GALAXY: SOCCER WHO'S WHO HONORS HAMILTON.Byline: Larry Morgan Staff Writer CARSON - Close to 1,000 family members, friends, representatives from around Major League Soccer and fans of the game gathered Wednesday at Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box Center to pay tribute to Galaxy president/general manager Doug Hamilton Doug Hamilton (March 6, 1963 – March 9, 2006) was president and general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team. He was previously the general manager of the Miami Fusion. , who died last week. Hamilton, 43, suffered an apparent heart attack Thursday on a flight home from Costa Rica, where the Galaxy had lost a CONCACAF CONCACAF Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Soccer) CONCACAF Confederacion Norte, Centroamericana y del Caribe de Futbol Asociacion (Spanish) Champions' Cup match to Saprissa. The three-time MLS See multilevel security. Executive of the Year, who left behind a wife and 5-year-old son, was remembered Wednesday as a great leader who had unusual passion for soccer. Nike executive Tommy Kain, a childhood friend, fondly recalled playing soccer against Hamilton - ``if his feet ever stopped, his mouth kept running'' - and said his ``best friend'' always had faith that those who worked with and around him would succeed. ``He cared and believed that we could do special things,'' Kain said as he fought back tears. Wednesday's 75-minute funeral service attracted a veritable Who's Who of American soccer, including former U.S. Soccer president Alan Rothenberg, MLS commissioner Don Garber and deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidas, U.S. men's national team coach Bruce Arena and defender Eddie Pope, Columbus Crew and former Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX men's coach Jorge Salcedo, the Chicago Fire coaching staff, former Galaxy star Mauricio Cienfuegos, the entire Galaxy and Chivas USA staff and rosters, and AEG AEG Aeger (Latin: Sick) AEG Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (Common Electricity Company) AEG Aircraft Evaluation Group AEG Association of Engineering Geologists AEG Air Expeditionary Group president Tim Leiweke, who affectionately patted Hamilton's casket as he walked to the podium to speak. Sunil Gulati, elected U.S. Soccer president last weekend, attended a private gathering Tuesday in Torrance. Schmid, whom Hamilton fired as Galaxy coach in 2004, praised his former boss' combination of ``tremendous business sense and understanding of the sport. Larry Morgan, (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272 larry.morgan(at)sgvn.com |
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