Men's Soccer In The Pros
Bob Bradley '80
Bob Bradley '80 was named the first head coach of the LAFC, the incoming expansion club of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in July 2017.
Nearly 20 years ago that Bradley got his start in the MLS when he was hired as head coach of then expansion team Chicago Fire in 1998. He earned coach of the year honors after leading the team to MLS and U.S. Open Cup titles in 1998, and won the Open Cup again in 2000. He left the Fire to take the head job with the MetroStars from 2003-05 before heading to Chivas USA in 2006.
He served as the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team from 2007-2011. In his first FIFA World Cup, in 2010 in South Africa Bradley and the U.S. tied England (1-1) and Slovenia (202) and beat Algeria 1-0 to win Group C. The U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16, falling to Ghana 2-1. The team also won the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and finished second in 2009.
Bradley served as head coach of his second national team, Egypt from 2011-13 as the team made a push for World Cup, but lost in a playoff series to Ghana.
Since then he coached Norwegian club Stabaek, French side Le Havre and English Premier League club Swansea City. He became the first American to manage in the Premiere League but was let go after 11 games.
At Princeton, he led the Tigers in scoring during his senior season of 1979, when the team advanced to the second round of the NCAAs. He began coaching the Tigers in 1984 and in the next 12 seasons built the team into an Ivy League and national powerhouse. Princeton won two Ivy titles and earned three NCAA Tournament bids from 1984-95 and advanced to the NCAA semifinals in 1993 for the first time in school history.
Bradley started his coaching career at Ohio University, guiding the Bobcats to a 10-5-2 record in 1981 before joining Bruce Arena's staff at Virginia, where the Cavaliers posted a 32-7-2 record from 1982-83. He would rejoin Arena as his assistant coach at DC United from 1996-97.
Charles Stilitano '81
Charlie Stilitano is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Relevent Sports. He began his career in international football in 1992, where he served as the Venue Executive Director for the FIFA World Cup USA 1994 NY/NJ Venue. Following the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Mr. Stilitano was named Vice President and General Manager of the NY/NJ MetroStars until 1999. He then worked as the managing director of Metromedia Soccer Properties, senior executive at Creative Arts Agency (CAA) Sports and in 2003 was the founder and CEO of ChampionsWorld. In that role he created the ChampionsWorld Series.
From 1993-2007, Stilitano served as a board member of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and was its Vice Chairman for 11 years and Chairman of the Grants Committee for 14 years until his retirement from the U.S. Soccer Foundation in 2007.
Named as one of ESPN FC Top 50 Most Influential People in Football in 2017, Stilitano also hosts a daily radio talk show called "The Football Show" for SiriusXM.
Dave Vaudreuil '88
Vaudereuil played indoor and outdoor professional soccer immediately after graduation. In the MLS, he played with the Colorado Rapids, D.C. United and Chicago Fire.
He played 14 years professionally including seven in the MLS, where he won two MLS Championships. He coached the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL and was appointed the head coach of the LA Galaxy U18 in August 2009.
Chris Unger '90
Unger played with the N.Y./N.J. MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) and then worked for the team as an assistant general manager. He was a leading scorer at Princeton and also played on the U.S. National U-20 Team.
Joe Thieman '94
A former player for D.C. United, Thieman was a driving force behind Princeton's run to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in 1993. A four-year starter in the center midfield, he is second on Princeton's all-time list with 25 career assists and on the single-season list with 10 assists in 1993. Thieman was a 1993 All-America selection and was awarded the Roper Cup, given annually to Princeton's outstanding male senior athlete.
Jesse Marsch '96
In August 2011, Marsch was named the first head coach of MLS expansion team the Montreal Impact. He parted ways with the Impact in November 2012 after leading the Impact to the most successful inaugural MLS team record since Seattle’s record 12 wins in 2009.
Marsch spent a year and a half as an assistant coach for the US Men's National Team under Bradley. He helped the team win its pool at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first time the team won its pool since 1930. The US fell to Ghana in the round of 16 and finished the World Cup 12th, ahead of rivals England and Mexico. At the 2011 Gold Cup, the US reached the final but lost to Mexico, 4-2.
One of the most decorated and respected players in the MLS, Marsch made 358 appearances in his 14-year MLS career, winning three MLS Cup titles and four U.S. Open Cup medals. Prior to his retirement in 2010, Marsch was one of just four remaining MLS Originals and was the first player to win three MLS titles in his career.
He was drafted in the third round of the 1996 MLS College Draft by DC United. He spent the next two seasons with the team as it won the MLS Cup in 1996 and 1997 and the U.S. Open Cup in 1996.
