Cassar, Lagerwey hoping to wrap up assistant search in January

With Andy Williams the only new assistant coach at the club, we still need to sign two, as both Miles Joseph (NYCFC, reportedly) and C.J. Brown (Chicago Fire, definitely) are gone. Jeff Cassar has indicated this is in progress, but the earliest we really can expect anything is 2014, what with the holiday season.

Cassar heaped praise on Andy Williams in a one-on-one with Bill Riley on ABC 4 (below), while Lagerwey discussed the fact that we are very close on "two of the four" who will make up Cassar's staff, and he hopes to have agreements in place "early in the new year."

With that in mind, we have the MLS Combine and the SuperDraft shortly after the new year -- Jan. 16 -- and it will be vital to have our coaching staff in place at that point.

- What we should look for

With Andy Williams confirmed in, we have on staff a technical attacking player and a fine midfielder. Cassar praised the work he could do with younger players, citing him as approachable -- this is of real benefit to our future.

One piece we certainly need is a defensive coach. Brown's absence necessitates this, and we'll be hoping for a recurrence of a coach like Robin Fraser (not specifically him, of course, but we need a return to that solidity). We need somebody, too, who offers some guidance on set pieces, as if there was one recurrent problem with our side over the last two years, it's our lack of efficiency defensively and offensively on set pieces.

We'll also be in need of a goalkeeping coach, with Cassar having previously held that role.