Jim McGuinness is off and running as Charlotte Independence manager.
McGuinness, who took over at the USL Championship side in December, was made to wait for his first win as Charlotte lost four of their opening five games.
The Donegal legend was forced to make a number of changes due to his new side’s hectic fixture schedule and he has admitted that he is relieved after overseeing a much-needed 2-1 victory against Bethlehem Steel on Tuesday.
“I’m really relieved more than anything,” McGuinness told the Charlotte Post. “It’s been a long time coming. Our performance was good tonight. It was strong. We kept the ball well. We defended a lot better.”
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The 2012 All-Ireland winning manager explained to SportsJOE before Christmas why he opted to continue his career as a football coach rather than return to the world of Gaelic football.
Following previous stints as a youth coach with Celtic and later as an assistant under Roger Schmidt with Beijing Sinobo Guoan in the Chinese Premier League, McGuinness accepted the offer of his first senior management job in professional football in North Carolina.
And with his first win as Independence boss under his belt, McGuinness is getting accustomed to the many demands of management..
“A couple of guys were sore,” McGuiness added. “Kevan [George, a midfielder] was sore. Enzo [Martinez] was sore. A couple of guys [midfielders Dominic Oduro and Abdoulie Mansally] put a big shift in the last game. Three games in a week, we’ve got to be switched on to that. Thankfully we’re going to have one or two new additions for the weekend, which will strengthen our squad as well.”
