DC United players have paid tribute to departing coach Tom Soehn who stepped down from his role.

Midfielder/forward Santino Quaranta heaped praise on Soehn despite the fact the team fell away towards the end of this season.

"I will always have a special place for Tommy because he helped me so much when I came back to the team," he said.

"I've got a lot of respect for him. ... Late in the season, you could tell what this year was doing to him. He had been through so such and he was tired.

"In the end, it wasn't Tommy that was playing. You could see how inconsistent we were. We had so many chances to get it right and we couldn't do it. How much of that was Tommy? I'm not sure. Everyone on our team can put their hand up and say that they let him down."

Defender Bryan Namoff said he was surprised by Soehn's decision. "I was under the impression that he was coming back," said Namoff.

"I'm a little surprised. ... It's a difficult transition for the players when you bring in a new coach. You have to re-prove yourself. You're on trial in a way and you don't know whether you fit into the new coach's plans. I hope they don't try to break up this team."