(Sports Network) - FC Dallas fired coach Steve Morrow on Tuesday, two days after the Major League Soccer club was humiliated in a 5-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy. The loss extended Dallas' winless streak to four games and dropped the team's record to 2-3-3 this season. Dallas is fourth in Major League Soccer's Western Conference.

Marco Ferruzzi, in his fourth season as an assistant coach, will lead the team on an interim basis.

"I feel that the team was not heading in the direction we had planned and believe it is in the best interest of the club to make a coaching change at this time," Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock said.

Morrow was named the club's fourth coach in December 2006. In his first season as head coach, Dallas posted a 13-12-5 record and finished in third place in the Western Conference.

The team advanced to the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship game for the third time in team history, falling 3-2 to the New England Revolution at Pizza Hut Park.

FC Dallas advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a league-record tying 10th time in history, though it was eliminated in the conference semifinals by eventual MLS Cup Champions Houston Dynamo.

Dallas was unbeaten in its first four games this year, including a pair of 2-0 wins over Red Bull New York and Chivas USA and a 3-3 tie with Houston. But the club has lost three of its last four and had just two goals during its current four-game skid.

Dallas is still just three points out of first in the Western Conference.

"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.

A Northern Ireland native, Morrow played the final two years of his pro career with Dallas. In 2002 and 2003, he had three goals in 41 regular season matches and also scored once in three playoff games, playing primarily as a defender.

He was hired as one of the team's assistant coaches in 2004, and was the first assistant coach during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Ferruzzi will make his debut against Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Pizza Hut Park.



Copyright 2008 The Sports Network
All rights reserved