Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

January 5, 2012 Email Steve Bottjer



In a move that has not been officially announced as of yet, RedNation Online has learned that Dutch soccer coach Thomas Rongen is expected to be named as Toronto FC’s next Academy Director, succeeding Stuart Neely at a position that will be key towards the club realizing its youth player development goals in the coming years. Born in Amsterdam, Rongen will likely provide a strong philosophical fit for a Toronto organization which is lead by Aron Winter in the dual role of Senior Team Head Coach and Technical Director. With Stuart Neely resigning this past December, there has been much speculation that Winter would look to bring in a European to fill the position. It appears that the club has not only gone the European route, but will also go back to the Ajax well that produced both Assistant Coach Bob de Klerk and Winter himself. Rongen began his playing career with Ajax Amsterdam, with whom he played as a defensive midfielder and defender for the club’s youth and reserve teams from 1975 to 1979. Also promising is the fact that the 55 year old coach brings a similar blend of European and North American experience to that of Toronto FC’s Director of Player Development, Paul Mariner. In addition to his time at Ajax, Rongen spent the majority of his playing career in the United States and he is well versed and connected in the North American soccer community. As a coach, the Amsterdam native brings an inspiring and comprehensive blend of coaching experience as someone who has coached in the United States at the high school, university, International and professional levels. Following several years coaching at various levels in the United States, Rongen took over as the Head Coach of Nova Southeastern University in 1991, where he coached the team for five years and compiled a record of 50-35-8. Rongen was also one of the inaugural coaches in Major League soccer, where he coached the Tampa Bay Mutiny in their first campaign in 1996, won the MLS regular season and was named MLS Coach of the Year. He has also had Head Coaching stints with New England, Chivas USA and D.C. United, where he succeeded Bruce Arena and led the team to an MLS Cup in 1999. The Dutchman has also completed two stints as Head Coach of the United States U-20 Men’s National Soccer Team, where he lead the team to FIFA U-20 World Cups in 2007 and 2009. Most recently, Rongen was Head Coach of the American Samoa National Team, which he lead to their first ever victory against Tonga in a World Cup Qualification match last November. If, as sources have indicated, Toronto go forward with Rongen as their next Academy Director, it will mark another significant progression for the club. With the experience that he brings and his background in both Dutch and North American soccer, the Dutchman is exactly the type of top class soccer mind that the club needs at the helm of its youth development initiatives. It would also be a further illustration of Aron Winter taking absolute control of all hiring decisions pertaining to the technical level. While Toronto FC’s Head Coach and Technical Director has been somewhat hamstrung by a lack of salary cap space to make further player acquisitions for the senior team during the current offseason, the fact that the team appears to be sparing no expense in bringing in a very high quality expert to run the Academy program is encouraging. Toronto FC announcing Thomas Rongen: