Birmingham Legion FC appoints MLS veteran Tom Soehn as first ever coach

Veteran manager to continue coaching career in USL
 

BIRMINGHAM, AL (August 16, 2018) – Birmingham Legion Football Club today announced the hiring of two-time Supporters Shield winner and 2004 MLS Cup Champion Tom Soehn as the club’s first ever head coach. Soehn, 52, has signed a multi-year deal, and will be introduced to the media and public on Thursday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m. CT at the Legion FC office, located at 2213 1st Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233.

“We are excited to announce Tom Soehn as Legion FC’s first head coach,” said Legion FC president and general manager Jay Heaps. “Tommy has won championships as both a player and coach and has proven his ability to develop players while building championship-caliber teams. Just as important, Tommy’s character is of the highest quality, and that will be reflected in the players we have on the field in 2019 and beyond.”

“I am delighted and grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach of Birmingham Legion FC,” stated Soehn. “The passion and vision for the club and the city during the interviewing process made Birmingham the obvious choice. I am looking forward to meeting and growing our fan base as we begin our inaugural season.”

“I would like to thank the ownership group, Jay and the rest of the staff for this wonderful opportunity,” he added. “I am also grateful for my family’s unwavering love and support as we enter into this wonderful new adventure.”

As a prior MLS Coach of the Year nominee, Soehn is a well-known and respected name in American professional soccer circles. Most recently, he served as a scout for the Columbus Crew, after spending four years as an assistant coach and interim head coach with the New England Revolution.

Soehn was named the Vancouver Whitecaps first Director of Soccer Operations in 2010, where he developed and managed the club’s inaugural roster, player scouting, and identification and recruitment system as the club prepared to enter the MLS in 2011.

Soehn’s most successful years coaching came in his time with D.C. United from 2004-2009. He won an MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield as an assistant coach before claiming a second Shield and a U.S. Open Cup championship as head coach.

After completing his playing career in 2000 with his hometown club, Chicago Fire, Soehn began his coaching career in the Windy City under U.S. coaching greats Bob Bradley and Dave Sarachan, winning another U.S. Open Cup in 2003.

As an MLS player, Soehn won his first U.S. Open Cup with the Dallas Burn and then two more Open Cups and an MLS Cup in three years playing for Chicago. Prior to his MLS days, Soehn played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League for the Wichita Wings, in the Canadian Soccer League for the Ottawa Intrepid and Hamilton Steelers, in the American Professional Soccer League, where he won two titles, with the Colorado Foxes, the National Professional Soccer League for the Denver Thunder, and the Continental Indoor Soccer League for the Las Vegas Dustdevils.

Transaction: Birmingham Legion FC signs Tom Soehn to a multi-year deal as head coach.

Full Name: Tom Soehn
Position: Defender                                      
Born: April 15, 1966, Chicago, Ill.
Hometown:  Chicago, Ill.
Last Club: Columbus Crew

Career Highlights:

As a coach –
MLS Cup Champion (2004)
Back-to-back Supporter’s Shield Champion (2006, 2007)
U.S. Open Cup Champion (2003, 2008)
MLS Coach of the Year Nominee (2007)
MLS Eastern Conference Champion (2000, 2003, 2004, 2014)
Supporter’s Shield Runner-Up (2001)
U.S. Open Cup Runner-Up (2009, 2016)

As a player –
MLS Cup Champion (1998)
Three-time U.S. Open Cup Champion (1997, 1998, 2000)
Back-to-back American Professional Soccer League Champion (1992, 1993)
Supporter’s Shield Runner-Up (2000)
13th overall pick in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft

About Birmingham Legion Football Club

Set to debut as an expansion member of the United Soccer League in 2019, Birmingham Legion Football Club is the Magic City’s first and only locally owned and operated professional soccer franchise. The club will play home matches at a newly renovated BBVA Compass Soccer Field, on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, beginning next Spring. For ticket information and to purchase official Legion FC merchandise, please visit bhmlegion.com. Supporters are encouraged to follow @bhmlegion on Twitter and Instagram, as well as Birmingham Legion FC on Facebook, for the latest club news.