DC United appointed a Hernán Losada as its new technical director on Monday.
Losada, a 38-year-old Argentine, becomes the youngest head coach in MLS. He recently coached in the Beerschot First Division of Belgium.
He will join the club after his visa is approved and his coaching staff will be announced later. replaces a Ben Olsen, Who resigned on October 8 and was elected after a search that included more than 25 candidates.
“Our process to identify the right person to lead our club has been extremely thorough and we are confident that Hernán is the ideal person and coach to take us forward,” the general manager and vice president of DC United football operations, Dave Kasper. “We believe wholeheartedly in Hernán’s approach to the game and in his desire to play high-impact football with and without the ball. We look forward to working with Hernán to start the 2021 season.”
Losada was appointed Beerschot coach in October 2019 and helped the team move to the top category in Belgium. Midfielder, played 15 years, including 178 appearances in three stays with Beerschot before retiring in 2018.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join DC United and write a new successful chapter with this historic club,” Losada said. “I believe in playing every game to win and, in my opinion, the best way to do that is to create as many goal opportunities as possible every time we step on the field, through a vertical attacking football and d ‘high impact, entertain our fans and compete’.
Losada is the eighth head coach in United history and the first foreigner unrelated to the United States or MLS.
DC United had a 5-12-6 record in the 2020 season and missed the playoffs.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has not released a calendar for 2021, but the season is tentatively scheduled to begin in early March.