Orange County Blues FC has announced the hiring of Oliver Wyss as its new head coach. Per the team's General Manager Jon Spencer: “Oliver will work hard to create a new and improved team culture and structure, which will be a major part of our focus in 2015. The OC Blues FC organization wants to congratulate Oliver on his new position and welcome him to the Blues family. We look forward to working with him, and know this is the first step in helping lead the club to great success in the coming years, beginning with the 2015 season.” Wyss will be joining the professional ranks after already compiling quite the resume in Southern California youth soccer. He is currently the Director of the West Coast Futbol Club boy's organization in addition to being the JSerra Catholic High School boys soccer coach, and the success with those two programs has allowed him this opportunity to coach a USL team. Wyss first started with West Coast Futbol Club when it was created back in 1997, and in the process, has helped the club grow into a major success by already capturing three US Youth Soccer National Championships. Before joining the youth soccer ranks, Wyss played professionally in the U.S. after moving over from his home country of Switzerland. He was forced to retire after being diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Aplastic Anemia. The press release also mentions Wyss' involvement in Soccer For Hope: After a successful bone marrow transplant, he fully recovered and went on to form Soccer For Hope, his successful non-profit organization, which is based in Orange County. Wyss and his wife were inspired by the children they met while he was in treatment, who were diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Soccer For Hope was created with the stated goal of aiding childhood cancer research, family support, and raising overall awareness. The Soccer For Hope foundation has raised $2 million for hospitals and foundations nationwide, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital Orange County. The organization hosts events to raise funds and awareness for children with life threatening diseases through soccer camps, inspirational walks, gala dinners and more. https://www.football.com/en-us/orange-county-blues-fc-hires-oliver-wyss/
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/soccer-630073-camp-hope.html "When most parents think of soccer they imagine their child’s AYSO games, or the L.A. Galaxy, or maybe the World Cup. For Jamie and Oliver Wyss, the image is different. The Laguna Niguel couple uses soccer as a tool to fight childhood cancers. They’re co-founders of Soccer for Hope, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness to battle juvenile cancers and other life-threatening diseases. Their children, Abella and Hudson, both fought a rare cancer that causes brain tumors. Hudson was diagnosed at age 10 months and was 3 when he died in June 2008 from Choroid Plexus Carcinoma. Abella was diagnosed at age 4. She died last December, at age 11, from Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma."
The Anaheim Bolts name was ok. Not sure what it had to do with Anaheim though. There was supposed to be an minor league team called the Anaheim Groves which I thought was a really cool name. A crest kind of like Nottingham Forest's would've looked awesome. But the team never surfaced.