While CT United FC fans count down the days until the club's inaugural match on March 1, the club has been hard at work continuing preparations for its first season as the club announced its preseason plans and filled out its technical staff.
While dates, times, and locations were not revealed, the preseason will see CT United FC square off against collegiate sides Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, University of New Haven, and Yale. CT United will also face Canadian Premier League side FC Supra, USL League One sides New York Cosmos and Westchester Football Club, and USL Championship side Hartford Athletic.
As indicated in the Instagram post announcing preseason plans, it appears all eight matches will be played behind closed doors.
With preseason plans in place, the club turned its attention to filling out the technical staff under the club’s inaugural head coach, Shavar Thomas.
Assistant Coach Daniel Gutierrez arrives in Connecticut after spending several years in the Red Bull New York organization, in which he served as the club’s U12 and U13 sides before being called up by former RBNY II head coach Ibrahim Sekagya to serve as an assistant ahead of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.
Gutierrez reunites with Ibrahim Kasule and Steven Sserwadda, who are on loan at CT United FC, after the trio won the MLS NEXT Pro Cup title with Red Bull New York II last season.
Javier Decima takes the role of Goalkeeper Coach after serving as a goalkeeper coach for Sacred Heart University. Following his time at SHU, Decima joined CT United FC as Director of Goalkeeping and worked alongside the organization's Academy ahead of the 2026 season.
Like Gutierrez, Performance Analyst Fernando Alva joins CT United FC after spending time in the Red Bull New York organization, where he worked across first-team and professional operations in performance and opposition analysis.
“This is about more than development — it’s about building a professional environment that competes at the highest levels of North American soccer," Thomas said. "Daniel, Javier, and Fernando bring the experience and mentality needed to establish CT United as a top-class organization.”
