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We have a Head Coach! The RIFC team is starting to take shape. In a press release to season ticket depositors, the club has announced thar former New England Revolution Midfielder and Bermuda National Teamer, Khano Smith, will be the Head Coach and General Manager. Smith Smith will head coaching duties, oversee roster development, and manage technical staff and team operations
As a player, Smith is known for appearing in over 100 matches in six seasons at the MLS level. New Englanders will remember him for his four seasons on the Revs, and his countless game-winning goals, including scoring the go-ahead goal in the 2005 Eastern Conference MLS Final to propel the Revolution to the MLS Cup Championship. four of his eight career regular-season goals have counted as game-winners. His last nine MLS goals overall (including MLS Cup Playoffs and SuperLiga) have come after the 72nd minute. Smith’s international experience includes 33 caps and 10 goals for the Bermuda Men’s National Team between 2003 and 2014.
From a managerial standpoint, Smith began his coaching career after retiring, and joined the New England Revolution's Academy. He later was an assistant for Southern New Hampshire University, where he compiled a 19-1-1 record. From the university level, Smith was elevated to the NWSL, where he was on the staff for the Orlando Pride, guiding the team to the semifinals in 2017. Since he joined Legion FC as an assistant coach in 2019, the team has never missed the USL Championship playoffs.
Here's what the ownership group had to say about Khano Smith.
“Khano Smith is one of the brightest and fastest rising coaching talents in North America,” I am confident he will lead our soccer operations in the right direction and help build a strong foundation for success.” - Brett Johnson, Co-Founder of RIFC
“I played alongside Khano for four seasons with the New England Revolution and saw personally how fierce a competitor and how loyal a teammate he is. Khano hits the mark on all the attributes we were looking for in a coach and there is no one better equipped than him to create the opening chapters of a storied winning tradition for Rhode Island FC.” - Michael Parkhurst, Co-Founder of RIFC
Khano is one of the most reputable and sought-after coaching talents in the North American soccer landscape. We are fortunate to have him in Rhode Island. His addition is another positive development for our club as we build it piece-by-piece and head towards 2024.” - Brett Luy, Rhode Island FC President
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