USL News Release

Monday, March 10, 2008

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced Monday that USL founder and President Francisco Marcos has been elected onto the US Soccer Board of Directors as an At-Large representative. Also announced today by the National Soccer Hall of Fame were the results of the Builders ballot in which Marcos finished fifth among 16 candidates.

Marcos will be returning to the USSF Board of Directors after having previously serving from 1993 to 2006 when the structure of the Federation and its board were re-organized and downsized by mandate from the US Olympic Committee. Marcos, who has also served on the non-profit US Soccer Foundation’s Board of Directors since 1996, will be representing the AYSO, MISL, SAY, USSSA, US Power Soccer, US Club Soccer and USL Super Y-League (see below for more on each organization) on the US Soccer Board of Directors.

“Each of the organizations I will be representing is a unique member of the American soccer community which plays a key role that deserves a voice on the Board of Directors,” said Marcos. “As the President of USL, an organization that in itself has varied roles in the soccer community in North America, I understand the importance each member of the US Soccer family plays in helping develop and grow the sport in the United States for everyone and I look forward to assisting those organizations over my coming term.”

Marcos’ service to the game in the United States is one of the primary factors, along with his founding of United Soccer Leagues, that led to his inclusion on the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s Builders ballot. In the newly-revised voting procedure set in place this year for Builders, Marcos finished fifth among 16 candidates for the honor of induction which went to famed University of North Carolina women’s coach and former US Women’s National Team coach Anson Dorrance. Former US Men’s coaches Bruce Arena and Bob Gansler, also a former USL-1 championship coach, finished second and third among the Builders votes.

Marcos finished second among non-coaches in the balloting behind Chuck Blazer, a former General Secretary of CONCACAF and member of the FIFA Executive Committee. The other 11 candidates for Builder were Esse Baharmast, Bob Contiguglia, William Cox, Gino D’Ippolito, Robert Kraft, Frank Longo, Joe Machnik, Fritz Marth, Thom Meredith, Kevin Payne and George Strawbridge.

“I am honored to have finished so highly among such an outstanding selection of individuals who comprised the 16-person Builders ballot,” said Marcos. “To finish second among a number of greatly respected Builders of the game off the field is truly an honor.”

Arguably the most prominent coach of women’s soccer, Dorrance was coach of the U.S. women’s national team from 1986 to 1994, including its victory in the first Women’s World Cup, and coach of the University of North Carolina women’s team from 1979 to date, winning 15 of the first 18 NCAA Division I women’s soccer titles.

Ironically, Hugo Perez, a signing of Marcos’ with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame via the Veteran’s Ballot. Perez began his professional career with the, eventually moving to the San Diego Sockers where he had an impressive career outdoors and indoors. His U.S. National Team debut was against Italy in 1984 and he scored his first international goal against Canada in 1985. His 73 game international career included 1986 and 1990 World Cup qualifiers. He also played in the 1994 World Cup, starting the second round match against Brazil played on the Fourth of July. His final match for the United States was against England in September 1994. Since his retirement from playing the game, he has stayed active in soccer in the San Francisco Bay Area, coaching youth and collegiate teams. He also served as Assistant Coach for the USL First Division California Victory in 2007.

Players were selected to the Veteran Ballot from the over 300 eligible players by vote of the 16-member Veteran Screening Committee, which is made up of selected Hall of Famers. In the 2008 Player election no individual exceeded the required 75% of ballots cast to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame. Top players were Joy Fawcett with 70% of the vote and Preki Radasavijevic with 68%. Full elections results and bios for all categories are available on the Hall of Fame web site, www.soccerhall.org.  

Organizations Represented by At-Large Council of USSF Board of Directors

AYSO
Founded in 1964, the AYSO is a national association affiliated with U.S. Soccer and operates soccer programs with more than 650,000 children participating throughout the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AYSO operates programs so young people can learn to develop a positive self-image, self confidence and other character traits through their interest and participation in the sport. www.soccer.org  

MISL
The Major Indoor Soccer League is a single-entity 10 team professional indoor soccer league founded in 2001. www.misl.net  

SAY
The Soccer Association for Youth (SAY) is an affiliate member of U.S. Soccer and was founded in 1967. As SAY is a recreational "Grass Roots" organization with only five employees’ nationwide, it is able to keep its fees low. SAY’s motto of "Kids Having FUN!" is based on the premise that teams are balanced to discourage "blow outs." Every child must play at least half of every game, with an aim toward equal participation. SAY still allows its areas the flexibility to form leagues in a manner that best suits their own organization. www.saysoccer.org  

United States Specialty Sports Association
USSSA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop and expand the game of soccer in the United States. The USSSA, which offers 11 different sports under its umbrella and included indoor and outdoor soccer ranging from age 5-19, has been an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation since July 2001. www.usssa.com  

US Club Soccer
US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization committed to the support and development of competitive soccer clubs. It is founded on the belief that soccer clubs, which are in the business of elite player development, need an organization of their own to foster growth, address concerns, and sanction and provide programs with a minimum of rules and restrictions. www.usclubsoccer.org  

US Power Soccer
The United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA) governs the sport of Power Soccer in the United States. USPSA promotes the sport on a national and international level through tournament play, referee certification, training and growth. It is the mission and hope of the USPSA that all persons who use power wheelchairs will have the "opportunity" to play and experience Power Soccer. Power Soccer is a team sport that helps build important qualities in people, such as: teamwork, communication, hard work, perseverance, good sportsmanship. The USPSA is also committed to make Power Soccer an internationally recognized sport that will one day be in the Paralympics. www.powersoccerusa.net  

USL Super Y-League
The USL Super Y-League, a professionalized system that is the first step for developing elite youth soccer players in North America, is affiliated with US Soccer and partnered with US Club Soccer. The league is designed for talented youth players destined for professional or international careers. The league contains the youth academies of senior USL teams and Major League Soccer clubs, as well as many of the established premier youth clubs. Through Olympic Development Program status events such as the North American Finals and National ODP Camps, the nation’s top players are identified for selection to US National Team Programs. www.uslsoccer.com