Mike Sorber, an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team, will serve as a volunteer assistant coach at Saint Louis. This marks his 11th season being associated with the Billiken soccer program as a player and a coach. "Being hired by the national team speaks volumes about Mike both as a person and a coach," Billiken head coach Dan Donigan said. "It is the best of both worlds for us because he will still be involved in our program as a volunteer assistant. The expertise that he can lend to our players during training and in games is invaluable." Sorber retired from professional soccer in 2001 to begin his coaching career as Dan Donigan's first assistant coach. Over the next six years, he helped the Billikens advance to the NCAA Tournament four times. He was one of the top 20 assistant coaches in the country in 2006 according to College Soccer News, and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) recently named him the 2006 Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Sorber spent the spring of 2007 serving as a temporary assistant coach through training camps and international friendlies for then-interim US MNT head coach Bob Bradley. Bradley had the interim tag removed in May, and Sorber officially joined the full-time staff in July 2007. Sorber is one of the most capped players in U.S. history with 67 appearances for the National Team. His 67 caps rank him in the top 20 all-time for the U.S. side. Sorber started all four games for the U.S. during the 1994 World Cup. After his stellar World Cup performance, Sorber played two seasons for UNAM Pumas in Mexico. He became the first American to earn All-Star status in Mexico's First Division. Sorber began his MLS career with Kansas City during the league's inaugural 1996 season. He was traded in the off-season to the NY/NJ MetroStars and appeared in 74 matches over three seasons with the MetroStars. The Chicago Fire acquired Sorber in a trade during the 2000 season, and he helped Chicago win the Central Division title and reach the MLS Cup final. In 116 career MLS appearances, he started 106 matches and totaled 37 points (9G, 19A). The St. Louis native was a 1992 Hermann Trophy finalist during his senior year at Saint Louis. He was a four-year standout for the Billikens and was a central figure in the Bills' drive to the 1991 national semifinals. He finished his Billiken career with 55 points (13G, 29A).
Sorber earned his bachelor's degree in communication from Saint Louis University with a minor in criminal justice in 1994. He accomplished this while playing for the U.S. National Team. The Sorber family name has long been connected to the St. Louis soccer community. Mike's father, Pete, was the head coach at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley for 30 years and won 10 National Junior College Athletic Association national championships. Sorber and his wife Mindy live in St. Louis along with his son, Kyler, and daughter, Syerra.
|
|
|||||||||||||||
