TECHNICAL STAFF

KHANO SMITH: HEAD COACH & GENERAL MANAGER

Khano Smith was named the first Head Coach and General Manager of Rhode Island FC on March 8, 2023, and was signed to a multi-year extension on March 13, 2025, after leading the club to a historic inaugural season, becoming just the third expansion club in league history to advance to the USL Championship Final in its first year. Smith joined RIFC after serving four years as the first-assistant coach at Birmingham Legion FC. Before his time in Birmingham, Smith was an assistant coach for Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League for three years. Smith started his transition from player to coach in 2015 as an assistant coach at Southern New Hampshire University. Smith brings extensive experience to the club, including an 11-year professional career playing for seven professional teams across four leagues: Carolina Dynamo, Bermuda Hogges, Real Boston Rams (USL Premier Development League), Dandy Town Hornets F.C. (Bermudian Premier Division), New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer) and Lincoln City F.C. (EFL League Two). At the international level, Smith captained the Bermuda National Team and appeared in 32 games, including 13 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers. He tallied 10 goals across his national team career with the Gombey Warriors. In December 2022, Smith was part of the sixth graduating class to complete the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) Pro License, finishing a 12-month journey that began in December 2021. Joining an elite group of fewer than 75 coaches to have completed the highest-level coaching license in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), Smith became the first Bermudian coach to earn the prestigious accreditation. Leading all soccer operations for Rhode Island FC, Smith has assembled a deep and talented roster and an experienced coaching staff with high standards and expectations for the 2026 USL Championship season after leading the club back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in its first two seasons.