NYCFC Hires Ronny Deila as Its Next Manager

With the 2020 season rapidly approaching, NYCFC finally has a new man in charge.

NEW YORK (AP) – Former Glasgow Celtic manager Ronny Deila was hired Monday as the fourth coach in six seasons for Major League Soccer's New York City team.

Delia replaced Domenec Torrent, who left in November following the season-ending loss to Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinals. A former assistant to Pep Guardiola at parent club Manchester City, Torrent succeeded Patrick Vieira in June 2018. Jason Kreis coached NYC in 2015, its initial season.

Deila led Norway's Stromsgodset from 2008-14, then Celtic in the 2014-15 and 2015-2016 seasons. His club won a pair of Scottish Premier League titles but Celtic failed to reach the Champions League group stage in his second season, and he announced after a loss to Rangers in the Scottish Cup semifinals that he was leaving at the end of the season.

Former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna, who had been NYC's sporting director since the club launched, quit in November to take the same job with the Austin, Texas, expansion club that starts play in 2021. Technical director David Lee was promoted to sporting director.

NYC is owned by the parent company of England's Manchester City.