Paul McDonough Named Orlando City Senior VP of Soccer Operations

January 24, 2014 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orlando City SC News Release


Orlando, Fla. - Orlando City SC continues to build toward Major League Soccer (MLS) with the addition of Paul McDonough as the club's Senior VP of Soccer Operations. McDonough joins the club after an extensive career in scouting and recruiting soccer talent, including spending the past two years as the Director of Global Soccer at Wasserman Media Group- a leading sports marketing and athlete management firm.

Moving into the new position, McDonough will be in charge of building the club's scouting network, managing the club's MLS salary cap, negotiating and liaising with the League Office on all player transactions. Paul's hire is one of many exciting announcements the club will make in the lead up to its expansion MLS season in 2015.

"Paul is regarded as one of the top soccer recruiters in the U.S. and we are extremely excited to bring him on board as our Senior VP of Soccer Operations, " said Orlando City President, Phil Rawlins. "He has the perfect background for this role, with great experience and knowledge of the college and pro soccer landscapes in the US. People who know about soccer in this country will look at Paul's appointment and know that we mean business in MLS and beyond."

The Marshfield, Mass., native is regarded as one of the top scouts/recruiters within the U.S. McDonough will move into the SVP of Soccer Operations role immediately, overseeing the development of multiple facets of the club's soccer operations. A key part of the position will include working hand-in-hand with Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath to make the Lions competitive in Major League Soccer (MLS).

"We're confident that in Paul we have someone that's like minded and has the same vision as we do, which is to be competitive in MLS from day one," said Heath. "Paul has been instrumental in the acquisition of many key MLS players. That will be key for us moving towards 2015."

Outside of Wasserman, McDonough has had a successful coaching and recruiting career at various top-level collegiate programs throughout the United States. Starting out at Wake Forest and then going on to lead the recruitment for such programs as UConn and University of South Carolina, McDonough emerged as one of the most talented and respected assistant coaches in the sport.

Paul's past experience includes:

- Director, Global Soccer at Wasserman Media Group

- Director of Recruiting at Santio Sport & Entertainment

- Assistant Coach, Head of Recruitment at UCONN Athletics

- Assistant Coach, Head of Recruitment at the University of South Carolina

- Assistant Coach, Head of Recruitment at Wake Forest

"While I am sad to see my colleague depart Wasserman, I couldn't be more thrilled for Paul on the wonderful and deserved opportunity he has with Orlando City S.C. Paul is a tireless worker, a tremendous evaluator of talent and someone who has been successful at every level of soccer in this country. Wasserman's loss is Orlando City's gain and I wish Paul and the Club all the best in the years ahead" noted Richard Motzkin, EVP & Managing Executive, Global Soccer for Wasserman Media Group.

Orlando City executives went through an extensive search to find the right candidate for the position. His past experience and reputation around the globe made McDonough the right choice for the Lions.

"I have admired the work done by everyone there over the last few years and look forward to working with the team as we prepare for MLS in 2015. I have had the privilege to coach and represent so many good players in my career and would like to thank them for the opportunity to be in their lives. I would also like to thank Jay Vidovich, Mark Berson, Ray Reid, Gary Mellor and Richard Motzkin for their guidance and mentoring. My family and I are extremely excited to be joining the soccer passionate City of Orlando," McDonough said.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from January 24, 2014


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