Frank Test Page

For more than 30 years, Bob Abbott was a key part of soccer in the state of Louisiana and for US Youth Soccer as a whole. Abbott’s presence became commonplace on a variety of US Youth Soccer committees. Bob was a member of both the United States Soccer Federation Constitution Review Committee and the US Youth Soccer Constitutional Rewrite Committee in the late 1990s.

Michelle Akers grew up playing US Youth Soccer in California and Washington. In high school, she won a state championship and was a three-time All-American. While playing for the University of Central Florida, she was a four-time NSCAA All-American and the first woman to be awarded the Hermann Trophy, as most outstanding NCAA Division I soccer player. Akers played in the 1991 and 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cups and in 1999, she was named the FIFA Women’s Player of the Century. In 1996, she was a part of the U.S. women’s team that captured the gold medal in Atlanta.

DaMarcus Beasley had a storied career in the professional ranks, culminating in 126 appearances for the United States Men’s National Team. After his playing career, Beasley started operating a network of youth soccer camps in the Ft. Wayne area in hopes of continuing the growth of youth soccer. Beasley continues to show kids what made him an international star and one of the most celebrated American players of all time.

The Bivens’ involvement in youth soccer began as parents nearly 40 years ago when they were “drafted” as coach, referee and team mom. From that point on, Jon and Connie’s influence on the game and their love of soccer continued to grow.

Bob Brantley has served on the US Youth Soccer Risk Management Committee since its inception. He was the US Youth Soccer Region III (South) representative in the early 1990s before a risk management program even existed. The work of the committee came at a time when awareness was growing dramatically in society of the problems associated with child safety and of the extent to which organizations working with youth need to take steps to address the problems.

Dennis Brumfield was an active member of the US Youth Soccer family for more than 30 years. In that time, Brumfield first became involved in his home state of West Virginia before then using his accounting knowledge at the Regional and National levels to help implement sound financial practices into US Youth Soccer. In addition to his accounting background, Brumfield was also an active member of the referee community.

Anthony Buiniskis first became involved in soccer in 1979 when his son started to play. While Buiniskis initially started out as a coach, he would go on to become a travel director, State Cup director, and board member of a major club in the Syracuse, New York area. Buiniskis had a passion for education and training at all levels and as a result, the game of soccer grew exponentially under his radar.

Wayne L. Christoffersen was a founding member and the first president of the Kansas State Youth Soccer Association. Prior to the formation of the State Association, he was the vice president of the Heart of America Soccer Association. Wayne was also the US Youth Soccer Region II Director from 1994 to 2006, serving on the board of directors. During this time, Region II started the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional League.

Susanne Conlon was an active member in the soccer world beginning in 1987. She was a referee assignor and assisted in the founding of Georgia Soccer’s first affiliated club. Conlon played a significant role in growing Georgia’s TOPSoccer program, as well as introducing TOPSoccer – Rama for the Special Needs school population. Conlon also served as a club registrar, coach, program director, vice president, president, referee, and sat on multiple US Youth Soccer committees.

Dr. Robert Contiguglia served as president of US Youth Soccer from 1990 to 1996. He secured the first national sponsorship and introduced Soccer Start (now Soccer Across America). In 1980, he served as president of Colorado Youth Soccer and, during his eight years as Colorado president, Contiguglia grew the organization from 3,000 to 33,000 members while also introducing coach and referee training programs. Starting in 1990, Contiguglia served on the U.S. Soccer Federation board of directors, serving as president from 1998 to 2006. In 2010, he was honored with the Werner Fricker Builder Award by U.S. Soccer for his work furthering soccer.

Copple spent nearly five decades of her life involved with soccer. As President of the Washington State Youth Soccer Association, Copple established a risk management program in 1992. She spent time on US Youth Soccer’s Risk Management Committee and as Chair of the Region IV Committee, where she helped position USYS as one of the leaders in the field. Copple was also a member of U.S. Soccer’s Women’s Committee, U.S. Soccer’s Constitutional Commission Planning Committee, and multiple other US Youth Soccer committees.

For nearly two decades, Jim Cosgrove helped push US Youth Soccer forward, serving in different capacities as he helped benefit the game for all kids. Cosgrove’s influence on USYS can be felt in all aspects of the organization from budget creation to the implementation of new communications channels and technologies. 

Mavis Derflinger began her soccer career coaching a girls’ team in Lee, New York, in 1969. In the 1970s, Derflinger teamed with Rael Vodicka to form the Washington Area Girls Soccer League (WAGS), where she served as treasurer. Derflinger was elected the president of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association from 1979-1981. She also held the position of Region I director for US Youth Soccer from 1981-1986. In the early 1980s, she became the first female board member of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). In 1986, she was elected as chairwoman of US Youth Soccer, which put her on the USSF Executive Committee. She served as chairwoman through 1990.  

Adele Dolansky’s dedication to the sport started when she became a coach for the Fairfax Police Club. For the following three decades, Dolansky went on to impact countless youth soccer players in Virginia, Region 1, and nationwide. She also served as Chairwoman of USYS’ National Championship Series Region 1. 

