Khano Smith says the opportunity to broaden his coaching horizons by working under former New England Revolution colleagues Jay Heaps and Tom Soehn at Birmingham Legion FC was an offer he could not refuse.

The former Bermuda captain has been appointed as assistant coach of the United Soccer League expansion club, who are based in Birmingham, Alabama, where he will serve under general manager Heaps and head coach Soehn.

“Jay Heaps is one of my former team-mates and head coach for a while at New England, and he’s now the general manager at Birmingham,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“His assistant coach when he was head coach in New England, Tom Soehn, is a guy who has been in MLS [Major League Soccer] for years. He’s another guy with a ton of experience, so just to get there and learn from those guys and work with those guys and start building off their connections is just great for me. I’m really excited.

“Jay Heaps and I had direct connection on the field because sometimes he played left back and I played left midfield. He’s somebody that I’ve always stayed in contact with and when this opportunity came up I couldn’t say no. I think it’s a really good move for me.

“Birmingham is an expansion franchise, first season in the USL championship, and the USL has restructured a bit in the past year or two. There’s been a lot of investment in soccer in the United States from the MLS and now it’s trickling down to everywhere else.

“The USL has a really good partnership with the MLS because a lot of the MLS have reserve teams in the USL, so it’s a good stepping stone for me in my career to get me to where I want to go. I want to coach at the highest level and I think this is a great opportunity for me.”

Smith comes highly qualified as he holds both United States Soccer Federation A and Uefa B coaching badges along with a master’s degree in sports management.

“I love the game and once your playing career starts winding down you start thinking about other things and how you can stay in the game,” said the former winger. “Obviously, coaching is one of those positions, so still getting to work in a professional environment everyday is a dream.

“As players, you have it really good and sometimes you take it for granted but when it’s done it’s done.

“At least coaching gives you another outlet to stay involved in the game at the professional level. At the rate professional soccer has grown in the United States, it’s exactly where I want to be.”

Birmingham Legion is the Magic City’s first and only locally owned and operated professional football franchise and will play their home matches at the University of Alabama, starting next Spring.

“Jay and Tom have been working really hard on signing players,” Smith said. “They have really good connections with players all over the country and the world, so I think we will have a really competitive roster straight off the bat.”

Smith joins the club having served as assistant coach of the Orlando Pride for seasons. They reached the National Women’s Soccer League semi-finals last season.

“I was working in the women’s professional game in Orlando with the Orlando City’s sister club,” said Smith, who also had a stint as an assistant coach for Southern New Hampshire University before joining the Pride.

“Orlando was a good stopping place for me,” he said. “I was there for three years and coached some of the best women’s players in the world. The biggest was Marta [Viera da Silva, the multiple Fifa women’s player of the year].”