The Sarasota Paradise are making the move up to professional soccer in the spring of 2026 and are making corresponding personnel moves to prepare for it.
Wednesday, the Paradise, who play at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, announced they’ve signed a new head coach.
Mika Elovaara, who will also serve as the club’s technical director, will usher the Paradise into a new era when they transition to USL League One.
Elovaara replaces Mirko Dakovic, who guided the Paradise to back-to-back South Florida Division titles in 2024 and 2025.
“First and foremost, I am incredibly grateful and honored to have been selected to lead the Paradise to the pro level,” Elovaara said via a press release. “The trust Marcus Walfridson and Marco Assis have shown in me is humbling, and I can’t wait to get started. (Founder and CEO) Marcus (Walfridson) has been building the Paradise patiently and diligently for many years, and I am thrilled to join him and the rest of the staff to take our work to the next level. We are guided by a shared vision of a modern soccer club in Paradise, and I will work tirelessly to continue to forge our club into a fun, exciting and proud part of the beautiful community. We all have a chance, in our respective roles, to do something unique and rare together.”
Elovaara has spent the past seven seasons coaching with the Richmond Kickers, a USL League One team that is based in Richmond, Virginia. As a coach with the Kickers, Elovaara started as the team’s First Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development and Methodology ahead of the 2019 season. He added Technical Director to his responsibilities in 2023.
The Kickers have been a top-10 USL League One team in three of the past six seasons and have had a winning record in all but one of those seasons.
“When selecting the first head coach for our club, it was important that we chose someone who is aligned with our values, knowledgeable about the league, and a proven track record of developing top talent,” Walfridson said via a press release. “Mika ticked all of our boxes and we are excited to bring him onboard to help build Paradise. In his dual role as Head Coach and Technical Director he will not only make sure we have a competitive team on the field this year, but also a pathway for all local talent who aspire to play professional soccer at the highest level.”
The addition of Elovaara is planned to be just the start of a new-look Paradise team.
USL League One is a significantly higher level of competition that USL League Two, the league the Paradise have competed in, and the club expects to sign professional players to adjust to the higher level of play.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Paradise soccer team usher in a new era with head coach addition
Reporting by Vinnie Portell, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
