The New York Red Bulls have their next head coach, officially announcing the club has hired Gerhard Struber on Tuesday.
Struber joins RBNY from English Championship side Barnsley, where he's been since November 2019, and is the permanent replacement for Chris Armas, who the Red Bulls parted ways with on Sept. 4.
As part of negotiations, the Red Bulls paid an undisclosed fee to Barnsley FC to release Struber from his existing contract. He will join the Red Bulls and assume head coaching duties pending receipt of his U.S. work visa.
"Gerhard is a bright coach, and we’re very pleased to welcome him to the club," said RBNY head of sport Kevin Thelwell in a statement. "Gerhard’s playing style and experience in youth development align with our philosophy and above all, as a person he fits into our culture. We look forward to him getting here and working together to achieve the goals we have set as a club."
"We are really pleased with the process over the last month and are proud that our league's policies are in line with our own when it comes to diversity in hiring," said Thelwell. "We met and spent time with several great candidates of diverse backgrounds and experiences. The quality of the candidate pool further solidified our confidence in Gerhard as a top choice to lead our team.
Struber brings plenty of experience from overseas to the sidelines for RBNY, starting with his work in the youth program for Red Bull Salzburg where he coached the U-15, U-16 and U-19 sides. He also coached Austrian sides FC Liefering from 2017-2018 and Wolfsberger AC in 2019. Struber coached Wolfsberger in the Europa League before making the move to Barnsley, where he signed a two-year deal in 2019.
Having taken over with the club bottom of the Championship and five points from safety, Struber guided Barnsley to safety on the final day of the season.
"I am looking forward to getting to know my new team, hopefully very soon," said Struber. "We want to pursue very ambitious goals together and develop steadily. The challenge of working in MLS makes me proud and gives me massive motivation for a big opportunity."
RBNY parted ways with Chris Armas after a 3-4-2 start in league play, Since Armas' departure, Bradley Carnell has taken interim charge, leading the club to three wins and three defeats in his six matches at the helm. The Red Bulls currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, comfortably in the playoff places.
