ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Saint Louis FC announced on Wednesday night that former USL Coach of the Year Preki has been named as the club’s new head coach. A former MLS Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year, Preki led Sacramento Republic FC to the USL Cup in its inaugural season in 2014.

“Preki is someone that brings the passion, the determination and the commitment to creating an environment where players are pushed to realize their full potential,” said STLFC General Manager Jeremy Alumbaugh. “His track record of winning at both the MLS and USL levels make him the ideal person to lead Saint Louis FC, but also his ability to develop players during different points in their careers is something we were attracted to. If you look at the players he has helped bring along during his time at Chivas USA, Toronto, and Sacramento, you see a history of making players better and helping them become true professionals.”

Preki's most recent coaching position was with Sacramento, where he posted a record of 33-15-5 in addition to leading the side to its USL Cup victory. Prior to his arrival in Sacramento, Preki coached in MLS for Chivas USA and Toronto FC. During his stint in Los Angeles with Chivas USA, he boasted a record of 41-36-30 while earning Coach of the Year honors in 2007, and then went 11-11-10 across two seasons for Toronto FC.   

“Winning, success and an intense desire to compete are part of his DNA,” said Saint Louis FC President Patrick Barry. “We had a very clear vision for what we wanted in our next coach and Preki matches that vision. The appointment of Preki signals our commitment to building the best franchise in the USL.”

Preki also has ties to the St. Louis soccer community, having played for the St. Louis Storm in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1990 to 1992. In 91 appearances, he tallied 113 goals for the team. From St. Louis, he moved on to play for the Premier League’s Everton. In 46 appearances for Everton he scored four goals, before notching five goals in 40 appearances for Portsmouth prior to returning to the United States to join the Kansas City Wizards at the launch of Major League Soccer.

Between 1996 and 2000, Preki scored 50 times in 145 appearances for the Wizards, earning the MLS Most Valuable Player award in 1997. He then recorded eight goal in 24 games for the Miami Fusion in 2001, before returning to Kansas City to finish his MLS career, as he recorded 21 goals in 73 appearances for the Wizards and earned his second MVP award in 2003. Preki’s 79 goals in MLS put him 18th all-time in league history, while his 112 assists are fifth all-time.

Preki also made 28 appearances for the U.S. Men's National team between 1996 and 2001. His goals against Guatemala and El Salvador helped the team qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France. Arguably the biggest goal in his career came on February 10, 1998 when the United States defeated Brazil, 1-0, in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2010.