Flo Egan was US Youth Soccer’s East Region Administrator from 2014-2017. She managed the National Championship, Presidents Cup, ODP, and TOPSoccer programs in the region while maintaining official records and managing the budget. Egan also spent three years with Maryland State Youth Soccer Association as its Executive Director, where she was responsible for managing the organization’s daily operations, coordinating its programs, increasing player registration, and working with various members to develop new programs throughout the state. From 2022-2025, Egan served as USYS’ Eastern Region National Championship Series Program Manager. She oversaw all operational procedures, including bid processes, schedule making, and communication to all involved parties, among other responsibilities. In addition to her other administrative endeavors, Egan has also served as a committee member for numerous initiatives.

Elmer Ehlers served as the Region II Director on US Youth Soccer’s Board of Directors from 1984-1994. During Ehlers’ time on the Board, USYS’ membership grew by more than one million players. Even after retiring, he remained involved with the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series for many years. To honor his many contributions, the Under-14 Girls US Youth Soccer National Championship Cup was named the Elmer Ehlers Cup in 2002.

Fawcett began playing with the Orange County Youth Soccer Club and, at just 14, was selected to both the Olympic Development Program and the United States Youth National Team. Fawcett later attended UC Berkeley and was a two-time National Player of the Year, three-time First Team All American, and still holds the program record for most goals in a single season. Fawcett went on to appear in 239 games for the United States Women’s National Team while winning two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals. She was also a founding member of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA).

For more than 40 years, Dr. Thomas Fleck fostered the physical, mental and emotional growth and development of America’s youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition. He was recognized in 2005 as the inaugural recipient of the US Youth Soccer Dr. Thomas Fleck Excellence in Youth Coaching Education Award, designed to honor a lifetime of dedication where one has with integrity, honor, humor and humility made extensive and far reaching contributions to the process by which youth soccer coaches are educated in America.

Julie Foudy began playing team soccer when she was seven years old. In 1986, she helped Cal South’s Mission Viejo Soccerettes win the US Youth Soccer U16 National Championship. Foudy was the captain on the U.S. Women’s National Team for 13 years, appearing in 271 matches and tallying 45 goals and 59 assists. She is a two-time FIFA World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Evelyn Gill’s devotion to the sport’s local, state, and national levels lasted more than three decades. In every role she held, Gill helped strengthen and plan for the future of youth soccer, always believing that it was “The Game for All Kids.”

-Donald Greer’s impact on the sport lives on today. Greer founded the California Youth Soccer Association in 1968 and served as its President until 1975. He also served as the United States Soccer Federation’s Vice President from 1972-1984. During that time, Greer founded the United States Youth Soccer Association and was its Chairman until 1984. While in that role, Greer’s vision helped launch the James P. McGuire Cup, the USYS Olympic Development Program, and both regional and sub-regional programs for State Associations. He oversaw an incredible increase in membership, with the number of players participating rising from 32,000 to more than 1.3 million. In 1992, the US Youth Soccer Founder’s Award and, in 1993, USYS’ U17 Boys National Championship Trophy was named “the Don Greer Cup” in his honor. 

-Dr. Lauren Gregg capitalized on her incredible youth years – which included being named an All-American at Wellesley High School – with a standout collegiate career. Gregg spent her first two years at Lehigh University with the men’s junior varsity team. She then transferred to Harvard University, where she was named an All-American in 1981. Gregg finished her collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, where she won an AIAW Championship and the first-ever NCAA Championship in 1982. Gregg then transitioned to coaching and returned to both UNC and Harvard as an assistant – winning another National Championship with the former. She also coached the Virginia Cavaliers for nearly a decade and earned numerous coaching accolades, including leading them to the first Final Four in program history. Gregg has also coached at the international level and was a member of the USWNT’s staff during two World Cup winning campaigns and an Olympic triumph. She was also an assistant for the Nigerian Women’s National Team that made its incredible run in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

-Amy Griffin’s dedication to the sport began at 14 as a Washington State Youth Soccer player. She was a member of many teams and was part of the Olympic Development Program. Griffin then went on to play for the University of Central Florida, was a member of the USWNT, coached several collegiate teams, and was head coach of the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team. 

-Over three days in 1974, Karl Grosch, Don Greer and Robert Nessler wrote the initial constitution, bylaws and rules for US Youth Soccer. It was then and remains now a revolutionary step that provided a democratic structure to provide uniform rules and guidelines to facilitate intrastate, interstate, and international play while uniting all youth soccer programs in the country. US Youth Soccer was officially formed and recognized as an affiliated, self-governing body for youth soccer at the 1974 USSF AGM. 

-John Harkes grew up playing in the New Jersey State Youth Soccer Association with Thistle FC. He earned his first cap for the USMNT in 1987 and played in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups. Harkes also played in the 1988 Olympic Games and was the founding player and captain for the MLS’ D.C. United. He was named a five-time MLS All-Star and played in 167 games throughout his career. Even after his retirement, Harkes remained involved in the sport as an ESPN commentator and US Youth Soccer’s spokesperson for the first Youth Soccer Month.

-John Harkes grew up playing in the New Jersey State Youth Soccer Association with Thistle FC. He earned his first cap for the USMNT in 1987 and played in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups. Harkes also played in the 1988 Olympic Games and was the founding player and captain for the MLS’ D.C. United. He was named a five-time MLS All-Star and played in 167 games throughout his career. Even after his retirement, Harkes remained involved in the sport as an ESPN commentator and US Youth Soccer’s spokesperson for the first Youth Soccer Month.