Western Courier

Issue date: 1/17/07 Section: Sports

Tom Soehn, who was elected into the Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003, was named the head coach of D.C. United.

Western Illinois University soccer alum and Athletics Hall of Fame member Tom Soehn (1984-1987) has been named head coach of D.C. United, the club announced late last month.
Soehn was promoted after six years as an assistant coach in Major League Soccer, spending the 2001-2003 seasons with the Chicago Fire and the 2004-2006 campaigns with his current club.

"Tom Soehn has been a huge contributor to the success of our club over the past three seasons," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne in a news release.

"Tommy is incredibly hard working, with a tremendous drive to succeed. His attention to detail, eye for talent and open and frank manner with players will no doubt help us continue the great tradition D.C. United has established as America's most honored professional soccer team."

As an assistant coach, Soehn helped United earn three consecutive playoff berths, qualify for both the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2005 and 2007 and the Copa Sudamericana in 2005. He also captured the 2004 MLS Cup and 2006 Supporters' Shield. While with the Fire, Soehn helped the team qualify for the playoffs each of his three seasons, won the 2003 Eastern Conference Championship and advanced to the 2003 MLS Cup.

"Tom Soehn is more than ready to be a head coach in MLS," said Dave Kasper, United Technical Director. "He has been a huge part of this club's success the past three years, and he is well-respected in our locker room and in the community. It will be a pleasure to work with someone who has a strong work ethic, is passionate about the game and winning and whose character is beyond reproach."

Soehn, who was elected into the Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003, recorded 19 goals and 18 assists (56 points) during his Leatherneck career and still ranks 12th among the school's career scoring leaders. The two-time all-conference honoree helped Western Illinois to a 48-23-4 record and three second-place league finishes in his four years.

A professional soccer veteran since 1988, Soehn was the 13th overall draft pick in the 1996 MLS Draft and spent five years in MLS as a defender with Chicago and Dallas. While in Chicago, he was a member of the Fire's three championship teams, winning the 1998 MLS Cup and the 1998 and 2000 U.S. Open Cups. In 2000 he was named the Fox Sports Net Player of the Year, the New York Life Humanitarian of the Year and the American Lung Association Educator of the Year.

-Western Illinois University
Athletics Media Services

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