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The Baltimore Bohemians, of the USL Premier Development League, announced today that formed D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta will be taking over as their head coach. Ranked 7th in all-time D.C. United regular season appearances, Quaranta was drafted at the age of 16 and, despite all of his struggles on and off the field, was always a fan favorite. As a companion piece to this news, Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated has a good article about this move that summarizes Quaranta's struggles with drug addiction and how that makes him a uniquely qualified mentor to college-age players.
After being released by United after the 2011 season, Quaranta was linked with a move to the Bengal Premier League in India, which collapsed before any games were ever played. Since then, he has been coaching high school soccer at The Friends School in his hometown Baltimore. A move up to the PDL shows that Quaranta is fully intent on getting into coaching as more than just a hobby, but as a post-career career.
The Premier Development League is primarily a league in which college players can compete while out-of-season and while maintaining their college eligibility. In April 2012, D.C. United announced a development partnership with the Bohemians, in which the "Bohemians will provide D.C. United with prospective players that may have the potential to play in Major League Soccer." The two sides also agreed to cross-promote each other in their respective markets.
