Utah's Major League Soccer team hired former U.S. Under-17 coach John Ellinger to coach the new team when it begins play next spring.
Ellinger, 53, coached the U.S. Under-17 team for seven years and was an assistant on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. Ellinger was also an assistant with the Columbus Crew when the league debuted in 1996.
"I've been a huge fan of this league since it started. I've been a part of it once and I'm glad to be again," Ellinger said.
Ellinger has coached senior U.S. national team members including Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Bobby Convey, as well as numerous MLS regulars in his 12-year-stint as a U.S. federation official, including 15-year-old D.C. United forward Freddy Adu.
He was introduced in a teleconference by Utah general manager Steve Pastorino, who liked Ellinger's established relationships with America's top young players.
"From a talent evaluation standpoint and a relationship standpoint with players, in my mind John Ellinger was an ideal candidate," said Pastorino, a former Chicago Fire executive hired by Utah last month.
Pastorino and Ellinger will begin putting together a roster with the expansion draft once the playoffs are over. The unnamed team will be the 12th in the league when it and CD Chivas USA begin playing in 2005.
"I've been to Salt Lake City many times in the past and love the city. I know it's a soccer-rich city. The fans are very passionate about the game," Ellinger said. "Putting the team together from scratch was something that definitely intrigued me from the start."
Now that a coach and general manager are in place, the team needs a name and colors, which will be announced Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The football stadium at the University of Utah will be home to the MLS team for its first two seasons.
The team is still considering locations for a soccer-only stadium.