COLORADO SEARCH: Who gets the Rapids coaching job may come down to money. According to sources, the team isn't offering a lot of it.
The low end of the head coaching pay scale in MLS is in the range of $100,000 -- although the highest-paid coaches make more than twice than that -- and the Rapids were reportedly offering in the high five figures as an initial salary.
Depending on whom you talk to, nearly every candidate named publicly could be construed as the favorite. Fernando Clavijo is a longtime buddy of former U.S. international Marcelo Balboa, who is heading the search; former MetroStars fitness coach Juan Carlos Osorio and U.S. national team assistant Curt Onalfo both did well in their interviews; D.C. assistant Tom Soehn has long been regarded as being ready to step into the top job, Brian Bliss publicly expressed his enthusiasm for the position, etc.
Fire assistant coach Denis Hamlett said Monday he hasn't heard back since interviewing for the job more than a week ago. Clavijo said he talked to Rapids Governor Charley Wright yesterday and has no further information on his status, but expects the process to be done before Christmas.
"I think they talked to everybody," said Clavijo, "and I got the feeling maybe they have reduced their list from six to three, but they did not tell me that."
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