On Tuesday, NJ/NY Gotham FC officially announced Juan Carlos Amorós as the club’s new head coach on a three-year deal. News of Amorós leaving his previous club, the Houston Dash, was reported in The Striker on Saturday along with speculation that the coach was departing Houston to take the job in New Jersey.
Amorós comes to Gotham FC with a lengthy resume. In addition to his interim head coaching position with the Dash, the Spanish native also spent time coaching in England and Spain.
While with the Dash, Amorós helped lead the club to their first ever NWSL playoff appearance. Prior to his time in the NWSL, Amorós coached Real Betis Féminas from 2021 – 2022, boasting a club-record unbeaten streak in Spain’s top division. During his time coaching in England, Amorós helped lead Tottenham Hotspur FC Women from the third tier to the FA Women’s Super League.
“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 press release. “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.”
On Monday, Amorós said goodbye to the Houston Dash in a post on Twitter.
Amorós’s qualifications are numerous. The 38-year-old holds a UEFA PRO license, the highest-level UEFA license attainable. He also received a diploma in Football Management from the League Managers Association Institute of Leadership and High Performance and has also participated in elite coaching courses with the Royal Spanish Football Federation. In 2018, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Autonomous University of Madrid.
“Juan Carlos is an experienced and ambitious coach who is highly respected by players for his tactical knowledge and leadership,” said Gotham FC General Manager Yael Averbuch West in a press release. “He shares a strong belief in our vision for Gotham FC, and we are very excited to bring him to NJ/NY.”
Gotham’s hope is surely that Amorós will help bring the club from their last place finish in 2022 back to playoff contention. The organization has already begun making player moves such as signing free agents Ifeoma Onumonu and Taylor Smith to multi-year deals, but the empty head coach position left lingering question marks around how the team would build out their roster and tackle an important off-season. With his impressive resume and strong credentials, Amorós might just be the man for the job.