POCATELLO, Idaho- Idaho State Director of Athletics
Pauline Thiros has announced that Dustin Downey has been named the Head Soccer coach of the Idaho State program.
"Coach Downey has an impressive body of work at the Division I level. He is known to be an exceptional recruiter, and has been touted by elite players as their most influential coach. Dustin is a great technician, a culture builder, and his enthusiasm for the game and for student athletes is tremendous. He is the right person to take Bengal Soccer into the future," said Thiros."
Downey comes to Idaho State with extensive coaching experience at the high school, club, ODP and NCAA Division I levels.
"I'm honored to be selected as the next head coach for Idaho State Women's Soccer," Downey said. "This program has everything it needs to be successful, including a brand new soccer facility, wonderful people working behind the scenes, and the strong support of the Bengal community here in Pocatello. The passion behind Idaho State athletics in this city is amazing. I'm extremely excited to meet the people in the community, and have our team produce entertaining performances for them at Davis Field. We'll be working hard to bring championships back to ISU Women's Soccer."
He most recently has been the head coach of the Chicago FC United team and he spent two years at Illinois-Chicago. From 2019-20 he was an assistant coach for the Flames. In 2019, the staff was named the Horizon League Coaching Staff of the Year as it broke records for home, road and conference wins. He served as Interim Head Coach in the 2021 season, taking the Flames to their best start in program history and finishing 5-3-1 for the abbreviated Covid season.
Downey served as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky from 2012-19 where the team tallied 64 wins and 19 draws. While at WKU he mentored one conference Player of the Year, 29 all-conference players and six all-region honorees. During his tenure at WKU the staff was recognized as both the Sun Belt and Conference USA Coaches of the Year, making postseason appearances in 5 of the 7 years.
He worked with the US Soccer Federation from 2014-19 and the Kentucky ODP staff from 2015-19.
As a player, Downey played three seasons at Western Kentucky before finishing his career at Northern Kentucky. Downey helped lead the Norse, then in Division II, to the national semi-finals.
He returned to Western Kentucky to complete his studies and earn his degree in broadcast communications and TV production.
"It's a great feeling knowing someone believes in you, and I'm grateful for the opportunity given to me by
Pauline Thiros," Downey said. "I would be remiss if I didn't thank
Robyn Sharp for her hospitality during my visit. Everyone I've met here has been very welcoming, and I look forward to working with all of them to build something special with the Women's Soccer program."
