Colin Clarke To Remain At Helm Of RailHawks

The NASL's Carolina RailHawks announced that they have come to an agreement with Head Coach Colin Clarke on a new multi-year contract. The World Cup veteran and former Northern Ireland international who also had a lengthy and distinguished playing career in English football will be entering his fourth season with the RailHawks after originally signing with the club on December 6, 2011. This new contract will make Colin Clarke the longest tenured head coach in franchise history.
 
"When we brought Colin aboard in late 2011, it was with the stated goal that the RailHawks win against the best of the CONCACAF region, win within NASL and entertain our fans.  In addition, we hired Colin because of his commitment to and belief in players that are products of soccer in North Carolina and to player development in North Carolina.  The record clearly shows that he has delivered.  He is the right man to lead us to an even higher level of team performance over the years to come and to win our first NASL Championship," said team President Curt Johnson.
 
Under his direction, the RailHawks had an exciting 23 match home unbeaten streak that spanned three playing seasons (2012, 2013 and 2014), won the 2013 NASL Regular Season Championship, had two consecutive runs (2013 and 2014) to the Quarter Finals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and has a 3-0 U.S. Open Cup record against the four-time MLS Champion, LA Galaxy, over that past three seasons (2012, 2013 and 2014). Additionally, Clarke has led the RailHawks to a record of 9 victories against only 2 defeats against professional teams from Los Angeles (Galaxy and Chivas USA) and New York (Cosmos) over the past three seasons. As well, home attendance has increased by 43% since Clarke took charge.
 
Clarke began his managerial career in 1998 as the head coach of the Richmond Kickers when he was hired by then Kickers’ General Manager and current RailHawks’ President, Curt Johnson. During the 2003 MLS Season, Clarke took over as head coach of the Dallas Burn (now, FC Dallas) and turned around the club’s fortunes, leading them to a Western Conference first place finish in 2006. Prior to joining the RailHawks, Clarke led the Puerto Rico Islanders to a Regular Season Championship in 2008, had a historic run to the semifinals of the 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League and defeated the RailHawks in the 2010 USSF-D2 Pro League Championship Final.
 
Prior to coaching, Clarke established himself as one of the top players from Northern Ireland representing the country 38-times, including the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico where he scored a goal against Spain. The Newry native would go on to play 12 successful years in England.
 
"I am very happy to be coming back to the RailHawks," said Clarke. "I want to thank our owner Traffic Sports USA and team President Curt Johnson for the faith they showed in me and the opportunity they are giving me to continue the work we started in 2011. I am looking forward to the opportunity to further build the franchise and the brand. We’ve had a lot of success over the last three years, but our ultimate goal of winning The Championship has eluded us. I assure our great supporters that my staff and I will do everything possible to bring a championship back to the Triangle."