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.
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"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.
Darren Plant
