A St. Louis soccer icon has returned.
He has represented the United States in hostile stadiums across the globe. Jamaica. Mexico. Spain. Uruguay. He has played in Kansas City, New York and Chicago.
But now he has come home. Now he will help develop future St. Louis soccer stars in the friendly confines of Saint Louis University.
On Feb. 28, Mike Sorber was named SLU’s assistant men’s soccer coach. Sorber, 29, retired from Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Chicago Fire to join the Billikens’ coaching staff.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted to do, and it was important for me to take advantage of it and move forward into the next chapter of my life,” said Sorber. “Saint Louis University was the springboard for me to reach the National Team and play in the World Cup. It’s like family to me, and it will be great to give back to the community.”
Shortly after Dan Donigan took over as SLU’s head coach on Feb. 15, Donigan and Doug Woolard, SLU’s director of athletics, “brainstormed” a list of potential candidates. Sorber’s qualifications made him the runaway winner. According to Donigan, Sorber was at the pinnacle of professional soccer when he played in the 1994 World Cup; he’s learned under legendary coaches; and he knows many people in the soccer community.
“His status as a National Team player combined with his reputation within the St. Louis soccer community should be beneficial to our recruiting efforts both locally and nationally,” said Donigan.
But his high level of play and knowledge of the game are also added incentives to SLU’s program. Sorber, along with Donigan, can demonstrate drills and proper techniques to the players.
“He’s a perfect fit with me being head coach,” Donigan said. “In a lot of ways I don’t even consider him an assistant coach.”
Sorber has been surrounded by soccer his entire life. As a child, he watched his father, Pete, guide the men’s soccer team at Florissant Valley Community College. As a standout at Aquinas-Mercy High, Sorber won two state titles and was the Suburban Journal Player of the Year in 1988. His talents brought him to SLU, where he played under Joe Clarke, coach from 1983-’96.
His freshman year, 1989, things didn’t go so well as Sorber lacked the work effort essential at SLU, Clarke noted. He considered transferring to play for his dad, who had just won his 10th national junior college championship.
Sorber’s best decision was to stay, for his career was on the rise. He developed as a sophomore, but he broke out in his junior year to score 25 points, on four goals and 17 assists.
“He had developed the work ethic to go along with his outstanding skill, understanding and vision,” Clarke said.
He led SLU to the NCAA Final Four in 1991, where they lost to eventual champion Virginia in overtime of the semifinals. But his good fortunes were just beginning. Bora Milutinovic, the head coach of the U.S. National Team, discovered him in the game against Virginia. He offered Sorber a chance to try out for the National Team. Milutinovic brought 25 young Americans down to Florida International University in the spring of 1992, of which only five made the team. Sorber was one of the five.
After playing with the National Team in the summer of 1992, Sorber returned to captain the Billikens in his senior season. He was a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year Award, as well as a Hermann Award Candidate. He finished his collegiate career with 13 goals and 29 assists, in 72 starts.
From 1992-’94, Sorber traveled the world, making 36 appearances with the National Team before the World Cup. Still, he wasn’t projected to make the final 22-man World Cup roster. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said on Sept. 4, 1993 that his chances of making the team were 50-50. He defied those odds. He was the only one remaining from the five who had survived the college camp.
Next up: the 1994 World Cup. As the world’s most popular sport, soccer has its stage every four years. Not only did Sorber make the team, but he also started all four games, playing 344 out of a possible 360 minutes. Sorber is one of the most-capped players in U.S. history, earning 67 appearances for the U.S. side.
After playing well in the World Cup, Sorber chose to play in Mexico rather than testing the waters in Europe. Milutinovic, who had previously coached in Mexico, recommended him to the club team UNAM Pumas. Sorber even resided in Milutinovic’s “hacienda” during his two seasons in Mexico City. He also became the first American to earn All-Star status in Mexico’s First Division. Part of his success was due to his acceptance among players and fans.
“I was one that tried to learn the language,” Sorber said. “The people really warmed up to me because I was trying to adapt.”
But MLS was set to begin its inaugural season in 1996: America beckoned.
After spending one season with the Kansas City Wizards, Sorber was traded to the NY/NJ MetroStars in 1997, where he played in 74 matches in three seasons. He longed to get back in the Midwest, so he signed with the Chicago Fire in 2000.
And now he’s back. His playing days may be over, but his coaching career is just beginning.
