CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA President and Co-Owner Antonio Cué today presented Hans Westerhof as Chivas USA's new Head Coach, effective immediately. Westerhof, who retains his title as Director of Football to Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Chivas USA's sister club in Mexico, takes over from Javier 'Zully' Ledesma, who led Chivas USA to a 0-0-1 record during his four-day tenure as Interim Head Coach.
"The appointment of Hans Westerhof, Club Guadalajara's very own Director of Football, to oversee Chivas USA, shows our level of commitment to the success of this project," said Cué. "Hans has coached at the highest level and has achieved great things since coming to work for Chivas. He knows Mexican soccer and U.S. soccer; he knows both Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA. I could not think of a better candidate for this job."
Shortly following the announcement, Westerhof was to travel with the team to the Midwest, where he will take charge of coaching duties for Saturday's match against the Chicago Fire, to be televised live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes at 1:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. CT) and broadcast live via radio on Radiovisa 830 AM and www.CDCHIVASUSA.com, the club's official Web site.
"This club is destined to achieve great things and I know that with a committed technical staff of Sporting Director Thomas Rongen, Assistant Coaches 'Zully' Ledesma and Martín Vásquez, Director of Football Dennis te Kloese and myself, we will work together to meet the expectations of our ownership and, most importantly, our fans," said Westerhof.
The 56-year-old Westerhof, who boasts nearly two decades of experience as a first-division manager in Mexico and the Netherlands, has since 2003 overseen a footballing renaissance at Club Deportivo Guadalajara and sister club Saprissa of Costa Rica.
Born in Terborg, the Netherlands on November 24, 1948, Westerhof played professionally with BV Veendam and BVO Cambuur of the Dutch First Division (primarily as a right-sided midfielder), while also working part-time as a professor of Physical Education at the Dutch Central Institute of Sports Education (CIOS) from 1976-1988.
In 1986, Westerhof obtained his professional coaching license from the Royal Dutch Soccer Federation. Two years later, he assumed his first professional coaching position with FC Groningen of the Dutch First Division, thus beginning a 15-year career in Holland that would include head coaching stints with Groningen (1988-1992 and 1994-1996), PSV Eindhoven (1992-1994), the Dutch U-21 National Team (1996-1997), Willem II (2000-2003), and AFC Ajax Amsterdam, where Westerhof served as both Director of Youth Development (1997-2000) and Interim Head Coach (2000).
Hired to oversee Club Deportivo Guadalajara's soccer operations in March 2003, Westerhof moved to Mexico and spent seven months as the club's Director of Football, before temporarily leaving his post in October 2003 to take over as Guadalajara's Head Coach, replacing Eduardo 'Yayo' de la Torre midway through the Apertura 2003 season. Seven months later, Westerhof would lead Guadalajara to the Mexican league final, where Chivas lost to Pumas on penalty kicks after a 1-1 result on aggregate.
"Hans took over as head coach of Guadalajara after a shaky start in 2003, and the next season Chivas reached the final," said Cué. "We know very well what he is capable of, and I firmly believe that with him at the helm of this ship, Chivas USA can - and will - meet its goal of qualifying for the 2005 MLS playoffs."
Following the Clausura 2004 season, Benjamín Galindo took over as Head Coach of Chivas, and Westerhof returned to his original position, where he has overseen all of the club's football affairs - from coaching staff to youth development - including the management of sister teams Chivas USA and Saprissa of Costa Rica.
During Westerhof's tenure with Club Guadalajara, Chivas has been runner-up in the Mexican First Division (Clausura 2004), while continuing its storybook run through the 2005 edition of the prestigious Copa Libertadores, including Thursday night's 4-0 quarterfinal win over Boca Juniors of Argentina. Saprissa, meanwhile, was crowned champion of Costa Rica's 2003-04 season, and recently won the 2005 CONCACAF Champions Cup, earning a place in this year's FIFA World Club Championship in Japan.
Westerhof takes over the reigns of Chivas USA from Javier 'Zully' Ledesma, who accumulated a 0-0-1 record during a four-day stint as Interim Head Coach that included the team's 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards on Wednesday, June 1 at The Home Depot Center. Ledesma, in turn, replaced Chivas USA's first head coach Thomas Rongen, who on Monday, May 30 was named the club's Sporting Director.
Hans, who speaks Dutch, Spanish and English, is married to Janette Westerhof. Together they have two children: daughter Remske, 25, and son Wout, 23.
