Top Stories

FC Cincinnati names Ron Jans new head coach

The cat has been out of the bag for some time now, but FC Cincinnati made things official on Sunday afternoon. Dutchman Ron Jans will relieve interim head coach Yoann Damet of his duties over the course of the upcoming week.

Quite the week for Jans to get acclimated as Cincy heads up to MAPFRE Stadium to pay Columbus Crew a visit for the first-ever MLS edition of the Hell Is Real derby.

Jans and Cincy’s newly appointed GM Gerard Nijkamp shared years at PEC Zwolle of the Eredivisie, the Netherlands’ top flight.

“We are excited to get Ron involved with the team as soon as possible and leading us the rest of the season,” Nijkamp said. “He has a pedigree of success and guiding strong clubs, especially through difficult transitions to championships.”

Perhaps the biggest feather in Jans’ cap would be leading Zwolle past Dutch giants Ajax in 2014 in the KNVB Cup, which qualified the club for UEFA Europa League competition.

“This club has drawn a lot of attention in Europe and football fans are very interested in the progress of the club, which is why this opportunity is so exciting. My challenge is realizing our immense potential and I am really looking forward [to] being part of that development and making the fans even prouder to support FC Cincinnati,” Jans said.”

Jans will be the third intended head coach in club history. Since Alan Koch was fired in May, 29-year-old Frenchman Yoann Damet has been in charge while the club sought out a long-term hire. He owns a 3-10-0 line in league competition and marked his place in the history books as the youngest coach to earn an MLS victory.

Damet will remain with the club, having inked a contract through 2022.

“As a club, we also have to give a big recognition and thank you to Yoann for all the work he has done as our caretaker coach the last few months,” Nijkamp added.

“He did not come into an easy role and he had a lot of work to do to create a way of playing and cultivating positivity. We’ve been very happy with all of his efforts and the hard work he’s done in the interim to get us going in the right direction.

“Yoann has laid the foundation for our playing philosophy and getting our whole club going [on] the same path,” Nijkamp said.

“He has a very strong soccer mind and we look forward to him continuing his work for us and further developing his managerial methods under Ron’s guidance.”

All of FC Cincinnati’s technical staff will remain intact with the exception of assistant coach Pa-Modou Kah who will be succeeded by Ivar van Dinteren.

The club is set to formally announce Jans with a press conference on Monday.

Comments

Leave a Comment