June 25, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release
IRVINE, CA – Orange County SC today confirms that head coach Morten Karlsen is heading to Denmark, becoming the new manager of Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga, effective immediately. Karlsen’s move to Lyngby BK, for which OCSC has received compensation, is another success story for the club’s Pathway to Europe program, which has now seen six players and Karlsen move to top European leagues, more than any other club in the US-including MLS clubs.
Karlsen, the first coach to win the USL Championship Coach of the Month award in consecutive months (July-August 2023), leaves the club after one year at the helm. In that time, he led the team to a second place regular season finish in the Western Conference, after assuming head coaching duties when the club was in 11th place. The Black and Orange achieved a 22-13-6 record (.610 win percentage, 1.76 points per game) under Karlsen’s tenure, including a club record winning streak of eight straight wins from July-September 2023.
“I want to thank Morten for what he’s done for Orange County Soccer Club,” OCSC President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Peter Nugent said. “As a club, our aim has always been to help our players showcase their talents and realize their dreams of competing at the highest levels in Europe, this also applies to our coaching staff as well.
“What Morten achieved last year, leading the club to a second place finish in the regular season and the conference semifinals attracted attention from a number of clubs and whilst we are sad to see him leave, we are pleased to see him taking the helm of a top division Danish team in his homeland, which was always a dream of his. We wish him all the best in his new role and look forward to following his continued success.”
Morten joined Orange County SC in February 2023 after completing a stint on the technical team of the Danish National Team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Prior to joining the Danish staff, Karlsen was an assistant at AGF in the Danish Superliga and head coach of second division side HB Køge and the FC Nordsjælland U-19s. He made over 300 appearances in defensive midfield during his playing career, appearing most notably for FC Nordsjælland and Lyngby BK.
“I’d just like to thank the fans here in Orange County. They have been so supportive of me and the boys since the first day I arrived,” Karlsen said. “We’ve created some…