PLAYING EXPERIENCE
A native New Yorker, Vinny brings vast local, national, and international experience to Miller Place Soccer Club and Royal Sporting Group. As a youth player, Vinny Russo played with Staten Island United and Silver Lake Soccer Club, Eastern NY ODP, before moving back to Rome, Italy, where he spent the early part of his youth. While in Italy, he was the first American player for Associazione Leonina Calcio, an affiliate of Serie A’s S.S. Lazio. In his first season, he helped his U14 side to the club’s first ever league title, earning team MVP honors and being voted the club’s best #10 player. As a U16 and U18 player, Russo was voted team captain and team MVP by players and coaches, while recognized in the league’s Best XI players. For high school, Russo attended the prestigious Marymount International School of Rome (Italy) where he served as captain of the boy’s soccer team. He was a 2x team MVP, 3x All-Conference and 3x All-Tournament Selection. His success on and off the pitch led him to earn an academic and athletic scholarship to play Div. I at Siena College, where he was a 4 year member of the men’s soccer program. As a junior, Russo led the team in assists and was second in goals and overall points. In his senior season, he was selected as a team captain by the coaching staff.
PROFESSIONAL COACHING EXPERIENCE
Following graduation, Russo worked with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer (MLS) for 12 years, serving 10 years as Manager of Operations for the New York Red Bulls Academy. During his tenure with the NYRB Academy, RB Academy teams won USDA National Championships at the U16 and U18 level, and the academy was considered the best youth program in the United States. In addition to national championships, Russo’s time with the NYRB Academy included the signing of over 30 Academy players to professional contracts. This group included USA National Team stars, Tyler Adams and Timothy Weah, who currently play in Europe and are representing the USA in the World Cup in Qatar.
As a youth coach in NY, Russo was with Cedar Stars Academy (Staten Island) from 2013-2019, where his teams competed in the competitive EDP League, winning numerous local and even international tournaments (Agropoli Cup 2019 in Italy).
After moving to Long Island, Russo coached locally for the prestigious East Meadow Soccer Club. In 2019, he was selected to lead the Intramural Program of East Meadow Soccer Club. Under his tenure, the program oversaw hundreds of Long Island players participating in Age groups from U4-U12. In the summer of 2022, Russo was nominated as Director of Operations/U9B Coach for the LIJSL Academy West Program.
