COLUMBUS \u2013\u00a0Haslam Sports Group\u00a0(HSG) today announced that\u00a0Tim Bezbatchenko\u00a0is\u00a0returning\u00a0to Ohio as HSG President of\u00a0Global\u00a0Soccer\u00a0and will\u00a0oversee\u00a0all\u00a0sporting elements for Columbus NWSL 2028, the Columbus Crew and HSG\u2019s future\u00a0investments\u00a0in\u00a0domestic and global soccer.<\/p>\n
Bezbatchenko\u00a0\u2013 who\u00a0will start\u00a0following the\u00a0conclusion of his contract\u00a0as President of\u00a0Black Knight Football Club\u00a0\u2013\u00a0possesses\u00a0more than\u00a017 years\u00a0of experience\u00a0in\u00a0global\u00a0soccer leadership roles,\u00a0three MLS Cups, one MLS Supporters\u2019 Shield, two Concacaf Champions Cup Finals appearances\u00a0and\u00a0three\u00a0Canadian Championships.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of HSG\u2019s first hires when\u00a0acquiring operating rights to the Crew in 2019, Bezbatchenko will report to\u00a0CEO and Chairman,\u00a0Managing Partners\u00a0Dee\u00a0and\u00a0Jimmy Haslam\u00a0and\u00a0joins\u00a0President of Business Operations\u00a0Mary Shepro\u00a0as the first executives selected to\u00a0set the\u00a0strategic direction of Columbus\u2019 professional men\u2019s and women\u2019s soccer clubs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTim\u2019s\u00a0leadership and dedication\u00a0helped\u00a0set the\u00a0Crew\u2019s\u00a0path for\u00a0success\u00a0since Day 1\u00a0with\u00a0Haslam Sports Group.\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0excited for him to\u00a0create\u00a0the\u00a0foundation for Columbus NWSL 2028\u00a0to compete for championships\u00a0while\u00a0also\u00a0supporting Issa Tall, Marc Nicholls and the\u00a0entire\u00a0Crew\u00a0technical\u00a0staff,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Dee\u00a0and\u00a0Jimmy Haslam.\u00a0\u201cTim benefitted\u00a0from\u00a0expanding his global\u00a0experience with Black Knight Football over the past two years, and it\u2019s\u00a0truly\u00a0special for him and his family to return home as we begin this next era of soccer in Columbus together.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0incredible to be part of launching an NWSL team and continuing to support the Crew after five-plus remarkable years with the Club and as a lifelong fan.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0honored and grateful that the Haslam,\u00a0Johnson\u00a0and Edwards families have trusted me with this opportunity, alongside their exceptional leaders, coaches,\u00a0staff\u00a0and players, as we look to compete for championships across both leagues,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Bezbatchenko. \u201cThis leadership group first inspired me to come back to Columbus in 2019, and they continue to be among the best ownership groups in\u00a0all ofsports with their ambition to compete for trophies and endless pursuit to unify communities through sport.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the perfect time for my family to return home, especially knowing\u00a0firsthand\u00a0their long-term\u00a0investment in\u00a0and commitment to advancing soccer in Central Ohio\u00a0and across the country.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI also want to thank Bill Foley, Ryan Caswell, everyone at Black Knight Football Club, AFC\u00a0Bournemouth\u00a0and our group of clubs for\u00a0providing\u00a0me the opportunity to work with multiple teams across Europe at the very highest level of the game. It was a unique opportunity where I developed both as a professional and as a person, and I am looking forward to taking what I have learned here and applying it within NWSL and MLS.\u201d\u00a0Bezbatchenko\u00a0added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bezbatchenko\u00a0will spearhead HSG\u2019s efforts\u00a0to\u00a0construct Columbus NWSL 2028\u2019s\u00a0soccer\u00a0staff\u00a0and roster\u00a0with the mission of consistently\u00a0competing\u00a0for championships, including\u00a0global searches for the Club\u2019s\u00a0first\u00a0general manager and head coach. The Westerville, Ohio\u00a0native\u00a0extends\u00a0his long-standing\u00a0relationship with\u00a0Crew\u00a0General Manager\u00a0Issa Tall,\u00a0who served as\u00a0the Crew\u2019s\u00a0Assistant\u00a0General Manager of Player Personnel & Strategy\u00a0from\u00a02019-2024\u00a0and\u00a0with\u00a0Toronto FC\u2019s\u00a0Player\u00a0Personnel and Scouting department\u00a0from\u00a02014-2015\u00a0when\u00a0Bezbatchenkoled\u00a0each\u00a0club\u2019s\u00a0soccer\u00a0operations.\u00a0They\u00a0also\u00a0were members of\u00a0the\u00a0MLS\u00a0Player Relations and Competition\u00a0Departments\u00a0in 2013.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
