Sacramento Republic FC has named a former “coach of the year” with a record of racking up postseason wins to lead the club in 2025.Neill Collins, 41, will become the Republic’s fifth head coach.Collins has experience leading the Tampa Bay Rowdies where he earned the fifth-highest overall winning record among USL Championship coaches with 94 wins, 42 losses and 34 draws in six seasons, according to Sacramento Republic FC.Under his leadership, the Rowdies reached three straight Eastern Conference finals starting in 2019 and won their conference title in 2020 and 2021. He was named USL Championship Coach of the Year in 2021. The team reached the playoffs for a fifth straight year in 2022 with Collins at the helm. Collins left Tampa Bay during the 2023 season to become manager for the EFL League One side Barnsley FC in the United Kingdom. He then moved to the Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers FC earlier this year.According to U.K. media, the team had wanted to keep him but Collins had previously expressed a desire to return to the U.S. Collins was born in Scotland and went on to play for clubs in England as a defender before joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies first as a player and then a coach.As a player in England, he won three EFL Championship titles, Republic said. He also helped Leeds become promoted from the English football league system’s third-tier League One to second-tier Championship. He joins Republic after the departure of Sacramento's longest-tenured head coach Mark Briggs earlier this year. Briggs and the club parted ways after five seasons, following the Republic's disappointing final stretch of the 2024 season and after the team was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. Under Briggs' tenure the club finished 74-49-47 and reached the postseason in four of five years. He also led the team during its Cinderella run to the finals of the U.S. Open Cup in 2022.Sacramento Republic's president and general manager indicated in a statement that the goal with Collins' signing is to win a league championship. “His history of success in USL, combined with a steady demeanor and well-respected reputation, align with our pursuit of championship hardware,” Todd Dunivant said in a statement. “Neill is a proven winner, a fantastic leader, and we have no doubts he is the right man to lead our club forward.”Collins vowed to repay Dunivant's and owner Kevin Nagle’s faith in him by “working hard every day to bring success for everyone associated with the club.”“Sacramento have been one of the most consistently successful teams in the USL for the past few years and I can’t wait to help build on that platform,” he said in a statement. “I am well aware that Sacramento Republic is more than just what happens on the pitch and I look forward to being part of the community and creating special memories for our fans.”It won’t be long until the 2025 season kicks off. The regular season begins with a March 8 season opener against New Mexico United at home.Sacramento has retained most of its roster from last season. That includes the USL Championship All-League team selections defender Jack Gurr and goalkeeper Danny Vitiello. Longtime captain and playmaker Rodrigo ‘RoRo’ López will return for a seventh season after having his last two seasons cut short because of injuries. New additions to the roster include Mexican wingback Michel Benítez, a Liga MX veteran, and wingback Dominik Wanner, of Germany. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter