Taylor Thames named head coach of La Salle men’s soccer

La Salle men’s soccer announced the hiring of the program’s eighth head coach on Monday with Taylor Thames being named as the successor to Rob Irvine.

“We are pleased to have Taylor, his wife, Christine, and their three children join our La Salle family,” La Salle’s athletic director Brian Baptiste stated in a news release. “Taylor impressed us with the amount of success he has had as a student-athlete and coach, as well as his thoughtful and engaging coaching philosophy. We look forward to our men’s soccer student-athletes blossoming under his guidance.”

A Washington D.C. native and former University of Delaware goalkeeper, Thames has spent the past two seasons as an assistant for Army West Point. He previously coached at the University of Cincinnati for nine years after making stops at Stony Brook and Mount St. Mary’s.

“I am extremely honored and humbled to lead the La Salle men’s soccer team,” Thames said in the news release. “It is an exciting time to be an Explorer and we will set the standard in the Atlantic 10. It is our mission to develop great men that strive for excellence in all areas. La Salle has a great soccer tradition and I look forward to stepping into McCarthy Stadium with the team to represent this institution.”

Thames succeeds Irvine, who led the program for five seasons after veteran coach Pat Farrell (1987-2015) retired. Irvine resigned after getting named East Coast Talent Identification Manager for U.S. Soccer.