FC Cincinnati is hiring another Dutchman to lead the Orange and Blue. Rumors had been flying the club was tapping Jaap Stam and Thursday it was made official.Jaap Stam, pronounced "Yahpp Stahm," replaces Ron Jans who resigned in February amid an investigation into use of inappropriate language and racial slurs.
Major League Soccer's 2020 season remains on hiatus because of the pandemic.
Coaching credits for the47-year-old defender from Kampen, Netherlands, include Reading in England, and PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord in his home country. He played for a handful of top-tier teams in Europe including PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, A.C. Milan and Ajax.
"We are very happy and pleased to have Jaap Stam become FC Cincinnati’s new head coach," says FC Cincinnati General Manager Gerard Nijkamp - who is also Dutch and has ties to PEC Zwolle - in a statement. "He has an extensive background in being part of some of the most successful clubs in the world as a player and has also proven that he can guide teams through transitionary periods as a head coach."
Stam says he's excited to coach in the U.S. "To get the opportunity to work for FC Cincinnati and this project by building the club – hopefully even further than where they already are, because I think they've already done a great job – but being a presence as a team, even more in MLS, getting results and working together with the fans and everybody already working within the club, for me it's a big challenge to do well."
His arrival in the states is pending as he awaits his P-1 Visa. He is FC Cincinnati's fourth head coach since the team joined Major League Soccer and fifth overall. His contract runs through the end of 2021 with a one-year club option for 2022.
With Stam comes assistant coach Said Bakkati, who has previously coached under Stam at other clubs.
