Dartmouth soccer coach Jeff Cook ’89 departs for MLS position

The New Hampshire and Philadelphia media take note as Jeff Cook ’89 steps down as head coach of Dartmouth men’s soccer to accept a position with the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.

Cook served as the Big Green’s head coach for 12 years and posted an overall record of 106-74-31 while leading his squad to five Ivy League titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

“It’s a strange day,” Cook tells the Valley News. “I’m not unhappy with any aspect of my job at Dartmouth and I don’t have any doubts about our success in coming years. It’s going to be very difficult and very emotional to leave Hanover and Dartmouth.”

Cook will be director of recruitment for the club’s youth academy. Cook’s hiring, as reported by The Goalkeeper blog at Philly.com, is part of a larger effort by the Union to strengthen its feeder program by joining the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

“Players who become part of the Union’s academy structure will not have to pay anything to participate,” writes blogger Jonathan Tannenwald. “This is a big deal, for fairly obvious reasons.”

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