University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs officially name Giordano as Men’s Soccer Head Coach
06.04.2021 | Men's Soccer
ASHEVILLE N.C. – After serving as the interim head coach this past year, UNC Asheville Athletics announced on Friday that Mick Giordano has been officially promoted to Head Men's Soccer Coach at UNC Asheville.
"We are excited to officially announce Mick as Head Coach of the UNC Asheville Men's Soccer program," stated Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone. "Mick's commitment to this program and University is evident, and we look forward to watching him and his staff build on the success of last season!"
"First and foremost, I would like to thank AD Cone, Chancellor Cable, and the Board of Trustees for this opportunity to lead a program that has given so much to me," Giordano said. "It is an honor to be able to stay at home to continue to build on the process we have started here. I'm extremely fortunate to have worked for three extremely talented head coaches that took time to help develop me into a better coach and leader."
A 2013 alum of the program, Giordano has been on the staff since 2018 when he was an assistant before being named the interim head coach last season. This past year in his lone campaign with the interim title, Giordano guided the Bulldogs to its best season in recent memory. Asheville, who only played Big South opponents due to the COVID-shortened spring season, went 3-4-1 and earned a Big South Semifinal berth for the first time in 13 years. The Bulldogs would ultimately fall to the Big South Champion and nationally-ranked High Point Panthers squad in an overtime road match 1-0. The appearance in the Big South tournament was also the first for the program since 2016.
"I'd also like to thank the players, staff and alumni for believing in myself and the vision we have to help guide this program to the next level," said Giordano. "I personally cannot thank them enough for the belief in what we want to do both on and off the field. We will stick to our core values and must always remember who we are as we go - we are UNC Asheville - which means we will be hard working, have positive reactions, and always strive for excellence. We had a good spring but still have a long way to go. The staff and players are determined more than ever to prove what we can do this coming fall."
A native of Greenville, North Carolina, Giordano played professionally in Germany before coming back stateside and beginning his coaching career with the Bulldogs in 2015. Giordano's previous stops before returning to the Bulldogs include Wofford College (2017, Associate Head Coach) and Wake Forest (2016), where he helped guide the Demon Deacons to an ACC Tournament title and NCAA Championship appearance.
Additionally, Giordano has served as the Head Coach and Sporting Director for Asheville City SC since 2018, which competes in the USL League Two.
Giordano is the sixth head coach in the Division I era for the program.
