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FC Dallas fires Morrow after embarrassing loss

  -- The Associated Press

FRISCO, Texas (AP) FC Dallas fired coach Steve Morrow on Tuesday, two days after an embarrassing 5-1 loss to David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a rare home sellout.

Assistant Marco Ferruzzi was named interim head coach, and general manager Michael Hitchcock said the search for a new coach would begin immediately.

In Sunday's loss to the Galaxy, FC Dallas allowed four goals in 14 minutes and lost for the third time in four games. FC Dallas hasn't won since April 20, when it beat Chivas USA 2-0.

"Obviously losing 5-1 to Los Angeles at home in front of our biggest crowd ever was a factor," Hitchcock said. "This is obviously a difficult decision for me since it was my choice to give Steve this opportunity."

FC Dallas is fourth in the Western Conference at 2-3-3 (nine points). Morrow was named head coach after the 2006 season and went 13-12-5 last year.

Morrow led the club to the playoffs for an MLS record-tying 10th time, but the postseason outcome was frustratingly familiar - a third consecutive first-round ouster.

"Due to a recent run of poor results, I fully accept responsibility, and, if the team needs to go in a different direction then I wish the players nothing but great success for the remainder of the season and beyond," Morrow said in a statement.

A Northern Ireland native, Morrow played the final two years of his professional career with FC Dallas, scoring three goals in 41 games in 2002-03. He was hired as an assistant in 2004 and promoted to head coach two years later.

"I believe Steve is a good coach and will be a great coach somewhere, probably the next opportunity that he has," Hitchcock said. "At this time, when you look at the direction we're going in, I think we need to bring in a different type of leader to reach our potential."