CINCINNATI -- FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch will be around for at least two more seasons.
Koch was already under agreement to be with FCC through 2019, when the club makes its Major League Soccer debut. Wednesday's announcement adds another year to that contract, keeping Koch through the 2020 season.
"This is an incredibly exciting project and, year-after-year, we continue to put the blocks in place to build something even more special," Koch said in a statement.
Koch said when he was extended through 2019 last August, terms were written to specify it would be for USL or MLS. This just gives certainty for stability first two MLS seasons. #fccincy
— Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) July 25, 2018
Before Cincinnati, Koch spent two seasons as the head coach of Whitecaps FC 2, the second-division entry for MLS's Vancouver Whitecaps FC. While there, he also headed Vancouver's MLS Draft preparations and, in 2016, led Whitecaps 2 to the USL Western Conference Final.
He joined FCC in December 2016 as an assistant coach and director of scouting and analytics. He was promoted to head coach in February 2017.
The club's currently sitting atop United Soccer League standings with a a 13-3-5 mark.
"Alan has embraced our ambition to win championships while also engraining an inclusive and supportive culture in the locker room," FCC President and General Manager Jeff Berding said in Wednesday's announcement. "With Alan leading us, we're excited about our chances to win a USL Cup Championship this season as we prepare for our move to MLS."
FCC plans to play its first MLS seasonat Nippert Stadium, on the University of Cincinnati campus. Then the club will move to its own home at a brand-new soccer stadium in Cincinnati's West End neighborhood. The training facility, meanwhile, will be in Milford, near Interstate 275.
