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Tony Noto, whose success as a local soccer coach was bypassed only by his passion for the beautiful game, has passed away.
Tony Noto (right) celebrates winning the 1991 Open Cup with Mike Rybak. (Michael Lewis/FrontRowSoccer.com)
By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
Tony Noto, whose success as a local soccer coach was bypassed only by his passion for the beautiful game, has passed away.
He was 70 years old.
Noto was a head coach or assistant coach with several teams in the metropolitan area over several decades. He was an assistant under Mike Rybak when the Brooklyn Italians captured the 1991 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“Tony had an unprecedented passion for the game at many levels,” said Anthony Catanzaro, a long-time friend and fan of the Italians club.
Indeed, he did.
“Tony was a huge part of the Brooklyn Italians’ U.S. Open Cup championship team in 1991,” said former Italians standout Carlos Jaguande said. “He was so passionate about it.”
“Tony’s legacy with the Brooklyn Italians will always hold a special place in our heart,” added former player and current Brooklyn Italians technical director Antonio (Junior) Superbia. “He always had such a great eye for talented players. Our club mourns his loss deeply, and he will forever be remembered fondly within our soccer family.”
About that eye for talent.
Noto claimed that there was untapped potential treasure trove of talent in the metropolitan area that Major League Soccer did not recruit or know about in the 1990s. He wanted this writer to take a walk with him in Flushing Meadows Park on a weekend afternoon to see the quality of players.
He did “discover” a special one at the park in Saul Martinez, who emigrated to the U.S. as a 16-year-old in 1992. Martinez was adopted by a Queens, N.Y. family before Noto recruited the attack-minded player to play for Frosinone and then for the Long Island Rough Riders. Martinez went on to play 35 times for Honduras, scoring 16 goals. His most memorable match was a stunning 2-0 victory over Brazil in the 2001 Copa America in Colombia. Martinez forced the Brazilians into an own goal and added an insurance tally in stoppage time.
Tony Noto celebrating winning an indoor tournament in 1992. (Photo courtesy of Soccer Week)
Noto could be brutally honest.
Asked if he thought Martinez would make a name for himself internationally, Noto replied, “I’ll be host with you – no. … I saw his potential in his speed. He told me he was an attacking midfielder. I told him he was a forward.
“He missed a lot of breakaways because he didn’t put his head up too much. I’m very happy for him. He’s a good kid.”
Martinez was only one of many players that Noto mentored through the years. Noto also mentored local talents such as Chris Armas, Jaguande, Superbia, Mirsad Huseinovic, Mike Petke, Jim Rooney, and Mike Grella.
Armas, a former U.S. international and current head coach of the Colorado Rapids, recently was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Petke and Grella went onto to play in Major League Soccer, including the New York Red Bulls. Rooney competed with the MetroStars, Miami Fusion and New England Revolution (MLS) before entering the coaching ranks. Jaguande, who earned two caps with the U.S. men’s national team, played for the New York Fever and New Jersey Dragons in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League. Huseinovic, who had an appearance with the MetroStars and another with the USMNT, performed for the New York Centaurs (A-League) and Greek American Atlas (Cosmopolitan Soccer League).
Noto gives instructions to a player. (Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Italians)
Noto also was an Italians assistant coach when the team won four consecutive Northeastern Super Soccer League titles from 1995 to 1998. He also directed the Long Island Rough Riders’ Under-23 team to the United Soccer League crown.
He also coached the New York Freedoms from 1999-2002, the Red Storm Academy from 2003-2005 and was an assistant coach with FC New York (USL) in 2011. Noto also directed the Brooklyn Italians when they competed in the National Premier Soccer League in the early 2010’s.
Born in Capaci, Sicily, Noto emigrated to the United States and wound up spending most of his life in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Before he ventured into coaching, Noto played in goal with the Cincinnati team in the old American Soccer League and for teams in New York City soccer leagues. It should not have surprised anyone that his idol was Dino Zoff, who backstopped Italy to the 1982 World Cup championship.
Noto also was president of the Santa Rosalia tournament for many years, Catanzaro said.
Tony Noto and Mike Rybak celebrate winning the 1991 U.S. Open Cup. (Michael Lewis/FrontRowSoccer)
Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 28 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.
