Dave Dir

David Dir (born June 23, 1959) is a United States soccer coach and broadcaster and a former player. He played professionally in USISL. He has coached in the American Professional Soccer League, NCAA, Major League Soccer, and the United States under-20 national team. Dir was one of the original ten head coaches in Major League Soccer, coaching the Dallas Burn from 1996 until 2000. At the time of his departure in 2000, Dir had amassed a regular-season record of 81-75-4,^[1] which was at the time more than any other head coach in MLS history.^[2]

Playing career

Dir played youth soccer with the Chicago Kickers. He attended Western Illinois University, where he majored in broadcasting. In 1980, the Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League drafted Dir with their first selection in the 1980 NASL College Draft. He suffered an injury in his first season and never played in a league game for the team. He later played for the Colorado Comets in the USISL.^[3]

Coaching career

Amateur

In 1989, Dir began his coaching career as an assistant with the Colorado Foxes in the American Professional Soccer League. In 1990, Regis University hired Dir as head coach of the men's soccer team. His teams won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference both seasons with a record of 10-5-2 in 1990 and 9-5-4 in 1991. He was voted the 1990 RMAC Coach of the Year.

In 1992, he left Regis to become head coach of the Colorado Foxes of the American Professional Soccer League. In his two and a half seasons with the team, he won the APSL championship twice,^[4] as well as the pro cup and regular season championship in each year. In May 1994, he resigned as head coach when his wife, who was a flight attendant, was transferred to a new location.^[5]

MLS and U.S. U-20 team

Dir was approached by Major League Soccer (MLS), which was preparing for its first season, to become the head of player personnel in charge of all scouting and creation of the original MLS player pool. Dir was the first employee hired by MLS.^[6] Dir worked with Sunil Gulati as a director of player personnel for the new league for two years.^[7]

In 1994, Dir left the league position and became the first head coach of the Dallas Burn, a position he held from 1996, the club's inaugural year, until 2000. In 2000, the club fired Dir. Dir was the longest serving of the original ten MLS head coaches,^[8] winning the 1997 U.S. Open Cup. This remains the team's only championship. Dir remains in the top ten for all time MLS wins as a head coach with eighty-four.

Dir served as an assistant coach with the U-20 men's national team from 2002 to 2011.^[9] Dir has been a coach through four cycles of the U-20 program with various head coaches.

Dir served as chief scout for the Vancouver Whitecaps from 2011 to 2012.^[10] He has consistently been linked to many of MLS's head coaching and technical director vacancies as a candidate for those positions.

Broadcasting career

Dir became a soccer broadcaster with ESPN and Fox Sports. He hosted World Cup Tonight in 2002 and was a co-host on MLS Primetime. He also provided color commentary for national team broadcasts as well as MLS Cup on ABC. Currently he works on MLS broadcasts for multiple clubs in the league.

In 2002 Dir became a partner and is serving as president of the Associated Soccer Group, a national soccer education company which operates and oversees the operations of clubs in Dallas, Georgia and Florida.

See also

• List of Major League Soccer coaches

References