Mike Sorber joins LAFC

Confirming earlier reports, the Union have announced that assistant coach Mike Sorber has joined Los Angeles FC. Sorber will take up the same role under LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley.

Sorber joined the Union as an assistant prior to the 2014 season, when John Hackworth was still in charge. After Hack got the boot, Curtin, not Sorber, was given the interim job and would later be named head coach.

The move sees Sorber reunite with Bob Bradley, who has served as his head coach in both his playing and coaching days. Sorber played for Bradley’s Chicago Fire in 2000, then later joined Bradley’s coaching staff when he took the USMNT job in 2007.

Sorber is the second Union coach to head west this offseason, after goalkeeping coach Oka Nikolov joined the LA Galaxy in November. The Union’s remaining assistant coach is B.J. Callaghan, who joined the team as a goalkeeping coach under Curtin but has since seen his roles expanded to “on-field coaching, pre- and post-match video analysis, and college scouting.” Curtin often mentions Callaghan’s knack for designing set-piece plays, and as the person who hired him, is probably reasonably fond of him.

All of that being said, the Union won’t enter the 2018 season with one assistant coach. Look for additions to the technical staff in the buildup to preseason.