Eddie Soto
Encyclopedia
Eddie Soto was a U.S. soccer forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 who spent five seasons in the USISL and has served as an assistant men’s and women’s collegiate soccer coach for eight seasons.

Youth

Soto played for the North Huntington Beach youth club, winning the 1991 James McGuire Trophy as the U.S. U-19 national champion. He was also a member of the U-18 and U-20 national teams. In addition to his national team and club commitments, Soto attended Cerritos High School
Cerritos High School
Cerritos High School, also called CHS, is a public high school in Cerritos, California, serving grades 9-12. It is part of the ABC Unified School District.-History:...

 where he was a two time Parade Magazine high school All American and the 1990 California 3A Player of the Year. Soto graduated from Cerritos in 1991 and entered Chapman University
Chapman University
Chapman University is a private, non-profit university located in Orange, California affiliated with the Christian Church . Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media...

 that fall. He played one season at Chapman before transferring to Cal State Fullerton where he played from 1992 to 1994. He scored thirty-eight goals in his three seasons, earning second team All American recognition in 1992. His thirty-eight goals places him second on the school’s career goals list. He graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...

.

Professional

In the spring of 1995, Soto signed with the Anaheim Splash
Anaheim Splash
The Anaheim Splash was a U.S. indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League . It was founded in 1992 as the Los Angeles United, but was sold after the season. The new ownership moved the team to Anaheim, California and renamed it the Anaheim Splash...

 of the Continental Indoor Soccer League
Continental Indoor Soccer League
The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...

, but the team released him before he entered a game. In June 1995, Soto signed with the Los Angeles Salsa U-23 in the USISL. In February 1996, the MetroStars
Metrostars
Metrostar may refer to:*New York Red Bulls, formerly called the "MetroStars", a soccer team from New York*Manila Metro Rail Transit System, popularly called "The Metrostar Express", a part of the metropolitan rail system in Manila...

 of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 selected Soto in the eighth round (79th overall) of the Inaugural Player Draft
1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players who had already graduated from college to the league's ten inaugural teams. The draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996...

. The team waived him on March 26, 1996. A gap exists in his career at this point as he signed with the Orange County Zodiac in 1997. In March 1998, a second MLS team, the San Jose Clash selected Soto in the second round (23d overall) in the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft
1998 MLS Supplemental Draft
The three-round 1998 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held on February 1, 1998 at the Airport Hilton in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.-Format:Major League Soccer held a professional player combine in Fort Lauderdale the last week of January 1998. On Saturday, January 31, 1998, the league held...

. Once again, the team released him in the preseason. In 2000, the Zodiac was renamed the Wave. Soto left the Wave at the end of 2000 season and spent some time with the USA Pro Beach Soccer Team before retiring from playing.

Coaching

In addition to playing, Soto also coached at the collegiate and youth soccer levels. In 1997, he was the assistant coach with the Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College, established in 1927, is a community college located in Long Beach, California. It is divided into two campuses. The Liberal Arts Campus, known as LAC, is located in the residential community of the Lakewood Village section of Long Beach, on Carson Street west of Clark Avenue...

 women’s soccer team when they won the California State Championship. In 2001, he was hired as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton. In 2004, he moved to Long Beach State as an assistant. On July 12, 2006, UCLA
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...

 hired Soto as an assistant coach, but he also spent that season with Cal State Fullerton. In addition to his collegiate coaching, Soto has spent over thirteen years as a youth soccer coach.

External links

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