If FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding has his way, the vacant general manager's office on the second floor of FC Cincinnati's suburban Mercy Health Training Center won't remain unoccupied for long.
"I assure you, we will not have a hard time having interest from people that would love to lead FC Cincinnati," Berding told The Enquirer at TQL Stadium prior to Saturday's FC Cincinnati-Orlando City SC match.
The job of filling that office falls to Berding after FC Cincinnati announced Friday its parting of ways with now-former general manager Gerard Nijkamp.
Berding was mum on specifics about how he'll find Nijkamp's replacement but still spoke in some broad strokes on the matter. He also addressed what responsibility he bears for the struggle for results under Nijkamp, whom he hired and formally introduced May 30, 2019.
"Ultimately, I bear full responsibility. I’m the president of the club, I’m an owner, I’m entrusted by Carl (Lindner III) and Meg (Whitman) and our ownership group to run the franchise," Berding said. "I’ve never said otherwise. I oversaw a process that began shortly after we were awarded the expansion bid to do as quick a learning as we could on Major League Soccer. We went through that learning and, with the help of a consultant, began an international search. We were looking for someone who could help us build from a hole in the ground. I mean, we were a USL franchise on the technical side and we were going to have a very quick turn into MLS.
"That process led to the hiring of Gerard. We thought Gerard was the best builder on the soccer side. He had come from a very innovative, data-driven club, very focused on development. They were not big spenders. They acquired players or developed players and then had gotten results, so as a result of that search, we hired Gerard. I take responsibility for the hiring of Gerard.
"For two years, I have supported Gerard. Gerard hired two coaches and we went through a process that he led and at the end of the day, we have our two coaches and, yeah, we had a coach (Ron Jans) who had a very unfortunate matter and we made the decision we were going to move on. Then we had COVID and now we have Jaap Stam, who is our head coach and is still our head coach and we believe the team is playing hard for him and he can get more out of the group. We look forward to watching that with a lot of the season left to play."
As for what's next, Berding said MLS experience would be prioritized in the search for the next general manager.
In the meantime, all other staffers on the technical side of the organization will continue to serve in the roles they had prior to Nijkamp's departure, with Hunter Freeman working on possible further personnel moves after the secondary transfer window in MLS closed early Friday.
About 12 hours after the window closed, FC Cincinnati announced its parting of ways with Nijkamp, who brokered two acquisitions in his final days in the job this past week.
Berding said Nijkamp's performance in the transfer window didn't factor in the decision.
FC Cincinnati was 3-7-6 in 2021 as of Friday and 7-22-10 under Nijkamp during the pandemic shortened 2020 season and through 16 matches this year.
Berding was adamant that FC Cincinnati was committed to pushing for a playoff berth over the second half of the 2021 season.
FC Cincinnati's 1-1 draw on Saturday against Orlando City SC marked the halfway point in the season, and saw FCC move to 3-7-7 on the season.
Asked what he attributed the club's struggles to during the Nijkamp era, Berding credited Nijkamp for advancing the organization on several fronts and pointed to the difficulties of undoing roster moves made in preparation for the 2019.
"I certainly believe that our quick turn into – our unprecedented quick turn into MLS – has hamstrung us in a way that we certainly didn’t appreciate when we agreed to come in in 2019, and probably Gerard’s unfamiliarity with MLS," Berding said. "He probably didn’t appreciate the degree to which it would be hard to undo some of the changes, some of the decisions that were made prior.
"I think in two years we’ve turned over the roster. I mean, every player that’s out here were players that Gerard either brought or kept because he saw the value in those players. While we certainly made progress, certainly, as I said (Friday), we have three core values and we hadn’t experienced the third one (winning) and while the team is much more competitive and I would say the overall quality is much greater, we’re still struggling to find consistent results."
Transcript of The Enquirer interview with Jeff Berding
The Enquirer: To what do you attribute the failings and/or difficulties on the technical side of the organization during Gerard Nijkamp’s time at FC Cincinnati?
Jeff Berding: I certainly believe that our quick turn into – our unprecedented quick turn into MLS – has hamstrung us in a way that we certainly didn’t appreciate when we agreed to come in in 2019, and probably Gerard’s unfamiliarity with MLS. He probably didn’t appreciate the degree to which it would be hard to undo some of the changes, some of the decisions that were made prior.
I think in two years we’ve turned over the roster. I mean, every player that’s out here were players that Gerard either brought or kept because he saw the value in those players. While we certainly made progress, certainly, as I said (Friday), we have three core values and we hadn’t experienced the third one (winning) and while the team is much more competitive and I would say the overall quality is much greater, we’re still struggling to find consistent results.
TE: I asked you (Friday) about the timing of the decision to part ways. It wasn’t really addressed. What can you say about the timing of it, and how does it relate to Gerard’s performance in the transfer window?
JB: It was yesterday after the transfer window. Let me offer, the decision was not a response to what did or didn’t happen in the transfer window.
TE: What was it in response to?
JB: We made a mutual decision that it was time for him to return to Europe. He could be closer to his family and we could immediately get to the business of getting the right GM to lead us to winning, to being a consistent, winning organization toward our goal of having the opportunity to compete for championships. He’s home now and we’re going to find a new GM.
TE: You get due credit for getting FC Cincinnati to MLS. The product since the team has entered the league has been a losing one. Along the way, there have been several rounds of important hirings as well as firings, resignations and parting of ways, including (Friday). As the president of FC Cincinnati, what responsibility do you think you bear for the state of the on-field product and the technical side of the organization?
