Columbus Crew have parted ways with head coach Robert Warzycha it has been confirmed.
New club owner Anthony Precourt of Precourt Sports Ventures, along with general manager Mark McCullers, made the decision to sack Warzycha after the Crew lost nine of their past 13 outings.
"We have an obligation to our fans, to the community and to the rest of our organization," McCullers said.
"After careful consideration and consultation with our owner, we determined that we would not be renewing Robert's contract at the end of 2013.
"Upon coming to that conclusion, we felt that it was best to go ahead and make a coaching change now, both for the sake of the organization and in the best interests of Robert."
Warzycha had been with the Crew since the inaugural season in 1996 in playing and coaching roles. The 50-year old leaves the Crew Stadium with the most regular season wins by a Crew head coach (70, tied with Tom Fitzgerald) in addition to having led the Black-and-Gold to the 2009 Supporters' Shield, back-to-back CONCACAF Champions League semifinal appearances and a 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.
