D.C. United have made an addition to their coaching staff ahead of the 2021 season, announcing Friday the club has hired Nicolas Frutos as an assistant to recently-hired head coach Hernan Losada.
Frutos joins D.C. from Anderlecht in the Belgian top flight, where he spent six seasons a player and worked as an assistant coach in several different capacities following his retirement. It reunites Losada with a former teammate, as he played with Frutos at Independiente in 2004-2005.
“I have known Nicolás for years and cannot speak highly enough of his character. We first played together in 2004 for Independiente in Argentina then followed similar career paths throughout Europe, including playing for Anderlecht,” Losada said in Friday's release. “As a player, he was an intelligent forward and he has worked hard since retirement to become a great tactician and coach. His creative attacking mind paired with his experience developing youth players and integrating them into the first team will be a valuable addition to our impressive coaching staff at D.C. United.”
In addition to Anderlecht, Frutos has also been on the staff of Unión de Santa Fe in Argentina where he was the manager for the reserve team in addition to working closely with the youth team in 2011. He's also spent time on the coaching staffs of Paraguayan side Club Olimpia and San Luis de Quillota in the Chilean first division.
He'll join DC's staff for Losada's first season in charge, after the 38-year-old Argentine was officially announced as the club's new head coach last month following the departure of Ben Olsen last season.
