Thomas Dooley

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title: "Thomas Dooley" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "1961-births", "people-from-südwestpfalz", "american-soccer-coaches", "american-men's-soccer-players", "united-states-men's-international-soccer-players", "german-men's-footballers", "german-people-of-american-descent", "sportspeople-of-american-descent", "fk-pirmasens-players", "fc-08-homburg-players", "1.-fc-kaiserslautern-players", "bayer-04-leverkusen-players", "fc-schalke-04-players", "columbus-crew-players", "new-york-red-bulls-players", "2.-bundesliga-players", "bundesliga-players", "major-league-soccer-players", "major-league-soccer-all-stars", "german-emigrants-to-the-united-states", "footballers-from-rhineland-palatinate", "1993-concacaf-gold-cup-players", "1994-fifa-world-cup-players", "1995-copa-américa-players", "1996-concacaf-gold-cup-players", "1998-concacaf-gold-cup-players", "1998-fifa-world-cup-players", "1.-fc-saarbrücken-managers", "philippines-national-football-team-managers", "guyana-national-football-team-managers", "men's-association-football-defenders", "american-expatriate-soccer-coaches", "uefa-europa-league–winning-players", "national-soccer-hall-of-fame-members", "west-german-men's-footballers", "german-expatriate-sportspeople-in-the-philippines", "american-expatriate-sportspeople-in-the-philippines", "german-expatriate-football-managers", "expatriate-football-managers-in-the-philippines", "expatriate-football-managers-in-malaysia", "german-expatriate-sportspeople-in-malaysia", "american-expatriate-sportspeople-in-malaysia", "20th-century-american-sportsmen", "naturalized-citizens-of-the-united-states"] description: "American soccer player" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dooley" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American soccer player ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox football biography"]

Field	Value
name	Thomas Dooley
fullname	Thomas Dennis Dooley
caption	Dooley in 2023
birth_date
birth_place	Bechhofen, West Germany
height
currentclub	Guyana (Head Coach)
position	Defensive midfielder
youthyears1	–1979
youthclubs1	TuS Eintracht 1912 Bechhofen
youthyears2	1979–1981
youthclubs2	TuS Landstuhl
years1	1981–1983
clubs1	FK Pirmasens
caps1	40
goals1	17
years2	1983–1988
clubs2	FC Homburg
caps2	121
goals2	20
years3	1988–1993
clubs3	1. FC Kaiserslautern
caps3	128
goals3	14
years4	1994–1995
clubs4	Bayer Leverkusen
caps4	21
goals4	3
years5	1995–1997
clubs5	Schalke 04
caps5	28
goals5	3
years6	1997–2000
clubs6	Columbus Crew
caps6	73
goals6	7
years7	2000–2001
clubs7	MetroStars
caps7	22
goals7	0
totalcaps	433
totalgoals	64
nationalyears1	1992–1999
nationalteam1	United States
nationalcaps1	81
nationalgoals1	7
manageryears1	2002–2003
managerclubs1	1. FC Saarbrücken
manageryears2	2011–2014
managerclubs2	United States (assistant)
manageryears3	2014–2018
managerclubs3	Philippines
manageryears4	2019–2020
managerclubs4	Viettel (sporting director)
manageryears5	2021
managerclubs5	Sri Pahang
managerclubs6	Philippines
manageryears6	2022
managerclubs7	Viettel
manageryears7	2023–2024
managerclubs8	Guyana
manageryears8	2025–
medaltemplates
::

| name = Thomas Dooley | fullname = Thomas Dennis Dooley | image = | caption = Dooley in 2023 | birth_date = | birth_place = Bechhofen, West Germany | height = | currentclub = Guyana (Head Coach) | position = Defensive midfielder | youthyears1 = –1979 | youthclubs1 = TuS Eintracht 1912 Bechhofen | youthyears2 = 1979–1981 | youthclubs2 = TuS Landstuhl | years1 = 1981–1983 | clubs1 = FK Pirmasens | caps1 = 40 | goals1 = 17 | years2 = 1983–1988 | clubs2 = FC Homburg | caps2 = 121 | goals2 = 20 | years3 = 1988–1993 | clubs3 = 1. FC Kaiserslautern | caps3 = 128 | goals3 = 14 | years4 = 1994–1995 | clubs4 = Bayer Leverkusen | caps4 = 21 | goals4 = 3 | years5 = 1995–1997 | clubs5 = Schalke 04 | caps5 = 28 | goals5 = 3 | years6 = 1997–2000 | clubs6 = Columbus Crew | caps6 = 73 | goals6 = 7 | years7 = 2000–2001 | clubs7 = MetroStars | caps7 = 22 | goals7 = 0 | totalcaps = 433 | totalgoals = 64 | nationalyears1 = 1992–1999 | nationalteam1 = United States | nationalcaps1 = 81 | nationalgoals1 = 7 | manageryears1 = 2002–2003 | managerclubs1 = 1. FC Saarbrücken | manageryears2 = 2011–2014 | managerclubs2 = United States (assistant) | manageryears3 = 2014–2018 | managerclubs3 = Philippines | manageryears4 = 2019–2020 | managerclubs4 = Viettel (sporting director) | manageryears5 = 2021 | managerclubs5 = Sri Pahang | managerclubs6 = Philippines | manageryears6 = 2022 | managerclubs7 = Viettel | manageryears7 = 2023–2024 | managerclubs8 = Guyana | manageryears8 = 2025– | medaltemplates = (as manager) Thomas Dennis Dooley (born May 12, 1961) is a former soccer player and coach. He played as a defender and defensive midfielder and was a long-time member and former captain of the United States national team. Dooley is currently the head coach of the Guyana national team.

