March 3 – Phil Anschutz along with Lamar Hunt, is widely considered to be one of the true pillars of American soccer, and on Saturday night at the U.S. Soccer Annual General Meeting (AGM), he was the recipient of the Werner Fricker Builder Award amongst other awards.
The Werner Fricker Builder Award is the highest honor given out by U.S. Soccer and is given to individuals who have dedicated at least 20 years of service to the game.
During his involvement with Major League Soccer (MLS), Anschutz has had ownership stakes in six different clubs. He helped co-found the league in 1996 and has been referred to as the ‘league’s savior’ during the contraction phase of the league in 2000 when it went desperately close to going bankrupt.
Anschutz made his money as an independent driller in the Colorado and Wyoming oilfields before eventually expanding from oil and gas into real estate, railroads, telecommunications, movie theaters, moviemaking, and sports.
The first club he joined in MLS was the Colorado Rapids before having different roles with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes, NY/NJ MetroStars, and D.C. United.
While the owner of the LA Galaxy he helped finance Dignity Health Sports Park, one of the first soccer specific stadiums in the country, and was also instrumental in bringing former England captain, David Beckham to MLS and Los Angeles, in a move that elevated MLS to international consciousness.
In his speech to the members of the U.S. Soccer community Anschutz said: “When you build, or attempt to build a long-lasting enterprise, with relevance and sustainability with a long life ahead, such as MLS, it is always done with many, many people. It’s hard work, its heavy lifting, and it’s expensive. I didn’t think it would be that long, that hard…or that expensive.”
Other award winners on the night were Don Wilbur for the Fernando G. Alvarez Referee Champions Award and former US International, Tony Sanneh who took home the Carla Overbeck Leadership Award.
Sanneh who started the Sanneh Foundation in 2003 has been the driving force for an organisation that empowers youth and underserved communities through education, mentorship, and the beautiful game of soccer.
The theme of this year’s AGM has been one of ‘In Service’ and the recipients of these awards have certainly embodied that slogan.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1740989387labto1740989387ofdlr1740989387owedi1740989387sni@o1740989387fni1740989387
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