U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said: “Tony’s passion for the game as a coach, administrator and broadcaster was always evident and his relationships with everyone in the soccer community distinguished him as a compassionate and much-loved man. U.S. Soccer will forever be thankful to Tony for his vast contributions to the game and we extend thoughts and condolences to his family and to the many people who were positively impacted by him during what was a remarkable life.”
ussoccer.com says that DiCicco was one of the most popular figures and leaders in women’s soccer history in the United States and was a true pioneer of the sport. His association with U.S. Soccer dates to the late 1980s and he was the goalkeeper coach working for Anson Dorrance on the first Women’s World Cup championship team in 1991.
In 1994, he took over from Dorrance as head coach and led USA to a third-place finish at the 1995 World Cup in Sweden, a first Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Games and then a home World Cup victory in front of 90,125 fans.
DiCicco served as Chief Operating Officer for WUSA, the inaugural women’s professional league which played from 2001-2003, and was the league’s Commissioner in 2002 and 2003. He coached the Boston Breakers in the WPS from 2009-2011.
In 2008, DiCicco took over the USA U-20s, leading them to the World Cup title in Chile and he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
