MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. – Westchester SC today announced the hiring of Dave Carton as the club's first head coach. Carton will play a key role as the club prepares for its debut season in 2025 and will immediately join WSC, which will play its home matches at the Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon.  

Carton, 41, comes to WSC following a successful tenure with a fellow League One side, the Charlotte Independence, where he was instrumental in leading the team to multiple playoff appearances. Beginning with Charlotte in 2008, Carton's roles included Technical Director of the Independence Academy, First Team Assistant Coach, and Head Coach of Charlotte's USL League Two team. During his time in Charlotte, Carton helped guide the team to the 2023 USL League One Final a season ago.

"Bringing a talented young coach like Dave to Westchester will give us a tremendous amount of USL experience while helping build a winning culture from day one," said Simon Baines, Sporting Director of WSC. "Dave's impressive track record in player development will undoubtedly provide a winning edge on the field."

"I am very excited to accept the position as the first head coach in Westchester SC history," Carton said. "The vision and ambition of the leadership at Westchester SC convinced me straight away that this club was the right move for me and my family. The entire organization is committed to excellence, and we have a clear alignment in how we want to play and the type of player we want to attract with the development of a defined player pathway at the core of how we will build the club and connect with the wider soccer community."

A native of Wexford, Ireland, Carton played collegiately at Winthrop University and holds a master's degree in International Sports Management from the Johan Cruyff Institute, along with two degrees from Winthrop. Carton holds a USSF National "A" license, United Soccer Coaches Premier License and a Master Coach Diploma from the United Soccer Coaches. He began his coaching career at Winthrop, where he helped lead the team to a regular season title and two Big South Conference Championships. 

"Since our move to USL League One, Dave has been an instrumental member of our staff in Charlotte and a major contributor to the success of the Independence over the past three seasons," said Charlotte Independence Head Coach and General Manager, Mike Jeffries. "He developed a great rapport with the players and his positive outlook was infectious with the group. I will miss his insights into the game and training as he was integral on the soccer side and also his work ethic and willingness to do extra to make the team better. I am excited for him to get an opportunity to get the position in Westchester as a head coach and wish him success in his new role."

Ahead of its inaugural season, WSC has also recently made several key hires, including Sara Hess (Whalen), who helped the United States Women's National Team to its second World Cup crown at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and will now oversee Player and Community Development for the League One expansion side.

For more information, visit Westchester SC's website and follow the club on social media on X (Twitter) and Instagram.