WPS Chicago Red Stars Name Namazi New Head Coach, Will Start Immediately

The Chicago Red Stars of Women's Professional Soccer announced the hiring of Omid Namazi as their head Coach on Thursday.

Namazi becomes the team's second full-time head coach, succeeding Emma Hayes, who guided Chicago through their inaugural 2009 season and the first six WPS matches of 2010.

Red Stars President and General Manager Marcia McDermott, who coached the team for one match last Saturday—a 1-0 win over first-place FC Gold Pride—will pass the torch to Namazi this Sunday when Chicago (2-4-1) hosts the Atlanta Beat (0-5-1) at 5 p.m. (televised on Fox Soccer Channel).

Helping Namazi on the sidelines this Sunday will be University of Illinois women's soccer coach Janet Rayfield as an assistant, and Nathan Kipp for goalkeeping.

Per team policy, terms of Namazi's contract were not released.

Namazi last coached in the women's game when he was the head coach of the San Diego Spirit of the Women's United Soccer Association. In his 2003 season with the Spirit, Namazi led the squad to its only postseason appearance.

"Omid established himself as a winner in the WUSA with San Diego, and he has demonstrated a winning track record throughout his coaching tenure," McDermott said.

"We are committed to making a run for the playoffs this season. The team has been very professional and is in a good position to push forward."

Namazi hopes to turn around Chicago's season by bringing cohesiveness and a winning demeanor to the team.

"This is a talented group, but talent alone is not always going to be enough," Namazi said.

"There need to be other elements to the team—good leadership, commitment to winning and commitment to doing everything in order to get the W's. And I think that's an area where I can bring some leadership to the team."

Though Namazi's WUSA tenure was brief, he was part of a strong group that included 2003 Defensive Player of the Year Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Shannon MacMillan, and Aly Wagner.

"It was kind of a brand new role to me, but I was anxious to get in there and things worked to perfection," Namazi said.

"We had a good run through the season with very good leaders...We made the playoffs for the first time in team history and we were a couple minutes away from making it into the final. But we fell in overtime in the quarterfinals [to 2003 WUSA runner-up Atlanta]."

Namazi previously was the head coach and Vice President of Soccer Operations for the New Jersey Ironmen (former Major Indoor Soccer League and Xtreme Soccer League team). Namazi had a successful indoor career as a coach and player.

He is a two-time MISL Coach of the Year (2005 and 2006) and was the 2001-02 MISL Defender of the Year.

In November 2009, Namazi founded ON3 Soccer, a soccer academy based in the Tri-State region of New Jersey and Philadelphia. ON3 Soccer includes an academy program, year-round training, summer and holiday camps and coaching clinics.

This article was adapted from a Chicago Red Stars Press Release.

About Omid Namazi:
Birth date: 12/8/64, in Provo, Utah
College: West Virginia
Previous coaching position: Head Coach/VP of Soccer Operations for the New Jersey Ironmen (Major Indoor Soccer League/Xtreme Soccer League)
Coaching career:
* New Jersey Ironmen (MISL/XSL): 2007-2009 -- MISL quarterfinal appearance in 2007-08
* St. Louis Steamers (MISL): 2005-2006 -- MISL championship appearance in 2005-06
* Cleveland Force (MISL): 2004-2005 -- MISL championship appearance in 2004-05
* San Diego Spirit (WUSA): 2002-2003 -- WUSA quarterfinal appearance in 2003
* Philadelphia KiXX (NPSL/MISL): 1996-2002 -- postseason appearance every season; two-time regular season champion in 1997-98 and 1998-99; 2001-2002 MISL champion

Coaching accolades: 2005 MISL Coach of the Year; 2006 MISL Coach of the Year

Playing career: The majority of Namazi's 19-year professional playing career was in indoors. He was a four-time Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star and was voted 2001-2002 MISL Defender of the Year. Outdoors, Namazi played for the Washington Diplomats, Maryland Bays and Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and was called up by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer in 1996.

(WUSA: Women's United Soccer Association; MISL: Major Indoor Soccer League; NPSL: National Professional Soccer League; XSL: Xtreme Soccer League)