Inter Miami assistant coach Anthony Pulis named head coach of USL club Miami FC

Miami FC did not have to look far to find its next head coach. The club announced Monday that it hired Anthony Pulis, an Inter Miami assistant coach the past two seasons.

The 37-year-old Bristol, England native replaces Paul Dalglish, who parted ways with the team a few weeks ago. Like Dalglish, Pulis comes from deep soccer coaching roots. His father, Tony, has coached in England for 20 years, most recently with Sheffield Wednesday.

“It was difficult to leave Inter Miami, but ultimately my aim is to be a head coach, so when the opportunity came up it was too good to turn down,” Pulis said by phone Monday. “I can remember back in 2017 when they had the Open Cup run and were doing really well in NASL, getting good crowds, so when you look at that you can see there’s a lot of potential here.”

Pulis feels there is a good nucleus of a squad in place. His aim is to upgrade the roster and continue to develop a winning culture. “My experience tells me the successful teams have great chemistry and balance of personalities,” he said. “The work Paul’s done has been really good, full credit to him for the success he had bounding around the different leagues. I am fortunate to be inheriting some good players and now it’s my job to find the right pieces and put my stamp on it.”

The team won back-to-back NPSL national titles and a NISA championship under Dalglish, and this season finished in fourth place in the USL Championship Atlantic Division with 16 wins, 10 losses and six ties. Miami FC reached the conference quarterfinals and was eliminated 1-0 by Louisville City.

“We are excited to bring in an experienced and talented coach like Anthony to lead this team,” said Miami FC CEO Michael Williamson. “In our conversations, it was clear that he shares the same values and goals as Miami FC both on and off the pitch. Anthony has a proven track record of developing players and maximizing individual and team performance, which is critical for success on the pitch. I am confident that under his leadership, the club will continue its winning tradition for our Miami community and fútbol305 fans.”

Pulis has USL experience, having joined Orlando City in 2012 as a player coach and coach in the club’s academy. He was head coach of Orlando City B (OCB) in 2016 and also worked for the MLS team. In 2018, he took over as head coach at Saint Louis FC and the team reached the playoffs and in 2019 reached the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.