Selection Committee
Steve Sampson
Chairman, Inspireum Soccer Awards
Former Head Coach U.S. Men's National Team
Former Head Coach LA Galaxy
Steve Sampson is the former head coach of the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. From 1995-1998, Steve served as the USA National Team Coach & Technical Director, qualifying his team for the 1998 World Cup and winning the Gold Cup Silver medal in the same year. In 2003 Steve became the first American born to coach a foreign national team, Costa Rica. He successfully assisted Costa Rica to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. From 2004-2006 he was the Head Coach of the LA Galaxy where he led the team to the MLS and US Open Cup Championships in 2005. Steve began his head-coaching career in 1986 when he took over the Santa Clara men’s program and led them to the national championship in 1989. He is currently the President of Global Sports Institute, LLC that focuses on the development of elite soccer players in the United States. Steve also serves as Executive Director of the Eagles Soccer Club in southern California and is the Commissioner of Soccer for People to People, Inc.
LYNN BERLING-MANUEL
Chief Marketing Officer
American Youth Soccer Organization
Lynn Berling-Manuel joined AYSO as Chief Marketing Officer in December 2007. As CMO, Lynn oversees AYSO’s market position and branding, and communications to its volunteers and sponsorship. Lynn came to AYSO after more than 30 years in the soccer media and marketing industry, including 12 years as Chief Executive Officer of Soccer America Communications, publishers of Soccer America Magazine. She is acknowledged as one of the leading experts on the U.S. soccer market, having long consulted with soccer organizations and major corporations on their soccer marketing strategies. Lynn currently serves on the board of directors of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. She is a two-term past president of the Professional Soccer Reporters Association and was a regular contributor to the marketing trade magazine Advertising Age. She is a two-time recipient of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Merit Award and their Award of Excellence. She was an economics major at UC Berkeley and is a graduate of the Stanford University Professional Publishing program. Lynn is married to Martin Manuel and resides in her hometown of Albany, CA.
Andres Cantor
Renowned Telemundo Sportscaster famous for signature call, "Goooaaaalll!"
Andres Cantor, a renowned Spanish language sportscaster, is famous for his signature call "GOOOAAAALLLL!", a call which for decades has been a popular play-by-play announcement method of a soccer team's score. He is currently working for Telemundo, one of NBC Universal's networks. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, where Telemundo was the first-ever U.S. Spanish-language network to broadcast the Olympics, Andres worked as both a studio anchor and the play-by-play announcer for baseball. As the owner and main play-by-play announcer of the Futbol de Primera Radio Network sports radio network, he hosts a daily show, Futbol de Primera, which airs nationally in more than 100 affiliates. In 2005, he received an Honorary Emmy from the NATPE for his contributions to Hispanic television.
Joe Cummings
Chief Executive Officer
National Soccer Coaches Association of America
Joe Cummings is the CEO and Executive Director of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). An NSCAA member since 1981, he served as the association’s president in 2004. His career has touched soccer at every level of the game, from youth club teams to the men’s and women’s professional ranks. Prior to being named CEO of the NSCAA, Joe served as president and general manager of the Boston Breakers of the Women’s Professional Soccer League. He held the same position for the club’s tenure under the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) banner from 2000 to 2003, twice earning the league’s Executive of the Year award (2002, 2003). He also has had two stints with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, first as its assistant general manager (1996-99), then as technical director (2004-05). Joe served as the director of operations for the Birmingham venue of the 1996 Olympic Games soccer tournament, the 1999 Women’s World Cup and as venue manager for the Boston and Philadelphia venues for the 2003 Women’s World Cup. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Providence College and a master’s in education from Springfield College. He and his wife, Ann Marie, have two sons, Joseph and Paul.
Mike Golub
Chief Operating Officer
Portland Timbers
Mike Golub is the Chief Operating Officer for the newly formed Portland Timbers of the MLS. Mike has more than 25 years experience in professional sports marketing and management, including a wealth of experience in Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Golub assumed the position of COO with the Timbers in March 2010 after previously serving as a consultant with the organization. In his position, Golub will oversee all business operations. Golub served as the Chief Operating Officer for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers from 2006-08, transforming the team’s business and brand into one of the most successful in professional sports. With Nike (1996-99), he was a founding member and director of Nike Sports Entertainment, a global sports marketing division that established new strategic alliances and created and administered Nike-owned sporting events. A graduate of Dartmouth College with a master’s degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Golub also brings considerable experience in a variety of major league sports. He served as the Executive Vice President for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies from 2000-05 and was the Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers prior to joining the Trail Blazers in October 2006.
