Orlando City added some more MLS experience on Monday with the hiring of Mark Watson to assist head coach Adrian Heath. Watson served as head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes from June 2013-Oct. 2014 and was an assistant in San Jose for more than three seasons before that.
A former player for Canada and in Major League Soccer and the minor leagues of North American soccer, Watson has worked as an assistant coach for the Canadian Soccer Association, working with both the senior men's team and the U-20 team, and for the Charleston Battery, where he was a player/coach in 2006-07 and remained on the coaching staff until he joined the Earthquakes' staff prior to the 2010 season.
"As we continue to build our squad heading into our MLS debut, we are thrilled to add a coach of Mark's caliber and experience to our staff," Heath said in a club statement. "Mark's expertise complements our existing technical staff, and we look forward to his contributions as we continue to build and prepare the team for our MLS debut."
A former Canadian international, Watson played for the Columbus Crew and New England Revolution in 1996 and for D.C. United in 2001.
Watson holds a career MLS head-coaching record of 17-20-14. He joins assistant coach Ian Fuller, another former Battery player and former player/coach, and goalkeeper coach Marcos Machado on the Orlando City staff.
"It's a great opportunity to join Orlando City at such an important time," Watson said in the club statement. "I'm looking forward to working together with Coach Heath and the excellent staff he has in place to help the team launch a highly competitive 2015 campaign."
