KANSAS CITY, Mo. (November 21, 2024) – United Soccer Coaches announced the recipients of its 2024 Coaches Communities Awards of Excellence on Thursday.
The recipients will be honored during the annual Advocacy Hour Reception at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025, and the annual Coaches of Women’s Soccer Breakfast at 8:00 am on Saturday, January 11, 2025, during the 84th annual United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago, Ill.
The Coaches Communities Awards of Excellence are presented annually by the eight community groups to honor an individual, organization or other entity that has shown a commitment and outstanding work on behalf of the values of each respective group, meeting the association’s highest ideals of inclusion and diversity in the game.
The recipients of this year’s Coaches Communities Awards of Excellence are:
Asian/Pacific Islander Coaches
Michele Nagamine
Michele Nagamine is a force of nature in the world of soccer. Known for her infectious optimism, joyful spirit, and unwavering dedication to the sport, she embodies the true meaning of the Aloha Spirit.
Her accomplishments on and off the field are numerous. As a player, she captained Santa Clara University to the 1989 NCAA Division I semifinals. As a coach, she has led Kamehameha High School to five Hawaii state championships and six Interscholastic League of Honolulu Schools titles. She has been named ILH Coach of the Year seven times and Hawaii State Coach of the Year five times.
Since 2011, she has been the head coach at the University of Hawaii, where she was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year twice. She has also mentored numerous athletes to post-season honors.
Beyond her coaching roles, she is a dedicated advocate for Asian Pacific Islanders (API) and women’s empowerment. She has represented APICC during heritage months, participated in the association’s coach credential program, and mentored countless coaches and athletes at all levels.
Her impact extends to the grassroots level as well, where she serves as the technical director at Leahi Soccer Club, positively influencing athletes, coaches, and their families. She has also demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit by developing her own marketing company and a soccer retail store.
Black Soccer Coaches
Julian “JT”Dorsey
Born and raised in Coatesville, Pa., Julian “JT” Dorsey turned his love for soccer into a lifelong mission to empower underserved youth. A former professional soccer player in the USL Championship League, JT leveraged his passion for the sport and his education in Elementary and Special Education from Loyola University in Maryland to create lasting change.
Born and raised in Coatesville, Pa., Julian “JT” Dorsey turned his love for soccer into a lifelong mission to empower underserved youth. A former professional soccer player in the USL Championship League, JT leveraged his passion for the sport and his education in Elementary and Special Education from Loyola University in Maryland to create lasting change.
As the founder and Executive Director of the JT Dorsey Foundation, JT works tirelessly to break down barriers to soccer, promoting health, education, and wellness for over 1,500 children annually in Pennsylvania. He also serves as the Grassroots Soccer Manager for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association and consults with schools and districts to support youth development.
A dedicated advocate for equity in sports, JT is recognized for his impactful work, earning accolades such as the 2023 Black Soccer Coaches Local Legend Award, the 2024 EPYSA Service to Community Award, and the 2024 Philadelphia Union Foundation Community Leadership Award.
Disabilities Allies
Josh McKinney
Josh McKinney was born with a form of cerebral palsy that primarily affects the muscles on the right side of his body. He began playing soccer at the age of four and continued to play at the club and high school level, where he participated in competitive soccer platforms with and against athletes without disabilities. In 1995 at the age of 16 years old, McKinney was invited to join Team USA at the CPISRA Pan-American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. In 1996, he led the US National team in scoring in Atlanta with five goals as they finished fourth.
McKinney went on to play collegiately at Concord University. He became the Para National Team captain, helping the group qualify for the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Paralympic Games and place second at the 2010 Copa America. He would go on to earn 124 caps while scoring 81 goals before ending his 19-year international career in 2014.
McKinney was inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame and West Virginia Soccer Association Hall of Fame. In 2024, McKinney was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. His induction signifies the first time that the Hall has inducted an athlete with a disability.
McKinney has transitioned into the role of coach in both youth and adaptive soccer. He coaches full time with NCFC Youth in North Carolina. In addition, he coaches the CP (Cerebral Palsy) Soccer team in the Raleigh-Durham area. CP Soccer’s mission is to build a nationwide soccer league for kids who are affected by cerebral palsy, stroke or traumatic brain injury and also create a pathway for the next generation of US Para-7-A-Side stars to be identified and developed.
Faith-Based Coaches
Lisa LaRosa
Lisa LaRosa has shared a lifelong passion for the game of soccer since playing as a young child in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been married to her husband Michael for 32 years, and together they have 4 children and 5 grandchildren.
Lisa coached her daughters and two of her grandchildren in youth leagues and officially began her high school coaching career in the fall of 2013 as the freshman coach at Seton High School. In 2014, Lisa was elevated to varsity assistant position.
