Simon Elliott named Sac Republic FC's new head coach

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Feb 1, 2018

A day after naming Todd Dunivant as its general manager, Sacramento Republic FC hired fellow Stanford University alumnus Simon Elliott as head coach.

The moves come as Paul Buckle left his positions as technical director and head coach.

Elliott played two seasons at Stanford, finishing up in 1998. Dunivant entered a year later. Elliott, who played internationally for New Zealand (69 caps), played for four different MLS clubs -- LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes and Chivas USA -- and English club Fulham.

He moved to Sacramento in 2014 to pursue a graduate degree in cultural studies of sports and education at UC Berkeley. A year later, he joined Republic FC’s Academy, where he served as the U-15/16 and U-17 head coach.

Elliott was named USSDA Western Conference U-15/16 Coach of the Year for the 2016-2017 season.

Buckle, the husband of NBC Sports host Rebecca Lowe, was hired in July 2015 to replace Preki and led the team to  a 31-19-21 record.

Republic FC chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle:
“Simon is not only one of the most accomplished individuals I have had the opportunity to work with but also one of the most humble. His credentials at all levels of soccer speak for themselves, but it is his work ethic and vision for our club that have given me full confidence in him as our head coach.”