DePaul University Men's Soccer

Mark Plotkin will begin his eighth season at the helm of the DePaul men's soccer program in the fall of 2025. The former Blue Demon returned to lead his alma...

Dr. Julia Bruene is a sports medicine physician with special interests in acute and chronic orthopedic injuries, concussion management, care of female athletes, care of combat athletes/mixed martial arts, and special needs athletes. In 2006, Dr. Bruene graduated magna cum laude earning her bachelor's degree in health planning and administration, with a minor in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She went on to complete her medical degree at Rush University Medical College, Chicago, IL graduating in the top 20 percent of her class. Dr. Bruene served as chief resident in the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, Park Ridge, IL. She then completed a fellowship in primary care sports medicine at Rush University Medical Center. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and recreational runner, Dr. Bruene understands how vital physical well-being is to athletes. She also views exercise as medicine, aiding patients in reaching their wellness potential. Dedicated to keeping fellow sports enthusiasts healthy, Dr. Bruene volunteers to provide medical coverage for Chicago-area sporting events such as the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. She has also participated in team coverage for local area high school, college, and professional teams, and is a team physician for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, DePaul University, and Trinity International University. In her leisure time, Dr. Bruene is an accomplished wedding singer and Chicago

Dr. Weber, the Director of Primary Care/Sports Medicine and Women's Sports Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, possesses a unique expertise with the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal issues. In addition, she is the Founder and the Director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine fellowship at Rush University Medical Center. She has taught numerous medical students, residents, and fellows and is the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in patient care and teaching. Dr. Weber serves on the board of Girls in the Game and was honored in 2006 as their Health Champion. Dr. Weber has published many articles, book chapters and is an active researcher. A former college athlete, she has been involved in athletics as a team physician, an exercise physiologist, and as an avid athlete. Dr. Weber's reputation as a leading sports medicine physician is enhanced by her remarkable activity in the treatment of high-level professional athletes. She serves as the head primary care sports medicine team physician for the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox and the head team physician for the Chicago Force Women's Football. She also serves as co-head team physician for the DePaul Blue Demons and the physician for the Hubbard Street Dance and the River North Dance Companies. In addition, she is a member of the LPGA Medical Advisory Board. She is on numerous committees including the NBA Team Physicians Executive Committee, NBA Research Committee, MLB Concussion Committee, and M

Martin Alba was named an assistant coach in May of 2023. In his first campaign with the Blue Demons, Alba tutored All-BIG EAST midfielder and Co-Freshman of the Year Noeh Hernandez. Hernandez led DePaul in goals with five and was second in points with 12 in the 2023 season. Bringing three seasons of collegiate coaching experience with him to Lincoln Park, Alba returned home to the state of Illinois after spending the 2022 season on staff at St. Thomas (Minn.). Prior to his stint with the Tommies, Alba served as a volunteer assistant coach at Loyola Chicago where he helped the Ramblers to a 11-5-4 mark in 2019 en route to the program's first Missouri Valley Conference Championship. No stranger to the BIG EAST, Alba was a member of the men's soccer team at Marquette from 2014-19. He started in 37 of his 46 appearances for the Golden Eagles with 16 coming in his senior season. He logged 3,106 minutes played and was named to the 2017-18 All-BIG EAST Academic Team. During his senior season, the Golden Eagles went 7-9-3 and had an appearance in the 2018 BIG EAST Championship Title Match. As a prep player, the Calumet City, Ill. native, attended George Washington High School and was ranked among the top-100 players in the 2014 recruiting class by TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News. He also trained with the Chicago Fire Academy.

Nathan Johnson joined the DePaul staff in March of 2023 as an assistant director of sports performance. In his current role, he oversees and directs all face...

Paul Stromberg began his role as Assistant Athletics Director of Communications in July of 2022. Stromberg is the primary contact for the men's soccer, women's basketball and women's tennis programs. In addition to his sport responsibilities, Stromberg also oversees the official DePaul Blue Demons app and the Communications student program. Prior to stepping into his current position, Stromberg was a communications assistant at DePaul from 2020-2022. In the 2019-20 academic year, Stromberg served as a communications assistant at the BIG EAST Conference in Manhattan. While at the league office, Stromberg served as the primary contact for volleyball, swimming & diving, softball and tennis with secondary support for women's basketball. Additional responsibilities including providing operational assistance at Olympic sports championships including field hockey, volleyball and swimming & diving while working at BIG EAST men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as BIG EAST media day. Previous stints include roles at baseball agency, Independent Sports and Entertainment (ISE), as well as business management consultant, Arena Partners. A Baltimore, Md. native, Stromberg graduated from DePaul cum laude with a bachelors of science in marketing in 2019 and completed his master's in business administration from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in 2022.

Rachel Wilhelm first joined DePaul Athletics in January 2024, through a partnership with RUSH Physical Therapy. Prior to arriving at DePaul, Wilhelm worked with RUSH PT as an athletic trainer at Roosevelt University where she worked with the schools football, women's soccer, softball, men's hockey and women's hockey teams. Wilhelm has previously worked with DePaul softball and currently works with the men's soccer and men's golf programs. During the summer of 2024, Wilhelm served as an athletic trainer for a variety of events around Chicago including Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball and Chicago Red Stars Academy Soccer Camps, among other Chicagoland youth, high school and collegiate events. Before joining RUSH Physical Therapy, Wilhelm worked as a certified athletic trainer for The Willows Academy where she worked with the schools middle school and high school sports programs. Wilhelm also has experience as a student athletic trainer at Saint Louis, Schaumburg Boomers and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Wilhelm graduated from Saint Louis University (SLU) in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, before eventually earning her Master of Athletic training in 2020. Wilhelm currently holds LAT, ATC and BLS certifications.

Scott Bratt was named Associate Head Coach at DePaul in May of 2024. Bratt lands in Lincoln Park after spending a season on the Brown men’s soccer coaching s...