In 2019 Lisa added weekly “Faith Building” sportsmanship and spiritual activities that she personally designs to encourage and engage her athletes within their faith. These activities have been so well received that she now provides weekly Faith Buildings for other varsity students athletes at Seton. Her teams have enjoyed tremendous success, recently winning their first state championship in 2022 and reaching the state final four the last two seasons. She inspires the student athletes at Seton High School and shows them the importance of keeping their “eyes up” on Jesus and to never stop believing.
LGBTQ+ and Allies
Armando Martinez
A native of Mexico City, Mexico, Armando has lived in Wisconsin since 1995. He played baseball and football growing up in Mexico and got involved in soccer when his own children started playing.
He began coaching back in 2006, first volunteering at the YMCA, and then club recreational soccer, coaching his children through recreation, academy and classic teams.
Martinez has coached all levels of the youth game including TOPSoccer, and currently holds a National Youth License from US Youth Soccer. He is the president of the Howard Fire FC soccer club, where he most recently coached both his daughters in the 19U team. He and his friends founded the Howard Fire club in 2015 because they felt the interests of their children were more important than the pay for play system of the larger clubs. Up to this day, the Howard Fire FC club remains a volunteer-based club.
An association member since 2012, Armando has attended all conventions since 2013. He joined the LGBTQ+ and allies community in 2017, which he was able to attend under a scholarship from the Joe Cummings Fund and the United Soccer Coaches Foundation.
Native American Coaches
Leroy Nelson
Coach Leroy Nelson, a proud Navajo from the Navajo Nation Reservation, is a dedicated soccer coach and successful businessman. Born in Fort Defiance, Ariz., Nelson has been a driving force in the Four Corners region since 2005.
As a Native American business owner and coach, Nelson’s mission is to empower young athletes through soccer while instilling traditional values of hard work, academic excellence, and a strong work ethic. He strives to create opportunities both on and off the field for aspiring soccer players.
Nelson’s business has provided financial support for athletes, covering costs for camps, transportation, and game footage to aid in their recruitment to collegiate programs. His unwavering commitment to youth development has been evident in his coaching career.
From grassroots to high school levels, Nelson’s dedication and experience have been instrumental in guiding his two daughters along with numerous other athletes, to successful collegiate soccer careers.
Inspired by the success of Madison Hammond (a fellow Navajo athlete who now plays for Angel City FC), Nelson believes that many more talented athletes will emerge from their local communities. Nelson’s dedication to his athletes, his community, and the sport of soccer has left a lasting impact on the Four Corners region and beyond.
Veterans, Active Military and Affiliates Award of Excellence
Frank Borghi
He famously only played soccer in the winter to keep physically fit for the baseball season. Still, Frank Borghi – a big farmhand gifted with huge hands – along with five others from St. Louis’s neighborhood known as “The Hill” went on to represent the United States at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.
After allowing three goals in the last 12 minutes to lose 3-1 to Spain, the U.S. next faced the side most favored to win the World Cup, the team from the birthplace of modern soccer: England.
While all 11 Americans gave the British fits, England’s biggest headache came from Borghi who, after his side found the back of the net, preserved the shutout and secured what has often been described as the biggest upset in soccer history.
Borghi and the rest of the 1950 team were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976. In January 2004, Frank and four other teammates were named Honorary All-Americans by United Soccer Coaches at its 2003 convention in Charlotte, N.C
A veteran of World War II and recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, Frank Borghi is posthumously awarded the VAMA Award of Excellence for his superlative service to his country, both on the pitch and off, during this 75th anniversary of that unanticipated and unparalleled World Cup victory.
Women Coaches Award of Excellence
Amanda Vandervort
Amanda Vandervort is the President of the USL Super League, leading?the fastest growing connected women’s soccer network in the world including the professional Super League, pre-professional USL W League, and USL Academy for girls. Through engaging with communities, brands and partners, Amanda is driving the Super League’s strategic growth, building a people-centric?pathway from youth to pro and creating a long-term sustainable business for the future of women’s soccer.
Vandervort joined the USL after serving as Chief Women’s Football Officer of FIFPRO, the global player’s association based in Amsterdam, where she directed strategy, policy, and stakeholder relations. She published Raising Our Game, a women’s football report detailing global industry standards and a player-centric approach to improving the game.? Prior, she spent nearly a decade at Major League Soccer as Vice President of?Social Media?and CRM, then as Vice President of Fan Engagement. She was recognized as a Sports Business Journal Game Changer in 2016.
Vandervort has been a member of United Soccer Coaches for 22 years and in 2016 became the fifth female President in the Association’s 75-year history. She was the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at New York University for four years and holds her United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma and a B Coaching License from the U.S. Soccer Federation.