Why Lexington Sporting Club changed head coaches with only a few games left in debut season
Lexington Sporting Club has opted to make a change at head coach with only a few regular season matches remaining in its debut season.
On Saturday afternoon, LSC announced that Sam Stockley — who had served as both the men’s sporting director and men’s first team head coach for nearly a year — will no longer serve as men’s first team head coach.
Stockley — who has been part of the LSC project since it was first announced in October 2021 — will now focus full time on his men’s sporting director role.
Nacho Novo, previously an assistant coach under Stockley, was announced as LSC’s interim head coach.
“Nacho has a tremendous track record on the pitch as a player and we have seen him grow as a coach in his short time with us,” LSC majority owner Bill Shively said in a news release announcing the head coaching change.
According to LSC president Vince Gabbert in the news release, it was planned for Stockley’s time as both men’s sporting director and head coach to be a short-term overlap.
“With our youth academy continuing to grow and permanent facilities coming to fruition, the (men’s) sporting director role will require Sam’s full attention for the long-term success of this club,” Gabbert said in the release. “... Sam has been an integral part of the formation of Lexington SC and one of its centerpieces since the beginning.”
Among the duties that Stockley will continue to oversee as men’s sporting director will be a search for LSC’s new men’s first team head coach.
Lexington Sporting Club’s head coaching history
When professional soccer was announced as coming to Lexington in October 2021, Stockley — a native of England who played for nearly 20 years in England, Hungary and the United States before transitioning to coaching — was announced as the club’s first sporting director.
Last October, Stockley was announced as LSC’s men’s first team head coach.
With Stockley in place as head coach, Novo joined the LSC coaching staff last November.
Novo joined LSC as both an assistant coach for the men’s first team and as the under-23 team head coach.
Of all the figures who have been part of LSC’s formation and debut season, Novo had by far the most distinguished playing career.
Born in Galicia, an autonomous community in northwestern Spain, Novo played professionally as a forward for two decades in England, Northern Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Spain and the United States.
He’s best known for his time with Rangers — one of the biggest soccer teams in the world — in Scotland. While there, Novo helped Rangers reach the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) final and scored twice in a win over Celtic in the Old Firm Derby, one of the oldest and most storied rivalry matches in club soccer.
Novo also scored for Rangers during the group stage of the Champions League in 2009.
Novo and Stockley played together in the United States.
“Not many times you have the chance to build something from scratch, so for me, it was an opportunity I could not turn down,” Novo said in a statement when he joined LSC last year. “Everyone here, including the ownership, is very serious about what they want to do, making this a proper soccer team that connects with the community and does well.”
LSC has four games left to try and make playoffs
On Sunday night, LSC took to the pitch for the first time with Novo as head coach.
Lexington Sporting Club drew Charlotte Independence 2-2 at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown. The start of the match was delayed nearly two hours because of lightning in the area.
“(I felt) nervous. Especially with the lightning and everything, my heart was racing 200 miles an hour,” Novo said in an LSC news release about his first match as interim head coach.
“We are ready to come back and work hard again next week. (I just want to focus on) winning. For me, like everybody does, I want to win and I believe in these players.”
Following Sunday night’s draw, there are only four regular season matches left for LSC as the team tries to mount a late, and unlikely, playoff push.
In the 12-team USL League One, only the top six teams in the regular season standings qualify for the playoffs.
LSC, which owns a 7-12-9 (W-L-D) mark this season, has 30 points from its 28 matches.
LSC is 10 points below the playoff cut line.
Next match
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at Lexington Sporting Club
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Toyota Stadium in Georgetown.
Live video stream: ESPN Plus
Tickets: www.lexsporting.com/tickets/
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 9:24 AM.
