MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that Mauro Biello has been named head coach and director of player personnel with the first team, after acting as the interim head coach over the last three months. As per MLS policy, details of the agreement were not disclosed.
“I’m very happy and honoured to represent this club,” said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “It’s great to see that the club has shown confidence in me and continues to believe in me. I’d like to thank Joey and the club for this opportunity and I will work has hard possible to make this team competitive every year. I am looking forward to continue working on the success we found in the final months of the season.”
“Mauro is the perfect example of what this club represents: passion, pride, loyalty and a profound desire to succeed,” said Impact president Joey Saputo. “In a very short time and under difficult circumstances, he produced some excellent results as interim coach. We are confident that he will help bring more memorable moments to the club.”
Biello, 43, led the team to the Eastern Conference semifinals, after finishing the season in third place in the conference. Named the interim head coach on August 30, his team ended the 2015 season with a record of seven wins, two losses and two ties in the regular season, while compiling two wins and one loss in the playoffs.
He will begin his seventh year with the Montreal Impact coaching staff in 2016, including four as assistant coach in Major League Soccer, following a 19-year pro career as a player, including 16 seasons in Montreal.
Biello began his professional career with the Montreal Supra in the Canadian Soccer League, before joining the Impact in its first season in 1993. He helped the club win three playoff championships (1994, 2004 and 2009), five regular-season championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 2005 and 2006) and the Canadian championship in 2008.
Biello won the Giuseppe Saputo Trophy, awarded to the Impact MVP, a total of four times (1997, 1998, 2001 and 2005) and was also selected five times to the All-League First Team and once to the All-League Second Team.
He served as the team’s captain from 2001 until his retirement.
