The United Soccer League (USL) Championship club for San Diego announced on Sept. 12 additions to its leadership and executive team. These executives each provide an average of 20 years experience in the sports industry across eight different professional sports leagues, including Major League Soccer (MLS), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA).
“We are building a championship team both on and off the pitch” said USL San Diego president and co-founder Warren Smith. “Our front office rivals some of the best executive teams in American pro sports. Most importantly, our staff is passionate about both building the beautiful game and elevating San Diego; two core values essential to anyone we bring into our USL San Diego family and who we hire in the future.”
In his role as chief commercial officer, Pete Thuresson will lead the growth of both revenue and brand impact for USL San Diego. His previous experience leading the corporate partnerships for NBA teams Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers resulted in revolutionizing the industry through the creation of new assets, platforms and integrations for corporate brands. In addition, while in the role as senior vice president at Rousch Fenway, Thuresson coordinated the business operations between multiple Fenway business lines including Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Liverpool FC, NESN.com and Boston College.
Ricardo Campos will serve as the club’s vice president of operations. He is a tri-lingual soccer executive with more than ten years of league and team experience in the U.S. soccer landscape.? Campos started his career in operations with MLS and its affiliate, Soccer United Marketing, where he was a key liaison between MLS and international clubs. During his time with the MLS-side Red Bulls, Campos served as the club’s technical director, which under his leadership won the Supporters Shield in 2013 and the launch of Red Bulls II of USL Championship, winning the USL Cup in 2016. Most recently, he was involved in local efforts to bring an MLS club to San Diego through the 2018 Soccer City campaign.
Casey Patterson will play an integral role in growing the club’s audiences as the vice president of tickets, service and membership. Patterson is a San Diego native, where he attended Mar Vista High School and San Diego State University. Over the last 15 years, Patterson focused his career on building team revenues through ticket sales serving in multiple roles for the NBA’s Utah Jazz and Minor League Baseball’s Salt Lake Bees. As director of ticket sales for the Jazz, Patterson was an essential part of the arena renovation and its impact on ticket holders, as well as oversaw ticket programs for the military and regional educational institutions.
As the vice president of partnerships, Nick Maranda will bring his experience growing San Diego sports and entertainment brands to the club. Maranda, also a SDSU graduate, previously spent 13 years with the San Diego Padres before becoming the director of marketing and partnerships at the San Diego Zoo.
USL San Diego is looking to hire an additional 20 employees, including a vice president of marketing. Until this key position is filled, the club is being assisted by league recognized and award-winning marketing and branding executives, Erika Bjork and Teresa Tatlonghari. Bjork spent 15 years working in the NBA, led the destination marketing of cities such as Napa, California and most recently led the marketing and branding efforts for Sacramento Republic FC, in which she won numerous awards including an Emmy. Tatlonghari was a key executive involved in the launch and build-up for Orlando City, one of MLS’s most successful clubs. Under her leadership, the club broke numerous USL and MLS records for attendance with over 62,000 in attendance for the inaugural game. Tatlonghari was named MLS marketing executive of the year in 2015.
All open positions are currently available for viewing at USLsandiego.com/jobs and teamworkonline.com. In addition, the club is in the process of finalizing its technical staff under the leadership of vice president of soccer operations Landon Donavon. ABOUT USL SAN DIEGO
Launched on June 19, USL San Diego is the newest member of USL Championship, a USSF-sanctioned Division II league and one of the most competitive pro soccer leagues in the world. The Club will play at Torero Stadium, under a three-year agreement with the University of San Diego.
USL San Diego exists to celebrate San Diego and elevate the beautiful game. USL San Diego plays for America’s Finest City and is led by some of the best in sport. The Club is founded and led on the business-side by experienced soccer executive Warren Smith, a co-founder and former president of Sacramento Republic FC. The club’s technical side is overseen by one of the best U.S. soccer players to ever compete in Donovan, who serves as vice president of soccer operations. To learn more, visit USLsandiego.com. ABOUT THE USL CHAMPIONSHIP
The USL Championship is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million and fueling the growth of the game across North America. Sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a Division II professional league, The Championship includes a membership of more than 30 clubs across the United States and Canada.
Through The Championship’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the league’s clubs are provided with unparalleled support with a growing team of more than 50 professionals across 17 departments, ranging from operations to marketing, communications and sponsorship.
The Championship has a national media partnership with ESPN, wherein all league matches are broadcast on ESPN+, ESPN3 and across linear channels. The league also operates USL Productions, which includes a state-of-the-art facility that produced and distributed more than 500 league matches and more than 1,000 hours of original content to national partners, local affiliates and international markets throughout the 2018 season.