In 1998, Marsch was traded to the Chicago Fire after the expansion draft under the team’s first coach Bob Bradley. Marsch quickly became a mainstay in the lineup , and helped the Fire win four title, including: the MLS Cup in 1998, the U.S. Open Cup in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
Marsch became the first player in Fire history to play in 100 games and is the team’s all-time leader in that category. In 2004, he was honored as the Chicago Fire’s U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the year.
After the 2005 season, Marsch was traded to Chivas USA and was with them team until 2010. He wore the captain’s armband for much of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In 2007, he was the winner of the Chivas Regal Award, given to the player who best represents the spirit of Chivas USA.
Marsch was an All-American at Princeton, where he totaled 29 goals and 15 assists in four seasons. He finished 1994 and 1995 as the Ivy League’s leading scorer and was on the all-Ivy team both years. He led the Tigers to an NCAA appearance during his senior year, when he scored 16 goals.
Andrew Lewis '98Lewis played for the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls. At Princeton, he helped the Tigers advance to the semifnals of the NCAA Tournament in 1993. A tenacious defender with a great ability to break up plays and dominate the back, he also spent time with the U.S. National U-20 Team. He played in the A-League after concluding his MLS career.
Matt Behncke '02
Behncke was selected in the second round (18th overall) of the 2002 MLS draft by the Dallas Burn and saw action in three games during his first season. He made his first MLS start against Colorado when he played for 90 minutes, and started again in the final game of the season. In 2003, he played in 13 games and started a career-high nine matches. After the 2004 season he was selected by Real Salt Lake in the expansion draft. Following the 2005 season, he retired from professional soccer to attend law school.
Behncke earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year accolades in 1998, won his first league title in 1999, was named second-team all-Ivy during his first two seasons and was a first-team all-Ivy and all-region selection in 2000. He finished off his career with a unanimous first-team all-Ivy honor.
Mike Nugent '02
The Chicago Fire drafted Nugent in 2002 but a torn meniscus limited him to just four games that year. After surgery in June 2002, Nugent later joined the New York Red Bulls as a developmental player. He made his debut with the MetroStars on July 16, 2003 and scored on his first touch. Nugent retired from professional soccer in 2004 at age 24.
Nugent graduated from Princeton tied for fourth all-time in career goals and sixth in career points. He led the Tigers to an Ivy League title his senior year and was honored as the Ivy League Player of the Year, a first-team Mid-Atlantic region selection and a second-team NSCAA All-America pick.
Darren Spicer '06
Spicer was chosen in the second round (13th overall) by Chivas USA in the MLS Supplemental Draft in 2006. He played three games with the Chivas Reserves.
For a brief time, in 2006, Spicer played in Germany with the Brinkum S.V. of the Overliga.
He spent the 2007 season with the Minnesota Thunder of the United Soccer League. Spicer saw action in 17 games and scored collected seven points. In 2008, he signed with the Charleston Battery and is currently a midfielder on the team.
Spicer, the 2004 Ivy Player of the Year, scored 26 career goals at Princeton and was twice an all-region and all-Ivy pick. He had 12 goals as a junior in 2004.
Jame Wunsch '07
Wunsch was signed by the Cobh Rambers of the FAI Premier Division (Ireland) in February 2008 after taking time to recover from a stress fracture sustained in the spring of 2007. He played his first game for Cobh on March 9th and made nine total appearances with the club before transferring to Limerick FC of the FAI First Division in July 2008.
He made over 30 appearances for Limerick over two seasons (2008, 2009) scoring two goals during that time. In May 2009, he was named interim team captain after the club captain sustained a serious injury. Unfortunately Wunsch himself sustained a serious knee injury in late July, which forced jim to return to the US to have surgery. He has since decided to leave the professional soccer arena for other opportunities.
Teddy Schneider '11
Schneider signed a contract with the New York Red Bulls in April 2011. He was selected by the Red Bulls in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft in February. Schneider saw his first action as a Red Bull on April 3, when he started and played 90 minutes in the Red Bulls Reserve's 3-1 victory over the University of Virginia.
A native of Califon, N.J., Schneider was named second-team All-Ivy League in 2010 when he led his team to a undefeated Ivy League season. He started all 18 games at left back and finished second on the team in assists with five while scoring one goal. In addition, Schneider helped his team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 2009 and 2010. Schneider finished his career at Princeton playing in 69 games with 65 starts, scoring seven goals and eight assists.
