Omid Namazi (; born December 8, 1964) is an Iranian-American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player and coach. Namazi is a USSF “Pro” coaching license holder. Namazi played professionally as a defender in the American Soccer League,

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. ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

USISL The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the United ...

and National Professional Soccer League where he was the 2001 Defender of the Year and he played for

United States national futsal team The United States national futsal team represents the United States at international futsal competitions. It is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and the U.S. Soccer, affiliated with CONCACAF. The U.S. Futsal Federation was foun ...

. He is a two-time Coach of the Year in the Major Indoor Soccer League and coached in the

Women's United Soccer Association The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the Uni ...

. As assistant coach of Iran, he led the team to qualification to the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

and the

2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 201 ...

Early life

Namazi was born in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

, when his father, Mehdi Namazi, was attending

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

to study for a master's degree. The family returned to Iran where Namazi grew up in Tehran. When he was eighteen, his father moved the family back to the United States after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. They settled in Washington, D.C. metro area of

Herndon, Virginia Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia, it is part of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In 2020, the population at the census was 24,655, which makes i ...

. Namazi attended

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

where he played on the men's soccer team from 1984 to 1987. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in exercise philosophy.

Playing career

In 1988, Namazi turned professional with the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. A ...

of the American Soccer League. He spent two seasons with the Dips. Namazi played a handful of games with the

Hershey Impact The Hershey Impact was an indoor soccer club based in Hershey, Pennsylvania that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. The team played its home games at the Hersheypark Arena for all of its 3 seasons. Staff and ownership * Pres ...

of the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

during the 1989–1990 season before being released on January 13, 1990. In 1990, he moved to the

Maryland Bays The Maryland Bays were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League (1988-1989), American Soccer League in 1988. They were based in Catonsville, Maryland, and played their games at the University of Maryland-Baltim ...

of the

. The Bays won the league championships that season. He played the 1991 season in Maryland before moving to the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

for the 1992 season. Namazi played for Reading F.C. during the winter of 1992–1993. In April 1993, he signed with the Los Angeles Salsa of the APSL and played two seasons with them. In December 1994, he signed with the Baltimore Spirit of the National Professional Soccer League. In 1995, he was selected as Second Team All Rookie. In April 1995, the Seattle SeaDogs selected Namadi in the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

draft, but he declined to sign with them. In 1996, he moved outdoors with the Delaware Wizards of the

. He played with the MetroStars of

on loan from the Spirit on July 4, 1996. In June 1996, the

Philadelphia KiXX The Philadelphia KiXX were a professional indoor soccer team based in Philadelphia, USA. The team competed as an National Professional Soccer League II, NPSL expansion franchise and then played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (2008–14), Major ...

selected Namazi in the NPSL expansion draft. In 1997, he was the

Defender of the Year with the New Jersey Stallions. In August 1997, he joined the

Carolina Dynamo Salem City FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Bermuda Run, North Carolina that fields a men's team in USL League Two, and a women's team as the North Carolina Fusion in the USL W League. The teams plays their home games at the Truis ...

late in the season. In 1998, he played for the

Staten Island Vipers The Staten Island Vipers were a soccer club that competed in the USL A-League in 1998 and 1999. The club was based on Staten Island, New York City. The team played its games at Tottenville High School and Wagner College. The team dissolved foll ...

. Namazi continued to play for the KiXX until he left four games into the 2002–2003 season. He was the 2001 NPSL Defender of the Year and won the 2002 MISL championship with the KiXX. In 2001, he played four games for the South Jersey Barons of the

. In December 2003, the Cleveland Force traded Steve Klein to the KiXX in exchange for the rights to Namazi. He played for the Force until 2005. In 2002 and 2003, Namazi played for the

Managerial career

In March 1999, the

fired Dave MacWilliams. Namazi, on injured reserve after knee surgery, served as interim head coach. His success led to a permanent contract in July 1999. In 2001, Namazi took the KiXX to the MISL championship series where the team fell to the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional indoor footbal ...

