They made a splash with the unveiling of a new logo that symbolizes the club’s transition from USL to MLS on Monday.
On their way out the door, FC Cincinnati received a parting gift of sorts from USL with Alan Koch voted the 2018 USL Coach of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday.
Koch guided FCC to a record-setting season with 23 victories and 77 points en route to winning the USL Regular Season Championship. He received 43 precent of the vote, comprised of team management and a league-wide media panel featuring representation from every USL market.
Orange County SC’s Braeden Cloutier finished second with 21 percent of the vote and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Bob Lilley came in third at 13 percent.
“Obviously, it’s an individual award, but to receive a Coach of the Year Award you don’t really do it by yourself,” Koch said in a statement. “It’s impossible to win it by yourself as a coach. Your players obviously go and perform and get results, but you need a staff around you to achieve your collective goals.”
FC Cincinnati, which led USL with 72 regular season goals, also set new regular-season records with a 23-match undefeated streak and a 10-match winning streak.
“The Coach of the Year honor is well-deserved for Alan Koch after a record-setting season that will be hard to replicate,” said FC Cincinnati president Jeff Berding. “We could not have picked a better person to lead our club on the field. Alan has been a winner and a fantastic partner as we’ve built our club. He has a unique understanding that we are all in this together, pulling in the same direction to create the most success. His clear vision and goals – and the execution of these plans – have been a pleasure for our entire community to follow. We are so fortunate that we have Alan as our head coach, and we’re very excited to see him lead the team as we move up to MLS next season.”
FC Cincinnati’s Forrest Lasso claimed the USL Defender of the Year award with Young Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player set to be announced on Wednesday.
