The third year of Andy Cumbo’s reign as head coach of the CSU East Bay men’s soccer team will come to a close Sunday October 30 when the Pioneers take on Cal State Los Angeles at the Pioneer Stadium.
It might also mean Cumbo’s grace period is over and now he must be judged on what the program has accomplished, which to this date is very little.
Many argue Cumbo is not getting the job done, and because of this he might be on the hot seat with the Athletic Department.
In his three years here, the team’s cumulative record is 6-47-3, which many might say is less than adequate.
While the program was in a major rebuilding state with the move to Division II beginning at the start of his tenure, his recruiting should have started to take effect producing more victories by now.
Instead it was another mixed year for the men’s soccer program.
If one were to take wins out of the equation and judge Cumbo based on other criteria, it’s hard to find that the team has improved at all since his first day on the job.
On offense the team is scoring at about the same rate as Cumbo’s first year with the program. In 2011 they scored .69 goals per game, that number was .60 in 2009.
The defensive side of the ball hasn’t been any more successful as the Pioneers allowed 2.64 goals per game in 2009 and are averaging 2.75 goals per game this season.
While in many cases those numbers would be enough to get a coach fired, many fans argue it would serve the Athletic Department well to give Cumbo one more season to see what he can do.
However, in order to retain his job past next season, Cumbo and the team might have to meet several benchmarks for success.
First they ought to fix the offense and bring scoring up to over a goal per game.
Secondly, Cumbo can work out his defense to give goalie Bryce Bookhammer more of a chance, which should bring the scoring down to an acceptable level.
The third and final benchmark is victories. While a .500 record is a stretch, getting six wins can be a measurable sign of progress for the team.
If Cumbo is not able to meet those benchmarks next season, then his time as East Bay’s coach may be over.
The lack of progress the program has made under his tenure is alarming to many fans, and allowing him to continue they say would be a disservice to the student athletes, who should be striving for a place atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association instead of at the bottom.