NJ/NY Gotham FC has taken a major step towards needed improvement.
Gotham announced Tuesday that Juan Carlos Amorós is the club’s new head coach, after the Spaniard’s impressive work with the Houston Dash. Amorós’ contract with Gotham runs through the 2025 season.
“I’m proud to have this opportunity to work with the players and staff on building Gotham FC into the club this community and our incredible fans deserve,” said Amorós in a club statement. “The players will know they have a coaching staff who teaches and listens, and we will always work together to create an exciting brand of football for our fans. I cannot wait to get started and show our fans what Gotham FC will be, and I’m determined to lead this club to become a global destination in the football world.”
“Juan Carlos is an experienced and ambitious coach who is highly respected by players for his tactical knowledge and leadership,” added Yael Averbuch West, the club’s GM and Head of Soccer Operations. “He shares a strong belief in our vision for Gotham FC, and we are very excited to bring him to NJ/NY.”
Gotham had dismissed Scott Parkinson in August, with former Jamaican national team boss Hue Menzies taking over on an interim basis for the team’s final 10 games. After a decent enough start to the season, Gotham’s 2022 NWSL campaign turned sour. They won three of their first five games, only to go 1W-1D-15L in their remaining 17 fixtures, setting an NWSL record for consecutive losses (12) in the process.
While those struggles were playing out in New Jersey, Amorós was having plenty of success in Texas. Amorós stepped into a difficult situation, with James Clarkson suspended due to an investigation into potential misconduct. After being named interim head coach in June, Amorós helped the Dash to a 6W-3D-4L record, incorporating a stylistic change and navigating the addition of some new starters en route to the club’s first-ever playoff appearance.
The Striker reported on Friday that the Dash were planning on removing the interim tag and going forward with Amorós, but that the Madrid native chose Gotham’s offer instead. On Monday, Amorós posted his own farewell statement to Houston on Twitter, referring to the choice as “the most difficult decision of my professional career.”
— Juan Carlos Amoros (@JuanC_Amoros) November 1, 2022
Before coming to the NWSL, Amorós — who holds a UEFA Pro coaching license — helped Real Betís to a ninth-place finish in Spain’s Liga F in 2021-22. Before that, he spent several years with Tottenham, helping guide the club from amateur status through several promotions, all the way into the Women’s Super League.
What to expect from Gotham FC
Amorós came to a Dash side built to play counter-attacking soccer, and almost immediately sharpened them in that regard. Their surges forward became more incisive, and in particular Amorós unlocked Ebony Salmon’s potential. The young English striker went from an afterthought at Racing Louisville to one of the most prolific goalscorers in NWSL upon joining the Dash, where she was an ideal fit for Amorós’ approach.
As the year wore on, Houston added elements to their game, playing with a higher line and becoming a more dangerous counter-pressing team. Even Rachel Daly’s departure didn’t throw them out of their stride, and they were very much in their NWSL playoff loss to the Kansas City Current until the last moment.
For Gotham, that order of priorities makes a lot of sense. A team with Midge Purce should be able to create danger on the counter against anyone, and with striker Ifeoma Onumonu signing a contract extension last week, they have a No. 9 who has contended for a Golden Boot as recently as 2021. When you factor in the presence of U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis, this should be a very threatening team going forward. Late-season additions Taylor Smith and Victoria Pickett should also fit into Amorós’ scheme comfortably.
While it will be tempting for Amorós to focus entirely on getting the expected results on offense — Gotham only scored 16 goals last season, making it a major concern — he might need to shore up their defending first. No one conceded more goals than the 46 let up by Gotham in 2022, and those negative game states meant more time playing against teams who had altered their tactics to protect a lead.
With just about every defensive position handled by a veteran, the task will be to sort out which players simply need better guidance and a boost in morale, and which may need to be phased out for different options. While tactical changes are certainly needed, Gotham also had too many individual letdowns throughout 2022; finding a solution without hurting the team’s collective spirit will be a tricky balance to strike.
All that said, this move may be a sign that Gotham is ready to take a step forward as a club. It wasn’t that long ago that they had Freya Coombe hired away from them by an ever-ambitious Angel City FC mid-season. That’s the kind of development that draws a clear line between a club establishing themselves as a destination and a team that isn’t ready to compete off the field.
Hiring an in-demand coach away from an NWSL playoff team who were apparently quite interested in retaining him is, to put it plainly, a Big Club move. For Gotham, it’s vital that this isn’t just a one-off splurge, but the first in a process to keep pace in a league where teams are ramping up their improvements.