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Charlotte MLS announced Dan Lock as their sixth hire.

He assumes the role of academy manger on March 2, as the club continues to prepare for their inaugural season, which takes place in 2021. Like technical director Marc Nicholls, Lock joins the club from the Seattle Sounders.

“When I started to make a short list of candidates, taking names out of it, I then looked at what are the top five priorities—what do we need here,” Nicholls said. “I felt there were a few fundamental things that would be really important. The first one is someone who can collaborate, someone who can bring different ideas to the table and someone who has been in MLS. It’s really important for us to work in conjunction with all of the other academies, the local clubs. Dan’s ability with the club partners and affiliates from his experience in Seattle, he was excellent at that. It was sort of a pilot program that was extremely good and made partnerships. It wasn’t just about marketing. It was a real technical soccer partnership. Obviously, within this role, we want someone who is an expert and one of the finest academy coaches in the country. He has a vast experience in mentoring coaches, which is really important for this role.”

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Nicholls noted that key to Lock’s role is coaching qualifications. Both hold a U.S. Soccer Federation A license, the top credential for developing talent infrastructure.

“It is essentially a pro license for running an academy and a club,” Nicholls said. “Qualifications and education, it’s not everything, but having been through that myself, it’s a remarkable course. It really prepared me. I know the impact that can have on Dan, and therefore on the program he runs.”

Nicholls also pointed out that as the club grows, Lock has an opportunity to grow and develop, describing their hire as, “hungry and ready for the challenge.”

When Nicholls took the position with Charlotte MLS, spoke with Seattle general manager Garth Lagerwey about members of the Sounders whom he wanted to speak with about opportunities in Charlotte.

“It was very important for me to introduce Dan to Zoran Krneta [Charlotte MLS sporting director] and Tom Glick [Charlotte MLS president] to make sure that it is a collaborative effort,” Nicholls said. “We have to respect the other clubs. We reached out to Seattle and got formal permission. We invited Dan here, and talked to him about our project.”

Lock and Nicholls know each other from their time in Seattle, with the former joining the club in 2016. Lock assumed the role of Sounders Academy coach as well as director with partner club Seattle United and in 2018 became a full-time head coach for the U-15 Sounders Academy and head of academy affiliations.

Prior to joining the Sounders, Lock coached the women’s side at Bellevue (Wash.) Community College, where he coached them to the NWAC West Division title in 2015. He also served as the director of coaching for Cascade FC from 2012-16, regional director for UK Elite Soccer from 2012-16, as well as Washington Youth Soccer Association from 2016-18.

Lock holds a United Soccer Coaches Director of Coaching diploma. Lock graduated Liverpool John Moores University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sports science, sports development, management and economics. He also interned with English Premier League side, Sheffield United in 2003, where he worked alongside the first team and with the academy sports science department, assisting with fitness training and sports science testing.

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