Paul Kenneth Dalglish (born 18 February 1977) is a Scottish former professional footballer.
Playing career
Paul Dalglish with the 2006 MLS Cup trophy
Dalglish, son of former Scotland international Kenny Dalglish, was born in Glasgow though spent his childhood in the city where his father managed Liverpool. As a child, he was the team mascot for Liverpool in their famous 1989 league title decider against Arsenal at Anfield.[3] He started his career as a youth player with Celtic before joining Liverpool, but made no appearances for either of his father's former clubs.
After this, Dalglish considered a media career, which resulted in finding himself a small part in the movie Goal and also an interview slot on Saturday-morning Sky Sports program Soccer AM, although this was short-lived due to the resurgence of his football career.
After retiring from football for 2 years, Dalglish was given a lifeline when newly appointed Livingston manager Paul Lambert signed him and, despite struggling near the bottom of the Scottish Premier League, Dalglish impressed, scoring in a narrow 2–1 defeat to Celtic.
Dalglish's performances attracted the attention of Hibernian manager Tony Mowbray, and despite having originally sought a contract extension with Livingston on the final day of the January 2006 transfer window, he joined the Edinburgh club for an undisclosed fee. His first goal for Hibs was a late winner against Kilmarnock in April,[8] and his second and final goal for the club was against Odense in the UEFA Intertoto Cup.[9] After being sidelined with injuries, Dalglish left Hibs in August 2006 to play for Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo. On 5 November 2006, the Dynamo defeated the Colorado Rapids 3–1 in the Western Conference final to earn a spot in its first MLS Cup. Dalglish scored twice and was named Man of the Match. However, he struggled with injuries and was released by Dynamo in the 2007 post-season, after winning two MLS Cups.
He had talks with a few clubs in February 2008 including Scottish club Kilmarnock, with whom he signed a contract until the end of the season. His spell was plagued with injuries again and he retired at the end of the season.
Coaching career
Dalglish began his coaching career in 2008 as a coach at the Houston Dynamo Academy, simultaneously acting as a director at Space City Futbol Club.
On 18 November 2009, Dalglish was named the head coach of FC Tampa Bay, an expansion team in the USSF Division 2 Professional League, the second level of the United States soccer league system.[10] The club got off to a 5-1-3 start but won only 2 of their last 21 matches to fall into last place in the USL conference. Despite their dip in form, FC Tampa Bay were still the most successful expansion team in the 2010 season. Dalglish left the club by mutual consent on 23 September 2010, and team technical director Perry Van der Beck served as interim manager for the last two games of the season.[11]
In 2012, Dalglish became the manager of the Austin Aztex, an expansion club in the USL Premier Development League (USL PDL), the fourth level of the US soccer system.[12] The club finished in the final 8 (of 73 teams) with a final record of 10-6-2 and advanced to the conference finals. The Aztex scored the most and conceded the fewest goals in their conference.
In 2013, Dalglish led the Aztex to the best regular season record in the USL PDL (15-1-2) and won the league championship. The club again scored the most goals in their division and conceded the fewest.[13] Dalglish was named the USL PDL coach of the year.[14] He also served as the technical director for youth powerhouse, Lonestar Soccer Club, which has developed top young MLS prospects such as Kekuta Manneh and Khiry Shelton amongst others.
In August 2014, Dalglish returned to the Austin Aztex as head coach and technical director.[16] The Aztex had a difficult first year in the United Soccer League when their House Park Stadium was flooded, leaving the team to find a new location to finish the season. This proved to be too much for the Austin Aztex and the team folded at the end of the season.
In November 2015, Dalglish was hired as the head coach and general manager of the NASL club Ottawa Fury FC.[17]
On 14 August 2017, Dalglish left his role at Ottawa Fury, two days after a 3–1 victory over Charlotte Independence. According to the club's president John Pugh, Dalglish had recently informed him that he intended to leave the club for personal reasons at the end of the season. After "soul-searching by Pugh and the rest of Fury FC management", Dalglish and the club came to a mutual agreement to end his contract early.[18]
Dalglish was appointed as the 2nd Head Coach in Miami FC history, taking over from Alessandro Nesta on 25 January 2018. Dalglish led the team to 1st place in the Sunshine Conference Division, scoring the most goals and conceding the fewest, which led to him being named the Sunshine Conference Coach of the Year. Dalglish then followed that up by winning the South Region Conference and then the NPSL National Championship, beating FC Motown 3–1 in the final.
In 2019, it was another clean sweep for Miami FC. Dalglish led the team to 1st place in the Sunshine Conference Division, scoring the most goals and conceding the fewest, the South Region Conference and then the NPSL National Championship, beating the New York Cosmos 3–1 in the final.[citation needed]
He was appointed Miami's general manager on 13 November 2019 and was replaced as head coach with Nelson Vargas.[19] After three losses at the beginning of the USL Championship season, Vargas was let go and replaced by Dalglish as coach.[20] On 15 November 2021 Miami announced that Dalglish had departed the club.[21]
