T&T’s Leslie “Tiger” Fitzpatrick continues to make a name for himself in the USA where he is now attached to one of the top Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs.
The former St Mary’s College, Columbia University, and T&T senior national team midfielder was appointed Head of Talent Identification & Recruitment for the New York Red Bulls, a role that consists of finding young talent for the professional club.
Fitzpatrick, 44, came into George Brown with a wealth of experience, having spent years with Toronto Skillz FC of League 1, holding the title of General Manager/Technical Director for all five seasons and Head Coach for some years as well. He also played professionally with Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew of the MLS, and his experience shone through in his first season as bench boss.
His new appointment comes on the heels of a season that saw former T&T international Fitzpatrick lead his Huskies team to a 4-4-2 record in the outdoor season with one player being selected as an Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) 1st Team All-Star, while the OCAA Indoor Championship tournament saw a 2-0-1 result and fourth place finish after a penalty shootout, with one player getting the nod as a Tournament All-Star.
“Les brought so much experience and passion to our Women’s Soccer team, he will definitely be missed in a program that is on a big upswing thanks to his contributions and commitment to building from the ground up,” said Melanie Gerin-Lajoie, Manager of Athletics & Recreation.
Gerin-Lajoie said, “He was presented with an incredible opportunity to keep doing what he loves —young player skill and people development—on one of the biggest North American stages with the New York Red Bulls, and we wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
The 2018 OCAA Coach of the Year leaves the Huskies team in a better place than he found it, with a .666-win percentage in his five years with the team. In the same time frame, the offensive output also improved, seeing a mark of 1.6 goals per game. Fitzpatrick also coached a total of six league All-Stars in his time with the Huskies.
Fitzpatrick became the head coach of the Huskies women’s football programme ahead of the 2018-2019 season and oversaw an incredible transformation during his first year heading up the programme, leading the Huskies to a crossover play game for the first time since the programme was reintroduced in 2013-14 and a much-improved 3-5-2 regular-season record.
The outdoor football programme has built on that success, such as in 2019, they tallied five wins in nine matches in 2019, which was the most victories by the programme in the last eight years.
They followed that success in 2021 as the team won the programme’s first crossover playoff match since rejoining the OCAA in 2013 by taking down the Centennial Colts 2-1.
Under his watch, the indoor football team has qualified for the four three OCAA indoor football Championships between 2017-2021.
“The honour and privilege to have led this programme is a blessing that I can never do justice to with words. Being the head coach of the GBC Huskies women’s programme allowed me to blend my passion for soccer and impacting young lives,” said Fitzpatrick.
He added, “The desire to continue building is strong, but the opportunity I’ve been presented with is one that I couldn’t pass up at this time. Hopefully, the foundations laid will be the catalyst for even greater success, but rest assured I’ll be still there rooting for, assisting, and pushing the programme forward a bit more in the background.”
Before landing his latest position, Fitzpatrick split duties between the Huskies and the pros as he was also among coaches involved in the MLS Advance Programme 2022, an invitation-only professional development series for diverse coaches and technical candidates.
Fitzpatrick said, “I am excited to be embarking on this challenge and to continue to positively impact lives through a game that has provided me with so much joy.”