The Landscape of American Soccer

Tony Scholes is President of USL Premier, where he is leading the development of the United Soccer League’s new top-tier professional men’s league. He is responsible for establishing the league’s competition structure, football standards, and long-term sporting strategy as the USL prepares to introduce promotion and relegation across its professional men’s system.

Scholes joined the USL with nearly 30 years of experience in English football, bringing a unique perspective from both league and club leadership. Most recently, he served as Chief Football Officer of the Premier League, where he advanced competition standards, player development, competition integrity, and collaboration across the professional game. His work included advancing initiatives in player development, global talent access, and the implementation of technologies such as Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Lee O’Neill joined the United Soccer League (USL) in 2022 and currently serves as president of USL League One, a growing men’s professional league in the third tier of the U.S. professional soccer pyramid. In this role, he provides strategic direction to clubs across the league on both the commercial and technical sides of the business – everything from front office leadership to fan experience and match presentation to level of play and club revenue streams.

O’Neill brings more than two decades of experience in elite soccer performance. Prior to joining the USL, he spent more than 18 years at historic English football club Ipswich Town FC where he was general manager and academy director. 

An experienced soccer executive with a background in both league and club management, Brett Luy currently serves as President, Competition and Administration, with the United Soccer League (USL). In this role, Brett leads the development and oversight of the USL’s competition strategy, including competition structure, scheduling, and player relations, and he oversees the expansion club performance, safeguarding and medical departments. He also leads negotiations on collective bargaining agreements and supports USL clubs with on-field matters.

Brett has been part of the USL ecosystem since 2014, and most recently served as president of Rhode Island FC (RIFC) and as a strategic advisor to Fortuitous Partners, the majority investor in RIFC. As president, he led the successful launch of the club in the USL Championship in 2024, where the team won the Eastern Conference and reached the USL Championship Final in its inaugural season. During his tenure, he also oversaw the construction of a multipurpose stadium, which opened in 2025. 

Jeremy Alumbaugh joined the United Soccer League (USL) in 2023 and currently serves as president of USL Championship, a division two men’s professional league. In this role, he serves as the primary liaison between the league office and the owners of 24+ clubs. He oversees all aspects of league operations, club performance alignment, compliance and engagement.

Alumbaugh brings more than 25 years of experience as a sports executive to the USL, having previously worked on the professional, collegiate and youth level. His experience includes a strong focus on sales, operations and revenue generation with a history of working with start-ups, turning around programs and succeeding on the national level. Alumbaugh’s previous professional soccer roles include executive positions at the club level, serving as vice president and general manager of Saint Louis FC, and most recently as CEO of Chattanooga FC. 

Karen Gittens joined the United Soccer League in 2018 and currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer. She brings more than 35 years of accounting and finance leadership experience, including 15 years in the CFO role for multiple organizations. 

Gittens earned her undergraduate degree in accounting and master’s degree in taxation from Colorado State University. In 2023, she was recognized as a CFO of the Year honoree by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.