Khano Smith has been rewarded for a trailblazing season with Rhode Island with a multiyear contract as the club’s head coach and general manager.

The former Bermuda captain led Rhode Island to an historic inaugural season in the USL Championship last year. He carved his name in the history books with an unprecedented run to the championship final.

Nine matches without a loss saw the Ocean State club take out three of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference on the road to the final, becoming the first Eastern Conference club to lift the trophy in their inaugural season. Rhode Island lost 3-0 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the final.

Speaking ahead of Rhode Island’s first match of the season against Charleston Battery, Smith stated that he was glad that the contract situation was behind him.

“I’m happy it’s done. I’ve a game on Saturday and that’s where my focus has been,” the former Bermuda captain told The Royal Gazette.

“I’m just trying to get the team to be in the best place possible. I can’t think that far ahead, I’m solely focused on our game on Saturday playing against a really good team.”

Michael Parkhurst, the Rhode Island cofounder, was pleased with what the club have achieved under the Bermudian.

“We knew we wanted to be a competitive and play-off calibre team from day one,” Parkhurst said.

“It’s so challenging to put together a brand-new team and have success right away, and that’s why it’s so impressive to see the team Khano has assembled that fights on the field and proudly represents our club in the community.

“Last season’s success was a product of the work that goes on behind the scenes, from organisation and player management to training and performance. We are incredibly excited for the future growth of our club behind Khano’s leadership.”

Before his appointment at Rhode Island two years ago, Smith was not new to the USL Championship. He had previously served for four years as the assistant coach at Birmingham Legion FC, helping lead the Alabama club to four straight postseason berths.

Prior to his time in Birmingham, Smith was an assistant coach for Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League for three seasons. He was also a coach with the New England Revolution Academy, where he spent time with several of today’s Rhode Island players during their youth careers.

A holder of a United States Soccer Federation Pro Licence, the highest qualification attained by a Bermudian coach, the 43-year-old is playing his part to develop football on the island.

Since last year, Smith has brought Rhode Island to Bermuda for a preseason camp against domestic players. These matches have been instrumental in helping national coach Michael Findlay assess potential locally based players for international assignments.