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Dave Sarachan (born June 7, 1954 in Herndon, Virginia) is an American soccer coach, currently the head coach of the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.
Sarachan played two years of college soccer at Monroe Community College in 1973 and 1974. After the 1974 season, he transferred to Cornell University, where he played two more years, and was named the team MVP as a senior.
Following his graduation, Sarachan joined the Rochester Lancers of the NASL, which he would play for in 1976 and 1977. After two seasons with the Lancers, Sarachan moved indoors, where he played for the Pittsburgh Spirit in 1978-79, and the Buffalo Stallions from 1979-1981.
While playing for the Lancers, Sarachan was an assistant coach at the nearby University of Rochester, and he was additionally the assistant coach at Cornell for one season in 1983. After one season, Sarachan joined Bruce Arena for the first time, becoming his assistant coach at the University of Virginia after Bob Bradley departed to become head coach of Princeton University.
After five years at UVA, Sarachan was offered the head coaching job at his alma mater Cornell, which he accepted in 1998. He stayed at Cornell for ten years, compiling a record of 64 wins, 63 losses, and 16 ties, and leading the team to NCAA tournament appearances in 1995 and 1996. Following Bob Bradley's departure in 1997, this time to become the head coach of the Chicago Fire, Sarachan was again hired by Bruce Arena to be his assistant coach at D.C. United. Although Arena would leave following the 1998 season to coach the United States national team, Sarachan would stay on, assisting new head coach Thomas Rongen. However, following the MLS Cup-winning 1999 season, Sarachan left to become a full-time assistant to Arena with the national team, where he would be instrumental to the team's scouting and preparation for the 2002 World Cup.
Sarachan received his first professional head coaching opportunity soon after the United States' impressive World Cup run when, after the 2002 season Bob Bradley left Chicago for his hometown MetroStars. Sarachan was chosen for the Fire position, and had a tremendous first season, leading the Fire to the MLS Supporters' Shield with a 15-7-8 record, as well as a U.S. Open Cup victory, and an appearance in the MLS Cup, where they lost to the San Jose Earthquakes; for his performance as a rookie, Sarachan was named the MLS Coach of the Year.
Sarachan's second year was siginificantly harder, however, as star defender Carlos Bocanegra left MLS for Fulham F.C. before the season began, and he lost national teamer DaMarcus Beasley to PSV Eindhoven in midseason; numerous other injuries plagued the team, and the Fire ended the season tied for the league's worst record, at 8-13-9, making many wonder if his initial success was more due to Sarachan's coaching ability, or the team that Bradley had left behind.
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