Denis Hamlett was fired as coach of the Chicago Fire on Tuesday after having guided the club to the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference finals in each of his two seasons guiding the club.
The former US pro player from Costa Rica's contract will expire at the end of the year and the club said he plans to seek other coaching opportunities.
Frank Klopas, the Fire technical director, said the club management "has decided to take the team in a new direction in 2010."
Hamlett joined the Fire in 1998 as an assistant and was promoted to the top job a decade later, going 24-17 with 19 drawn in two seasons and putting his team one step from the playoff finals twice.
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
