August 6, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Richmond Kickers News Release
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the addition of First Team Assistant Coach and Opposition Analyst Ridi Dauti to the technical staff. Dauti will also serve as Richmond United’s U16 and U17 Head Coach, helping forge the bridge from youth to senior-level soccer in Richmond.
Dauti joins the Kickers with a wealth of experience in coaching and player development in Europe and the United States. He holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A-Senior license, and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) A and UEFA Elite A Youth licenses. He earned a Master’s in Soccer Training from the University of Porto (Portugal) and a Bachelor’s of Sports Science from SUNY Cortland.
A specialist in training methodology and tactical analysis, beyond his duties in various head coaching and assistant coach roles, Dauti has spent the bulk of his coaching career developing players on an individual basis utilizing a position-specific approach to help players become versatile and master their positions to be able to interpret the different situations the game might present. In his roles in the professional coaching space both in the U.S. and in Europe, Dauti has led video analysis, creating presentations for the coaching staff and players to develop and prepare for opposing teams.
The Tirana, Albania native most recently served as the 1. SC Znojmo FK’s (Czechia) Interim Manager after serving as the club’s Head Assistant Coach in Fall 2023. Before his role in Znojmo, Dauti served as an assistant coach and individual development coach at Rio Ave U23 (Portugal) during the 2022-23 season.
Dauti enjoyed enormous success as John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Men’s Head Coach from 2017-19 after serving as the team’s assistant coach in 2016.
In his first year as coach, the Bloodhounds earned their best record in program history with 9-8-1, finished as City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Finalists, and earned their first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship berth. Dauti was named the 2017 CUNYAC Coach of the Year. In 2018, the Bloodhounds would make their second-straight playoff berth, falling to top-seeded College of Staten Island in overtime in the semifinals.
Dauti’s final season at the helm in 2019 proved to be the exclamation point. John Jay made their third straight CUNYAC playoffs, earning a 4-1 victory over fourth-seeded Brooklyn…