April Heinrichs
Technical Director U.S. Woman's National Team
Former captain of United States team which won the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup
April Heinrichs is the Technical Director for the U.S. Women's National Teams. She provides technical direction for women's soccer in the United States as it relates to the U.S. Women's National Teams with a focus on the Under-20s and younger. April was head coach of the Women’s National Team from 2000-2004, compiling a record of 87-17-20. During her tenure she led the USA to the 2004 Olympic gold medal in Greece, a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Australia and a third-place finish at the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the USA. She also has extensive experience in the college game, having been head coach at Virginia, Maryland, Princeton and UC Irvine. April has a 119-86-16 overall collegiate record. As one of the pioneers of the U.S. Women’s National Team, she was a key player on the 1991 team that won the first Women's World Cup. The 2-1 win over Norway in the championship match was her final game as she finished her international career with 38 goals in 47 games. April, who was the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 1986 and 1989, played four years at the University of North Carolina, winning three NCAA titles and was named First-Team All-American three times. In 1998, she became the first female player inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Juergen Klinsmann
Head Coach
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team
Juergen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former football player, played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German team that won the 1996 UEFA European Championship. In July 2011, he was named as the new head coach of the US Men's National Soccer Team. Prior to that he coached the German National Team in the 2006 World Cup reaching the semi-final stage and eventually placing third in the tournament. As a player, Juergen was a German national team player in 1990, 1994 and 1998, winning the World Cup in 1990. He also participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal. Throughout his entire career he played for several of the top European clubs (Vfb Stuttgart, Inter, AS Monaco, Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, Sampdoria) cementing his place in European soccer history.
Pam Perkins
General Manager
U.S. Men's National Team
Pam Perkins has been working with the United States Soccer Federation since 1995. Originally, Pam started out as the Team Administrator under the supervision of General Manager Tom King and U.S. Men's National Team Coach, Steve Sampson. She was promoted to General Manager of the U.S. Men's National Team in 1999 and has held that post ever since. Pam is in charge of logistics, administration and oversight of all the U.S. Men's Soccer activities. Often in the background of the entire operation, Pam is one of the most respected individuals in U.S. Soccer.
Jerry smith
Head Coach
Santa Clara Women's Soccer Team
Head coach Jerry Smith completed his 24th season at the helm of the Santa Clara women's soccer program in 2010 with his 23rd winning season and a 13-7-2 record. Although he is most known for the development of his players and teams, Smith also produces success and is the winningest women's soccer coach in Santa Clara history, having compiled a record of 369-116-38 (.742) -- ranked top-5 in NCAA Division I history -- establishing a standard of excellence few can match. Since taking over the head coaching duties at Santa Clara in the spring of 1987, Smith has built the Bronco soccer program into a national power. For 19 consecutive seasons, his Broncos reached the NCAA Tournament prior to 2008 and have been ranked among the top 10 teams in the country. In addition, his Bronco teams have won nine West Coast Conference titles.
Jeff Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
Ambassadors Group (People to People)
Jeff Thomas is President and Chief Executive Officer of Ambassadors Group, Inc. which operates the People to People Ambassador Programs. In less than one year after joining People to People in 1995, Jeff had been promoted to President and began to transform the organization: from 10,000 to over 50,000 delegates; from two programs to four programs, including the Student Ambassador Program, the Citizen Ambassador Program, the Sports Ambassador Program, and the Leadership Program; from USA-only delegates to delegates from over 100 different countries. In addition, under Jeff’s leadership, the programs have continued to develop into highly unique, high quality programs with community service elements (over 100,000 hours of community service by Student Ambassadors in 2007 alone!), interactions with Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet-level officials and royalty in Europe, and personal growth experiences that help to shape and develop the students for whom we care. Prior to joining People to People, Jeff held a variety of development and strategic positions throughout the United States and Europe. He double majored in Government and Economics at Dartmouth College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1989. He also studied International Relations at the London School of Economics. Jeff is happily married, with five sons, a daughter, and a dog, Tasha.
Jim ThomPSON
Founder and Executive Director
Positive Coaching Alliance
Jim Thompson is Founder and Executive Director of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national non-profit formed in 1998 at Stanford University with the mission to transform the culture of youth sports so that all youth athletes have a positive, character-building experience. PCA has delivered more than 10,000 workshops for youth and high school sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. According to the Institute for International Sport, Jim is one of the 20 living Americans who have made the most significant contributions to the practice of fair play and have enhanced the national consciousness regarding the central importance of sportsmanship. He was named an International Fellow by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, which recognizes outstanding social entrepreneurs. His books on youth sports include: The Double-Goal Coach; Positive Coaching; Shooting in the Dark: Tales of Coaching and Leadership; Positive Sports Parenting; The High School Sports Parent; The Power of Double-Goal Coaching; and Elevating Your Game. Before launching PCA, Jim was director of the Public and Global Management Programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he taught courses in leadership and non-profit issues. Now on the faculty of Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program, he teaches courses in coaching, leadership and sport and spirituality. He has a degree in elementary education from the University of North Dakota, a Masters in Public Affairs from the University of Oregon, and an MBA from Stanford.
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