The New York Fever was a professional soccer club, based in New York, that joined the USISL in 1994, playing two seasons in the professional league. In 1996, the Fever merged with the New York Centaurs and the unified New York Fever team competed in the A-League before folding in the postseason. In 1998, one of the Fever owners moved the team to Staten Island and rebranded it under the name Staten Island Vipers, which rejoined the A-League. Many of the 1996 A-League franchises progressed to Major League Soccer including the Montreal Impact, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps, and the teams in Atlanta, Colorado, and Minnesota joined MLS but rebranding under different names.
I was the Head Coach of the club and in my first year transformed the team from 9 wins and 11 losses in the prior season to 21 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw in 1995, winning the Capital Conference regular season championship, the Northeast Conference Championship and progressing the franchise to the semi-finals of the USISL National Championship, only to lose on penalty kicks. At the end of the season, more New York Fever players were selected by Major League Soccer teams in the inaugural 1996 league draft than any other organization. The following season, I was tasked with rebuilding the team under a challenging front office climate.
During my tenure, I was responsible for recruiting players, negotiating player contracts, all practice, and game coaching, selecting the game day roster, scouting opponents, media interviews and community appearances. I was offered the Head Coaching job at the Staten Island Vipers but declined the offer.
Role: Head Coach (1995 & 96)