TECHNICAL TEAM

Denis Hamlett
Sporting Director
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Nunzio Zavettieri
Academy Director and Head Coach U16
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Steve Hutton
Director of Player Development
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Wayne Simmons
Director of Soccer Operations
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Shahaab Langroudi
Head Coach U14 and Director of Community Programs
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Javier Decima
Director of Goal Keeping
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Denis Hamlett is a highly accomplished figure in Major League Soccer (MLS), with a career that spans both his playing days and a highly successful transition to coaching and management. Here's a summary of his journey and accomplishments:

Playing Career:

  • Nationality: Costa Rican
  • Position: Defender
  • MLS Involvement: Played for the Colorado Rapids in the inaugural MLS season of 1996.
  • Notable Impact: Known for his defensive skills, Hamlett's playing career was unfortunately interrupted by a stroke. However, he made a lasting impact on the game with his resilience and leadership on the field, earning the BIC Tough Defender of the Year award. He was also a key figure in Colorado's early MLS seasons.

Coaching Career:

  • Chicago Fire:
    • After retiring from playing, Hamlett began his coaching career with the Chicago Fire in 1998 as an assistant coach.
    • Head Coach (2008-2009): In his two seasons as head coach, Hamlett led the Fire to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship appearances.
    • Under his leadership, the Fire earned notable honors, including 4 U.S. Open Cup titles, a Supporters’ Shield, and an MLS Cup Championship.
  • New York Red Bulls:
    • Hamlett served as an assistant coach starting in 2015, contributing to a Supporters’ Shield win in 2015.
    • In 2017, he was appointed Sporting Director of the New York Red Bulls. In this capacity, he had a profound impact on the club’s soccer operations, player recruitment, and long-term development. 
    • Under his direction, the Red Bulls secured 8 consecutive playoff appearances and set a record-breaking 71-point tally in 2018, the 4th-best in MLS history.
    • He was instrumental in the development of Homegrown players, including John Tolkin, Daniel Edelman, Caden Clark, Serge Ngoma, Peter Stroud, and Julian Hall, many of whom found success early in their careers.
    • His player recruitment strategy also focused on international talent, bringing in players like Cristian Casseres Jr., Wilkelman Carmona, Andrés Reyes and Michael Murillo. Notably, both Casseres and Murillo were later sold to European clubs, with Murillo playing in Ligue 1 for Marseille and Casseres at Toulouse.
    • In addition, Hamlett was involved in drafting and developing players such as Aaron Long, Brian White, and Sean Nealis, who all made successful transitions from Red Bull 2 to the first team.

Legacy and Honors:

  • MLS Titles
    • 4 U.S. Open Cups
    • 1 MLS Cup Championship
    • 1 Supporters’ Shield
    • 2 Supporters’ Shields as part of New York Red Bulls’ successes.
  • Youth Development
    • Hamlett developed a robust pipeline of talent, particularly through the homegrown program. Over 20 Homegrown players were signed during his tenure with the Red Bulls.

Collegiate Career:

  • Played collegiate soccer at George Mason University, where he served as team captain in his senior season.
  • Earned All-CAA honors twice—once as a freshman at UNC Wilmington and later at George Mason in his senior year.
  • Recognized as an All-South Atlantic Region pick in 1991.
  • Inducted into the George Mason Men’s Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006.

Denis Hamlett's career reflects a deep understanding of both the tactical and developmental aspects of soccer, earning him respect as a coach, sporting director, and talent developer in Major League Soccer.

Steve Hutton, a seasoned coach, administrator, and scout, boasts over 34 years in soccer with expertise spanning youth to professional men’s and women’s levels in the USA and Europe. He began in Virginia with VA ODP and Roanoke Youth Soccer Club and found success in Atlanta with AFC Lightning Soccer Club and Concorde Fire Soccer Club. Steve started as Assistant Coach for Atlanta Silverbacks in USL and NASL in 2008, and then founded and served as President of Daytona SC in USL-2 in 2019. He’s renowned for placing young talents nationwide and abroad, while consulting for clubs in Germany and Italy. Steve played soccer at Maryville College and completed his BA in Sports Management at Virginia Tech.

A seasoned soccer professional with over 20 years’ experience in the North American soccer landscape both as a coach, scout, and club executive.  Most recently he served as the founder and Executive Director of the Bolts High Performance managing the day-to-day operations and steering the program through its merger with the Thornhill Soccer Club.  Prior to the Bolts he spent time at AFC Lightning where he was the Academy Coordinator, Coweta County as Academy Director and at nationally ranked Concorde fire where he was the Program Coordinator.  He also served as an assistant coach and scout with the Atlanta Silverbacks U23 PDL as well as being head coach of the Super Y 94 boys and girls program. He currently holds the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, NSCAA National Diploma, and the Canadian Soccer National “C” license. 

A seasoned soccer professional with over 20 years of experience in the North American soccer landscape as a coach, scout, and club executive, Wayne is currently the Director of Soccer Operations for CT United FC. He previously served as the founder and Executive Director of Bolts High Performance, managing day-to-day operations and guiding the program through a merger with Thornhill Soccer Club. Prior to Bolts, he worked at AFC Lightning as Academy Coordinator, Coweta County as Academy Director, and Concorde Fire as Program Coordinator. He also served as assistant coach and scout for the Atlanta Silverbacks U23 PDL. Wayne holds the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, NSCAA National Diploma, and the Canadian Soccer National “C” license..

