Former Blue Devil Standout Paul Wright Named Hartford City FC Head Coach
Wright starred as a player for Central and later served as a CCSU assistant for six seasons.
Former Central Connecticut men's soccer player and assistant coach Paul Wright has been named the head coach for the newly created Hartford City FC team. The team will be joining the Major Arena Soccer League to begin play in the 23-team league in November.
The MASL's 20-game slate will run from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28 and feature a six-team postseason. Schedule details will be out in September and Hartford City FC will play its 10 home games at the XL Center.
"Paul is outstanding as a coach and role model," said CCSU head coach Shaun Green. "His contribution has been enormous to the success we achieved at CCSU. He is highly-respected in the Connecticut community for his knowledge of and dedication to the game. He is the perfect fit for Hartford City FC to bring back professional soccer to the Nutmeg State. We all wish him and Hartford City FC much success in the future."
Wright enjoyed a standout playing career with the Blue Devils from 1995-98. A two-time All-Mid Continent Conference selection and a two-time All-New England honoree, Wright tied an NCAA single-game record with eight goals against Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1995. With an assist in that game as well, he set a CCSU single-game record with 17 points, which still stands today. He ranks third in the program record book for single-season points (50, 1996), second for single-season goals (23, 1996) and is tied for eighth in single-season goals (14, 1995 and 1997).
Wright and the Blue Devils enjoyed a period of unprecedented success during his career. In addition to winning the Northeast Conference regular-season championship in 1998, the Blue Devils won a pair of Mid-Continent Conference regular season championships (1995, 1997) and a tournament title in 1995. CCSU advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1995 and set school records for wins (15), consecutive wins (12), shutouts (12) and goals (70). That season included an unblemished home record of 6-0-1 and a streak of five straight shutouts.
Following his career at Central, Wright played three seasons with the Western Massachusetts Pioneers, helping the squad to a USISL national championship in his rookie campaign. Wright moved onto play with the Philadelphia Kixx of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 2002 and helped the team reach the league finals. He also spent time playing for Real Balonpedica in the Spanish Division 2.
Wright's coaching career included time at Central where he spent six seasons (2006-11) as an assistant coach under Green. The Blue Devils won the 2007 NEC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they upset 15th-ranked Harvard and 6th-ranked Tulsa to advance to the Round of 16. The Blue Devils finished the season in the national rankings of both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and College Soccer News polls.
Mitch Anderson, Hartford City FC president and a former CCSU assistant coach, hopes to eventually have a soccer-only outdoor facility in Hartford for the team and work towards membership in the North American Soccer League.
