But the first major decision made by the new chairman, Jean-Michael Aulas, and boards of directors of the club in hiring Farid Benstiti as new head coach on January 17 left a sense of disconnect between Bold supporters and the club.
The spark to the uproar
The reason for the disagreement comes from a clash between USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan and the Frenchman while she played in PSG before the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. The American claimed that the club requested that players get thinner and that it was not precisely meant for performance reasons, but for the players to have a better appearance. Despite beating teammates in fitness tests, the coaching staff led by Benstiti told the 25-year-old that she wouldn't start until she lost weight. Horan was vocal and Adidas even used her story to advertise their Adidas Ultra Boost 19.
Fewer stereotypes, more goals. #ULTRABOOST19 #createdwithadidas pic.twitter.com/ApEm2aH6pn
— Lindsey Horan (@LindseyHoran) April 23, 2019
Supporters and others who have heard of Benstiti's antics headed straight to Twitter to tell the club and public how they felt about the hiring decision.
I had planned to try and hit up the Tacoma stadium next year, and I'm afraid we can no longer stan Reign FC.
— Rachel (@RachTalksSoccer) January 17, 2020
This is not okay. #NWSL #ReignFC https://t.co/HgjmwvqtBG
dear nwsl, i will be extremely disappointed if you allow reign fc to hire a bully as there head coach. Diminishing someone's confidence is wrong and with all of issues you already have, adding an abusive coach will contribute to your growing problem of ppl leaving to go overseas pic.twitter.com/dZ7MJYeOqr
— abby (@sammymewis_3) January 14, 2020
Fans were asking Reign FC to not consider Benstiti even before the hire.
please do not hire Farid Benstiti @ReignFC
— hannah (@fxckseaworlds) January 15, 2020
Even football writer and analyst Grant Wahl stated how problematic this decision was.
Based on Lindsey Horan's experience with him at PSG, Reign FC's impending hire of coach Farid Benstiti seems ... highly problematic. https://t.co/GCofqtNSBD
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 12, 2020
Why would Reign appoint Benstiti?
Benstiti who is from Lyon, France, played for the Olympique Lyonnais for five years and returned as head coach of the women's team in 2001. His relationship with Lyon and Aulas had a major impact during the hiring process.
There were 38 candidates in the pool, 20 who were interviewed. Of those interviewed, eight were female and 12 male and seven nationalities were represented amongst the candidates according to a Reign FC press release. But if there is something you need to know about Aulas is that he always gets what he wants. It is a characteristic that has brought him and his business to where they are today.
The French coach does have a history of success. While at Lyon, he won four consecutive Division 1 Feminin championships along with three Coupe de France trophies. In 2010, he departed the French powerhouse to take on the job as Russia's women's national team head coach while simultaneously leading Russian side Rossiyanka to a Russian Women's Championship title. He came back to France to coach PSG where he finished second place to Lyon for four straight years and reached a UEFA Women's Champions League. He now arrives from Chinese club Dalian Quanjian where he won three league titles.
The three coaches of Reign FC:
— Rachel (@RachTalksSoccer) January 17, 2020
-Laura Harvey
-Vlatko Andonovski
-Farid Benstiti
Like how do you strike out THIS bad after employing two of the most universally loved coaches? #NWSL #ReignFC
The man might not be universally loved, but he is full of experience and has led teams to many medals and trophies. Maybe giving him a chance wouldn't be the worst idea. But if the behavior shown at PSG carries over to the United States, Horan's USWNT teammates Allie Long and Megan Rapinoe will not stand such antics at their club.