Less than a week after the team fired its head coach, D.C. United hired René Weiler to be the MLS club’s new manager.
According to a news release, Weiler, 51, will begin coaching the Black and Red once he receives a U.S. work permit. Academy director Kevin Flanagan will remain as interim head coach until Weiler’s arrival. Contract details were not disclosed.
“The foundation on site gives me confidence in what we can build,” Weiler said in a statement. “There’s still a lot of work ahead, but I’m fully committed to leading this club back to where it belongs, competing at the highest level in MLS.”
He becomes United’s fourth head coach in five years and takes over with 12 games to go in the regular season.
Weiler’s 24-year career spans the globe. He is well known for his time with Belgium giants Anderlecht, where, in the 2016-17 season, he led the club to the Belgian Pro League title and a quarterfinal run during the UEFA Europa League, Europe’s second largest club competition.
His resume also includes winning a league title in Egypt with Al Ahly, one of Africa’s most successful clubs, and coaching in Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
“René is a tactician with a proven ability to implement a clear and disciplined playing style, and to adapt that system to bring the best out of his players,” general manager Ally Mackay said in a statement. “He builds teams that are organized, aggressive out of possession, and purposeful in attack. That style reflects the identity we’re working to establish at D.C. United.
Weiler has spent the last two seasons with Servette FC in the Swiss Super League as both its head coach and sporting director.
He takes over for a United side (4-11-7) that sits in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. After Weiler’s hiring was made official, United lost 2-1 to Charlotte, extending its winless streak to seven matches across all competitions.
D.C. fired Troy Lesesne as its coach midway through his second season, after the club was knocked of the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
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