Gary Dicker earns promotion to Charlotte FC assistant

CHARLOTTE FC

Charlotte FC promoted former Crown Legacy head coach Gary Dicker to first team assistant coach.

Gary Dicker earned a promotion to Charlotte FC’s coaching staff.

Dicker, Crown Legacy’s head coach, was bumped up to the first team as an assistant, replacing Christian Fuchs, who was hired as coach of EFL League Two’s Newport County A.F.C. With Dicker’s promotion, Crown Legacy assistant coach Kevin Sawchak was promoted to head coach and Charlotte FC Academy Under-18 team coach Kevin Martínez was bumped to Crown Legacy assistant coach. 

“Gary has acclimated really well within the organization and was a natural choice to move up into the senior team,” Zoran Krneta said in a statement. “He built a good rapport with the Crown Legacy players and the first team coaching staff. Gary will still be a bridge between Crown Legacy and the first team while continuing to bring new energy and ideas to the squad.” 

In one season as Crown Legacy coach, Dicker oversaw development of several players to first team status, including homegrown defender Jack Neeley, who made his Charlotte FC debut during the U.S. Open Cup in May and midfielder Baye Coulibaly, who made his MLS debut after earning a first team contract in September.

Crown Legacy prospects Aron John, Emmanuel Uchegbu, Morrison Agyemang and Willian Sangoquiza also trained and played with the Crown during 2026 preseason camp. Eight Charlotte FC academy players made professional debuts in 2025, with Wyatt Holt, Adrian Mendoza and Simon Tonidandel each logging significant minutes.

Dicker came to Charlotte from Brighton & Hove Albion, where he was an assistant coach for the U-21 side in Premier League 2. Before that he played 15 years with clubs in Ireland, England and Scotland. He helped Brighton earn promotion to the EFL Championship in the 2010-11 season.

Sawchak joined Crown Legacy in 2023 after a year as an assistant coach with USL League One side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. Sawchak was Crown Legacy’s interim head coach in 2024 after Jose Tavares resigned, posting an 8-5-5 record and a berth in the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference semifinals. 

He also has coaching experience with the Chattanooga Red Wolves, Oglethorpe University and Atlanta United's Academy. As a player, Sawchak played 10 years as a professional career, mostly in Finland's second division.

Martínez joined Charlotte FC in August as the academy’s U-18 head coach. Before that, he was a an assistant coach with FC Dallas in 2024 season and director of the academy’s sports performance staff (2023-24) and assistant coach with the U.S. U-16 and U-18 national teams. Martínez also coached in Spain with clubs such as PE Sant Jordi, CD Ibiza and UE Olot. 

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