The 13-year veteran of the Minnesota Timberwolves is set to be announced as the new CEO of Minnesota United FC. The Star Tribune broke the news on Sunday and the Loons announced the appointment in a press conference Monday.
Wright currently serves as the president of the NBA franchise, but will be returning to soccer, where he originally got his start in sports. Wright grew up playing and then coaching soccer in his native England. He got his start in management as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) in 1982. He later worked for the Minnesota Strikers indoor team.
Nick Rogers remains in his role as team president, but Wright will be positioned at the top of the organization as CEO. Wright will be in charge of both sporting and business operations. He has represented Glen Taylor’s share of the Loon’s ownership group and his relationship with principal owner Bill McGuire goes back many years. Wright could sometimes be seen sitting with McGuire when the team played at the National Sports Center.
To begin the press conference, managing partner Dr. Bill McGuire read off a litany of accomplishments by the club in its inaugural MLS season. The team boasted a number of big off-the-field successes, including beginning the construction of the new stadium and key sponsorships from Target and Allianz.
For his part, Wright positioned himself as part of a growing “evolution” of Minnesota United as it continues its transition to MLS. He described one of the chief goals of that evolution as Allianz Field and that he joins the team as it grows to that point.
This post was updated after the press conference.
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