CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati relieved head coach Jaap Stam of his duties, effective immediately, the club announced Monday.
Tyrone Marshall, currently the head coach of FC Cincinnati's U-19 squad and future U-23 team, will assume the duties of head coach on an interim basis, and the search for a new head coach already is underway.
"During our nearly two-month process to identify the next general manager for FC Cincinnati, it was apparent that a head coach change was necessary," FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding said in a news release. "Therefore, after a great deal of deliberation, the club has made the decision to now move to the future with Jaap no longer serving as head coach."
"We believe a change in leadership is in the best interest of the club at this time, and a new general manager will lead the search for a new head coach," Berding added. "We are an ambitious club, and we remain focused on achieving our goals, the first of which is making Cincinnati a championship city. We thank Jaap for everything he has done for FC Cincninati during his time here, and we wish him the best as he can now head home to be with his family."
The club also has decided to part ways with assistant coaches Said Bakkati, who come with Stam in 2020, and Yoann Damet. Damet began his tenure with FC Cincinnati in 2017 and was part of the Open Cup run to the semifinals that year and also assisted in the club's USL Supporters Shield in 2018. Damat served as interim head coach on two occasions.
"FC Cincinnati thanks both Said and Yoann for their dedicated work and commitment to the club, with Yoann having been a part of the club's finest moments," Berding said. "We know that both have long coaching careers in front of them and trust they will see success."
Marshall joined FC Cincinnati Academy's coaching staff in February 2021 from Real Salt Lake, where he was an assistant coach for the Utah MLS club since 2015. In his playing career, Marshall made more than 300 MLS appearances with five different clubs between 1998 and 2012. The Jamaican international appeared over 85 times in his career with the national team, scoring five goals.
"Tyrone has been a valuable addition to our coaching staff since he arrived earlier this year with plans to be the future coach of our MLS2 team," Berding said in the release. "He has shown his coaching ability and leadership qualities, and he is the right person to inject new energy into the locker room and help our squad finish 2021 strong with an eye to the future."
