It was somewhat of an inevitability ever since he was named FC Cincinnati's interim head coach on May 7, but now it's official: Yoann Damet has become the youngest person to coach a Major League Soccer game, and by no small margin.
The young Frenchman, who debuted on the FCC bench just 53 days after his 29th birthday, is over three years younger than the previous record-holder, Colorado's Roy Wegerle, at the time of his coaching debut, breaking a mark that had stood since the inaugural MLS season. All stats are courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau:
YOUNGEST HEAD COACHES, MLS HISTORY
Yoann Damet |
CIN |
5/11/2019 |
29 years, 53 days |
Roy Wegerle |
COL |
9/21/1996 |
32 years, 186 days |
Ben Olsen |
DC |
8/7/2010 |
33 years, 96 days |
Jason Kreis |
RSL |
5/5/2007 |
34 years, 127 days |
Jim Curtin |
PHI |
6/28/2014 |
35 years, 5 days |
Ryan Nelsen |
TOR |
3/2/2013 |
35 years, 135 days |
Of course, Damet's first game was also his first win, a 2-1 result over Montreal. Since Wegerle was a caretaker coach and only in charge for one game – a loss – it also means that Damet has one more year on the youngest coach to win a game, D.C. United's Ben Olsen, who did so 15 days after his debut.
Damet would certainly be happy to enjoy kind of longevity Olsen – who is still at the helm in D.C. – has experienced. And if he does, we might see his name pop up in a few more spots in the MLS coaching record books.
For a deeper dive into the young Frenchman's unusual path to the coaching ranks, be sure to check out this profile from April on FC Cincinnati's official website.
