Jay Heaps has been fired as the manager of the New England Revolution, the MLS club confirmed on Tuesday.
Heaps was let go with five games remaining in the regular season after spending six seasons in charge of the Revs, compiling a regular season record of 75-81-43.
Assistant coach Tom Soehn, who has prior managerial experience with D.C. United and the Vancouver Whitecaps, will take over the club on an interim basis.
"Jay has done a great deal for the club over the years and had considerable achievements. I have great respect for him and wish him well in the next steps of his career," Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a statement.
"This decision has not been taken lightly, however, we need to do better than the results have shown from the last couple of seasons and this season left us convinced we need to go in a different direction."
The Revs have been outside the playoff places for most of the year, but looked like they might enjoy a late-season revival after beginning the month of September with victories over Orlando City and the Montreal Impact. But consecutive defeats, including a humiliating 7-0 hammering at the hands of expansion side Atlanta United, hastened Heaps' dismissal.
1st official tweet but not my last. After parting ways with the Revs, I had a few thoughts to share and people to thank. I love u DJJLiv. pic.twitter.com/f6CPJAJyUz
— Jay Heaps (@JayHeaps722) September 19, 2017
New England currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the New York Red Bulls for the sixth and final playoff spot.
Heaps was hired after the 2011 season without any prior managerial experience, taking over for Steve Nicol. Aided by the midseason acquisition of Jermaine Jones, Heaps guided the Revs to the 2014 MLS Cup final, losing out to the LA Galaxy, 2-1 in extra time.
New England's form has steadily eroded since then. New England missed the playoffs in 2016 when it was edged out for the final spot by the Philadelphia Union.
After starting his professional career with the now-defunct Miami Fusion in 1999, Heaps spent 11 seasons as a player in MLS, nine with the Revs.
All told he made 344 league and playoff appearances, scoring 18 goals and 34 assists.