About Rob

Rob started playing soccer as a young boy in Milan, Italy. As a man, the only Italian phrase he remembered from those early years was, "Posso giocare?" (or "Can I play?"). And play he did… he went on to play at Princeton University under the guidance of now MetroStars coach Bob Bradley, and also joined the Union Lancers, a team that went on to win the U19 National Championship. He started coaching at The Hun School of Princeton, (where he earned numerous "Coach of the Year" awards), coached countless Olympic Development teams, and moved on to assistant coach for two years at Princeton University. Upon moving to Montana in 2001, Rob coached the Corvallis Blue Devils and then the Hellgate Knights - bringing both teams to the State Playoffs.

Rob's love of soccer was never about pure athletics. Physically, he was not a large man, but his heart and drive would overshadow the biggest of men. For the teams he coached and the teams with which he played, the focus was always the same. Give it everything you have. It's not about who is stronger, it's about who plays smarter. Make those moments on the field matter because they do…you might never get another chance to play.

How we wish Rob still had another chance to play, to teach us, to make us dig a little deeper into ourselves while we watched him dig deeper into himself. He loved this game, and that is why we will play it for him. Rob loved the summer tournaments, gathering the men from Missoula to drive hundreds of miles to play for a weekend in the sun. What a perfect way to honor him - to host an annual tournament in Missoula in his name, to raise money to keep soccer alive for generations, to bring everyone together to play The Beautiful Game.

We know he will be watching.

About Rob | Tournament | Register | Donate | Referees | About Missoula | Home