Premier League veteran Dean Smith hired as Charlotte FC’s new head coach
The search for Charlotte FC’s next head coach is over.
Dean Smith, who’s earned a decade of managerial experience in the English football system, has been appointed as the Queen City club’s third coach, the team announced on Tuesday. He has signed a multi-year contract pending receipt of his visa.
He replaces Christian Lattanzio, who was let go in November. Lattanzio led Charlotte to its first playoff appearance in 2023 — the club’s second year in Major League Soccer — but that didn’t change the fact the club didn’t live up to the expectations it was loudly optimistic about heading into the season.
“I’m honored to be appointed as the next head coach of Charlotte FC and cannot wait to start preparations for the 2024 season,” Smith said in a release via the team. “Throughout the interview process, it was clear that this is an ambitious club with the right ingredients for success and I’m delighted to begin a new chapter in Charlotte.
“This is a unique opportunity to be part of a project with so much potential to take to new heights in Major League Soccer.”
Smith — who shares the name with but is of no relation to another Carolina coaching legend, the late great Dean Smith of UNC basketball — has a proven record of building teams.
The 52-year-old coach is best known for leading Aston Villa back to the Premier League in 2019. Smith took over Aston Villa (his hometown team) in October 2018 when the team was 15th in the Championship table — and his team eventually earned a promotion back to the best soccer league in the world via a season that included a 10-consecutive-match win streak, which broke a 109-year club record at the time.
This news means Charlotte FC will be led by its third coach in three seasons of existence. The club began its inaugural season in 2021 with Miguel Angel Ramirez at the helm. The Spaniard, however, only lasted 14 games into the season — and Lattanzio, originally one of Ramirez’s top assistants, inherited the interim role and subsequently earned the head job in October 2022.
The team said it wanted “consistency” at the time of Lattanzio’s hire, and so Lattanzio — the level-headed, stick-to-your-guns coach with a robust CV across professional soccer leagues — made sense in a lot of ways.
But after a difficult 2023 season — one that included an 0-3 start and too many wins-turned-draws thanks to last-minute lapses — Lattanzio was let go.
“We’re excited to welcome Dean and his family to Charlotte to become the next head coach of Charlotte FC,” said team owner David Tepper, who also owns the area’s NFL franchise in the Carolina Panthers and who will soon be in the throes of another football coaching search. “We’re confident his leadership and experience will help elevate our club beyond its first playoff appearance into a championship team.”
Smith’s coaching career followed a distinguished 16-year playing career with over 500 appearances overseas, according to a release.
A press conference for Smith’s appointment will be held on Monday at Atrium Health Performance Park, Charlotte FC’s new training facility in East Charlotte.
“A priority for our club remains progress both on and off the pitch,” said CLTFC president Joe LaBue. “Dean has a strong track record of winning results, authentically connecting with supporters and ingraining himself in the local community which are all important responsibilities for our head coach. We’re delighted to welcome Dean to our club and look forward to introducing him to the larger Charlotte soccer community in the coming weeks.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2023 at 10:50 AM.
