Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Here Are 11 Columbia Soccer Greats You Should Know

The World Cup is coming to New York/New Jersey, and for fans of soccer at Columbia University, this summer offers the chance to celebrate a program whose influence on the game runs deeper than many realize.

From players who went on to represent their countries at the highest levels, to administrators who helped shape the modern American game, to the owner of a Serie A club in Italy, Columbia was and is home to an extraordinary collection of soccer figures across six decades. 

World Cup matches at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (called MetLife Stadium at any other time) run from June 13 through July 19, with eight games scheduled on weekends and weekday afternoons. The full schedule is here. Note: NYC is expecting significant congestion around match days and has published a dedicated transportation guide, with advice to take transit rather than drive.

Beyond the matches themselves, there will be World Cup activations popping up across the five boroughs, and NYC Tourism has a running list you should check out to join the fun.

As those festivities ramp up, it is worth taking a moment to appreciate just how many threads connect Columbia to this tournament and the world of soccer. 

• Lisa Carnoy (CC’89), Columbia Trustee Emerita, served on the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors from 2017 to 2024.
• Sunil Gulati, Michael K. Dakolias Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Economics and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, served as U.S. Soccer president for 12 years, sat on the FIFA Council, and was Executive Vice President of the organizing committee for the 1994 World Cup (the last time the U.S. hosted).
• Robert Long (BUS’92) currently serves as comptroller for the New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup 26 Host Committee.

That's before you even get to the players!

Below is a “Starting XI” of some of Columbia’s greatest soccer figures: men and women who left their mark on the Lions, the Ivy League, and in several cases, the world stage. You can read through all of the soccer inductees in Columbia's Athletics Hall of Fame (and all other sports’ listings) here.

Alison Ahern (CC’00) | Goalkeeper

Alison “Ali” Ahern (CC’00) established Columbia women's soccer records that have yet to be broken: most career shutouts (25), lowest career goals-against average (1.05), most career saves (288), and most minutes played by a goalkeeper. Her goals-against average of 0.59 in 1998 ranked eighth in the nation and helped the Lions to their best-ever Ivy League finish at the time. Beloved by her teammates, she was elected captain as a senior. Ahern tragically passed away in an accident in Belgium in June 2002, at the age of 24. The Columbia women's soccer Team MVP award has been named in her honor ever since.

Liz Cheung-Gaffney (CC’98) | Defender

Liz Cheung-Gaffney (CC’98) started every game for the Lions at defender across her four years and remains in the program's top 10 in career assists. She earned first-team All-Ivy League honors as a senior in 1997, only the second Columbia woman to achieve that distinction, and was named to the Ivy League's Silver Anniversary of Women's Athletics all-star soccer team. Her coach described her as “the premier one vs. one defender in the league.”

Rocco B. Commisso (SEAS’71, BUS'75) | Defender

Few Columbia soccer alumni embodied the program's spirit as fully as Rocco B. Commisso (SEAS’71, BUS’75). He moved to the United States from Calabria, Italy, at the age of 12, arrived at Columbia on scholarship, and became one of the program's most celebrated players: a three-time All-Ivy League honoree who qualified to try out for the U.S. soccer team for the 1972 Olympics and captained the first-ever Lions squad to reach the NCAA Tournament. His loyalty to Columbia never wavered: the university named its soccer venue the Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium in 2013, and he and his wife Catherine made one of the largest gifts ever designated for undergraduate scholarship support to Columbia Engineering, establishing a program to benefit up to 20 students annually in perpetuity. 

After Columbia, he earned his MBA from Columbia Business School, spent a decade on Wall Street, then founded Mediacom in 1995, growing it into the nation's fifth-largest cable provider. In 2019, he acquired ACF Fiorentina, the historic Serie A club based in Florence, and built the Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park as its permanent home. Through his various scholarship programs, he provided educational opportunities to over 4,000 students nationwide. He passed away in early 2026.

Barry Nix (CC’83) | Defender

Barry Nix (CC’83) came to Columbia from Britain alongside fellow Hall of Famer Steve Charles and transformed the program into a dominant force. A four-time All-American and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, he anchored the defense from the sweeper position, reading the game with an authority that made everyone better. He had a gift for breaking up attacks before they developed and turning defense into offense in a single move, regularly creating scoring chances for the forwards around him. After graduating, Nix returned to the UK and built a successful career in finance.

