NYCFC head coach Ronny Delia announced Monday afternoon he was leaving the club, and MLS to return to Europe and the Belgian side Standard Liège, effective immediately.
Assistant coach Efrain Juarez, will also be joining Delia according to reports.
Ronny Delia, the winningest coach in NYCFC history, had won the MLS Cup just last season following a 4-2 win on penalties after a 1–1 score line in extra time over the Portland Timbers.
It was the first pro sports championship New York City has won in over a decade.
“This was certainly not an easy decision for me and my family. However, I feel this is the right time to take on this new challenge and return to Europe,” Ronny Delia said in a statement.
He went on to thank the fans, club, and players for their work in bringing a championship to New York City.
David Lee, NYCFC Sporting Director, said: “Everyone at the Club would like to thank Ronny for the fantastic job he has done here. With Ronny at the helm, we have developed an even stronger culture of winning and togetherness and have accomplished our number-one goal of bringing silverware to this Club, to this City, and to our fans.”
The Club has named assistant coach Nick Cushing as the Interim leader of the club.
Cushing was originally Manchester City Women’s Head Coach, and was named FA WSL Manager of the Year in 2016. He and assistants Rob Vartughian and Mehdi Ballouchy have all signed new long-term contracts with the Club.
“It’s a huge privilege to lead the team and that starts this week. We’re all really excited for the Colorado game. We want to continue to push the team and to improve it.” Cushing said in a statement.
Ronny Delia departs a team currently at the top of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer. NYCFC is 8-2-3 with 26 points on the season.
The next match for the club is this Sunday against Colorado at 5:00pm – ET.
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