Chad Ashton (born October 26, 1967 in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

) is an American former soccer

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

who spent one season in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

, four in the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

, six in the National Professional Soccer League and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He coached for ten years at the collegiate level and as assistant coach of D.C. United.

Youth

Ashton grew up in Colorado, earning 1986 Colorado high school player of the year recognition (Iver C. Ranum High School). He then attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which r ...

where he played on the men's soccer team from 1986 to 1989. Over his four-year career, he scored 20 goals and added 43 assists in 89 games. He was 1987, 1988 and 1989 second team All Atlantic Coast Conference. He is the team's all-time career assists leader.

Professional

In 1990, Ashton signed with the

Colorado Foxes The Colorado Foxes were a professional soccer team, based in Commerce City, Colorado, that played in the American Professional Soccer League, and later in the A-League, between 1990 and 1997. The Foxes won two APSL titles, in 1992 and 1993. In 1 ...

of the

. The Foxes won the 1992 and 1993 APSL championship. He was the MVP of the 1993 APSL title game. In October 1990, the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, ...

selected Ashton in the third round of the National Professional Soccer League draft. However, the Kansas City Comets selected Ashton in the first round of the Major Indoor Soccer League draft and he signed with them. Ashton signed with the Denver Thunder in the National Professional Soccer League. The team folded following the season. At some point, he played for the Colorado Comets in the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. In the fall of 1993, he signed with the

in the NPSL The next season, he moved to the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

. He saw time in only one game, but rebounded with twenty games during the 1995–1996 season. He continued to play the winter indoor season with the Wings through the 1997–1998 season. In February 1996, the

Dallas Burn Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wit ...

selected Ashton in the 2nd round (18th overall) of the

1996 MLS Supplemental Draft The 1996 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held on March 4, 1996, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. History As Major League Soccer prepared for its first season, the league began stocking teams with players. As the teams were being created at ...

. He played twenty-three games, scoring one goal. In the spring of 1997, he returned to the

for one more season.

Coach

In 1995, the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

hired Ashton as head coach of its men's soccer team. He took the team to a 9–8–2 season, but left the school to pursue his MLS career. In 1998, he returned to the University of Denver. During his ten seasons as head coach of the

, he compiled a record of 85–85–14.University of Denver Media Guide
He was the 2004 and 2006 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year. On January 17, 2007, D.C. United hired Ashton as an assistant coach. In addition to his first team duties, he coached the United reserve team. For 13 years, Ashton served as an assistant coach under three different coaches for United: Tom Soehn,

Curt Onalfo Curt Onalfo (born November 19, 1969) is an American former soccer player and coach who currently serves as technical director of Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. As a player, he played two seasons in France, two in the USISL, o ...

, and

Ben Olsen Benjamin Robert Olsen (born May 3, 1977) is an American sports executive, soccer coach, and former professional player who was formerly the president of Washington Spirit, a professional women's soccer club in the National Women's Soccer Leag ...

. On October 8, 2020, Ashton became D.C. United's interim head coach after the departure of Olsen. On April 20, 2022, Ashton once again became D.C. United's interim head coach following the departure of

Hernán Losada Hernán Pablo Losada (born 9 May 1982) is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder. He currently serves as the head coach of CF Montréal in Major League Soccer. As a player, Losada was known for h ...

References

External links

D.C. United coaching profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Chad 1967 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Colorado Comets players Colorado Foxes players FC Dallas players Denver Thunder players Kansas City Comets (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major League Soccer players Milwaukee Wave players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Denver Pioneers men's soccer coaches North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players Wichita Wings (NPSL) players FC Dallas draft picks D.C. United non-playing staff Men's association football midfielders Soccer players from Colorado Sportspeople from the Denver metropolitan area People from Westminster, Colorado