CHARLOTTE – On Wednesday, Charlotte FC announced the first-ever head coach in club history in Miguel Ángel Ramírez.
Read on to find out more about the man who will lead the club in its inaugural season in 2021.
Las Palmas Connection
Ramírez was born in Las Palmas in the Spanish Canary Islands and subsequently started his career in his hometown, working with the youth sides of Deportiva Las Palmas and Deportivo Alaves from 2003-11.
Off the coast of Africa, Las Palmas is one of the most isolated European soccer clubs with nearly all of its away competition coming more than 800 miles away on the Spanish mainland.
A First In Ecuador
Ramírez made waves in 2019 as he guided Independiente del Valle to a championship in the Copa Sudamericana tournament. Known as the second-most prestigious tournament in all of South America, his victory came just months into his first-ever head coaching opportunity.
It also marked the first time that Independiente had ever won an international title.
Plus-Goal Differential
Ramírez is known a keen tactician with an attacking style of play. That was borne out in his club’s goal differential margin in his three seasons as a head coach.
In Ecuador, his Independiente club went 32-21-16 with a +32 goal margin. In 2021 in Brazil with Internacional, his team was 11-7-4 with a +15 goal differential.
World Cup training
Ramírez spent six seasons in Qatar on the Arabian peninsula with the Aspire Academy, coaching U12, U13, U16 and U17 teams. He also coached the Qatar U17 and U14 national teams.
Part of the Aspire Academy’s goals were to train players for the 2022 World Cup which will be hosted in Qatar.
Youngest Coach
At 36 years old, Ramírez is the youngest head coach in the MLS ranks. However, he’s far from inexperienced. His first coaching opportunities came in 2003 at the youth level in Las Palmas when he was just 19 years old.
[INSERT MIGUEL HYPE VIDEO AND STM FORM]
