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With all of the success enjoyed by the Torero soccer teams the last several years - eleven NCAA Tournament appearances in fifteen seasons - it is easy to overlook the remarkable job Coach Séamus McFadden has done building the program from the ground up.
McFadden has been named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year a record seven times (2000, `99, '98, '95, '94, '92, '86); won five WCC championships; has coached eight WCC Defensive Players of the Year, six WCC Offensive Players of the Year and two WCC Freshman Players of the Year. The 2005 squad was a mix of youth and experience finishing 9-6-5 overall, capping their season with a phenomenal 4-2 victory over UCLA on November 10, 2005 at Torero Stadium.
In 2003 his squad went 12-4-4, placed second in the highly competitive WCC, and reached the 2nd round of the NCAA Tourney. In 2002 he directed USD to a 14-6 mark and first round appearance in the NCAA Tourney. In 2001 the Toreros went 12-4-1 and four seasons ago he directed his Toreros to a 16-2-2 record, another WCC title and its eighth trip to the NCAAs since 1990. The Toreros reached a national ranking as high as 3rd before finishing the season tenth overall (program-best).
McFadden arrived at USD in 1979 and fielded USD's first team in the fall of 1980. That same year he was quoted in the team's yearbook as saying: "I have no doubts that in the near future the University of San Diego will become a force to be reckoned with in Southern California intercollegiate soccer." How prophetic his words turned out to be.
The 1986 Toreros won 19 of 24 games. The 1990 squad, led by the first of McFadden's four All-Americans, dropped just three games the entire season and advanced to the NCAA Second Round. Those who know McFadden closely could see the writing on the wall many years earlier, when the Irishman led Mesa JC to a 30-4 record over two seasons while at the same time guiding Clairemont High to consecutive CIF-San Diego Section titles and the La Jolla Cup.
The whole puzzle came together in 1992 when McFadden had in place several of San Diego's best local talent. Student-athletes, who in the past had looked outside the city to showcase their talents, were suddenly arriving at Alcalá Park. The 1992 Toreros showed remarkable poise under their leader, compiling a 19-5 record and advancing to the NCAA Championship Game.
The 54-year old McFadden seems to save his best coaching for the big games. Twice the Toreros have marched onto UCLA's home turf and walked away with stunning upsets over the heavily-favored Bruins. In 1994, USD shutout No. 6 ranked N.C. State, 3-0, in front of a national cable television audience. In 1998, USD upset Cal State Fullerton, the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, at Titan Stadium in first round action. In 1999 the Toreros defeated then No. 1-ranked Santa Clara on the road, 2-1 in overtime. USD is 8-10 in NCAA Tournament games under McFadden's direction.
McFadden played collegiately at San Diego State, where he received a B.A. degree in History in 1976. That same summer he was with the San Diego Jaws of the North American Soccer League.
Keeping true to his native roots, McFadden took the 1997 squad on a trip to his homeland Ireland during the summer for exhibition games against Ireland and Britain's elite. In the summer of 2002 he is took his players to England. A native of Donegal, Ireland, Séamus and his wife davette have two daughters (Hadley & Rorye) and a son (Conor). The McFaddens reside in Rancho Penasquitos.
