Matthew L. Thompson was named the University of the District of Columbia men’s head soccer coach on May 3, 2011.

In making the announcement, Director of Athletics Patricia Thomas said: “We were fortunate to have a strong pool of candidates, however Matthew Thompson was clearly the right choice for the University of the District of Columbia.  He cares about the comprehensive development of student-athletes, is deeply committed to community outreach, and he is a winner.  I am delighted to have Matt join the Firebird family."

Thompson, in commenting on his appointment said: “I would like to thank Ms. Thomas for this fantastic opportunity.  I felt that the program was being run professionally, and the goals for the men’s soccer program matched my ambitions. I’m excited to be a part of what is being built at UDC, and I am looking forward to turning the program into something regionally and nationally reputable. It’s an exciting time for the program and Athletic Department and we can’t wait to get started.”  

In his first year at the helm of the UDC men's soccer program, Thompson doubled the Firebirds' win total from the previous year as he guided them to an 8-5-4 record in the Fall 2011. It was the most wins in a season by a UDC team since 2004. The Firebirds, competing in their last season as an independent school, hope they have turned a corner as they prepare for the Fall 2012 - their inaugural season as members of the East Coast Conference.

Thompson came to UDC from Lees McRae College (Banner Elk, North Carolina), where he led the Bobcats to a 13-5-3 record, winning the 2010 Conference Carolinas Regular Season and Conference Tournament Championships as well as a 2010 NCAA Championship berth.  A 1998 graduate of Slippery Rock University, he served his alma mater as head men’s soccer coach from 2002-2009. Prior to Slippery Rock, Thompson was an assistant coach for three years at NCAA DI Robert Morris University.

Among Thompson’s career highlights:

• ·         Named PSAC Coach of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009
• ·         Achieving most wins in school history at Slippery Rock in 2009 (18 wins)
• ·         Leading Slippery Rock to three NCAA Championship appearances
• ·         Reaching the Sweet 16 in 2008 and 2009
• ·         Winning the PSAC Championship in 2005 and 2009
• ·         Coached four NCAA All-Americans and two current professional players 

As a student-athlete, Thompson was  a two-time PSAC All-Conference selection,  a three-time Western Pennsylvania All-Star,  two-time team captain at Slippery Rock and was named the team's most valuable player in 1997.

Thompson has been extremely active in community engagement. He founded SRU Forgotten Angels, a student-athlete charity aimed at improving the quality of underprivileged children's lives around the world. He led a missionary trip to Haiti in the summer of 2008 and volunteered in New Orleans during the summer of 2009, painting houses and coaching children after Hurricane Katrina.

Thompson also guided a group of student-athletes to St. Lucia in 2010 as part of the Forgotten Angels project, and was involved in Special Olympics of Pennsylvania while at SRU. 

He and his wife Danielle are proud parents of two sons, Liam and Joshua.