Adam Smith is an English football coach and former goalkeeper who was most recently head coach of USL Championship side Fresno FC. Smith took the team to 3rd place in the USL Championship Western Conference in only its 2nd season in the league. This was Smith’s first Head Managerial position of a Senior Team. Unfortunately, after the successful first two years, the Fresno FC ownership group decided to cease operations at the end of the 2019 season. This was for non-soccer related matters and was in part due to not being able to secure a soccer specific stadium. Prior to his time at Fresno, Smith was formerly the Assistant Head Coach at Sacramento Republic helping the club achieve a 1st place Western Conference finish in 2016. During his tenure at Sacramento Republic, he also served as the Technical Director at Elk Grove Youth Soccer Club. Smith's professional coaching career started as a player/assistant coach at Wilmington Hammerheads in the USL D-3 Pro Leaguein 2001. Later in his career he joined Portland Timbers, where he became the inaugural Goalkeeping Coach for the teams' first year in Major League Soccer. Smith later went on to be the club's first Academy Director, along with co-director Mike Smith. After serving 5 years with the MLS club he moved to return to first team professional football with Sacramento at the start of the 2015 season, to work alongside then head coach Predrag Radosavljević. Prior to starting his professional coaching career, Smith previously played professional soccer as a goalkeeper in the US with Long Island Rough Riders and Wilmington Hammerheads. Smith also gained professional playing experience in England, Scotland, Wales and South East Asia before moving permanently to the United States. He is the son of Graham Smith, an ex-professional English footballer who was previously a director at Chelsea of the English Premier League.
Career
Playing career Smith, who played as goalkeeper, began his professional playing career in 1992 after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in England with a degree in business and sports coaching. Smith also represented England Independent Schoolboys at both the U16 and U19 levels. Additionally he represented a British Colleges X1 in 1992. Smith did not make a British league full appearance but was able to ply his trade in non-league football. He then went on work in the US as a full-time professional, playing in the second division league before moving into full-time coaching. Coaching career Smith has over thirty years of domestic and international experience as a coach and player.
Personal life
Smith lives in California with his wife and two children. Smith also qualified as a financial advisor. During his part-time professional playing, he worked for an insurance company and a national banking institution. His father, Graham Smith, was a professional footballer. Graham Smith has had over 200 English league appearances as a professional player and has helped to build Sacramento Republic to a Championship winning team as the clubs first ever Director of Football.
USL Western conference semi-finals, Sacramento Republic, 2017
Coaching qualifications
Uefa A license English Preliminary Award USSF A license USSF National GK license USSF Pro B license NSCAA National GK License NSCAA Director of Coaching