Early life

Dooley was born in Bechhofen, West Germany to a German mother and a father who served in the U.S. Army.

Club career

Dooley played as a forward with amateur team FK Pirmasens. He started his professional career in 1984 with third division club FC Homburg. He moved to midfield with Homburg and helped the team move steadily up the German leagues, until they finally reached the Bundesliga.

He moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1988 and helped them to the German Cup in 1990 and the Bundesliga title in 1991. He also played as they won the 1991 DFB-Supercup. After the 1994 World Cup, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen, and to Schalke 04 a year after that, helping them to the 1997 UEFA Cup title.

At the end of the season, he moved to Major League Soccer (MLS), signing with the Columbus Crew. Dooley spent three seasons in Columbus and was named to the MLS Best XI in both 1997 and 1998. In 2000, Thomas was traded to the MetroStars for Mike Duhaney, partially to help support Lothar Matthäus' adjustment to the United States. Dooley played one year for the Metros before retiring from playing football/soccer.

International career

As U.S. Soccer started to look abroad for players eligible to play for its national team in advance of its hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Dooley was discovered. He made his first international appearance on May 30, 1992, against Ireland. Dooley became a regular for the U.S. almost immediately, being named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1993 and then playing every minute at the 1994 World Cup, including the match against Colombia which the U.S. won 2–1. After John Harkes was dismissed from the U.S. national team, Dooley was named captain for the 1998 World Cup, and started every game for the U.S.

On February 21, 1999, Dooley was given a send-off match by the United States in a friendly against Chile. He ended his international career with 81 caps and seven goals.

International goals

:Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dooley goal.

::data[format=table title="List of international goals scored by Thomas Dooley"]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	June 9, 1993	Foxborough, Massachusetts		1–0	2–0	Friendly (1993 U.S. Cup)
2	June 13, 1993	Chicago, Illinois		1–1	3–4	Friendly (1993 U.S. Cup)
3	3–4
4	July 14, 1993	Dallas, Texas		2–1	2–1	1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup
5	June 18, 1995	Washington, D.C.		2–0	4–0	Friendly
6	June 16, 1996	Pasadena, California		2–2	2–2	Friendly
7	November 10, 1996	Richmond, Virginia		1–0	2–0	1998 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
::

Managerial career

Saarbrücken

After retiring, Dooley went back to Germany and became the head coach of FC Saarbrücken in 2002, becoming the first American to coach a team in Europe.

United States

Dooley was appointed by U.S. national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann to be an assistant coach in the match against Mexico on August 10, 2011.

Philippines

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/PCAARRD,_IPB,_Dooley_and_Palami.jpg" caption="Thomas Dooley (center left) with Philippine national team coach, [[Dan Palami]] (center right) along with officials from the Institute of Plant Breeding and [[Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development"] ::

In February 2014, Dooley signed a one-year deal with the Philippine Football Federation to handle the Philippines national team. His first match was a friendly against Malaysia which ended 0–0, and a few days later, narrowly lost to European side Azerbaijan 1–0. Dooley earned his first win for the Philippines after his charges defeated Nepal 3–0 in another friendly match in Qatar.

Dooley earned national team coach Dan Palami's praise after his first few matches in charge. Palami commended Dooley's ability to foster a better understanding of the game to his squad and give subs and reserves chances to step up in the absence of star players. "Our players have a better understanding of the role they have to play in their respective positions under Dooley's system that anyone can step up even if we don't have our stars playing," Palami said.

The Philippine national team came close to qualifying to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. They failed to qualify after they lost 0–1 to Palestine in the final of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. Two months after the tournament, Stephan Schröck and Dennis Cagara resigned from the national team over tensions with Dooley. Schröck had disagreement with the setup of the national team under Dooley but has made amends with the coach in 2015 and briefly played once again for the Philippines though undisclosed issues surfaced in 2016.

In his first match coaching the Philippines in a World Cup qualifier, Dooley's team defeated Bahrain 2–1. After an impressive run in qualifying that included a 3–2 win over North Korea that was considered an upset, Dooley's contract was extended for two years.

Dooley failed to get the Philippines past the group stage at the 2016 AFF Championship, which the Philippines co-hosted with Myanmar. He managed to secure qualification for the Philippines for their first Asian Cup stint in the 2019 by winning 2–1 over Tajikistan in March 2018. The coach's contract with the Philippines ended on March 31, 2018 after the historic match. Dooley's contract was not renewed and the PFF announced Terry Butcher as his successor in June 2018.

