NYC Soccer Gala Set for Feb. 25

QUEENS, N.Y. (Dec. 9, 2019) – The New York City Soccer Gala, honoring the legacy of "the beautiful game" in the world's greatest city, has been set for Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the New York Athletic Club.

The New York City Soccer Gala is a joint effort by five Division I New York City soccer schools to recognize the local history of the sport at the collegiate, professional and international levels.

This year, the gala will honor two individuals that have played a key role in the growth of soccer in the United States and beyond: Bruce Arena and Bob Ley.

Arena has been one of the most recognizable figures in American soccer over the past several decades. A native of Brooklyn who grew up in Franklin Square, Arena excelled at Nassau Community College and Cornell University as a goalkeeper, helping the Big Red reach the national semifinals as a senior in 1972. Following a brief professional career, he began his coaching career at the University of Virginia in 1978, serving as the school's head soccer and an assistant lacrosse coach. Between 1989 and 1994, Arena would lead the Cavaliers to five national titles, including four straight from 1991-94.

Following the 1995 season, Arena rose to the professional ranks, assuming the head coaching role of D.C. United in Major League Soccer's first year of existence. He promptly won the first two MLS Cups in 1996 and 1997 before falling just short of a third in 1998.

From 1998-2006, Arena coached the United States National Team to some of its best results in team history, including a quarterfinal appearance at the 2002 World Cup. His 81 international wins, including those from a second stint in 2016-17, are the most in U.S. Soccer history.

He returned to the professional ranks in 2006 with the New York Red Bulls before settling with the LA Galaxy in 2008. Over the next eight years, Arena won three more MLS Cups in Los Angeles twice claimed the Supporters' Shield.

Arena currently serves as the head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution.

One of the most awarded and revered broadcasters of the last half-century, Ley is a native of Bloomfield, N.J., who graduated from Seton Hall in 1976. After working a number of local broadcasting gigs that included public address duties with the New York Cosmos and calling the high school soccer matches of Dr. Dave Masur on local cable television, Ley started working at ESPN three days after the network's launch in 1979. Over the next 40 years, Ley was one of the most recognizable figures in American sports, as millions of people welcomed him into their homes on SportsCenter, Outside the Lines and through the network's coverage of special events.

Notable among his long list of professional accomplishments is his work to promote and foster the growth of soccer to an American audience. Ley served as one of the sport's premier domestic broadcasters for decades and hosted the studio shows of various World Cups, both on the men's and women's sides.

The NYC Soccer Gala will also honor individuals who have made specific impacts on each of the NYC area schools. Those honorees will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchased at NYCSoccerGala.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, visit www.NYCSoccerGala.com.

St. John's University Athletics

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