooch's skills were noticed by the USSF, and he became one of Bruce Arena's most valuable assistant coaches with the senior team and he coached the U-23 team for the 2004 Olympics. From the testimonials from his peers, former players, and reporters, Mooch was sharp, direct, and a straight-shooter. And from this retrospective by Grant Wahl, scrupulously fair. I didn't remember that the USA could have purposely lost to Honduras in order to avoid an elimination game against the home team Mexico for the Olympics.
You were a good man, Mooch. RIP.
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