Monterey Bay F.C. names Simon Dawkins as its first technical director to set a winning tone.

Technical director may seem an obscure title when applied to a soccer squad. But for Simon Dawkins, the position represents “a massive step up” for Monterey Bay F.C.

On Monday, Dec. 9, the club introduced Dawkins as its first technical director, charged with—among other things—instilling a winning attitude in a side that has not finished better than 11th place in three seasons in the USL Championship.

Dawkins originally came to MBFC as a midfielder, joining for the inaugural season in 2022. When the team parted ways with Frank Yallop, the only manager it had known, with the 2024 campaign still underway, the 37-year-old retired and took over as interim assistant coach. Jordan Stewart was named the new head coach.

The pair nursed the squad to an 8-10-16 record, 11th in the USL Western Conference.

“12th, 11th, 11th—that’s not good enough,” Dawkins says emphatically, echoing Stewart's attitude. “I think we have good guys here, but we could be more aggressive on the field.”

While Stewart will guide the team on the pitch, in his new role, Dawkins will oversee the recruitment and development of players with an eye toward their desire for winning and team-first mentality. But it also involves ensuring that the entire organization is equally driven, clicking from top to bottom. In the past, MBFC would put together winning streaks, but would struggle to overcome the inevitable dips in a season.

“We’re all together now,” he observes. “We have a plan. This gives us every opportunity for success.”

Despite three consecutive seasons with double digits in the loss column, Dawkins says it will not take much to reverse MBFC’s fortunes.

“It’s addressing the little bits where you mesh together,” he says. “I don’t think we’re a million miles from it.”

Dawkins points to Rhode Island FC as a model. The Eastern Conference side visited Cardinale Stadium in March last year and drew 2-2 with the Union. He says you could recognize their talent, but they had not brought it to bear in terms of producing results.

Indeed, it would be late June—well into the 2024 schedule—before Rhode Island celebrated their second win. By the end of the season, however, they were in 5th place with a playoff berth.

While his role as technical director will include strengthening the youth program and ensuring MBFC 2 learns the system, Dawkins says the first task is finding “the right type of players” to build the top club.

He defines that as “someone who will go that extra mile to win.”

“We’re going to get sell-outs here,” Dawkins says of Cardinale Stadium. “That starts with play on the field.”