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Former New England Revolution assistant coach Tom Soehn is expected to be named the first-ever coach of Birmingham Legion FC per Soc Takes. The USL expansion side is set to begin league play in 2019.
Am told Tom Soehn will take over as head coach of 2019 USL expansion team @bhmlegion
— Nipun Chopra, PhD (@NipunChopra7) August 10, 2018
Soehn was one of the finalists for the Indy XI coaching job in March, and has previously coached at DC United.
Attempts to contact the team for comment were unsuccessful.
Soehn worked under ex-manager Jay Heaps from 2014-2017, ultimately serving as interim coach following Heaps’ dismissal last September. Several months ago, Heaps was named president and general manager of the fledgling club, so Soehn’s arrival brings Revolution-flavored MLS cache to this southern city.
Legion FC recently made their initial player signing, inking former LA Galaxy forward Chandler Hoffman to a deal. Ironically, the Alabama native won an MLS Cup in 2014 over the Revs during the Heaps/Soehn tenure on the New England sideline.
Soehn has an impressive MLS pedigree as a player and coach, having worked under Bob Bradley and Peter Novak in such places as DC United and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He helped win a US Open Cup and Supporter’s Shield during previous coaching stints. Despite his expressing interest in becoming the permanent Revolution gaffer after Heaps, the New England front office chose a new direction by hiring current head coach Brad Friedel last November.
The Bent Musket reached out to Birmingham Legion FC, but the club declined to comment on the rumor. It’s worth mentioning that Soehn recently started following Birmingham on Twitter.