D.C. United's eventful offseason took yet another surprise turn on Thursday morning at RFK Stadium, as the club announced that head coach Peter Nowak has departed for an assistant position with the U.S. men's national team and will be replaced by Tom Soehn, his right-hand man over the past three seasons.
While his move was unexpected - just last week team executives signaled their expectation that Nowak would soon put pen to a new contract - United's choice of a replacement was extremely simple. Team president and CEO Kevin Payne revealed that Soehn, long considered one of Major League Soccer's hottest head coaching prospects, was the team's only candidate for the job.
Known as a stout defender during his distinguished playing career with Dallas and Chicago, Soehn recently interviewed for coaching vacancies with FC Dallas and Chivas USA and was strongly considered for other jobs in past years. But his patience paid dividends as United's top spot became available barely two months before the Supporters' Shield winners kick off an ambitious 2007 campaign.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," he said. "This club has a tradition of excellence. What an exciting time to come aboard, when we have big tournaments on the horizon and MLS Cup back here in D.C. I look forward to those challenges, and we're going to make sure we're ready for all of that."
Nowak will join his old friend and former coach Bob Bradley in an interim role with the U.S. senior team, and regardless of U.S. Soccer's final decision in six months, both will retain permanent jobs leading the U.S. under-23 national squad. Soehn paid tribute to the former Polish international, whose sustained success with United belied the fact that it was his first-ever coaching job.
"Peter and I talked about everything, and we learned everything together," said Soehn, "and I thank him for those opportunities to do that. We relied on each other quite a bit, and I'm sure in the future we're still going to rely on each other - we're only a phone call away."
Arriving on the heels of the Dec. 11 Freddy Adu trade, Nowak's exit presents another unforeseen wrinkle for the Black-and-Red as they look to build on last year's success. But the club's leaders emphasized that Soehn's already pivotal role will allow for a seamless change.
"He's been involved in every decision, on and off the field, that we've made in the last two years," said United technical director Dave Kasper. "This transition will be very clean and very smooth."
Goalkeeping coach Mark Simpson already has a close working relationship with Soehn and will step into a more prominent role as his top assistant.
"We've driven in to work together for the last three years, and we bounce ideas off each other," said the former United netminder. "Communication styles are going to be different. Tommy doesn't like to let things fester, especially with players. He'll call them and talk to them right away, openly and honestly. I think the players are going to really appreciate the way he handles the communication with them."
Soehn's most pressing task is the capture of at least one of the experienced South American attacking players presently under consideration by the club. He declined to delve into details, but promised that impact additions were on the way.
"One thing I can say is that we're looking for exciting players, and veteran players who are used to playing in big games," he said, "guys who can understand and truly appreciate what it means to wear the badge of D.C. United."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
