Full name Robert Lilley Name Bob Lilley Playing position Role Soccer player | Years Team Position Midfielder 1989–1990 Orlando Lions | |
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Date of birth (1966-05-02) May 2, 1966 (age 49) Place of birth Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, United States | ||
Robert "Bob" Lilley (born May 2, 1966 in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, United States) is an American former soccer player and is in his second stint as head coach of the Rochester Rhinos. He has managed the Hershey Wildcats, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, Detroit Ignition, and Rochester Rhinos.
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Playing career
Before turning pro Lilley played at George Mason University where he was team captain. In 1989, Lilley signed with the Orlando Lions of the American Soccer League. In 1990, the ASL merged with the Western Soccer Alliance to form the American Professional Soccer League. Lilley spent the 1990 season with the Lions in the new APSL. In the fall of 1990, he joined the Hershey Impact of the National Professional Soccer League. In 1992, he moved to the Harrisburg Heat. In 1994, he spent the summer indoor season with the Pittsburgh Stingers in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. Following the 1996–1997 NPSL season, Lilley retired from playing and entered the coaching ranks.
Management career
His first coaching experience was with the Hershey Wildcats in 1997, experiencing much success with the club as being the team's one and only head coach. He led Hershey to the playoffs each year, as well winning A-League coach of the year in his rookie season. He was able to guide Hershey to one Northern Conference and three Atlantic Division titles as well as the 2001 A-League National Championship final, which they lost 2–0 to the Rochester Raging Rhinos. After the 2001 season, the team was folded by the ownership, having decided that the team would not be successful financially.
On January 23, 2002 he was appointed the new head coach of the Montreal Impact signing on a two-year contract. His first season with the Impact, the team finished first in the Northeast Division, and also claimed the Voyageurs Cup. In 2003, he led Montreal to the Eastern Conference title and, the Voyageurs Cup for the second time in a row. And for the second time in his career he wins the A-League Coach of the Year, becoming only the second two-time Coach of the Year recipient in league history, following Alan Hinton in 1994, and 1995.
After the 2003 season he left the Impact for personal reasons, eventually signing a two-year deal with the Vancouver Whitecaps on November 1, 2004 becoming the team's first American coach, and the first coach never to have previously played for Vancouver.
He led Vancouver to the playoffs in 2004 but were eliminated in the quarterfinals, but were able to claim the Cascadia Cup. In 2006, he led the Whitecaps to their first North American championship since 1979, when they defeated the Raging Rhinos 3–0 at PAETEC Park becoming the first team in USL First Division history to win the title on the road.
Lilley was sacked as Vancouver Whitecaps head coach on September 18, 2007 two days after the Whitecaps were eliminated by the Portland Timbers in the first round of the United Soccer Leagues First Division playoffs. He was hired by the Detroit Ignition of the Major Indoor Soccer League as their assistant coach afterwards and promoted to head coach on November 6, 2007.
On November 16, 2009 the Rochester Rhinos announced the hiring of Lilley as the club's new head coach for the 2010 season.
During their match on January 25, 2013, the new Harrisburg Heat of the Professional Arena Soccer League honored Lilley with a halftime ceremony for his service with the original Heat franchise in the mid-1990s.