Viettel

In 2019, Dooley was appointed as sporting director of V.League 1 club Viettel. During his tenure, Viettel won the 2020 V.League 1 title.

Sri Pahang

In January 2021, Dooley was appointed as head coach of Malaysia Super League club Sri Pahang, replacing Dollah Salleh. Three months after his appointment, Dooley was sacked by Sri Pahang together with his assistant coach, Christophe Gamel and was replaced by former head coach Dollah Salleh. After being sacked, he was immediately appointed as adviser of Sri Pahang U21 team while Gamel was appointed as head coach.

Return to Philippines

In May 2022, Dooley was reappointed as head coach of the Philippines national team ahead of the third round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, replacing Scott Cooper. He signed a short-term deal with an option to extend depending on the qualification of the Philippines to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Managerial statistics

::data[format=table title="Managerial record by team and tenure"]

Team	Nat	From	To	Record	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Career Total
1.FC Saarbrücken	Germany	18 January 2002	30 June 2002
Philippines	Philippines	3 February 2014	31 March 2018
Sri Pahang	Malaysia	3 January 2021	14 March 2021
Philippines	Philippines	25 May 2022	15 June 2022
Viettel FC (Caretaker)	Vietnam	18 December 2023	7 January 2024
::

Honours

FC Homburg

• Oberliga Südwest: 1984

1. FC Kaiserslautern

• Bundesliga: 1990–91
• DFB-Pokal: 1989–90
• DFL-Supercup: 1991

FC Schalke 04

• UEFA Cup: 1996–97

Individual

• U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 1993
• MLS All-Star, 1998, 1999
• MLS Best XI: 1997, 1998
• MLS Fair Play Award: 1998
• National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2010

References

References

1. "Jurgen Klinsmann sets U.S. roster". ESPN.
2. Brian Sciaretta. (February 20, 2014). "Thomas Dooley Takes Over Philippines National Team".
3. "Dooley, USA's German giant". FIFA.
4. (October 16, 2014). "Deutscher Supercup, 1991, Finale". dfb.de.
5. {{FIFA player. 77537
6. (January 31, 2014). "Ex-US skipper Dooley is new Azkals coach: report".
7. Teng Kiat. (February 7, 2014). "Philippines appoint Dooley as new coach". Goal.com.
8. (March 1, 2014). "Malaysia 0 – 0 Philippines Match report – 3/1/14 Friendlies". Goal.com.
9. (March 6, 2014). "First half header lifts Azerbaijan past PHL Azkals". GMA News Online.
10. Ceres Lina. (April 12, 2014). "Dooley picks up first win as Azkals coach after 3–0 blowout versus Nepal". GMA News Online.
11. (April 22, 2014). "Palami likes Azkals' chances in AFC Challenge Cup". Rappler.
12. (May 31, 2014). "Azkals forced to settle for second place at 2014 AFC Challenge Cup". GMA News.
13. (March 28, 2018). "No decision yet on Dooley's contract according to Azkals manager Palami". Rappler.
14. (March 16, 2018). "Axeing Schrock could come back to haunt Dooley". Gulf News International.
15. (June 11, 2015). "Philippines upset Bahrain in World Cup qualifying". ESPN.
16. Tupas, Cedelf. (April 19, 2016). "Dooley stays Azkals coach for another two years". IGC.
17. (March 28, 2018). "Philippines rally to make history and qualify for first-ever Asian Cup". ESPN 5.
18. (April 3, 2018). "Azkals move forward with possible new recruits, 'bayanihan' initiatives – Palami". Rappler.
19. (April 3, 2018). "Palami on Dooley's status with Azkals: 'A lot of reasons for him to be extended'". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
20. (June 16, 2018). "Dooley respects PFF decision to replace him with Butcher". Philippine News Agency.
21. (26 May 2022). "'Người cũ' CLB Viettel làm HLV trưởng Philippines". An ninh Thủ đô.
22. (27 May 2022). "Ex Azkals coach Thomas Dooley hails Younghusbands — 'Pleasure to work with them'". ABS-CBN News.
23. (3 January 2021). "Ex-US captain Dooley replaces Dollah as Pahang coach". New Straits Times.
24. (8 April 2021). "Dooley, Gamel tak dipecat". Berita Harian.
25. (10 April 2021). "Bernhardt joins the ranks of the 'rested'". New Straits Times.
26. (25 May 2022). "Thomas Dooley returns as Azkals Head Coach". Philippine Football Federation.
27. (25 May 2022). "Football: Thomas Dooley back as Azkals head coach". ABS-CBN News.
28. (25 May 2022). "Thomas Dooley back at the helm of Philippine Azkals". GMA News.
29. (26 May 2022). "The comeback kid". The Manila Standard.
30. "Athlete of the Year Award". US Soccer.
31. (August 2, 1998). "1998 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com.
32. (July 17, 1999). "1999 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com.
33. "Thomas Dooley - 2010 Inductee {{!}} National Soccer Hall of Fame".

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