A coaching change has been made in San Jose.
The Earthquakes have parted ways with Luchi Gonzalez, the club announced Monday. Assistant coach Ian Russell has been named interim head coach, while assistant coaches Steve Ralston, Luciano Fusco, and Adin Brown will remain in their current roles.
Gonzalez, a former U.S. men’s national team assistant coach, joined the Quakes following the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Over the past two seasons, Gonzalez posted a 13-24-16 record, leading the Quakes to the MLS Cup Playoffs last year.
“We want to thank Luchi for his hard work, commitment to the club, and professionalism,” said general manager Chris Leitch. “Luchi and his staff have worked extremely hard the past year and a half, but we have not met expectations this year as a club. We felt that we needed to make a change, and it was in the best interests of the club to move in a different direction.”
The 48-year-old Russell steps into the Quakes’ head coaching role after serving as an assistant coach for the past year-and-a-half. He was part of the Quakes’ Supporters’ Shield-winning side in 2012 as an assistant coach and also lifted two MLS Cups as a player with San Jose.
A former Quakes player from 2000-05, Russell was also the head coach of San Jose’s former USL affiliate, Reno 1868 FC. He was named USL Co-Coach of the Year in 2020 and was a USL Coach of the Year finalist in both 2017 and 2019.
He guided his team to the postseason in all four seasons, becoming the second-fastest coach in USL history to win 60 regular-season games.
San Jose sits bottom of the West with 11 points earned through 19 matches.
