In the maroon and gold representing Massapequa Soccer Club in ‘78.
Whoa. Guess I have been busy as it has been a minute since I last posted. Well this pic on the left was worth the wait, right?
I am thrilled to share some exciting news: I am partnering with the U.S. Soccer Federation to become a Member of the U.S. Soccer At-Large Development Council!
In addition to playing soccer while growing up in Massapequa and attending college at SUNY Oswego, I grew up watching the New York Cosmos and players such as Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and, of course, the one and only Pelé. After the NASL folded, it was the the New York Arrows in the MISL who caught my attention as they played at the Nassau Coliseum, affectionately known as the “mausoleum” by many of us who went there for concerts and, of course, sporting events.
As I was making my way through the early stages of my career on Wall Street, a group of women were trailblazing a path for what is now the juggernaut known as the “USWNT”. Watching these women in ’96 at the Atlanta Olympics and in ’99 at the Women’s World Cup while I was working on Wall Street was a game changing moment for me. My sister, Lisa, and our friend, Keri, and I went to the opening match vs. Denmark and it was jaw dropping that they sold out Giants Stadium.
These women, most of whom are my age, were working other jobs while also playing on the national team and winning gold medals, World Cups, etc. I’ll never forget watching the final in NYC at a sports bar that had a whole bunch of other sports on and we had to plead with the bartender to let us turn one of the TVs on to watch the match. By the time the game went into OT, every TV in the sports bar was on the USWNT taking on China.
Through the years, my sister and I would always text back and forth about the USWNT, their successes, and their struggles for equal pay to USWNT, in addition to the fits and starts of a women’s professional league in the US. In that time, the Sounders arrived and took the city of Seattle by storm (no pun intended with the Seattle Storm, but hey - who doesn’t love Sue Bird, but I digress). I mean - that cross from Rapinoe to Wambach in the 2011 WWC was just magic.
My sister then proposed coming to Vancouver in 2015 with her family to watch the final with the hope (expectation?) that the USWNT would be playing. What was different about that experience is that unlike 1999, where it was mostly women and girls in the stands, that the crowd had plenty of men and boys in it and they were incredibly knowledgeable about the women’s game. And the final was an epic showcase of Carli Lloyd’s greatness - hello shot from midfield. But something was starting to change in terms of the women’s game. The competition was getting better and domestic leagues were starting to pop up in Europe and, once again, in the US.
Fast forward to 2019 with the WWC in France, and the crowds were incredible. We didn’t go, but Lisa took her family. We still texted. She was there and I was in Mexico City, but the love of the game and seeing so many fans of different nations supporting their teams was truly amazing.
So here we are now. The USWNT has made huge strides in their quest for equal pay. The Men’s World Cup is coming to the US in 2026 and Seattle is one of the host cities. The women’s game continues to grow here and abroad (google the Women’s Euro that just concluded a month ago). The opportunity exists to grow the women’s game exponentially here in the US. One of the great things about soccer is that you don’t need a lot of equipment to play, but one of the things that has become obvious is around ‘access’. Access to fields, qualified coaches, scholarship opportunities, you name it.
And that’s where my passion comes from, especially for those of you who know me from when I co-founded Upower back in 2013, which focused on providing free fitness to underserved teens in King County.
Hence why I am joining the At-Large Development Council. It’s time to give back and help others have the opportunities to grow and to learn through sport. I couldn’t be more thrilled to join along in this journey with the US Soccer Federation to serve as an ambassador of the game, to jumpstart fundraising and provide some leadership to those who need it.
If you’re a fan and would like to learn more, please DM me. Otherwise, you’ll catch me in the red, white and blue cheering on our teams (while likely texting my sister frantically) plus our local teams here in Seatown.
Special thanks to Ian Hameroff for bringing me along for what I know will be a spectacular ride. Who knew that Windows Networking all of those years ago would lead to this?!