The North Jersey Imperials were a professional soccer club based in northern New Jersey that competed in the Northeast Conference of the United Soccer Leagues between 1994 and 2001. The 1997 season was notable, as it featured 18-year-old Tim Howard, from North Brunswick, as the starting goalkeeper. Howard went on to the join the MetroStars of Major League Soccer for the 1998 season. He was then transferred to Manchester United in 2003 and played at Everton from 2006 to 2016. Howard is the most capped goalkeeper of all-time for the United States men's national team, with over 100 caps since his debut in 2002.
In the inaugural 1994 season, at the age of twenty-seven years, I was appointed the Head Coach of the club and led the team to 15 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw, with the team finishing runner-up in the Northeast Conference regular season league and finalist in Northeast Conference postseason Championship. I was responsible for player recruitment, negotiating player contracts to the club budget, game and practice coaching, selecting the game day roster, scouting opponents, media interviews and community appearances. At the end of the season, my contract was purchased by the New York Fever professional soccer team.
Role: Head Coach (1994)