Liam Abdalla came to University City in the fall of 2023 as an assistant coach with a focus on the goalkeepers.
2024 was a historic season for Penn, as the coaches earned Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year and USC 2024 DI Men’s Northeast Region Staff of the Year, guiding the Quakers to a historic 13-2-1 overall record, perfect Ivy League season and numerous weeks in the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches (USC) poll. Penn's perfect 7-0-0 Ivy League season is the 14th in Ivy history, the fifth this century, the first since 2021, and the first for the Quakers since 1971. The Quakers knocked off #3 Pitt (1-0), #21 Hofstra (3-1), and #16 Cornell (3-2) to account for the ranked victories this year. Stas Korzeniowski and Leo Burney earned Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Jack-Ryan Jeremiah was named First Team All-Ivy, while Patrick Cayelli, Brandon Curran, Connor Dawson, Ben D0, Phillip Falcon III, and Aaron Messer were all additional All-Ivy selections.
2023 was another stellar season for the men’s soccer program. Gill was named Ivy League Coach of the Year after leading Penn to its first second-straight regular season title and the first overall seed in the inaugural Ivy League Men’s Soccer Tournament, guiding the Quakers to a 7-3-6 record (4-1-2 in conference play). Those four conference wins included victories over Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton. Penn picked up a historic victory on the road, topping #14 Penn State 3-0 in Happy Valley for the first time in program history, propelled by a hat trick from Michael Hewes. Leo Burney was named All-Region First Team and Nick Christoffersen, Hewes, and Stas Korzeniowski Second Team selections, respectively, while Ben Do was an additional All-Ivy selection.
Abdalla joins James C. Gentle Head Coach Brian Gill's staff after a stint as an assistant coach at Ursinus College during the 2022 season. During his time with the Bears, Ursinus tallied four wins and three draws. Since 2022, he has held titles with the West-Mont United Soccer Association, serving as the goalkeeping coordinator and 08 girls united head coach.
The Pennsylvania native earned his bachelor’s degree from Alvernia University in 2022, playing in net for the Golden Wolves while obtaining his degree in sports management.
