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MLS club Charlotte FC appoint ex-Aston Villa boss Dean Smith as new manager

MLS club Charlotte FC appoint Dean Smith as new manager
© Reuters
MLS club Charlotte FC announce the surprise appointment of former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith as their new head coach.

Charlotte FC have announced that they have appointed Dean Smith as their new head coach.

Earlier this week, Smith was being linked with the vacant position at Championship outfit Stoke City, a role that the Englishman would have been regarded as a realistic candidate.

However, the former Aston Villa boss has instead taken the reins at MLS side Charlotte to manage outside of his homeland for the first time in his career.

The 52-year-old arrives at the North Carolina-based outfit as a replacement for Christian Lattanzio, who departed his role last month.

Speaking to the club's official website, Smith said: "I'm honored to be appointed as the next head coach of Charlotte FC and cannot wait to start preparations for the 2024 season

"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.

Norwich City boss Dean Smith on October 1, 2022© Reuters

"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 arrives at Charlotte on the back of The Crown scrapping a place in the MLS playoffs during 2023 through a ninth-placed finish in the Eastern Conference.

That was a consequence of 10 points being accumulated from their final four fixtures, but they subsequently lost 5-2 at New York Red Bulls in their first playoff tie.

From Smith's perspective, he has been out of work since failing to steer Leicester City away from the Premier League relegation zone at the back end of 2022-23.

Prior to collecting nine points from eight games with the Foxes, Smith endured a disappointing stint with Norwich City, but he played key roles in the progression of Brentford and Villa into established Premier League clubs after time in the second tier of English football.

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Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami34228479493074
2Columbus Crew34199672403266
3FC CincinnatiCincinnati341851158481059
4Orlando City34157125950952
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC34149114637951
6New York City FCNY City34148125449550
7New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls34111495550547
8CF MontrealMontreal341110134864-1643
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta341010144649-340
10DC United341010145270-1840
11Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia34910156255737
12Toronto34114194061-2137
13Nashville SCNashville3499163854-1636
14New England RevolutionNew England3494213774-3731
15Chicago Fire3479184062-2230

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Los Angeles FCLos Angeles34197863432064
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy34197869501964
3Real Salt LakeSalt Lake341611765481759
4Seattle SoundersSeattle34169951351657
5Houston DynamoHouston34159104739854
6Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd34157125849952
7Colorado RapidsColorado34155146160150
8Portland TimbersPortland341211116556947
9Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver34138135249347
10Austin FCAustin34119143948-942
11Dallas34118155456-241
12St Louis City34813135063-1337
13Sporting Kansas CityKansas3487195166-1531
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes3463254178-3721


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