Tab Ramos has returned to the coaching box.

The former head coach of the U.S. Under-20 men’s national team and the Houston Dynamo was named to a similar position with Hartford Athletic on Monday.

Ramos replaces Harry Watling, who resigned as coach on June 27 to attend to family matters in England.

Hartford (5-15-5, 20 points) is in 1th place in the 14-team USL Championship Eastern Conference.

“Tab Ramos is a giant in American soccer and among the most highly regarded coaches in the country. We are thrilled to have him as our head coach,” club chairman Bruce Mandell said in a statement. “Our goal is to bring championships to Hartford, and there is no coach better suited to get us there than Tab Ramos. He raises the bar for our technical staff and soccer operations and will provide critical direction to our expanding youth academy program. I look forward to seeing Tab and technical director Ray Reid work together to take our club to the top.”

One of the most iconic names in U.S. international soccer, the 55-year-old Ramos was a mainstay of the USMNT and a participant in three World Cups. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005.

He will begin directing the team on Sept. 1.

“I am honored to be named the head coach of Hartford Athletic,” Ramos said in a statement. “I want to thank Bruce Mandell and the entire ownership group, Ray Reid, and the whole Hartford Athletic organization for partnering with me on this exciting opportunity. Hartford Athletic is a project with endless potential, and I am so impressed by the passionate fan base we have here already. We are all hungry and motivated to see our team succeed, and the entire organization from ownership on down is determined to invest in our club and win. We have all the building blocks to be successful, and I am ready to get to work.”

Ramos spent eight years as the head coach of the U.S. U-20 MNT (2011-19). During that span, he guided the side to the U-20 World Cup in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 while making three consecutive quarterfinal appearances, a U.S. record. He was named assistant coach to Jurgen Klinsmann for the 2014 World Cup campaign, where the USMNT advanced to the Round of 16. Ramos then landed the head coaching job with the Houston Dynamo, directing the MLS outfit for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

His first match as head coach will be on Sept. 10 when Hartford hosts FC Tulsa at Trinity Health Stadium at 7 p.m.

Reid will continue to lead Hartford Athletic until Ramos assumes his duties.

“Tab Ramos is a historic figure in American soccer and his many years as a player and coach give him a deep knowledge of how to get the best out of our athletes. We are extremely proud to have him on our sideline,” Reid said in a statement. “His vision for this club aligns directly with ours and together, we are going to build a first-class organization on and off the pitch. While leading our first team, Tab will also be very involved in building the structure of our academy system and helping the many talented soccer players in Connecticut achieve their dreams of becoming professional soccer players.”

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.