PHOTO | ASHLEY MAHONEY

The Charlotte Independence have named Jim McGuinness head coach. He replaces Mike Jeffries, the club's coach over its first four seasons.

The Charlotte Independence has reorganized their staff.

Jim McGuinness steps in as the second head coach in the USL franchise’s history, replacing Mike Jeffries. Charlotte will introduce McGuinness, who signed a three-year deal, at a press conference at Jack’s House on Dec. 11 at 11 a.m.

“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,” McGuiness said in a club statement.  

McGuinness has never coached in the States. The 46-year-old Irishman began coaching with Gaelic Football, but transitioned to Scottish side Celtic in 2012, where he coached U-16, U-19 and U-20 sides. He later served as an assistant coach in the Chinese Super league with Beijing Guoan.

“We met Jim McGuiness through some mutual acquaintances,” Independence President Jim McPhilliamy said. “He has a really interesting history and coaching philosophy. He has had a lot of success at a lot of different levels in a lot of different sports. He has a unique approach to things.”

Jeffries remains with Charlotte as general manager. Former general manager Tom Engstrom will serve as a special advisor to McPhilliamy. Charlotte also hired assistant coach Dave Dixon to replace Troy Lesesne, who took his first head coaching position with USL expansion side New Mexico United in August. Dixon won the 2017 Premier Development League title with the Charlotte Eagles, and was an assistant coach with Indy Eleven (USL) last season.

Charlotte made the playoffs twice under Jeffries in the franchise’s four seasons: 2016 and 2017, losing in the first round at Rochester both times. The Jacks went 10-12-12 last season, 11th in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of eighth place, the last playoff spot. Charlotte struggled in the attacking third and did not score a league goal from April 7 to May 5, a four-game stretch; nor did they find the back of the net from Aug. 8-22 (three games). Overall, they scored 44 goals and conceded 57.

“We had a bunch of injuries last year, so we didn’t really attribute any of the losses to coaching,” McPhilliamy said.

Much has changed for the club since purchasing the USL rights from the Charlotte Eagles in 2014. The Jacks moved a step closer to playing at American Legion Memorial Stadium in the Elizabeth neighborhood adjacent to Uptown when Mecklenburg County commissioners approved a $32 million capital project ordinance in March. The current agreement places the Independence in the upgraded facility in March 2021. The Sportsplex at Matthews, another county-owned and operated facility, remains their home until then.

“We’ve got two years to make our team as good as it could possibly be as we head into Memorial,” said McPhilliamy, who moved the organization’s offices from Uptown to Elizabeth Avenue—half a mile from Memorial Stadium. “Jim needed a chance, and now is a good time to take a risk on a guy who is doing things a little bit differently, and see how that plays out. We feel like we can build a really good roster and still have Mike’s experience around, but do things a little bit differently.”

Charlotte joins a restructured USL. The Jacks will play in the USL Championship, the highest of three tiers that include USL League One and USL League Two, the former Premier Development League. They also received an increased financial investment in January from retired Nucor CEO Dan DiMicco, as McPhilliamy described that he and his family had “sunk in every dime” they possibly could into the franchise.

Changes on the financial side as well as the product on the pitch reflect what McPhilliamy believes necessary to sustain the club. Their longstanding MLS affiliation with the Colorado Rapids has also ended; players such as striker Caleb Calvert and various goalkeepers over the years spent extended stints in Charlotte on loan.

“The USL Championship is getting very competitive, and a little bit like the Oakland A’s, if we’re going to compete with everybody, we are not going to compete strictly on financial terms,” McPhilliamy said. “We are going to have to do things a little bit differently to put a championship team on the field. That was the team that we made there.”
McPhillamy also signaled the club’s intent to move into youth soccer, with Engstrom playing a crucial role there.

“Tom and I are going to work on a business plan and see what it looks like,” McPhilliamy said. “Thus far, we have not really thought about the youth market at all, but I think it’s something that now we need to sit down and meet with some of the other youth clubs in town, see where their heads are at. Obviously we have strong affiliations with Charlotte Soccer Academy and with Carolina Rapids.”

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