New York Red Bulls hire Gerhard Struber as head coach

HARRISON, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls have named Gerhard Struber head coach, the club announced today. Struber comes to New York after a 13-year playing career, various roles in youth development, and head coaching roles at FC Liefering, Barnsley FC and Wolfsberger FC.

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.

Struber, a native of Kuchl, Austria, played extensively in the Austrian Bundesliga over 13 seasons. He began his career at SV Austria Salzburg in 1995 and was part of teams that won both the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Super Cup. He moved to LASK in 2001 and played for a handful of other clubs, ending his career with Red Bull Salzburg in 2008.

“Gerhard is a bright coach, and we’re very pleased to welcome him to the club,” said Head of Sport Kevin Thelwell. “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.”

“I would also like to commend Bradley Carnell and the rest of the coaching staff for their leadership during the last month as we continue to work towards securing a playoff spot this season.”

Struber got his coaching start in Salzburg, where he earned a reputation for developing young talent. He managed through the Red Bull Salzburg academy for nearly a decade, including winning a UEFA Youth League Championship, before being named an assistant coach with Red Bull Salzburg in July of 2015. He remained with Salzburg until being named head coach of FC Liefering in Austria’s second division in 2017.

“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.”

His work with Liefering led to a role with Wolfsberger back in the Austrian Bundesliga, where he led the club to third place in the league standings, and into the UEFA Europa League, highlighted by an upset victory over German power Borussia Monchengladbach.

From Wolfsberger, Struber would gain the attention of English Championship side Barnsley. Struber took over Barnsley last November, with the club in last place, and was able to earn results and avoid relegation to remain in the Championship.