Khano Smith, the Rhode Island FC general manager and head coach, has refused to take full credit for turning the team’s fortunes around this season.

The former Bermuda and New England Revolution winger clinched the award after helping the Eastern Conference side extend a club-record unbeaten streak to eight matches last month, which included five wins and three draws.

“It’s nice to be recognised, but I don’t do it by myself,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“Respectfully, ultimately those awards don’t mean anything, the mid-season awards. You want awards at the end of the year.

“It’s nice to be recognised, but it doesn’t change how we operate or do things.”

After a slow start to their inaugural season in the league, the 43-year-old has led the New England-based club into play-off contention with 13 matches remaining.

Smith, who has also been named USL Championship Coach of the Week twice this season, and his fellow coaching staff have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to string together strong performances after managing one win and ten draws in their first 13 matches.

The hard work has certainly paid off as Rhode Island have now gone nearly two months without a loss and thrust themselves in the thick of the hunt for a spot in the USL Championship play-offs at the business end of the season.

Smith said the slow start to the campaign came as no surprise to him given the team had to start from scratch.

“They were a new team with people just getting to know each other who met for the first time on January 15,” he said.

“They are a group of new people and in any industry or anything in the world when you throw a group of people together and expect great things to happen after a few months it is not realistic. It’s right where we thought it was going to be to be honest.”

While encouraged by his team’s progress of late, Smith stressed that there is still work to be done.

“We are always looking to improve so we’re never satisfied with where we are,” he said.

“The victory at the weekend (a 3-0 home win over Hartford Athletic), that match is over and we are on the next one.

“We did well last month but that month is over. It’s a new month and we always look to get better.”

Rhode Island are sixth in the 12-team USL Championship Eastern Conference standings with 32 points from 22 matches. The eventual top eight teams will advance to the play-offs.

While happy to be in the play-off conversation, Smith isn’t looking beyond his team’s next outing at home to Western Conference title contenders Oakland Roots SC at Beirne Stadium on Saturday.

“Honesty I am just trying to win the game on Saturday; just let the picture fall where it may, the table fall where it may,” he added.

“We talked about our bigger picture goals but it doesn’t really mean anything if we don’t win this weekend, so we are just trying to win this one.”

Rhode Island FC officially joined the USL Championship in December 2019 and appointed Smith as general manager and head coach last year.

Smith, who holds a Uefa B coaching badge, a US Soccer professional coaching licence, a masters in Sports Management and has also spent seven years as an assistant coach in both the National Women’s Soccer League and the USL Championship, has inherited a heavy workload serving in the vital dual roles.

“It’s different challenges every day; things that you haven’t thought about too many to name,” he said. “You just have to face them head on in the moment and deal with it.

“Every single day it’s multiple different things like player decisions; who is starting, who is not, who is not in the 18. Players are unhappy with this or that, which is all natural, and then you have training ground and stadium issues.

“It’s so much that goes on but you don’t complain about it. You just solve it and move on to the next.

“It’s just work and I love to work and love my job. It’s fun.”