Sad news regarding a member of the United family... David Vanole, the ex-US international who was an assistant coach with the Freedom and United (under Ray Hudson), suffered a heart attack during a skiing vacation in Utah and died yesterday. It was reported by the following sites: http://www.soccernewengland.com/articles/view_article.php?id=2361 http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=8461 And being discussed on the Revs board here... https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10455941#post10455941 And the US national team board here... https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=464585 Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends, particularly Nick Rimando, with whom he was very tight since Rimando was his GK coach at UCLA, with the U20 team and then at United.
As we pause to send our prayers and thoughts to the Vanole family over his tragic passing, we also should reflect on this. David Vanole and the others of his generation really played, as the English Nationwide Conference slogan says, "for the love of the game." David and his group in the 1990 USMNT that qualified the U.S. for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years were the catalyst for the 1994 World Cup and the birth of MLS. So as we wish that David Vanole rests in peace, we also should say a simple, "thank you, David."