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Former Uganda Cranes midfielder Mike Azira has been named head coach at American side Mississippi Brilla FC, taking over from Matt Horth.
Former Uganda Cranes midfielder Mike Azira has been named head coach at American side Mississippi Brilla FC, taking over from Matt Horth.
The development comes less than six months since the 35-year-old announced his retirement from club football and about two years since quitting the Cranes.
Azira finds the role vacant after his predecessor Horth left for a college position that barred his return.
"Coach Matt was a tremendous addition to our staff last summer and put together a championship calibre for this summer," a statement from General Manager Rusty Bryant on the club's website partly reads.
"Fortunately, we have Mike Azira ready to step into the role, and he is more than capable of leading us to make a run af the national championship this summer," Bryant added.
Azira has recently been head coach at Blue Mountain College, which is only an upcoming National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program in Mississippi.
Azira becomes the second Ugandan to assume a coaching role in the United States after former Cranes skipper Ibrahim Ssekagya, the head coach at New York Red Bulls II.
Azira's playing days
In his playing days, he featured for Jogoo Young in his native Uganda, before plying trade in the US with Mississippi Brilla, Charleston Battery, Seattle Sounders FC, Colorado Rapids, Montreal Impact, Chicago Fire and New Mexico United.
For the Cranes, he only played ten official matches but was part of the teams that played at the 2017 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Egypt, respectively.
About Mississippi Brilla FC.
Brilla is an amateur American soccer club based in Clinton, Mississippi, United States. It was founded in 2006 and plays in the USL League Two.
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