Tom Soehn

Tom Soehn (born April 15, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois) is the head coach of the Birmingham Legion football club.

Soehn grew up in Chicago and began playing soccer at age 4. He graduated from Forest View High School in 1984 and from Western Illinois University in 1987. In college he starred as leading scorer and two-time All Conference player for the Leathernecks soccer team. After graduating he signed a professional contract with the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1989 he also signed with the Ottawa Intrepid of the Canadian Soccer League, moving to the Hamilton Steelers in 1991. In 1992 he signed with the Colorado Foxes of the American Professional Soccer League, and also played for the Denver Thunder of the National Professional Soccer League, before returning to the Wings, which had joined the NPSL, in 1994. In 1995 he played with the Las Vegas Dustdevils of the Continental Indoor Soccer League during the summer.

Soehn was drafted by the Dallas Burn in the second round of the 1996 Major League Soccer Inaugural Player Draft. He missed the team's first season due to injury, but was on the field in 1997 and the first 14 games of 1998, before being traded to the Chicago Fire. He was a member of three championship teams at Chicago before he retired from playing in 2000.

In 2001 Soehn began his coaching career as an assistant to Bob Bradley with the Chicago Fire. In 2003 he was hired by Peter Nowak at D.C. United, winning the MLS Cup in 2004. He succeeded Nowak as head coach in 2006. He led United to another Open Cup in 2008, but declined to negotiate for a contract renewal in 2009.

Instead, Soehn accepted the role of director of soccer operations for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USSF Division 2, and was pressed into service as head coach when Teitur Thordarson was dismissed. He stepped down from coaching in favor of Martin Rennie in 2011, while helping guide thee Whitecaps move into Major League Soccer. He left the club in 2012.

Soehn was hired as an assistant to New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps in 2014, and served as interim head coach when Heaps was fired in 2017. In August 2018 Heaps, now general manager of Birmingham Legion FC hired Soehn away from MLS to lead the team in the USL Championship.

References

• "Legion FC appoints Tom Soehn as first Head Coach." (August 16, 2018) USL Soccer
• "Tom Soehn." (February 7, 2024) Wikipedia - accessed April 15, 2024