Alan I. Rothenberg
| Alan Rothenberg | |
|---|---|
| President of the U.S. Soccer Federation | |
|
In office 1990–1998 |
|
| Preceded by | Werner Fricker |
| Succeeded by | Robert Contiguglia |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 10, 1939 Detroit, MI, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Alan I. Rothenberg (born April 10, 1939) is an American lawyer and sports executive. He is known for his contributions to and influence on the growth of soccer in the United States. He is the namesake of the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy, which was awarded annually to the winner of the MLS Cup from 1996 to 1999. Rothenberg was president of U.S. Soccer (the governing body of American soccer) during the 1990s and oversaw the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and the establishment of Major League Soccer in 1996.
Rothenberg earned the FIFA Order of Merit in 2006. Rothenberg was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007 in recognition of his contribution as a "Builder" of the sport in the United States. He is a member of the FIFA Ethics Committee.
Rothenberg was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1963 where he finished top of his class. After law school, he moved to California and began working as a lawyer at the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers. He was a fan and follower of traditional American sports.
Rothenberg had no experience with soccer until the age of 28, when he came into contact with the nascent North American Soccer League while serving 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."
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