FORMER Donegal Gaelic football manager Jim McGuinness has boosted his backroom staff at Charlotte Independence with the appointment of experienced coach Félix Sarriugarte.
Sarriugarte managed Athletic Bilbao in 2006, where he replaced former Spanish national manager Javier Clemente. Since then, he has coached Real Oviedo and Sestao.
McGuinness was appointed Head Coach at Charlotte Independence in the Eastern Division of the USL last month.
It is his first senior management position in professional football, having worked as coach alongside Neil Lennon at Celtic and operating in a similar role at Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan.
"I predict great things from the Charlotte Independence."@DanMulhall about new #Independence Head Coach McGuinness during his @CharlotteTalks interview
Full Interview & More » https://t.co/IpzDYxPgbz pic.twitter.com/fIBv8hhFxp— Charlotte Independence (@Independence) January 16, 2019
McGuinness said: “I'm very excited about the appointment and delighted Felix is joining us in Charlotte.
“He has a wealth of experience as a player in La Liga, and managing in that league, as well. It'll be a fantastic addition to the coaching staff, that we already have, to bring in someone of his calibre.”
Coach McGuinness adds former @LaLigaEN manager Félix Sarriugarte to his technical staff.
Welcome to the #Independence, coach!
📝 » https://t.co/SwmSBvRpCr pic.twitter.com/Fg9vQMBAmp— Charlotte Independence (@Independence) January 17, 2019
Speaking about his own motivation for making the switch to America, McGuinness said: 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.
"I have learned a great deal already about the USL and firmly believe we can be really competitive in the USL Championship in 2019.
“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."
