It may be the day of the NWSL Championship Final, but the offseason head coaching merry-go-round is in full swing.
Multiple sources have informed The Striker that Juan Carlos Amorós is set to be announced as the new head coach of NJ/NY Gotham FC next week.
Amorós had been the interim head coach of the Houston Dash until Friday when sources close to the club made it known to The Striker that Amorós was to depart the Texas NWSL club. It is understood that the Dash had desired to keep Amorós but he came to the decision to accept an offer elsewhere.
On Friday afternoon, the Dash made the announcement official. A statement from the Texas club read:
We would like to thank Juan Carlos Amorós for his energy and passion in serving as our interim head coach since July.
Juan Carlos has elected to pursue other opportunities and the team will begin the search for a new head coach immediately.
Thanks @JuanC_Amoros for his energy and passion in serving as our interim head coach since July.
— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) October 28, 2022
Juan Carlos has elected to pursue other opportunities and the team will begin the search for a new head coach immediately. pic.twitter.com/UJOx3HTESs
The Spaniard may have only been in the league for a matter of months, but it appears he has quickly become a highly sought-after coaching hire. Prior to managing in the NWSL, Amorós spent a season and a half with Real Betis in Spain. Before that, he was co-head coach at Tottenham Hotspur for nearly a decade.
Amorós became the interim head coach of the Dash in July 2022. Taking control of the team for the second half of the regular season, Amorós went 6-2-3 during the regular season and Houston finished a club-record fourth in the standings. He made NWSL history by becoming the first head coach to win their first three matches in the league.
Unlike Houston, who closed out 2022 on a historic high note, finishing both with a record number of points, a new largest-ever home attendance, and a first-ever club playoff appearance; New Jersey/New York suffered one of its worst-performing seasons in 2022.
Gotham finished bottom of the NWSL standings, lost 17 of 22 regular season matches, scored the fewest goals in the league, and embarked on a woeful streak of 12 consecutive losses. Head coach Scott Parkinson was sacked midseason, with Hue Menzies taking over for the club's final 10 matches of the year.
The club's last win of any kind was in the beginning of July, while the team's only win at Red Bull Arena came in June. Gotham finished 2022 with an abysmal home record of 1-9-1.
Working in tandem with general manager Yael Averbuch-West, Amorós is headed to the Northeast with a tall task on his hands to drastically improve the New Jersey/New York club and take them back to the playoffs.
But this is the NWSL. There are magnificent players scattered around the league on every team. From the ashes of one season's disappointment, great coaches can reignite a team with potential. There is perhaps no greater example of this than Matt Potter and the Kansas City Current.
On Saturday night, the Current — who finished bottom of the standings in 2021 — will compete in the Championship final against the Portland Thorns.
For Amorós, that will be the model as he begins preparations for the 2022-2023 offseason in the Northeast.