SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer alumnus Carson Vom Steeg has re-joined the program as the Gauchos' new assistant coach, Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg announced Friday. A former U.S. U-18 Men's National Team captain and NCAA national champion, Carson returns to his alma mater after a three-year professional career in the USL Championship.
 
"Carson brings a wealth of experience to our program," Tim Vom Steeg said. "As a former Youth National Team captain, NCAA National Champion and three-year professional player, he will make an immediate impact on all phases of the program, from our training sessions to recruiting. Benefitting the most from his addition to our staff will be our players, who will gain first-hand knowledge of all the components necessary to play at the next level."
 
A Santa Barbara native, Vom Steeg was an All-American at San Marcos High in 2016, going on to play for Stanford in 2017, when the Cardinal won the national championship. After that year, he returned to Santa Barbara and finished his collegiate career as a Gaucho, graduating with a degree in Communication in 2021. As a senior on the 2021 team, Vom Steeg was part of a Gaucho defensive line that kept nine clean sheets — seventh-most in a single season in program history — including one in The Big West Championship match, where Santa Barbara blanked UC Irvine, 4-0, at Harder Stadium.
 
Following his graduation in 2021, Vom Steeg began his career as a professional, playing 1,819 minutes for Loudoun United in the 2022 season. Loudoun served as the reserve team for Major League Soccer side D.C. United at the time, and Vom Steeg earned a call-up to the Black-and-Red while there, logging one appearance for D.C. United. In 2023, he moved to Memphis 901 FC, where he totaled 42 appearances across two seasons.
 
Vom Steeg obtained his U.S. Soccer Federation Coaching License and now returns to UC Santa Barbara, joining a program aiming to continue its momentum after a 12-5-5 campaign in 2024, which saw the Gauchos reach The Big West Championship final and make their 15^th NCAA Tournament appearance, defeating UCLA in the first round.