Fernando Rossi, father of New Jersey-born Italian international Giuseppe, passed away yesterday at the age of 60. No cause of death has been announced.
After taking over the Clifton High School boys soccer team in 1978, Rossi turned it into a New Jersey powerhouse, going 353-95-51 in 23 seasons and winning five straight county championships before stepping down in 2001.
Rossi also coached New Jersey club teams and ran the Rossi-Kasyanenko Soccer Camp in North Jersey. A friend of Backpost competed against Rossi’s youth teams back in the day, and attended his camp for three years. He says the camps “were always well-run, always a lot of fun,” and that “Rossi was a very well-known guy in the area. Extremely passionate.”
His son Guiseppe left New Jersey in his teen years to play for Parma’s youth team. He currently starts for Villareal in La Liga and has aspirations to play for Italy in this summer’s World Cup. He scored two goals against the U.S. in the Confederations Cup last June.
North Jersey.com’s obituary is here, and Ives Galarcep’s heartfelt tribute to the late coach—well worth a read—is here.
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