Who's next for FC Cincinnati? Analysis of the search for the next head coach

BRADENTON, Florida – Does FC Cincinnati need a person of color for its next head coach?

It was essentially that question that was put to me by former U.S. Men’s National Team star Charlie Davies during a Tuesday segment on SiriusXMFC.

The question made me pause because, in normal times, I’d say FC Cincinnati simply needs to select the best available coach within its budget.

But these aren’t normal times, not after Ron Jans resigned Tuesday in the wake of an investigation into his use of racial slurs. It’s put Cincinnati in the middle of the international conversation about the ugly results when soccer and bigoted or insensitive demonstrations collide.

I thought hard about Davies’ question at the moment. Being a person of color himself, I asked Davies if hiring a person of color would be significant to him. That part of our conversation didn’t really reach a clear conclusion.

[Doc: FC Cincinnati has a lot of work to do]

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I still don’t know the answer. What I do know is that FC Cincinnati, now on its second stint with interim head coach Yoann Damet, needs to nail the next head coaching hire.

This could be a hard hole to plug because the players for the 2020 team have already been selected and the desired style of play has been set forth. The next head coach needs to be willing to inherit all of that, check all the boxes in terms of awareness of American culture and take on a locker room that might be discontent with the current situation.

Those are very specific needs. Gerard Nijkamp, FC Cincinnati’s general manager, has shown a deft touch in terms of recruiting to the club. He’ll need his best work yet to fill the club permanent head coaching vacancy.

Here are three people to consider:

Chris Hughton – Who knows if the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager would even take a sniff at Major League Soccer, but he’s more than worth a call. The former Ireland international is worthy of probably any club in the world, having led multiple clubs out of the Championship, the second division of English soccer and arguably the most competitive league in the world. He also claimed the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award in February 2018.

John Hackworth – The current Louisville City FC and former Philadelphia Union manager (and U.S. Under-17 coach) could be an interesting option. In addition to making his own stamp on Louisville, a powerhouse in the USL Championship, Hackworth also knows how to manage a club in transition as he took over the Union after Peter Nowak’s reign as head coach in Philadelphia ended with some controversy.

James O’Connor – This is another native of Ireland and a disciple of Louisville City now serving the club as Executive Vice President of Development. A couple years ago, this might not have seemed palatable, and it still might not be. Heck, it wouldn’t have been considered plausible a couple months ago after he poked at FC Cincinnati in the media after a loss to Orlando City SC in May. But the this guy is a good coach. He almost always bested FC Cincinnati on the field in the USL, winning the trophies Cincinnati craved so badly.

Other considerations – Jans wasn't exactly a known commodity in Cincinnati (or anywhere in America for that matter) when Nijkamp selected him to manage FCC. That hire was ultimately a bust, but it demonstrated Nijkamp was willing to tap into his seemingly-vast network of Dutch connections. Doing so again shouldn't be ruled out, although such a move would definitely be viewed with skepticism after what's transpired with Jans.