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D.C. United named Hernan Losada as their new head coach on Monday.

Losada, a 38-year-old from Argentina, becomes the youngest head coach in MLS. He most recently coached Belgium First Division club Beerschot.



He will join the club after approval of his visa, and his coaching staff will be announced later. He replaces Ben Olsen, who stepped down on Oct. 8, and was chosen after a search that reportedly included more than 25 candidates.

“Our process to identify the right individual to lead our club has been extremely thorough and we’re confident that Hernan is the ideal person and coach to take us forward,” D.C. United general manager and vice president of soccer operations Dave Kasper said in a club statement. “We believe wholeheartedly in Hernan’s approach to the game and his desire to play high-energy soccer with and without the ball. We look forward to getting to work with Hernan to start the 2021 season.”

The New Manager ????

Welcome to the Black-and-Red family, Hernán Losada??

— dcunited (@dcunited) January 18, 2021

Losada was named Beerschot’s coach in October 2019 and helped the team move into Belgium’s top flight. A midfielder, he played 15 years, including 178 appearances in three stops with Beerschot before retiring in 2018.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to join D.C. United and to write a new chapter of success with this storied club,” Losada said. “I believe in playing every match to win and in my opinion the best way to do this is to create as many scoring chances as possible every time we step onto the field, through high-energy, vertical attacking soccer. I am looking forward to entertaining our fans and competing.”



Losada is the eighth head coach in D.C. United history and the first from overseas without a connection to the United States or MLS.

D.C. United was 5-12-6 in the 2020 season and missed the playoffs.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has not released a 2021 schedule, but the season is tentatively scheduled to begin in early March.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)