• Mr. Rossi will manage technical operations and personnel for the men’s pro team, which kicks off in spring 2026, and the future women’s pro team
• Mr. Rossi retired in 2023 and has returned to North Jersey to build a comprehensive player pathway designed to shepherd local talent to NJPS’s pro teams and beyond
PATERSON, NJ (July 8, 2025)—North Jersey Pro Soccer (NJPS) has named former Italian national team star and Passaic County product Giuseppe Rossi as the organization’s vice chairman and head of soccer. As the latter, Mr. Rossi will take charge of NJPS’s men’s and women’s professional teams and oversee the hiring of coaches and technical staff, as well as player identification, acquisition and development.
Mr. Rossi, 38, also is an investor in NJPS, which is majority owned by Baye Adofo-Wilson, a Paterson, NJ, native, developer, attorney and former Deputy Mayor of Newark, NJ. NJPS will field a men’s team in USL League One beginning in spring 2026 and is planning to launch a women’s pro side in the coming years. Both teams will play at Hinchliffe Stadium, a refurbished 7,800-seat National Historic Landmark in downtown Paterson.
“Giuseppe was a North Jersey kid who grew up in Clifton and dedicated himself to reaching the highest level,” Mr. Adofo-Wilson said. “He represents everything we want North Jersey Pro Soccer to be—a club that offers opportunities to the talented and ambitious young men and women, and boys and girls, of North Jersey and helps them embrace what’s possible.”
Mr. Rossi is the son of Italian immigrants, Fernando and Cleonilde Rossi. He played youth soccer in Clifton and then at 12, moved with his father to Italy to join Parma’s academy. In 2004, Mr. Rossi launched his pro career at Manchester United. Over the next two decades, he played for multiple clubs in England, Spain, Italy and the U.S., enjoying outstanding spells at Villarreal and Fiorentina in particular.
He scored in double digits for four straight seasons at Villarreal (2007-11), including a spectacular 32-goal haul in 2010-11 as El Submarino Amarillo finished fourth in La Liga and advanced to the UEFA Europa League semifinals. Mr. Rossi then scored 17 goals for Fiorentina in 2013-14.
A lifelong dream to represent his parents’ homeland began coming true in 2003 with Italy’s U- 16 team. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Mr. Rossi led the tournament with four goals as Italy reached the quarterfinals. A couple months later, he earned the first of his 30 senior caps in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bulgaria. Mr. Rossi would go on to score seven goals for the Azzurri—including two against the U.S. in a memorable 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup match—and he captained Italy for the first time in November 2010.
Everything was possible for the kid from Clifton.
Mr. Rossi ended his playing career in 2023 and has returned to North Jersey to help cultivate the next generation of local talent. His native knowledge of the area, his vast experience at soccer’s pinnacle and his array of connections abroad make him the ideal choice to guide NJPS’s sporting operation.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to come home and build teams that represent North Jersey and connect this unique area to the world’s game. I was fortunate to have the contacts I needed to get started. Many players don’t, and too many fall through the cracks,” Mr. Rossi said. “We’re going to field winning teams with local talent, and we’re going to do it at an incredible stadium that I think is going to become an iconic American soccer venue.”
NJPS intends to forge partnerships with area youth clubs that evolve into a comprehensive developmental infrastructure reminiscent of those found around the world. More information on those plans and partnerships will be released in the coming months.
“We’re excited to bring Giuseppe aboard because we think there should be more Giuseppe Rossis. There’s so much potential here in North Jersey,” said NJPS CEO Erik Stover, who previously served as managing director of the New York Red Bulls and COO of the New York Cosmos. “He understands how soccer is supposed to work—how good players are identified and nurtured—and there’s no better place for him to start the next phase of his inspirational career.”
NJPS plans to unveil its team branding on July 10 at Hinchliffe Stadium, and the club will begin accepting membership deposits on July 11. News regarding additional technical hires, including coaches, will be announced when appropriate.