The Dutchman, who led American Samoa to some historic results in Stage 1 of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying in November, began the role last month and will work with countrymen Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk, coach and assistant coach respectively of the club’s first team.
The pair are delighted to have Rongen on board and believe he will make a positive contribution.
“We are very pleased to welcome Thomas Rongen to Toronto FC,” Winter said.
“He has both great coaching experience with youth and in the MLS. Thomas will be a welcome addition to our club and an important asset for the continued development of our academy programme.”
Rongen, 55, has joined as academy director and is aiming to base Toronto’s youth system on those run by some of the world’s most successful clubs.
“It’s very simple and is used by good teams around the world, such as Ajax and Barcelona,” he said.
“Eventually, the goal is to go to residency, with a sound vision and philosophy based on technical, attacking, dominant football. And it will be based on a vision Aron Winter has set out for the first team so there’s a thread from the first team to our youngest team, which will hopefully be eight and nine-year-olds.”
Rongen brings a wealth of MLS experience to Toronto having coached four different clubs. He won an MLS Cup in 1999 with DC United and has also led Tampa Bay Mutiny, Chivas USA and New England Revolution. He led the United States to two FIFA U-20 World Cups, in 2007 and 2009, but was dismissed after failing to qualify for the 2011 event.
His most recent post was the American Samoa job and he worked wonders in the role, completely turning around the footballing fortunes of the tiny island nation and making headlines around the world in the process.
Prior to the Amsterdam native taking over, American Samoa had never picked up a point in FIFA World Cup qualifying but that changed last November at the Oceania Stage 1 qualifying tournament in Apia, Samoa. Under Rongen’s expert tutelage, American Samoa transformed into a more than competitive outfit and went close to progressing to Stage 2, needing a win against Samoa on the final day but falling to a heart-breaking 1-0 loss.
Rongen had earlier led the American Samoans to a historic first-ever win – a 2-1 triumph over Tonga – and another ground-breaking result in the form of a 1-1 draw against Cook Islands.
But the fairytale did not have the ending Rongen and his men were hoping for as Samoa finally broke through their opponents’ stubborn defensive effort to score with one of the last kicks of the game and thus secure their passage to Stage 2.
Despite the loss, Rongen said his week in Apia was one of the most rewarding experiences of his coaching career – a significant statement from a man who has won the MLS Cup and led the United States to the quarter-finals of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

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