More head coaching appointments will be announced soon.
Tony DiCicco, Head Coach Boston Breakers
Tony DiCicco has a long history of involvement in women’s soccer. He is the Chair of the Technical Committee and the head coach of the Boston Breakers. The former National Team head coach served as the WUSA’s COO in 2001 and it’s Commissioner in 2002 and 2003 and as the Chairman of the re-launch committee in 2004.
For six years DiCicco was the head coach of the United States Women's National Team, accumulating an impressive record of 103-8-8, making him the all-time wins leader in U.S. National Team Soccer history. DiCicco was the head coach of the 1999 Women's World Cup squad that changed the face of women's athletics forever, winning the championship over China in front of the largest crowd in women’s sports history (90,185 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on July 10, 1999) and a worldwide television audience. In 1996, he led the U.S. team to the first-ever gold medal in Olympic women's soccer. He also guided the U.S. team to a third-place finish at the second FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden in June of 1995 and championships at U.S. Women's Cups in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. DiCicco and the USA Women’s National Team also won the Goodwill Games Gold Medal in 1998. The 1996 Olympic Gold Medal team has recently been inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
Before becoming the head coach of the U.S. national team, DiCicco had served as the squad’s assistant coach since 1991, working with the goalkeepers during the USA’s triumph at the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in China in 1991. He also served as the goalkeeper and assistant coach for the 1993 Under-20 Men’s National Team when it finished in eighth place at the 7th FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia.
DiCicco played five years of professional soccer in the American Soccer League with the Connecticut Wildcats and Rhode Island Oceaneers, where he was team MVP and captain. In 1973, DiCicco played for the U.S. National Team.
In 1981, DiCicco founded SoccerPlus Goalkeeper Schools, which has grown to over 20 camps nationwide, and started the SoccerPlus FieldPlayer Academies in the summer of 1998. He currently serves as the Director of the NSCAA Goalkeeping Institute. He holds both the U.S. Soccer “A” license and the NSCAA Premier Diploma.
DiCicco founded the FSASoccerPlus Football Club in 2003 and serves as the club’s Technical Director. He is also coach of the U12 girls; the U17 boys and SoccerPlus CT Reds of the WPSL (Women’s Premier Soccer League). The Reds won the U23 National Championship last summer.
DiCicco is the Technical Director to adidas ESP, a program that every summer brings in the top 100 youth female players for a unique learning and competition experience.
DiCicco, is also a member of the FIFA Panel of Instructors and Lecturers visited Santiago, Chile recently to help promote the FIFA U20 Women’s World Championship to be held in Chile later in 2008. He has authored three soccer DVD series, Goalkeeping, the DiCicco Method; The 3 front System 4-3-3; and Champions Soccer Series featuring Brandi Chastain and has completed a book, along with Dr. Colleen Hacker entitled “Catch them Being Good”.
DiCicco was an ESPN television analyst for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. He has also served this capacity during the 2003 Women’s World Cup and with NBC for the 2000 Olympics.
DiCicco has also recently started SoccerPlus Education Center, a non-profit company that provides seminars for young student athletes. Seminars range from “Life Skills…balancing a checkbook, managing a credit card, establishing credit” to “Adolescent Development…an Emphasis on Teen Depression” to “Leadership and Sustaining Excellence.”
He received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Springfield College in Massachusetts and a master’s degree in physical education from Central Connecticut State University. DiCicco lives in Wethersfield, Conn. He and his wife, Diane, have four sons: Anthony, Andrew, Alex, and Nicholas.
Jim Gabarra, Head Coach Washington Freedom
Prior to his appointment as Head Coach of the Washington Freedom in August 2000, Gabarra, was head coach of the World All-Stars during the 1999 and 2000 Toys "R" Us United States National Team Indoor Victory Tour. Gabarra's extensive background in soccer includes head coaching tenures with the Washington Warthogs in the CISL from 1994-1998, head coach in the adidas Summer League, 1998, and stints as the player-coach for the Milwaukee Wave of the NPSL from 1992-1993 and Louisville Thunder of the AISA from 1985-1987.
Gabarra was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1986-1989, earning 14 caps, and played for the U.S. Olympic Team at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. He played indoor and outdoor soccer professionally from 1982-1994 in the ASL, AISA, MISL, CISL, and NPSL. Gabarra was the U.S. National Indoor Team captain from 1986-1996, and played on the team achieving the highest tournament finish ever by a U.S. Men's National Team at FIFA's Indoor World Championships - capturing the Silver medal in 1992 and the Bronze medal in 1989.
Born in Key West, FL, Gabarra currently resides in Annapolis, MD with his wife Carin, a member of the first U.S. Women's World Cup Championship Team in 1991 and current head coach at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and their three children.