McGUINNESS TAKES US SOCCER JOB
JIM McGUINNESS is to embark on a new coaching challenge, this time in the United States as manager of second-tier soccer outfit Charlotte Independence. In a move that has been in the pipeline for several months, Donegal’s former All-Ireland-winning manager has agreed a three-year contract with the side in the United Soccer League. McGuinness will take over as head coach with immediate effect as he begins planning for the 2019 USL Championship season. ‘I am very excited about the prospect of taking up the head coach role at the Charlotte Independence and am both proud and grateful to the club for having put its faith in me,’ he said in a statement. ‘I knew from early on in our discussions that the club and I shared a vision for what we want to achieve and now it’s about everybody involved working hard to make that happen.’ Weeks after successfully masterminding Donegal’s All-Ireland triumph in 2012, McGuinness was appointed as a performance consultant at Celtic and combined both roles for two years before leaving Donegal after the 2014 AllIreland final defeat by Kerry. Under first-team managers Ronnie Delia and Brendan Rodgers, McGuinness went on to coach the Glasgow giants’ Under 16, U19 and U20 sides whilst studying for his coaching badges. The former inter-county Gaelic footballer with his native Donegal later departed Glasgow and took up an opportunity in China in June 2017. Believing the chance to work under ex-Bayer Leverkusen and Salzburg boss Roger Schmidt would enhance his nascent career, he took up the assistant coach’s position with Beijing Sinobo Guoan FC in the Chinese Super League. He left that role in January and has been weighing up his next move ever since. Now he’s set his sights on America. ‘I have learned a great deal already about the USL and firmly believe we can be really competitive in the USL Championship in 2019,’ McGuinness said. ‘It’s an exciting time for the game in the United States which is growing all the time and I believe the Charlotte Independence will have a major influence in the years to come.’ Welcoming McGuinness to the Charlotte Independence, club president Jim McPhilliamy said: ‘Jim has a proven track record as both a coach who gets the best out of players and also as a winner. ‘That is a very appealing combination and once we knew there was a possibility of bringing him (here) we were very excited and are delighted to have him on board.’