SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake announced on Monday that it has named Ted Eck as an assistant coach under RSL head coach Jeff Cassar. Eck will join the club immediately and will serve as RSL’s main forwards coach.
Eck joins Real Salt Lake after spending three years with the LA Galaxy Academy, coaching the Under-14 and Under-12 teams. Before turning to coaching, the Springfield, Illinois native spent 14 years in professional soccer, including six seasons with Major League Soccer’s Dallas Burn. Eck played alongside Cassar and RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey while at the Dallas club, and helped lead the Texas side to the U.S. Open Cup Championship crown in 1997.
“I’m very excited for Ted to join our staff as an assistant,” Cassar said. “Ted brings a wealth of knowledge to the club with 14 years of experience in professional soccer. I expect Ted to have a seamless transition into his new role, continuing our unique position-specific coaching model, with Ted focusing on our forwards.”
Before his stint in MLS, Eck spent an extensive period of time in indoor soccer, becoming a significant presence on the U.S. Futsal Team from 1992-99. Eck earned fourteen caps with the U.S. Futsal Team and helped lead the Americans to a second-place finish in the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Championship. The forward also spent years in the Canadian Soccer League and American Professional Soccer League, leading the CSL in scoring in 1989 and winning the APL Championship in 1993. On the international level, Eck has represented the U.S. Men’s National Team, making total of 13 appearances for the U.S. between 1989 and 1996. The forward helped the Stars-and-Stripes win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991 – the first-ever edition of the tournament.
Eck spent a brief period of time in Utah as the head coach of former USL Premier Development League club Ogden Outlaws in 2009. After one year in Ogden, Eck became director of Firebirds FC, a Salt Lake City youth club before eventually ending up with the LA Galaxy Academy.
Real Salt Lake will return to MLS action this Saturday, when it hosts Seattle Sounders FC in a nationally televised match at 12:30 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tickets to the RSL-Seattle match can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
