SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes and Burlingame Dragons FC have appointed Dana Taylor as head coach ahead of the club's inaugural season in 2015.
Taylor led the San Jose Earthquakes U-23's to a 6-5-3 record and a third place finish in the Southwest Division during the 2014 PDL season.
He has been the men’s soccer head coach for CSU Stanislaus since 2009, leading the Warriors to a 57-39-18 record, four back-to-back winning seasons and a CCAA championship in 2012.
Prior to his time with CSU Stanislaus, Taylor was the head coach at Oregon State. In his 10 years at the helm, Taylor's players received All American honors four times, All-Conference honors 46 times, and All-Region 11 times. Twice he had the Pac 10 Freshmen Player of the Year, including Danny Mwanga, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. During Taylor’s time at Oregon State, the Beavers advanced to two College Cups and were ranked as high as seventh in the country, earning Taylor Pac 10 Coach of the Year in 2002. Over his 10 years, Taylor helped 19 players reach the professional ranks.
Prior to his stint at Oregon State, Taylor served as an assistant coach at Creighton for four seasons, helping the team to a 63-17-6 record, three Missouri Valley Conference titles, four NCAA appearances, a Final Four appearance in 1996 and an Elite 8 finish in 1998. Among the players who came through the program during his time were future Earthquakes standouts Richard Mulrooney and Brian Mullan.
Taylor was the Nebraska State Soccer Association's Director of Coaching and Player Development from 1993-95, overseeing over 25,000 players. Prior to that, Taylor was the Colorado Springs Chargers Soccer Club's Director of Coaching while also working as an assistant for one year at Colorado College. With Taylor on the staff, Colorado College had their best finish in school history with an 18-2-2 record, a No. 3 final regular-season ranking, and a spot in the NCAA Division III Final Four.
As a youth coach, Taylor won the U-23 Region II Championships and went on to finish third at the 1998 National Championships. In 2010 Coach Taylor’s U-18 squad won the NorCal State Championship. His current San Jose Earthquakes U-13 East Valley team finished second at the 2014 State Championships.
Taylor holds a United States Soccer Federation "A" Coaching License and a NSCAA Premier Diploma. He has been a national staff instructor, coaching USSF National courses and NSCAA Regional courses as well as being part of the national goalkeeping staff.