Mike Keeney is Chargers Soccer Club's new Director of MLS Next

Mike Keeney has made an exciting move in a coaching journey that has so far spanned three continents. The UEFA Pro Licence holder is settling into a new role as Director of MLS Next with the Chargers Soccer Club, based in Florida’s Tampa Bay area.

The recent appointment sees Keeney return to the US, where he coached within the university system early in his career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville.

Prior to beginning his latest position with the Chargers, Keeney worked within clubs throughout Finland, including HIFK Fotboll, Kuopion Palloseura Oy, and FC Viikingit.

During his time as Director of Coaching and Player Development at FC Viikingit, the side’s U20s team won the Ykkönen league, gaining promotion to the next tier of Finnish football for the first time in 45 years.

While Keeney was First-Team Assistant Coach at Kuopion Palloseura Oy, the club secured second place (2017) and third place (2018) in the Veikkausliiga, Finland’s Premier League. Keeney’s Kuopion Palloseura Oy squad also qualified for the UEFA Europa League in both 2018 and 2019.

The Football Careers client has garnered additional experience in Slovakia as First-Team Head Coach of FC ŠTK 1914 Šamorín, and in Papua New Guinea as a Technical Director, Coach Mentor, and Team Manager within the country’s national football association.

In his new role with the Chargers, Keeney will spearhead the MLS Next programme, where he will strive to continue the club’s longstanding tradition of supporting and developing talented young players from the Tampa Bay area.

The Chargers Soccer Club has approximately 70 competitive teams and three recreational programmes, totalling around 2,500 players. Chargers alumni have gone on to represent the United States women’s and men’s national teams, and players have been successful at clubs in the English Premier League, Bundesliga, Major League Soccer (MLS), and United Soccer League (USL).

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