As is the case with any managerial change, regardless of circumstance, there is a certain pause that supporters take in assessing just how a change at the top will affect a club's fortunes going forward. Fans of struggling teams hope that a changing of the guard brings a reversal of fortunes, fans of contenders pray that the upward trajectory continues, while all fear that it will all go wrong and that their clubs will have to start again from square one in order to get it right.
While two games may serve as a rather small sample size by which we can assess the success of the decision to bring Jason Smith back to the helm of Atlanta Silverbacks, the initial returns are promising indeed and certainly give Silverbacks fans that glimmer of hope that begins to suggest the possibility of sincere competition for fourth place in the overall table and a potential spot in The Championship, the NASL's four team postseason.
With a large part of Atlanta's 2013 trophy-winning roster being turned over in the offseason, this year's spring season was always going to be a bit of an exercise in figuring out exactly what the proper formula for the duration of 2014 would be. ten points from those opening nine games bears this point out poignantly.
Bringing Jason Smith back to the club he managed from 2005-2008 to take over the day-to-day reigns from Technical Director Eric Wynalda was a move that, from the outside looking in, might not have come at the most optimal time of the season. Yet, in talking to Jason Smith before Atlanta's recent home game with Minnesota, one couldn't help but to feel like he was indeed the right man for the job at this critical juncture.
It was in that pregame conversation I had with Jason Smith that he highlighted his desire to shore things up defensive, spoke of his evolution as a manger of personnel since he was last with the club in 2008, and seemed to be quite pleased with the attacking talent at his disposal in this second spell at Silverbacks Park. The positivity and optimism were palpable and infectious.
To say that Smith was thrown into the deep end upon his return to the touchline is an understatement, but we now have proof that his aforementioned positivity was hardly misguided. A hard-fought and dramatic draw with high-flyers Minnesota was promising on its own merit, and in defeating Indy Eleven on the road (and in front of their usual vociferous crowd) in an attacking masterclass, the prospects for the remainder of the season were suddenly basking in a much brighter light.
Defensive improvements in these two games under Smith have been measurable. Giving up only one goal to Minnesota was an admirable accomplishment, and the Silverbacks did not concede from open play against Indy, as both conceded goals came via penalties (one of which was dubious at best). The improved stability at the back, which has also been spurred on by the return of Joe Nasco in goal, in tandem with four goals versus Indy coming from the quartet of Junior Burgos, Pablo Cruz, Jaime Chavez and Junior Sandoval, shows that Smith is getting the balance of making the Silverbacks tougher to break down, along with allowing his admirable collection of creative influences to perform as they will and can, quite right.
As things stand at the moment, the Silverbacks are three points off of Carolina in fourth, but they do have a game in hand on the RailHawks. Every indication is there that the Silverbacks, having evolved to be a tricky opponent for NASL and MLS teams alike, will still have a lot to say about just who will still be left standing come November.
Should the Silverbacks be amongst those four teams to make it into The Championship, Jason Smith will surely deserve every accolade to come his way. Either way, this team promises to be quite fun to watch until then.
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