JB: Look, I know that’s out there. Ultimately, I bear full responsibility. I’m the president of the club, I’m an owner, I’m entrusted by Carl (Lindner III) and Meg (Whitman) and our ownership group to run the franchise. I’ve never said otherwise. I oversaw a process that began shortly after we were awarded the expansion bid to do as quick a learning as we could on Major League Soccer. We went through that learning and, with the help of a consultant, began an international search. We were looking for someone who could help us build from a hole in the ground. I mean, we were a USL franchise on the technical side and we were going to have a very quick turn into MLS. That process led to the hiring of Gerard. We thought Gerard was the best builder on the soccer side. He had come from a very innovative, data-driven club, very focused on development. They were not big spenders. They acquired players or developed players and then had gotten results, so as a result of that search, we hired Gerard. I take responsibility for the hiring of Gerard. For two years, I have supported Gerard. Gerard hired two coaches and we went through a process that he led and at the end of the day, we have our two coaches and, yeah, we had a coach (Ron Jans) who had a very unfortunate matter and we made the decision we were going to move on. Then we had COVID and now we have Jaap Stam, who is our head coach and is still our head coach and we believe the team is playing hard for him and he can get more out of the group. We look forward to watching that with a lot of the season left to play.
We had a GM who led the entire staff out at MHTC – scouting, recruitment, player development, sports science and of course coaching, operations and was charged with managing that group and leading them to results. Part of managing that group and getting results was picking all the players, so, at the end of the day, we’re one of the highest spending teams in the league. I managed a process to provide resources, investments into the technical side in order to give us the best chance to win because that’s our ambition. So, we have a group that said ‘these are the players that will help us win’ and we went out and got the players.
TE: Looking ahead now, will you oversee the search for the next general manager and can you discuss what that process will look like?
JB: Yes. I’m not going to speak to the process at the moment. I can tell you that it’s underway. I’m not doing it alone. There are people involved inside and outside the organization.
TE: Will MLS experience be prioritized?
JB: Yes, of course. We have a lot better understanding of the league now than we did two years ago. Been in the league now. Again, I’d offer that if we’d been given the same amount of time that other franchises were given, we’d probably have understood the league a lot better before we made some key hires, but we understand now. We understand the value of experience. We understand that there’s data available to evaluate people. Cost per win, transfer record, tenure and how tenure corresponds to winning, size of payroll, size of staff, experience in the staff – all things we didn’t have when we made the turn as a record-setting USL team into a quick transition to MLS team.
TE: Did Gerard leave FC Cincinnati better off than he found it and what did you learn from having hired someone from outside the league?
JB: We’re much better than we were. I mean, again, we were a USL team that had, I think, five staff people on the soccer side when we were awarded a franchise and the league wanting us to be the 24th team to have an even number of teams. At that time, we had gone 23 in a row unbeaten. I like to describe us as the New York Yankees of minor league soccer but we really didn’t have a whole lot of time before we were playing games to assemble a roster. I remember the season ended and the (MLS) expansion draft was three weeks, a month later. Something to that effect, so we have great pillars in place right now.
Larry Sunderland (director of player development) is as good as there is in MLS. We already have academy players training with the first team and two now, including Beckham (Sunderland), on professional contracts. Our sports performance, led by Gary Walker, came over from Manchester United. Those are two that are as good as there are in the league, and that’s from outside assessment. Obviously, Dan McNally’s done a terrific job building up soccer operations. We have great facilities out in Milford. We have a great stadium here. We have a lot of processes in place regarding player development, the player development pathway which not only includes the academy kids but players on the first-team roster. I think our scouting and recruitment, I mean, some of the players when you look at a player like (Alvaro) Barreal for instance, has been here just a little over a year, maybe right around a year, and has, I think, enormous potential. I think Lucho Acosta is an extraordinary addition. I’m not gonna go through the whole roster but the part that’s been elusive is winning.
TE: You see some of the pillars being players in the first-team roster, correct?
JB: One-hundred percent.
TE: And that is a selling point for the next GM?
JB: I assure you, we will not have a hard time having interest from people that would love to lead FC Cincinnati.
TE: Jaap Stam remains the manager at this time. What can be said of his prospects going forward as a new GM comes in?
JB: Carl has said and I have said – I said (Friday) – we believe in Jaap Stam and we are pleased he’s our head coach. The team fights hard for him. I see the preparation. I think he has a good staff and, at the end of the day, this is a results business. You want to run political campaigns? Win elections. You want to coach teams? Win games. The best part about that is it’s in your hands.
TE: Anecdotally, I have observed, and I’d be surprised if you hadn’t observed the same thing, people, supporters of this club openly questioning whether or not they want to put money down to support this product right now just because of how the results have gone? What would you say to those people, at a moment of transition on the technical side.
JB: We want to win. Carl and I want to win. That is a part of what led us to create FC Cincinnati from the first days and we’ve been successful in the USL and it’s been elusive in MLS. We are a team that we think has the best stadium, the best training facility or right up there with the best training facility and certainly the best fans. We’re well-regarded around the league as a club with all those pieces in place to make it enormously successful. We’re a team near the top in revenue, and so we will have the resources to invest to be successful. Obviously, that revenue comes from fans. It comes from business partners and the like and we understand that people evaluate us every year in terms of our investment worthiness. Fortunately, they don’t have to make that decision today. We’re gonna get a new GM in here and I think people will then begin to take stock. There’s also a lot of the season left to go. I think if you compare how the team has done in prior years to now, I think a fair assessment would be that people can see that the team is much better. Not saying much better at getting the wins, but certainly it’s growing, and let’s see. We’ve made a key change and let’s see what comes next.
TE: Do you have a timeline for when you’d like to get someone in at the GM spot or will you look to find the right person, regardless of how long it takes.
JB: Those don’t have to be mutually exclusive. We will find the right person and we will do it as quickly as possible.
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