Shahaab Langroudi is an experienced soccer coach and director, committed to fostering growth in both players and coaches. Holding a USSF National “A” Senior License and he is a certified MLS NEXT Culture Coordinator, Langroudi has been instrumental in shaping elite talent at various levels.A former NCAA National Champion with Southern Connecticut State University, Langroudi combines his extensive playing experience with over 24 years of coaching expertise. His mentorship has guided numerous players toward collegiate and professional pathways, including opportunities with MLS academies.From 2017 to 2024, he served as Director of Coaching for Boys at New York Soccer Club, after a successful stint leading the Girls’ program. Langroudi has also been a Senior Academy Coach in both the USSF Development Academy and MLS NEXT; playing a significant role in developing young talent at the highest levels.

Marc has over 40 years of experience in technology leadership and most recently, served as TruOptik's CTO where he managed the day-to-day software development, Network, Systems and Dev Operations of the business through its sale to TransUnion. He began his career leading technology development at MovieFone through its successful IPO and ultimate acquisition by AOL. He went on to lead the digital technology division at Rodale and later was appointed CTO at KickApps until its acquisition by Piksel where he led development of broadcast grade IPTV software solutions for the Telecom and MVPD industries.

Darnel is a seasoned professional showcasing expertise in project management, operations, and strategy. He successfully managed IT and small capital projects, benefiting local communities for the Ontario Public Service, Toronto District School Board, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, and Ontario Lottery and Gaming. During Darnel’s tenure at Cisco, he oversaw technology deployments and played a pivotal role in the divestiture of the video business. His nearly twenty years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces as an Infantry soldier and Parachute Instructor underscores his leadership and collaboration skills. Darnel is an alumnus of the University of Toronto, earned an MBA from Ryerson University, and holds certifications in project management and agile methodologies.

Nancy Rizkallah is an experienced finance executive with a 20-year career. After serving as an auditor at CBIZ MHM, one of the top 10 national public accounting firms, Nancy moved into finance leadership roles at various VC backed early growth staged companies, helping to facilitate multiple fundraising rounds and successful exists. These include Acquity Group (IPO & acquired by Accenture Interactive), SIM Partners (acquired by Reputation.com), CloudCraze (acquired by Salesforce) and most recently Threekit. Nancy received her undergraduate degree and MSA from the University of Illinois in Chicago and is a registered CPA.

Merlyn Swanston is a seasoned software engineer with a rich 20-year career, marked by successful stints at Zonar, Highspot, Costco, and Microsoft among others. His expertise ranges from backend system design to full stack development and Dev Ops, underlined by a portfolio of high-quality projects delivered on time and within budget. A submariner in the U.S. Navy, Merlyn brings a deep dedication to mentorship and cross-functional team leadership, coupled with an extensive technical acumen across multiple technologies. He earned his B.S. in Engineering from the University of Washington.

Allison possesses over a decade of experience in sales and marketing, account management and partnerships.  Allison began her career at the NFL where she played a role in the conceptualization, development, and execution of digital marketing strategies driving growth across the league's digital properties (Fantasy Football, NFL Mobile, GamePass). Allison then joined the digital sales team at Fox Television Stations, where she fostered strategic partnerships that led to revenue generation across channels.

Most recently, she was Senior Director of Client Success at Tru Optik (TransUnion) and Illuma, focusing on client onboarding, customer training and adept relationship management while contributing to consistent business growth.  Allison graduated from Drew University and earned her Masters degree from New York University in Sports Business.

David has over 25 years of experience in strategy, consulting, market research and business analytics, and is recognized as a thought leader in emerging media strategy and measurement. David led market strategy, thought leadership and measurement & analytics activities as Chief Strategist at Tru Optik, and later as Lead Strategist, Media & Entertainment at TransUnion following the Tru Optik acquisition. Previously, David led the E-Commerce Practice Area at Nielsen, headed the Business Insights function at Ocean Spray Cranberries, and consulted for emotion-recognition platform Affectiva. David holds a degree in mathematics from Franklin & Marshall College.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Javier Decima's coaching career spans over two decades, with clubs across Connecticut and players from across the globe. He is currently the Director of Goalkeeping for CT United Academy and the Assistant Coach/Goalkeeper Coach for Sacred Heart University Men’s Soccer. Past coaching roles include positions with Coerver Coaching, University of Bridgeport, Fairfield University, and Beachside of Connecticut Soccer Club. Decima has played a pivotal role in developing professional players like Matt Turner (Crystal Palace, USMNT) and Michael O'Keeffe (New Zealand Olympian). He is also the Co-Founder and Director of Keepermax Goalkeeper Academy. Decima holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Counseling from the University of Bridgeport.

Ney Castro is a 15-year veteran of finance and banking working at premier shops like JPMorgan Chase and AllianceBernstein. In 2019 co-founded the Blockchain Almanac, an educational platform for blockchain technology built for wealth managers. In 2020-2021 Ney consulted on the Helios Bitcoin mining project later acquired by Argo Blockchain. In 2022 Ney co-created Hoopers United and partnered with the WNBA and Rock the Vote to drop the Hoopers United NFT collection. Ney is a native New Yorker, attended Collegiate prep school, avid gamer, and passionate technologist. Ney also received his BA in Mathematics from Wesleyan University.

Born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, Nunzio Zavettieri’s coaching career spans over two decades, with extensive experience acrossEurope. He is currently the Academy Director and Head Coach of the U16 team atCT United Academy. Zavettieri’s  past roles include coaching at FKVentspils, Udinese Calcio, FC Internazionale, and as Head Coach of AS Bariduring the 2013-2014 season in Italian Serie B, where he led the team to the promotion playoffs for Serie A. That season was captured in the documentary film A Wonderful Failing Season, which won the award for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival. He has worked with teams in the UEFA Champions Leagueand UEFA Europa League, developing young talent and leading teams to national success. Zavettieri holds a degree in Physical Education, a UEFA Pro License, certifications in youth coaching, and is licensed by FIGC to teach football courses.