Minnesota United FC finally made it official on Tuesday, when they announced that they’ve hired Adrian Heath as head coach ahead of their inaugural MLS season in 2017.
Heath led Orlando City SC during their first MLS campaign in 2015, guiding the Lions in MLS for a year and a half before parting ways with the club in July. The news that he’d be hired by Minnesota was first reported nearly two weeks ago.
Heath served as head coach of the Orlando franchise from 2008 until this July, guiding the team as they moved from Austin to Florida and leading them as they transitioned from USL into MLS. He compiled a 16-18-16 regular season record in his one and a half MLS seasons in charge of the Lions.
The 55-year-old will oversee a similar transition process in Minnesota, who are moving from NASL to MLS for their expansion season of 2017. The club were led by first-year head coach Carl Craig in 2016, a disappointing campaign that saw them finish fifth in the combined spring and fall NASL standings and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The news that Minnesota have hired Heath comes on the heels of the club’s Nov. 16 announcement naming former D.C. United assistant Amos Magee as director of player personnel. The club’s soccer operations are led by sporting director Manny Lagos, who served as Loons head coach from 2010-2015.