Amr Aly (CC’85) | Midfielder

Born in Cairo, Egypt, and raised in Brooklyn, Amr Aly (CC’85) arrived at Columbia in 1980 and became the centerpiece of a Lions team that won seven straight Ivy League Championships. The 1983 season was one of the program's finest hours: the Lions went 18-0 before falling to Indiana 1-0 in the NCAA title game, with Aly contributing to an offense that outscored opponents 52-6. He capped his Columbia career by winning the 1984 Hermann Trophy (college soccer's equivalent of the Heisman) becoming the first Columbia player to claim the award.

Beyond campus, Aly represented the U.S. National Team from 1980 to 1987, competing at the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia, the Pan American Games in 1983 and 1987, and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. After graduating, he played professionally for several indoor soccer clubs, including the New York Cosmos, LA Lazers, and New York Express, as well as outdoor sides the New Jersey Eagles and Brooklyn Italians. He later retrained as an engineer and lawyer, and is today a partner in the Intellectual Property practice at the Jenner & Block law firm in New York.

Shannon Munoz (CC’07) | Midfielder

Columbia's first Ivy League Women's Soccer Player of the Year, recording a total of 22 points on eight goals and six assists, Shannon Munoz (CC’07), was the driving force behind the 2006 Lions, a team itself inducted into the Hall of Fame as Columbia's first Ivy League championship squad in women's soccer. 

The two-time captain led the Lions in scoring each of the three seasons she competed. At the end of her Columbia career, Munoz stood third all-time in points, goals, and assists.

Pellegrino Matarazzo (SEAS’99) | Midfielder

Pellegrino Matarazzo (SEAS’99) made history in April 2026, becoming the first U.S.-born soccer coach to win a major trophy in one of Europe's top five leagues, leading Real Sociedad to the Copa del Rey title over Atlético Madrid on penalties. At Columbia, he was a two-time All-Ivy League selection and mathematics graduate, part of a remarkable soccer family: his two younger brothers, Leopoldo and Antonio, were both All-Ivy League honorees at Columbia, with Antonio becoming a 2016 MLS SuperDraft pick by Orlando City SC.

Matarazzo's managerial career took off in 2019 when he was appointed at VfB Stuttgart, earning the club promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019-20. He later managed TSG Hoffenheim before being appointed manager of Real Sociedad in December 2025. His Copa del Rey triumph drew a tribute from Giuseppe Commisso, President of Fiorentina and son of Rocco B. Commisso, who called it “a moment of pride for Columbia, for American soccer, and for the Italian-American community.”

Sophie Reiser (CC’10) | Midfielder

Sophie Reiser (CC’10) was the most decorated women's soccer player of her generation at Columbia. The 2008 Ivy League Player of the Year, she became the first Columbia woman to earn first-team All-Ivy League honors three times in her career. She was later drafted into Women's Professional Soccer, the first Columbia women's player to reach that level. She played for the Chicago Red Stars and Seattle Sounders Women.

Rikhardur Dadason (CC’96) | Forward

In his sophomore season, Rikhardur “Rikki” Dadason (CC’96) scored 24 goals in only 16 games (that made him fourth in the nation and good for All-America status), bringing home 14 tallies in seven Ivy League matches, breaking a 21-year conference record, and earning Ivy League Player of the Year. His 50 career goals remain a Columbia record, and his 59 points in Ivy League play are still the league standard. 

After Columbia, he earned 44 caps and scored 14 goals for Iceland's national team, including a goal that earned a draw against defending World Cup champions France in September 1998.

Elizabeth Forde (CC’99) | Forward

The founding superstar of the Columbia women's program, Elizabeth “Tosh” Forde (CC’99) set records that defined the program's early identity. She holds Columbia women's soccer records, including career goals, career assists, career points, goals in a season, and points in a season, and led the Ivy League in scoring during the 1996 season. A teammate of Liz Cheung-Gaffney, she was part of the squad that delivered Columbia's first-ever winning season in women's soccer.

Since graduation, she spent two years coaching and playing in the women's league of the United Soccer League and worked in community and business development for Massachusetts Premier Soccer's Boston Renegades and the Cape Cod Crusaders. Today, she coaches high school lacrosse in Massachusetts.

Shahin Shayan (CC’80) | Forward

Nobody has accumulated more points in a Columbia men's soccer uniform than Shahin Shayan (CC’80), whose 113 career points still top the program record books. His 48 career goals rank second all-time, and his finest season came during the 1979 Final Four run, when he scored 18 goals and accrued 42 points. His career accolades include two First Team All-Ivy selections, two NSCAA All-Region selections, two Ivy League Championships, two NCAA Quarterfinal appearances, and the program's first NCAA Final Four.

After Columbia, he was drafted professionally and played semi-professional soccer in New York City leagues for a decade. He went on to a career in finance before becoming a global investment and risk management consultant.