As Dominic Kinnear begins his latest stint as San Jose Earthquakes head coach, he brings some familiar faces to fill out his coaching staff.
The club announced on Tuesday that Steve Ralston (pictured), Ian Russell and Tim Hanley will be assistant coaches. Per league and team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Russell is the holdover among the group, having served as assistant coach with the Quakes the past seven seasons, as well as playing for the team from 2000-05. He also served as San Jose's interim head coach for the final two games of the 2014 season. Russell holds a U.S. Soccer Federation "A" coaching license.
"I've always had a good relationship with Ian going back to when he was a player and then getting to know him as a coach over the last seven years," Kinnear said in a statement. "I know he's hard working and he has a lot of experience. One thing I love about Ian is that he's passionate about this organization."
Ralston joins Kinnear in San Jose after four-and-a-half seasons as an assistant coach under Kinnear with the Houston Dynamo. Previously, Ralston played for 15 years in MLS with the Tampa Bay Mutiny and New England Revolution, where he was highly decorated, and was a US international.
"Dominic and I have been together for a long time and loyalty means a lot to me," Ralston said in a statement. "I'm really excited about joining the Earthquakes organization, continuing my coaching career with Dominic, and working with the players. I've heard a lot of great things about San Jose with the new stadium coming and look forward to getting out there."
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Hanley returns to San Jose as goalkeeper coach. He spent two stints with the club, from 1997-99 and 2001-05, before moving to Houston to work with the Dynamo from 2006-07 and 2009-14.
"Tim for me is one of the best goalkeeping coaches in America," Kinnear said. "I think he has a great manner with the goalkeepers and I think a lot of goalkeepers - Joe Cannon, Jon Conway, Pat Onstad, Tyler Deric, and the list goes on - have become solid starters in this league for many years thanks to his help."
