USL coaches and media voted FC Cincinnati’s Alan Koch as its Coach of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday.
Koch earned 43 percent of the vote, Orange County SC’s Braeden Cloutier finished 2nd in the voting (21 percent) and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Bob Lilley finished 3rd (13 percent). Team management and a league-wide media panel representing every USL market voted on the award, according to a league media release.
In 2018, Koch led an FC Cincinnati side that set league records for wins (23), total points (77) and finished the regular season with a USL record 23-match unbeaten streak and the USL Regular Season Championship. All while also welcoming 21 new players to the roster this season.
“It’s an individual award, but to receive a Coach of the Year Award you don’t really do it by yourself,” Koch said. “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.
“The Coach of the Year honor is well-deserved for Alan after a record-setting season that will be hard to replicate,” FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding said. “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.”
The award is the second announced by the league this postseason. Forrest Lasso was announced as the Defender of the Year on Monday. Emmanuel Ledesma is an MVP candidate, which the league will release on Wednesday.
FC Cincinnati also set the USL record for consecutive wins this season with a 10-match winning streak from August 12 through September 29th.
Koch will be entering his 3rd season as FC Cincinnati head coach in 2019 where he will lead FC Cincinnati in it’s first season in Major League Soccer.
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