Owen Coyle was officially named head coach of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo on Tuesday, the club announced.
Coyle takes over for Dominic Kinnear, who left after nine seasons in charge to manage the San Jose Earthquakes.
"For me it was just a terrific fit and a great challenge," Coyle told HoustonDynamo.com during his presentation. "It's going to be one of the biggest leagues in world football and anybody in the game wants to be involved at a high level. MLS certainly is and I think it'll continue to progress. For me it was a fantastic challenge. I've watched MLS extensively, back home we get live feeds and highlights so I certainly know all the teams in the league."
Coyle, who took Burnley into the Premier League in 2009, said he gained his appreciation for MLS after bringing English clubs to the United States for preseason training. Upon moving on to Bolton in 2010, he kept the club clear of relegation and led them to another mid-table finish and the semifinals of the FA Cup in 2010-11, his first full season in charge. He added future Arsenal and Liverpool stars Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge on loan. During a 2011 trip, he scouted and then eventually signed U.S. international Stuart Holden as well as ex-New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream .
After Bolton were relegated out of the Premier League in 2012, he moved on to Wigan, who were recently relegated from the top division. He left Wigan in December 2013, and said he considered Houston after speaking with club president Chris Canetti after Kinnear -- the only head coach in Dynamo history -- returned to San Jose.
"I always had a close tie in terms of looking out for the club and seeing how they were doing," Coyle said.
"Within the last six months I had six or seven good offers to come back in, both home and abroad, and I just didn't feel it was the right thing or the right connection. What I wanted to do was wait for the connection I got with somebody.
"When I sat with Chris I just knew straight away. It was a similar feeling to the one I got when I sat with [co-owner] Brendan Flood at Burnley. That feeling that they're not only knowledgeable people but really good men, which is so important."
Coyle promised hard work and passion for the job.
"Anybody will tell you I'm quite a humble guy but I certainly know what I'm good at and I'll look to try and impart that knowledge and experience and the qualities I have on anybody I come in contact with," said Coyle. "We'll try and build something with longevity, try and put a winning team on the park that'll entice fans to come. We'll try and play a brand of soccer that everybody enjoys watching but equally it can be a winning one."