In addition to hiring new head coach James O’Connor, Orlando City SC has also hired two new assistant coaches.
On July 6, the club announced the hiring of assistant coach Daniel Byrd and goalkeepers coach Thabane Sutu. Like O’Connor, Byrd and Sutu join the Lions from United Soccer League side Louisville City FC.
Additionally, former first-team assistant coach Bobby Murphy and former first-team goalkeepers coach Tim Mulqueen will no longer work with the club’s Major League Soccer side.
“Daniel and Thabane were obvious fits for the technical staff, not just because they worked well with James, but because they also had a lot of success at Louisville,” City general manager Niki Budalic said, per the club’s press release. “That’s been a primary focus as we prepare for the second half of the season and beyond.”
Byrd and Sutu had been with O’Connor since Louisville’s inaugural season in 2015. The trio helped lead Louisville to three-straight USL Eastern Conference Finals, including a USL title in 2017.
O’Connor’s history with Byrd goes even further back. The two first met under Lions colors when O’Connor was a player-coach for Orlando City’s then-United Soccer League Pro side. At the time, Byrd was a coach for the club’s youth program.
Byrd played for Johnson University Tennessee from 2000 to 2004, serving as the team’s captain and leading scorer. He began his coaching career in 2012 when he joined the staff at St. Catharine College in Kentucky.
As for Sutu, he won the Arab League title in 1995 and earned three-consecutive Egyptian league titles from 1994 to 1996. From 1994 to 1997, Sutu also captained the Lesotho men’s national team.
The Lions will play under O’Connor for the first time on Saturday against Los Angeles FC on the road. Kickoff is slated for 11 p.m.
For more on the Lions, as they start the James O’Connor Era, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.
