Soccer
NASL
Rothenberg had no experience with soccer until the age of 28,when he came into contact with the nascent North American Soccer League while working as a lawyer for Jack Kent Cooke. Cooke,who owned several sports teams,had also acquired the NASL's Los Angeles Wolves,a short-lived team that lasted only until 1968.
Almost ten years after the folding of the Wolves,Rothenberg headed an investment group that bought the Los Angeles Aztecs,a newer club in the same league,but he sold the team after three seasons in 1980,thus escaping the later collapse of the league. Rothenberg later stated that his timing in buying the team had simply been wrong —"I mistakenly thought the time was right and three years later I realized that the time was wrong. I liked soccer,thought it was a great opportunity then,and thought it was now." [6]
U.S. Soccer
In 1984,Rothenberg was asked by Peter Ueberroth,the organizer of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,to take on the role of commissioner of soccer for the Olympic Games. The unexpected popularity of soccer that summer —including multiple sell-outs of the 100,000+ seat Rose Bowl —established before the world that an American audience for the game existed. The success of soccer at the 1984 Olympics,under Rothenberg's leadership,was a significant factor in FIFA awarding the United States in 1988 the right to host the 1994 World Cup. [5]
Rothenberg's success in the capacity of commissioner caused FIFA to seek out his services as director of the 1994 World Cup,which FIFA had decided award to the US. In 1990,with FIFA's backing,Rothenberg defeated the unpopular incumbent Werner Fricker in a landslide in an election for the Presidency of the United States Soccer Federation. [5] Rothenberg was then named Chairman of the World Cup 1994 Organizing Committee. Rothenberg pushed for the 1994 World Cup to be held in large venues. [5] Under Rothenberg's guidance,the 1994 World Cup was a major success. The tournament set records for attendance,with the 2.5 million attendance breaking the previous record by 1 million,and resulted in U.S. Soccer earning a surplus of more than $50 million. [7] [5]
Fulfilling a promise to FIFA made as part of the World Cup bid,Rothernberg oversaw the establishment of Major League Soccer,the first fully professional U.S. outdoor league since the NASL. Rothenberg was also the major force behind the inception of Project 2010,which was launched in 1998. [8] Rothenberg was president of the U.S. Soccer Federation for two four-year terms until 1998,when term limits forced him to step down from the post. Rothenberg also played an integral part in organizing the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup which was hosted by the United States. [9] Rothenberg remains a member of the USSF executive committee,and is also one of three Vice Presidents of CONCACAF. [10]
In 1998,Rothenberg headed a bid by the Japanese advertising agency Dentsu to buy the San Jose Clash of MLS, [11] but was forced to pull out at a late date due to the Asian stock market crisis. [12]
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