After\u00a0more than five seasons\u00a0as the Crew\u2019s President & General Manager\u00a0(January\u00a02019-June 2024),\u00a0Bezbatchenko\u00a0has\u00a0spent the past two years\u00a0with\u00a0Black Knight Football Club,\u00a0aconsortium of European clubs including AFC Bournemouth (Premier League \u2013 England), FC Lorient (Ligue 1 \u2013 France) and\u00a0Moreirense\u00a0FC (Liga Portugal \u2013 Portugal) and previously Hibernian FC (Premiership \u2013 Scotland).\u00a0He\u00a0served as Executive Director on the Hibernian FC Board of Directors from 2024-2025 and will complete his term as President of\u00a0Moreirense\u00a0SAD at the conclusion of the season. During his time at Black Knight\u00a0Football, AFC Bournemouth achieved its highest points total\u00a0ever\u00a0(56)\u00a0and best finish in the table during the 2024-2025\u00a0campaign\u00a0(ninth). With\u00a0one EPL match\u00a0remaining\u00a0this season, the Cherries have matched\u00a0that\u00a0record point total and\u00a0sit in\u00a0sixth\u00a0place,\u00a0already securing\u00a0their\u00a0first Europa League qualification in the club\u2019s 127-year history.\u00a0Additionally, FC Lorient won the Ligue 2 title\u00a0in\u00a02024-2025,\u00a0meriting\u00a0promotion to the first division\u00a0and finishing ninth\u00a0in Ligue 1\u00a0for 2025-2026.\u00a0Moreirense\u00a0also ended the 2025-2026\u00a0Liga Portugal\u00a0campaign in seventh place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Columbus,\u00a0Bezbatchenko\u00a0helped guide\u00a0the Black & Gold to\u00a0two MLS Cups (2020 and 2023)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0becoming\u00a0one of only three\u00a0clubs\u00a0with three or more league titles\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0the 2021 Campeones Cup. The Crew also reached\u00a0their\u00a0first Concacaf Champions Cup Final\u00a0in 2024,\u00a0setting the stage for the MLS side to\u00a0be the first to\u00a0compete in\u00a0three major tournament finals\u00a0over a nine-month span\u00a0when\u00a0ultimately\u00a0lifting\u00a0the Leagues Cup 2024\u00a0trophy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The success in 2023\u00a0and 2024\u00a0occurred\u00a0after Bezbatchenko\u00a0directed\u00a0the hiring of former Head Coach Wilfried Nancy and\u00a0one of the Crew soccer leadership team\u2019s most active summer transfer windows, which featured the incoming transfers of 2020 MLS Golden Boot-winner\u00a0Diego Rossi\u202fand\u00a0Yevhen Cheberko,\u00a0the outgoing transfer of Lucas Zelaray\u00e1n\u00a0and\u00a0other\u00a0notable\u00a0transactions. The Crew also received\u00a0major\u00a0contributions from talent developed within the Club: Homegrown Midfielder Aidan Morris, a 2023 MLS All-Star\u00a0who was\u00a0later\u00a0transferred to the English\u00a0Football League\u00a0Championship\u2019s Middlesbrough\u00a0FC;\u00a02024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year finalist,\u00a02022 MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Year\u00a0and 2022 MLS SuperDraft selection\u00a0Patrick Schulte;\u202fHomegrown\u00a0Captain and\u00a0Midfielder Sean Zawadzki;\u00a0and\u00a02022 MLS NEXT Pro Best XI Defender Mohamed Farsi.\u00a0In 2024, Midfielders\u00a0Taha Habroune\u202fand Cole Mrowkasigned Homegrown contracts\u00a0to become\u00a0the first\u00a0individuals\u00a0to complete the full player pathway after\u00a0representing\u00a0both\u00a0Crew 2\u00a0and the Crew Academy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bezbatchenko and Tall also\u00a0secured the 2022 acquisition of\u00a0Forward\u00a0Cucho Hern\u00e1ndez\u00a0with the largest\u00a0transfer\u00a0fee in Club history. Cucho starred\u00a0in MLS and earned\u00a0MLS Cup MVP and 2023 MLS Best XI honors \u2013\u00a0the first Crew player with the recognition since Jonathan Mensah in 2020\u00a0\u2013 before being transferred to La Liga\u2019s\u00a0Real Betis in February 2025.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Complementing First Team success, Crew 2 won the inaugural 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Cup and 2023 Eastern Conference championship\u00a0with\u00a0First Team Interim\u00a0Head Coach Laurent Courtoisat the helm. The Crew Academy in 2023 was\u00a0also\u00a0named the Academy of the Year, as selected by its peers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a02021 SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 honoree,\u00a0Bezbatchenko\u00a0joined Columbus after serving as Toronto FC\u2019s Senior Vice President of Soccer Operations & General Manager from 2013-2018 and working as the Senior Director of Player Relations and Competition for Major League Soccer from 2010-2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"COLUMBUS \u2013\u00a0Haslam Sports Group\u00a0(HSG) today announced that\u00a0Tim Bezbatchenko\u00a0is\u00a0returning\u00a0to Ohio as HSG President of\u00a0Global\u00a0Soccer\u00a0and will\u00a0oversee\u00a0all\u00a0sporting elements for Columbus NWSL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":658795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[153470,829,3,1026,403,99],"class_list":["post-658794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-homepage-news","tag-latest-news","tag-news","tag-press-releases","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}