UCLA ’04
Former MLS player and collegiate All-American Alex Yi completed his his third season on the USF staff under head coach Eddie Soto, departing USF in the spring of 2017.
Prior to his appointment on the Hilltop, Yi served as an academy coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy for five seasons, working primarily with the club's U-12, U-15 and U-18 teams. In 2010, he helped guided the Galaxy's U-16 squad to an Academy National Championship. He also spent the 2008 season as an assistant coach at the University of Dayton under head coach Dennis Currier where he helped lead the Flyers to their first Atlantic-10 championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
A former midfielder and defender, Yi played three seasons (2002-05) with Antwerp FC of the Belgian Jupiter League, a feeder club of Manchester United. He made his Antwerp debut against Club Brugge in 2002 and the next season was voted as the Man of the Match for his outstanding play against Mons-Bergen.
Yi was picked up by F.C. Dallas in an MLS weighted lottery on January 12, 2005 and went on to play three seasons with F.C. Dallas. Yi made his MLS debut on Sept. 24, 2005 with a start against San Jose.
As an amateur, Yi was a member of the U-17, U-20 and U-23 U.S. Youth National teams and started all five games during the 1999 World Youth Championship in New Zealand, helping the U.S. team to a fourth place finish. He also played in all three games during the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championships held in Argentina.
Yi registered a total of 57 career caps with various U.S. youth national teams, including six with the U-23 team, 12 with the U-20 team and 39 with the U-17's. Yi made his international debut with the U-17's against Mexico on Feb. 13, 1998.
Yi was also part of the inaugural class of the U.S. Soccer Federation's Bradenton Academy, along with players such as Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu.
Following graduation from the Bradenton Academy, Yi attended UCLA where he was named the Pac-10's Freshman of the Year and was a second team all-conference performer for the Bruins in 2001. He was also selected to Soccer America's All-Freshmen Team and was named one of Five Players to Watch by the Missouri Athletic Club. He was named a third team NSCAA All-American, as well as a MAC Hermann Trophy nominee as a sophomore in 2001.
A native of Alexandria, Va., Yi attended McDonogh High School in Owings Mill, Md. where he earned All-Met and all-county honors in 1998. He was a Parade All-American in 2000 and a two-time NSCAA All-American. He played club soccer with FC Potomac with future MLS players Kyle Beckerman and Oguchi Onyewu.
His father, Kyom Yi, played for the South Korean national team on the youth level.
