Photo Credit: Reading United AC

Few coaches can come in and lead a club to the league’s championship match in their first season as head coach. Even fewer coaches can lead that club to their most successful season ever. If you can do both of those things, you’ve earned the title of Coach of the Year, which is why Alan McCann is our 2018 Coach of the Year.

Reading United AC appointed McCann as head coach on February 23, 2018. McCann was previously an assistant coach, having been with the club since 2016.

This past season, Reading United went on to finish the regular season with an unbeaten record with 38 points, winning the Mid-Atlantic division title for the fifth time in the club’s history. Reading United won the Eastern Conference Championship and went on to play in the PDL Championship match for the first time ever. They lost the championship match, but it was the farthest the club has ever made it to in the playoffs.

McCann was also named Premier Development League Coach of the Year this past August. This was based on a league-wide vote, with each club casting one vote for any coach throughout the entire 74 team North American league. McCann has shown enough leadership skill and earned enough respect in the league that the majority of the (large) league thinks he’s done great things for his club this year. He’s also technically the last person to win the PDL Coach of the Year title, as the PDL is now the USL League 2 going into the 2019 season.

The club was doing well before McCann took the reins, but struggling during the playoffs. During McCann’s first season as an assistant coach in 2016, Reading United finished first in the Mid-Atlantic division with 31 points. They won their first two playoff matches and were then eliminated. The 2017 season was similar, with the team finishing in second in the division with 36 points, and losing their first playoff match.

The 2018 season was Reading United’s best season to date because of their new head coach. McCann has the skill, passion and necessary leadership abilities to coach Reading United to plenty of great seasons and victories in the future.

Honorable Mentions

Brendan Burke, head coach of the Bethlehem Steel. Burke was named the USL Coach of the Month in August 2018 after leading the Steel to win five of their six matches, four on the road, and putting the team into playoff position. He’s done great things for the Steel in his three years of coaching and definitely deserves an honorable mention for this year.

Jim Curtin, head coach of the Philadelphia Union. Controversial? Very. Deserved? Yes and no. We’re all aware of the issues the Union faced this past season and not all of them fell on Curtin. He’s not our 2018 Coach of the Year, but he was mentioned by the PSP staff.