Antoine Hoppenot ’12
Hoppenot was drafted by the Philadelphia Union in the supplemental draft. He signed a contract with the Union on Febuary 21, 2012. Hoppenot scored twice in Union’s preseason win over University of Central Florida, scored on Costa Rica in a preseason game and had two goals in the Philly Reserve’s game over New England Revolution in April, 2012. Hoppenot played in his first MLS game on April 14, 2012 in Union’s 1-0 win over Columbus. He earned 69 caps for the Union, scoring seven goals and three assists. Hoppenot was frequently loaned to Harrisbury City of the USL and signed with FC Cincinnati (USL) in Jan. 2016 and Reno 1868 FC (USL) in Feb. 2017
A native of Princeton, N.J., Hoppenot is a three-time first-team All-Ivy League selection. He was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2010, the same year he was named the Ivy League Player of the Year. A three-time all-region pick, Hoppenot finished his career at Princeton with 67 points in 69 points, scoring 26 goals and chipping in 15 assists. He helped to guide the Tigers to two NCAA Tournament appearances in his tenure.
Cameron Porter '16
Porter was chosen by Montreal as the 45th overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft in January. He was a late addition to the MLS Player Combine in Florida where he was evaluated by the coaching staff. He was signed by the Montreal Impact on Feb. 8, 2015. Porter became a fan favorite in Montreal when he scored a stoppage-time goal to beat Pachuca in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals in just his second professional game.
Porter suffered an injury in just his second MLS game in March 2015 and was traded to Sporting Kansas City in July 2016. He played in eight professional matches
before a season-ending injury in August, 2017.
The 2014 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, Porter led the NCAA in points during his senior year with 2.00 points per game and .88 goals per game, while tying for first in total goals with 15 and second in total points with 34. He ranks fourth all-time in points at Princeton with 75 in 67 games, is fourth in goals with 31 and is 12th in assists with 13. The 2015 Soccer News Net Fan Player of the Year was also named the ECAC Player of the Year. Porter was a unanimous NSCAA first-team all-region and first-team all-league selection, while also being named CoSIDA second-team academic All-America and NSCAA Scholar All-America.
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Thomas Sanner '16
Sanner was drafted in the second round by Vancouver and signed with the Whitecaps FC2 of the USL in June 2016. Two months later he was named the USL Player of the Week with the club's first ever hat trick, scoring three goals in the final 10 minutes in a 3-1 win over Arizona United SC.
Sanner was the unanimous selection for 2015 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, and was the 2012 Ivy League Rookie of Year earned three All-Ivy League honors, including two on the first team. Princeton’s William Winston Roper Trophy winner in 2016, Sanner finished his senior season ranking fourth in the NCAA in points per game (1.82), fourth in goals per game (0.76) and was 10th nationally in shots per game (4.06). He finished his Princeton career with 32 goals, 13 of which were game-winning goals, and 15 assists for 79 points in 64 games. He ranks third in scoring all-time at Princeton and is fourth all-time in goals and tied for fifth in assists.
Kevin O'Toole '22
A two-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, two-time Ivy champion and a 2021 United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-American, Kevin O'Toole was selected in the second round (34th overall) by NYCFC in the 2022 MLS Superdraft. The 2022 Roper Trophy winner as Outstanding Male Senior Athlete at Princeton, O'Toole made his way to NYCFC's first team in his rookie season, including a spot in the Starting XI in NYCFC's Campeones Cup win and starting nods as NYCFC reached the Eastern Conference final.
Malik Pinto
A member of Princeton's 2021 Ivy League championship team, Malik Pinto played through his junior season with the Tigers before leaving early to sign a free agent contract with FC Cincinnati in 2022 where he quickly found his way into the first team.
History of Princeton in the MLS Draft
| Year | Player | Draft | Rd | Pick | Team |
| 1996 | David Vaudreuil | Supplemental | 2 | 17 | LA Galaxy |
| 2002 | Matt Behncke | Super Draft | 2 | 18 | Dallas Burn |
| 2002 | Mike Nugent | Super Draft | 4 | 46 | Chicago Fire |
| 2006 | Darren Spicer | Supplemental | 2 | 13 | Chivas USA |
| 2011 | Josh Walburn | Supplemental | 2 | 23 | Philadelphia Union |
| 2011 | Teddy Schneider | Supplemental | 2 | 31 | NY Red Bulls |
| 2012 | Antoine Hoppenot | Supplemental | 3 | 39 | Philadelphia Union |
| 2015 | Cameron Porter | SuperDraft | 3 | 45 | Montreal Impact |
| 2016 | Thomas Sanner | SuperDraft | 2 | 36 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| 2022 | Kevin O'Toole | SuperDraft | 2 | 34 | NYCFC |