. In 2002, the KiXX won the championship, defeating the Wave. Four games into the 2002–2003 season, Namazi left the KiXX to become head coach of the San Diego Spirit of

. He took the Spirit to the semifinals of the WUSA playoffs, the only season the Spirit made the playoffs. The WUSA collapsed at the end of the season and Namazi returned to playing for the Cleveland Force in October 2003. In March 2004, the Force named Namazi as interim head coach, making him the permanent head coach a month later. He took the Force to the 2005 MISL championship series, losing to the Milwaukee Wave. The Force collapsed during the off season. On September 21, 2005, Namazi became the head coach of the St. Louis Steamers. He took the Steamers to the championship series where they lost to the Baltimore Spirit. The Steamers folded during the off-season and Namazi moved to California to coach youth soccer for a year. He returned to coaching indoor soccer in September 2007 with the New Jersey Ironmen. On June 3, 2010, Namazi was named head coach of the

Chicago Red Stars Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...

in the

Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 ...

, replacing Emma Hayes. In December 2010, Namazi was named as an assistant coach to the

Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

club

Steel Azin F.C. Steel Azin Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Estil Âzin'') was an Iranian Football (soccer), football club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was owned by Hossein Hedayati, owner of Steel Azin Iranian Holding Co. Steel Azin club also had a vol ...

On April 28, 2011, he became assistant coach of the Iranian national team alongside

Carlos Queiroz Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football manager. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Iran, Colombia, Egypt and Qatar, leading ...

and goalkeeping coach Dan Gaspar. On June 18, 2013, Iran

qualified Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

, before qualifying for the

months later. On March 26, 2014, Namazi became the assistant coach of the

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...

. Later in the year, he became the assistant coach to

Tab Ramos Tabaré "Tab" Ramos Ricciardi (born September 21, 1966) is an American former soccer player and coach. Over his thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, Mexico, and the United States. The first player to sign wi ...

with the

United States men's national under-20 soccer team The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years. The United States' b ...

. In January 2016, Namazi was appointed as the new head coach for the

United States men's national under-18 soccer team United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. He won the

2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship The 2017 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship was the 5th edition of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship (26th edition if all eras included), the men's under-20 international football tournament organized by CONCACAF. It was hosted in Costa Rica between ...

as assistant coach of the US team with

and Brad Friedel. In May 2018, Namazi became head coach of

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

side Zob Ahan with signing a one-year deal. However, he and the club agreed to part ways only six months into the appointment. Namazi then joined the technical staff of the United States U20 national team under manager

. In the beginning of April 2019, Namazi was also hired at the Danish club FC Helsingør. He was responsible for all scouting in North America. On April 22, FC Helsingør sacked their manager, and the club announced that Namazi would take charge as a caretaker for the rest of the season. On June 8, 2019, he agreed to continue as manager for the club for the upcoming season. However, Namazi expressed regret two weeks later and announced that he would not continue with the Danish club and would move back to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. On September 2, 2022, Namazi joined

Hartford Athletic Hartford Athletic is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut (thoug ...

of the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

as an assistant coach and director of scouting. The move reunites Namazi with recently appointed manager

, who Namazi had previously coached with while on the staff of the

and the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

. After a 2-10-4 start to the 2023 season, Ramos was relieved of his coaching duties and Namazi was named head coach.

Managerial statistics

References

External links

US men's U-20 coaching staff

MetroStars profile

Baltimore Spirit/Blast stats

Omid Namazi
on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Namazi, Omid 1964 births Living people American soccer coaches American men's soccer players American Professional Soccer League players American Soccer League (1988–89) players Baltimore Spirit players North Carolina Fusion U23 players Reading F.C. players American people of Iranian descent Cleveland Force (2002–2005 MISL) players Delaware Wizards players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Hershey Impact players Houston Dynamo FC non-playing staff Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players Major League Soccer players Maryland Bays players New York Red Bulls players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Ocean City Nor'easters players Philadelphia KiXX players Staten Island Vipers players USISL players Washington Diplomats (1988–1990) players West Virginia Mountaineers men's soccer players Sportspeople of Iranian descent Men's association football defenders American men's futsal players New Jersey Ironmen players St. Louis Steamers (2003–2006 MISL) players FC Helsingør managers American expatriate soccer coaches Chicago Red Stars head coaches Women's United Soccer Association coaches Persian Gulf Pro League managers Women's Professional Soccer coaches Hartford Athletic coaches USL Championship coaches United States women's national soccer team non-playing staff 20th-century American sportsmen Expatriate men's footballers in England