| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1977 or 1978 (age 46–47) | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Colorado Rapids (assistant manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | AFC Bournemouth | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2000 | UNC Pembroke Braves | 58 | (29) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 8 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2001–2002 | UNC Pembroke Braves (assistant) | ||
| 2003–2005 | Cumberlands Patriots | ||
| 2008–2009 | Carolina Dynamo (assistant) | ||
| 2010–2013 | Elon Phoenix (assistant) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Carolina Dynamo | ||
| 2014–2016 | Elon Phoenix | ||
| 2017–2018 | Seattle Sounders FC (academy) | ||
| 2019–2020 | Tacoma Defiance | ||
| 2021–2023 | Colorado Rapids (assistant) | ||
| 2023 | Colorado Rapids (interim) | ||
| 2023- | Colorado Rapids (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Chris Little is a Scottish-bornfootball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach forMajor League Soccer sideColorado Rapids. He was previously head coach ofTacoma Defiance, the second-division affiliate ofSeattle Sounders FC. He played professionally for theWilmington Hammerheads of theUSL Second Division and previously coached various amateur and college teams in North Carolina and Kentucky.
Little was born inEdinburgh, Scotland and raised in the English city ofSwindon. He played for theAFC Bournemouth Academy, but left at the age of 18 to pursue a college scholarship at theUniversity of North Carolina at Pembroke.[1] During his four years at UNC Pembroke, he played 58 matches for the Braves as a midfielder and recorded 29 goals and 23 assists. Little captained the Braves for two seasons and was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall Of Fame in 2012.[2] He graduated from UNC Pembroke in 2000 with abachelor's degree in History and in 2002 with amaster's degree in physical education.[2]
Little was signed to a professional contract with theWilmington Hammerheads of theUSL Second Division in 2000 and became a starting midfielder and forward.[3]
Little returned to UNC Pembroke in 2001 as an assistant coach for two years.[4] He was named the head coach ofCumberland College in 2003 and lead the team to a 20th-place rank in the 2004 NAIA national poll and to the final of the NAIA Region XI tournament. Little returned to North Carolina to manage various youth football organisations in theGreensboro area before accepting a role as assistant coach for theCarolina Dynamo from 2008 to 2009.[5]
Little was named an assistant coach atElon University in 2010 and was promoted to head coach in 2014 following the departure ofDarren Powell.[5][6] During his tenure at Elon, the team won four conference championships and qualified for three editions of the NCAA Tournament.[7][8] Little also returned to the Carolina Dynamo as head coach in 2013.[9]
In 2017, Little joinedSeattle Sounders FC as an academy coach and trainer. He managed several academy teams to national championships and was named the 2018 U-16/17 U.S. Development Academy West Division Coach of the Year.[7] Little received his Elite Formation Coaching License fromMajor League Soccer in 2018 and spent time with the training staff ofAtlético Madrid under the program.[10] On 23 January 2019 the Sounders announced that Little would take over as head coach of theTacoma Defiance reserves team while retaining his role as the Sounders FC Academy Director of Coaching.[11]
On 26 February 2021, Little left Tacoma to joinColorado Rapids as an assistant coach.[12]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Colorado Rapids (interim) |  | September 5, 2023 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 025.00 | |
Little is married to Kara-Lyn, a former volleyball player at UNC Pembroke, and has two children.[1]
NC Youth Association
US Academy (U16)
Elon Phoenix