Technical Staff

As a prior MLS Coach of the Year nominee, Soehn is a well-known and respected name in American professional soccer circles. Most recently, he served as a scout for the Columbus Crew, after spending four years as an assistant coach and interim head coach with the New England Revolution.

Soehn was named the Vancouver Whitecaps first Director of Soccer Operations in 2010, where he developed and managed the club’s inaugural roster, player scouting, and identification and recruitment system as the club prepared to enter the MLS in 2011.

Soehn’s most successful years coaching came in his time with D.C. United from 2004-2009. He won an MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield as an assistant coach before claiming a second Shield and a U.S. Open Cup championship as head coach.

After completing his playing career in 2000 with his hometown club, Chicago Fire, Soehn began his coaching career in the Windy City under U.S. coaching greats Bob Bradley and Dave Sarachan, winning another U.S. Open Cup in 2003.

As an MLS player, Soehn won his first U.S. Open Cup with the Dallas Burn and then two more Open Cups and an MLS Cup in three years playing for Chicago. Prior to his MLS days, Soehn played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League for the Wichita Wings, in the Canadian Soccer League for the Ottawa Intrepid and Hamilton Steelers, in the American Professional Soccer League, where he won two titles, with the Colorado Foxes, the National Professional Soccer League for the Denver Thunder, and the Continental Indoor Soccer League for the Las Vegas Dustdevils.

Avila spent the 2021 season coaching the San Diego Nomads under-15 MLS Next Academy team.

He played for San Diego Loyal SC in the USL Championship in 2020, made 34 appearances with four assists for Legion FC in 2019, spent 2018 with the Las Vegas Lights, 2017 in Phoenix with Rising FC, and 2016 with the Rowdies in Tampa.

Before Avila joined the Rowdies, he appeared in 174 games across eight seasons in Major League Soccer with FC Dallas, Toronto FC, Chivas USA, and Orlando City SC.

The now 34-year-old also had a successful college career, capped off by scoring the game-winning goal for UC-Santa Barbara in the 2006 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Championship. While in college, Avila played in USL League Two for the San Fernando Valley Quakes and Ventura County Fusion.

As a youth player, Avila was in residency with the United States U-17 National Team program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and spent time playing with the Under-20’s. He was also a member of the Chivas USA U-19 team before enrolling at UCSB.

Avila has his USSF ‘B’ License and is working towards his USSF ‘A’ License. 

Cloutier’s Coaching experience dates to 2017 when he became the assistant coach at Orange County Blues SC, now known as Orange County SC under Head Coach Oliver Wyss. He continued as an assistant coach when Logan Pause was head coach in 2017. In 2018, Cloutier was announced as head coach. Cloutier led OCSC to the playoffs in his first two seasons as head coach and to a first-place finish in the Western Conference in the 2018 USL Championship regular season. OCSC made it to the Western Conference Final but fell to Phoenix Rising FC for the Western Conference Title. Cloutier registered a record of 49-31-23 across 103 regular games. He parted ways with OCSC in 2021.

A native of Wichita, KS., Cloutier began his professional career with Hamburger SC II in the Regionalliga Nord League. He later played with the San Diego Sockers of the NASL and Wichita Wings of the NPSL.

In 1997 the MetroStars, now known as New Yorks Redbulls, selected Cloutier in the second-round 15th overall pick of the 1997 MLS Supplemental Draft. The MetroStars loaned Cloutier to the Wichita Wings for the 1997-1998 NPSL season. In 1998 the MetroStars traded Cloutier to the San Jose Earthquakes, and he spent two seasons with the Earthquakes. San Jose released him at the end of the 1999 season. In October 1999, Cloutier signed a three-year contract with the Wichita Wings and spent two seasons with the club. Cloutier joined the New England Revolution in 2001 and became a vital piece for the Revolution in the run to the 2022 MLS Cup. Cloutier spent two season with the Revs before he retired in 2003

Barlow joined Legion FC in 2019 following a year as Strength and Conditioning Coach with the United States Men’s National Team. He also brings prior MLS experience, having helped Real Salt Lake win an MLS Cup Championship, two Conference Championships, and appearances in the U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup finals.

His career began with his alma mater, the University of Maryland, as Strength and Conditioning Coach. He later founded Barlow Consulting, and served in roles of Strength and Conditioning Coach and Director of Sports Science and Performance for Salt Lake from 2007 to 2016.

Barlow joined Heaps and Legion FC Head Coach Tom Soehn in New England in 2017 as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Revolution, then spent time working at the Heiden Institute for Sports Science and Human Performance as High-Performance Manager before joining the national team. He also spent the 2018 USL Championship season as Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Charlotte Independence.

Marc Bernier, DPT, MPT, CSCS, has been involved in the sport of soccer for over 40 years, and brings extensive sports medicine experience to Birmingham Legion FC. In 1996, he served as the physical therapy coordinator for the Olympic soccer games held in Birmingham, and was a member of the MLS Athletic Training Advisory Board in 2003. Marc went on to become the Director of HealthSouth Soccer International, and developed close ties with several top clubs in the Turkish Super Lig, becoming an official Sports Medicine Consultant for Galatasaray SK, who went on to beat Arsenal in the 2000 UEFA Cup Finals during his time with the club.

Over the course of his career, he has had the extremely good fortune of working or consulting with soccer players from The English Premier League, Serie A, Major League Soccer, and the National Teams of the United States, England, Turkey, Brazil and Russia, including 4 players that participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

A native of Long Island, NY, Marc received his Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware and Doctorate in 2015. He has been a very active educator, presenting on soccer specific injuries at the MLS Combine in 2004 for the Professional Soccer Athletic Trainers Society, and the National Soccer Coaches Association’s Annual Convention, in addition to a national lecturing series on youth sports injuries.