It’s a Chicago Fire reunion in New York.
Former Chicago Fire star defender CJ Brown on Tuesday was named a Red Bulls assistant coach. He joins New York Red Bulls sporting director Denis Hamlett, former Fire head coach from 2008 and 2009 and assistant from 1998-2007, and new head coach Chris Armas, who spent 10 years as a Fire player.
Brown spent 10 of his 13 years playing professionally alongside Armas in Chicago, where they won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup in 1998 and went on to win a Supporters’ Shield and three more U.S. Open Cups as teammates.
“As CJ’s coach, I watched him develop from a good young player into a true leader,” Hamlett said in a statement. “He has a great mind for the game, he understands Major League Soccer, and he’s a proven winner. I know his experience will be an asset to Chris and the rest of our staff.”
Brown comes to New York with nine years of coaching experience, eight as an MLS assistant coach, most recently on Jason Kreis’ staffs at Orlando City SC and New York City FC.
“I’m excited to add C.J. to my staff,” Armas said. “From the early days of Major League Soccer, we spent many incredible years together, learning what real teams are about. C.J. is a winner and a great competitor. Those qualities, along with his experience and work ethic, have turned him into a great coach. He knows our conference and league, he knows our team, and he knows what it takes to win. We’re looking forward to getting C.J. quickly integrated with our team and our way of doing things.”