Steve Nicol named coach of 2008 MLS All-Star team

Story courtesy MLS Communications

NEW YORK (June 28, 2008) – The MLS All-Stars will have a familiar face on the sidelines when they line up against historic English Premier League side West Ham United FC on July 24 at BMO Field. New England’s Steve Nicol, who coached the MLS All-Stars to a victory in 2007, has earned the honor of coaching the team again by leading the Revolution to a successful first half of the season in which the Revs have recorded the most points per game through games played on June 29.

Nicol’s team defeated Toronto FC this evening by a score of 2-1 giving the Revolution a record of 9-4-3 with 30 points. They sit atop the Eastern Conference standings and have recorded 1.875 points per game. Nicol edged Columbus Crew head coach Sigi Schmid for the honor, as Schmid and the Crew have an 8-4-2 record, good for 1.857 points per game.

As head coach of the MLS All-Star team, Nicol will select five players and his coaching and training staff. If players selected for the All-Star First XI are unavailable due to international duty, injury or other commitments, Nicol may decide on alternates.

This will be Nicol’s second appearance as a head coach in the MLS All-Star game. Last season he led the MLS All-Stars to 2-0 victory over Scottish Premier League side Celtic FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. He also served as head coach of the MLS Select Team that faced Real Madrid in 2005. Nicol has served as a head coach for the Revolution in eight seasons. He served as an interim head coach for the final two games of the Revolution’s 1999 season and as an interim again during the 2002 season, before being named the Revolution’s fifth head coach in November 2002. He has led the Revolution to the Eastern Conference Championship match in six straight seasons and has four MLS Cup appearances. Nicol was MLS Coach of the Year in 2002.

He boasts an 84-59-50 record and ranks fourth all-time in career MLS coaching wins. Nicol is touted as having one of the best eyes for young and talented prospects such as Clint Dempsey and Michael Parkhurst who each won MLS Rookie of the Year honors (2004 and 2005 respectively), and Adam Cristman who was a finalist for Rookie of the Year in 2007. He began his coaching career in 1995 with Notts County then traveled to the United States as a player/coach for the Boston Bulldogs, before becoming an assistant coach for New England.

Nicol, a native of Troon, Scotland, began his professional playing career with Ayr United before being transferred to Liverpool where he appeared in 467 matches and scored 46 goals. He won four English titles, three F.A. Cup tiles and the 1984 European Cup while with Liverpool. Nicol appeared 27 times with the Scottish National Team and started for Scotland in the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico.

The MLS All-Star First XI will be announced on July 10. The First XI are determined by online fan balloting comprising 25 percent of the total vote, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent) and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. On July 15, Nicol and his staff will select five All-Stars who will join two Commissioner’s selections to complete the MLS 18-man roster.

The 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game will feature the best in Major League Soccer versus West Ham United of the English Premier League. The game will be played on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p.m. ET at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada and will be broadcast on ESPN, Telefutura and CBC in Canada. This will be the fifth time that the Pepsi MLS All-Star game has followed this format, adopted to ensure the most competitive All-Star spectacle in North American professional sports. Last year, the MLS All-Stars defeated Scottish Premier League powerhouse Celtic FC, 2-0, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce, Colo., with a game-winning goal by New York Red Bulls forward and designated player Juan Pablo Angel. In 2006, the MLS All-Stars defeated English Premier League power Chelsea FC, 1-0, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. In 2005, the MLS All-Stars bested English Premier League club Fulham FC, 4-1, at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. In 2003, the MLS All-Stars downed one of Mexico’s most storied clubs, Chivas de Guadalajara, 3-1, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.