And with the announcement that Tom Soehn will not return as coach of DC United the 'Everyone is tied to TFC' era kicks off in earnest.

In reality, Soehn is a candidate by default; as he possesses the MLS experience that Director of Soccer Mo Johnston outlined as the main criteria in finding a replacement for the departed Chris Cummins. Sure, Soehn does possess the experience sought by MoJo, but his record in charge is spotty.

In three years as DCU coach (and four as an assistant) Soehn posted a record of 55-48 with 31 draws in all competitions. But the telltale sign of why it is unlikely he will resurface north of the border is outlined in black and white on Wikipedia:

Soehn took the DC job in 2007, on the heels of four-straight playoff appearances (and a MLS Cup in 2004). The Chicago-native won the Supporters' Shield as top team that season before failing to make the playoffs over the next two years. Hence, he inherited a good team and seemingly coached it into a bad one.

I spoke with Soehn this summer in the wake of a 2-0 loss the Reds, and he was fiery. Visiting coaches are generally the same in how they deal with the media, but Soehn had his own protocol.

"We think because we have talent that it will be enough, and it is not enough," Soehn said. "You are not going to win games home or away if you have five or six guys not playing up to their capabilities."

As difficult as it is to ask a clearly irritated coach how he feels about the effort of his team, it was obvious that Soehn lost sleep over figuring it out. It was the lost sleep that was picked up on and appreciated by his players after the announcement was made that he would not return for a fourth year on the touchline.

From Soccer Insider Steven Goff's blog:

D.C. United midfielder-forward Santino Quaranta, on the departure of Coach Tom Soehn:

"I will always have a special place for Tommy because he helped me so much when I came back to the team. I've got a lot of respect for him. ... Late in the season, you could tell what this year was doing to him. He had been through so such and he was tired.

Defender Bryan Namoff:

"I was under the impression that he was coming back. I'm a little surprised. ... It's a difficult transition for the players when you bring in a new coach. You have to re-prove yourself. You're on trial in a way and you don't know whether you fit into the new coach's plans. I hope they don't try to break up this team."

I thought long and hard to remember if any of the current Toronto FC players said anything of the sorts on the day when Cummins stepped aside. Even a Google search - a Boolean Google search - revealed very little; just a bunch of stuff on bad apples.

Regardless, with every name released the speculation over who will become the fourth coach in four seasons here in Toronto will grow, and grow exponentially when any of the names mentioned in a recent Soccercentral poll hit the headlines: Soehn, Frank Yallop, Steve Nicol, and Preki.

In the poll Soehn sits last with a paltry five per cent support. Under contract 'Quakes coach Yallop leads.

Talk to you when the next one on the list falls.