Preki will be Chivas USA’s new head coach, succeeding Bob Bradley, who left the post after one season upon being named U.S. national team interim head coach and U.S. Olympic coach.
Preki, 43, played 10 seasons in MLS, retiring after the 2005 season. He scored 79 goals, notched 112 assists and was league MVP in 1997 and 2003.
Born in Belgrade, he came to the USA in 1985 to play indoor soccer. He became a U.S. citizen in 1996 and helped the USA qualify for the 1998 World Cup, where he appeared in two games. He scored the winning goal in the USA’s historic 1-0 win over Brazil at the 1998 Gold Cup.
Chivas USA has yet to hire a Mexican head coach. Its first coach was Dutch-American Thomas Rongen, who was replaced by Dutchman Hans Westerhof. (Mexican Javier Ledesma served one game as interim head coach in 2005.)