RailHawks' new coach knows them

CARY -- When Carolina RailHawks president Curt Johnson needed to find a new coach to replace Martin Rennie, he turned to an old friend.

The old friend just happened to be coaching the RailHawks' top North American Soccer League rival.

After five seasons with the Puerto Rico Islanders, Colin Clarke was introduced Tuesday as the RailHawks' new coach. He was signed to a two-year contract with a team option for a third. Other terms were not disclosed.

"I liked what Curt was selling and what was going on here," Clarke said. "My wife's family is from Richmond, so that played into it as well. I like to win things, and this is a great opportunity to win a championship with this team."

This past season, Puerto Rico finished as the runner-up to Carolina in the regular-season standings. A year before, the Islanders under Clarke defeated the RailHawks in the 2010 league championship. Puerto Rico also finished as runner-up in the 2008 championship.

Johnson's and Clarke's history dates back to 1998, when Johnson hired the former Northern Ireland player as coach of the Richmond Kickers.

After two years there, Clarke spent a year with the now-defunct San Diego Flash before coaching at the MLS level, where he won two Western Conference titles in three seasons with FC Dallas. He was let go after the club's postseason fortunes faded and landed in Puerto Rico in 2007.

"Immediately, my attention turned to Colin (during the process)," Johnson said. "It reiterated to me that he was the right guy."

Clarke, 49, cited "personal and professional reasons" for leaving an Islanders club which he had built into a perennial contender and the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League runner-up.

The RailHawks have won a division title and a regular-season title in the previous two seasons, but a championship has eluded the club. Carolina has only two players signed for next year: Defender Cory Miller and goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald.

All-league selections Etienne Barbara, Matt Watson and Brad Knighton are likely to leave to sign with Major League Soccer teams. A fourth all-league player, Kupono Low, the only player remaining from the RailHawks' inaugural season in 2007, attended Clarke's news conference, and both Johnson and Clarke openly expressed interest in re-signing him.

"I would prefer 10 or 12 (existing players) were already signed, but it's up to me to go out and persuade them," Clarke said. "The good players are always going to move on. That's part of the deal (in second-division soccer)."

The Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora has reported that one of Clarke's assistants, Adrian Whitbread, is the frontrunner to replace Clarke as the Islanders' coach.

Two RailHawks assistants - Dewan Bader and Ziggy Zigante - remain on staff. Rennie took assistant Paul Ritchie with him to the MLS for his Vancouver Whitecaps staff.

Clarke said he would like to have at least one current assistant remain to keep some familiarity around the club.

"We would like to keep contact with the team from before," Clarke said.