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The Rangers have found their man, and he was here all along.
Nikola Popovic was announced as the new head coach for the Swope Park Rangers today. Having been here for the inaugural season as an Assistant Coach, Popovic was part of the magic that led to such a successful year. He knows the players. He knows the club’s philosophy. He knows what worked and he knows what didn’t.
This is the perfect choice for Sporting KC as there should be a seamless transition. Popovic can pick up right where they left off and help all of that exciting young talent continue to blossom.
Over the last decade, the 43 year old Popovic has spent time in many different places including Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He was most recently with Benfica B in Portugal, where Sporting KC has found multiple young talents to bring to USL and MLS.
“I’m extremely thankful to the owners, Peter Vermes and Kerry Zavagnin for this opportunity,” Popovic said. “It’s a great honor to be selected as head coach for the Swope Park Rangers, and I’m very proud to be a part of this culture and organization. We had an excellent first season in 2016 and I’m looking forward to continuing our work to develop players for Sporting Kansas City.”
Nikola is very well liked among everyone around the club so it is great to see him get the nod. Although Dos Santos leaves some very big shoes to fill, Popovic knows exactly what it will take to continue the success for SPR.