The Columbus Crew announced Issa Tall as the team's sixth general manager following the departure of Tim Bezbatchenko.
Tall, a France native, joined the Crew as assistant general manager of player personnel and strategy in 2019. The team introduced Tall as the new GM at a press conference on Friday.
Bezbatchenko, a Westerville native, is leaving the team to join the English Premier League's Black Knight Football. He helped the Crew win two MLS Cup Championships during his tenure as general manager, which began in 2019.
Tall said he's honored and well prepared to take over the top job for the defending MLS Cup Champions. He also said taking over if Bezbatchenko got poached by a European team was always in the plan.
"(Bezbatchenko) has always coached me up to be a GM one day. That's why when there were opportunities around the league, he pushed me to go and to try. So did ownership and they didn't block me. And this whole time was a succession planning, whether it was for this club or for my own sake," Tall said.
Tall said he wants to get the Crew international recognition, especially with the upcoming World Cup and the ongoing MLS season. The Crew is currently the 7th-ranked team in the MLS Eastern Conference with 6 wins, 2 losses and 6 ties.
The Crew lost in the CONACAF Champions Cup to Pachuca 3-0.
Despite that loss, Tall was bullish in his first press conference on the talent and potential of the team.
"We do have talent here in Ohio. Why can't we compete against the best teams or the best youth teams in the country? Why can't we develop even more players? So that's the goal with that one philosophy is just to empower and get more out of the entire club and not just the focus on the person," Tall said.
Tall said developing prospects would be a big focus for him as GM.
"I'm hopeful and very enthusiastic for the future of the club. In that environment is that I'm 100% in line with (Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy) of how things should be structured," Tall said.
