Jaap Stam FC Cincinnati GFXGoal

Stam tweet blunder only highlights size of FC Cincinnati's MLS rebuild

It's safe to say that Jaap Stam's time in charge of FC Cincinnati got off to the worst possible start.

That is through no fault of his own, of course. The first day of the former Netherlands international defender's time in charge of the club was headlined by a social media gaffe of magnificent proportions .

Stam was appointed head coach on Thursday, and the announcement of his hiring was accompanied by a photo of a man that most certainly was not Stam. Other MLS sides quickly jumped in, posting pictures of other "lookalikes" while poking fun at the mistake.

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The club and coach, meanwhile, took it in stride. 

"A lot of people with no hair, in Holland, sometimes they say: 'There's Jaap!'" he told reporters on Friday. "It's a thing that's quite normal."

However, in some ways, that gaffe is symbolic of the challenge that lies ahead for both manager and club. FC Cincinnati is a club that very much needs to prove that it can overcome the mistakes of its MLS start, and this is a manager that needs to once again rediscover his identity as an iconic figure in this sport.

Stam, the ex-Manchester United, AC Milan, PSV and Ajax defender, is taking on quite the challenge by taking over at Nippert Stadium. He takes over a club that was the worst team in MLS last season by a pretty wide margin after its first season in the league saw the club finish 10 points behind the next-worst team, setting a league record for the most goals given up with 75 in the process.

The team's initial roster construction was a disaster, with Designated Player Fanendo Adi finding the back of the net just twice before being all-but removed for the squad after 14 games. A 7-1 loss to a former expansion punching bag in Minnesota United made one thing abundantly clear: this team was nowhere near MLS level.

While the on-the-field performances from FC Cincy were bad, they were nowhere near as bad as the team's off-the-field missteps.

After opting to bring head coach Alan Koch up to MLS as the club made the leap from the USL, he was dismissed just 11 games in. After two months under interim boss Yoann Damet, the club hired Dutchman Ron Jans, who had a connection with the club's general manager Gerard Nijkamp.

Jans made it through the end of the season, but he failed to last through the offseason as he departed in February after an investigation into his use of a racial slur . As a result, the club is looking to bring any kind of system, consistency and culture to the squad after essentially wasting the first year in MLS as the league's doormat.

Fanendo Adi - FC CincinnatiGetty

Stam, meanwhile, is also in need of a new beginning. The former defender's coaching career began with Jong Ajax in 2014 before spending two years in England with Reading. His first season in charge saw the Royals reach the Championship play-offs but, unfortunately for Stam, that was the pinnacle, as his time at the Madejski Stadium ended with a run of one win in 18 league matches prior to his dismissal.

From there, he joined PEC Zwolle in 2018-19 for 17 matches before taking over at Feyenoord in June 2019. However, amid complaints over the quality of performances, Stam stepped down after just 18 matches, with Feyenoord earning just 14 points from 11 games. The Dutch giants dropped just six points in the 14 matches following his departure.

"At Feyenoord, we made certain agreements but then things changed," Stam said. "So I made the decision that it’d be better for someone else to step in because what we agreed on totally changed."

It is those recent failures that make FC Cincinnati and their new coach a perfect fit, and the history of past successes that give hope for a better future. 

Given their debut year in MLS, it is easy to forget just how good FC Cincy was as a USL franchise. They routinely competed at the top of the division, building a massive local fanbase that all-but forced MLS to let them in. That passion and that fan culture is still there, and the club's stunning new stadium is set to open in 2021.

You can say what you want about the results - and this is obviously a results-oriented business - but you cannot say that the club has not shown ambition with this hire and as well as its other moves off the field.

Stam, meanwhile, gives the franchise legitimacy and international recognition. The club has already brought in Dutch stars Jurgen Locadia and Siem de Jong - both of whom have spent time in the Premier League - but having the pull of a manager like Stam can only be a benefit when it comes to making signings.

There is some talent on the current roster, with youngster Frankie Amaya, new DP Yuya Kubo and MLS veterans Greg Garza, Kendall Waston and Haris Medunjanin among the key figures. Stam, meanwhile, as a former defender, should be able to find a way to prevent last season's defensive disaster from continuing onto this season, whenever that season resumes.

Jaap Stam

The former Manchester United star, in return, will get a chance to rebuild his coaching reputation. Thierry Henry came to the Montreal Impact this past offseason with the same intention while Stam's former Dutch team-mate, Frank de Boer, did as much by joining Atlanta ahead of the 2019 campaign.

Stam's playing history will be enough to get him interviews in Europe, but in order for him to actually get those opportunities, he still has to prove he can coach. The missteps at Feyenoord and Reading loom much larger than that one good year in the Championship and, if he can turn around Cincinnati, it would not hurt his resume.

"As a head coach if you’re looking for a job, can you get an opportunity that’s worthwhile?" Stam said. "The kind of project where you can develop, grow yourself even more and help the club to become a big piece in a big league. I think FC Cincinnati is that club. I’m very happy they came out with myself and I’m the head coach of FC Cincinnati."

Stam will be given that opportunity, but it will not be easy. The club still has a lot of growing to do and Stam still has a lot to learn as a manager. But, after that now-infamous tweet to announce the coach's much-anticipated arrival, Stam's time in charge of FC Cincinnati can only go up from here.

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