Hartford Coach Joins Portugal Staff

Gaspar Reuinted with Queiroz

May 28, 2009

Hartford's men's soccer coach Dan Gaspar has been invited by the Portuguese Football Federation to join its national team staff in preparation for its upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.

Portugal will play Albania on June 6th and Estonia on June 10.

Gaspar will be reunited with Carlos Queiroz, the current head coach of Portugal. They have previously worked together at Sporting Lisbon, Grampus Eight in Japan, the South African National Team, and the MetroStars of Major League Soccer (now the Red Bulls). In addition, Gaspar and Carlos coached together with the Portuguese National Team for the 1994 World Cup.

Gaspar also worked with the Portuguese Team under Felipe Scolari, the former head coach of the Brazilian national team that won the World Cup in 2002.

Gaspar has served as the goalkeeper coach for Benfica and Porto - the latter during the season in which he helped lead the team to a World Intercontinental Championship in Japan. Regarded as one of the top goalkeeper coaches in the world, Gaspar trained FC Porto's Vitor Baia, who was selected as the UEFA's Best European Goalkeeper in 2004.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to University of Hartford Director of Athletics Pat Meiser, and President Walter Harrison, for allowing me the opportunity to participate in a World Cup Qualifier,� Gaspar said in a statement. �I am thrilled for this exceptional opportunity, and proud to be an American coach involved in an international event of this magnitude."

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