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Rory Dames

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Rory Dames
Rory Dames on April 3, 2016
Personal information
Full name Rory Dames Jr.[1]
Date of birth (1973-02-10) February 10, 1973 (age 51)[1]
Place of birth Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1987–1991 St. Viator Lions
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1994 Saint Louis Billikens 52 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994 Rockford Raptors
Managerial career
1997–2021 Chicago Eclipse Select
2011–2021 Chicago Red Stars
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rory Dames Jr. (born February 10, 1973) is an American soccer coach who most recently was the head coach of the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). He is the owner and former president of Chicago Eclipse Select, a youth soccer club in suburban Chicago.[2][3] In 2023 Dames was banned for life from the NWSL because of misconduct concerning players in his charge.

Early life

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Dames was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He played soccer at St. Viator High School in the suburb of Arlington Heights, where he graduated in 1991. He attended Saint Louis University and played for the men's soccer team.[4] In four seasons, Dames made 52 appearances as a defender, scoring one goal and recording 3 assists.[1][5] Dames then joined the Rockford Raptors for one professional season.[4]

Managerial career

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Dames was the director of coaching and player development for Chicago Eclipse Select, which consisted of three teams when the Illinois native took over. The club has more than 50 male and female teams, and more than 750 players ranging in age from 8 to 19.[6] The club produced players who have earned Division I scholarships, professional contracts and roster spots on all levels of the U.S. women's national teams.[7]

Dames began coaching the Chicago Red Stars in 2011, reaching the WPSL finals and losing in overtime. In 2013 the Chicago Red Stars began playing in the National Women's Soccer League.[8]

For four consecutive years, 2015 to 2018, Dames coached the Red Stars to National Women's Soccer League postseason playoffs, losing in the semi-finals on each occasion.[9][10][11][12] In 2019, Dames and the Red Stars defeated the Portland Thorns 1–0 to advance to the NWSL Championship for the first time in team history, where they eventually fell to North Carolina Courage 4–0. In 2021, the Red Stars again advanced to the NWSL Championship held in Louisville but lost to the Washington Spirit 2–1.

On November 22, 2021, the Red Stars announced that Dames had resigned.[13] In February 2022, Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler, stated Dames was allowed to resign because it “didn’t have any reason to believe that there was a safety issue in our environment.” Whisler noted that if Dames did not resign, he would have been terminated.[14]

Misconduct allegations

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On November 22, 2021, The Washington Post published an article with allegations from players, both previous and current, of abuse by Dames. The Post provided documentation of reports made to the United States Soccer Federation by players, such as Christen Press, as far back as 2014, detailing abuse, harassment, and inappropriate use of power as head coach to manipulate players.

“Three former Red Stars players, including one who played on the team at the time of the investigation, told The Post that they had wanted to speak to U.S. Soccer investigators but had never heard from them,” reported Hensley-Clancy. “Two had left the team because of Dames’s abuse, they said.”[15]

In February 2022, the Washington Post published a follow-up story reporting claims of misconduct dating back to the late 1990s, including a 1998 police report involving a youth player Dames coached at Chicago Eclipse Select. The allegations went further, including multiple players claiming to have had a sexual relationship with Dames when they played for him at Eclipse. An accuser claimed that sex “felt almost expected”. The verbal abuse also included constant name-calling, such as pussies, fucking idiots, fat ass, and retards.[7]

Dames’ role in the founding of Elite Clubs National League, an elite group of youth soccer clubs of which he sat on the Board of Directors, and his role with the Chicago Red Stars and NWSL, played a role in players not speaking up, according to accusers. Players and parents were afraid Dames “could ruin the chance at a scholarship or a spot in the professional league,” if they spoke up. “But the monopoly over Chicago soccer, our belief that his connection to the college world was the only connection we would have — he used all of that to get away with doing and saying whatever the hell he wanted to us,” said an accuser.

Dames’ attorney claimed the allegations from the report were “unfounded.” Dames stepped down as the President of Eclipse after resigning from the Red Stars. The organization "did not respond to questions about whether Dames still owned Eclipse or was involved in its governance,” suggesting he is still the owner and the majority controlling interest in the club's operations.

On January 9, 2023, Dames was banned from the NWSL for life, along with three other coaches named in the scandal.[16]

Coaching record

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Team League Year Record Result
G W D L Win % League Playoff
Chicago Red Stars WPSL 2011 13 11 0 2 85% 1st Runners-up
Chicago Red Stars WPSLE 2012 22 15 2 5 73% 4th Runners-up
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2013 22 8 6 8 50% 6th X
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2014 24 9 8 7 54% 5th X
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2015 21 8 9 4 59% 2nd semi-final
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2016 21 9 6 6 57% 3rd semi-final
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2017 25 11 6 8 56% 4th semi-final
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2018 25 9 10 6 56% 4th semi-final
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2019 26 15 2 9 58% 2nd Runner-up
Chicago Red Stars NWSL 2021 24 11 5 8 58% 4th Runner-up
Career total 223 106 54 63 60%

Personal life

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Dames is married to Sarah Uyenishi. Uyenishi played soccer for Chicago Eclipse Select starting at age 14,[17] where Dames was her coach. They have two children. A SafeSport investigation was opened in March 2019 based on receiving “a report alleging that Responding Party Rory Dames had a relationship with a former player, while she was a player on his team, and subsequently married and had a child with her.”[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d The Billikens. 1994. p. 17. Retrieved January 8, 2022. {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Red Stars Announce 2013 Coaching Staff". chicagoredstars.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Yates, Sally Q. (October 3, 2022). "Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer" (PDF). King & Spalding: 96–107.
  4. ^ a b "Technical Staff". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  5. ^ 1994 Final Statistics. 1995. p. 26. Retrieved January 8, 2022. {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "SPORTS Chicago Red Stars coach steps down - Windy City Times News". Windy City Times. November 22, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Hensley-Clancy, Molly (February 8, 2022). "'Nobody believed those teenagers'". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ "U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati Announces New Women's League to Begin Play in Spring of 2013". US Soccer. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  9. ^ Hersh, Philip (September 13, 2015). "Red Stars routed in NWSL soccer semifinals". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  10. ^ "Chicago Ends 2016 NWSL Season After Falling 2-1 to Washington". chicagoredstars.com. Chicago Red Stars. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  11. ^ "North Carolina Courage vs Chicago Red Stars Pride". nwslsoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  12. ^ "Chicago Falls to North Carolina 2-0 in NWSL Semifinals". Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Salazar, Emmanuel (November 22, 2021). "Chicago Red Stars Head Coach Rory Dames Steps Down". ChicagoRedStars.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  14. ^ Mekula, Jeremy (February 11, 2022). "Rory Dames was allowed to resign as Chicago Red Stars coach because the NWSL club says it didn't have any reason to believe that there was a safety issue in our environment". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  15. ^ Hensley-Clancy, Molly (November 22, 2021). "'Nobody cares': NWSL players say U.S. Soccer failed to act on abuse claims against Red Stars coach". The Washington Post.
  16. ^ Greenawalt, Tyler (January 9, 2023). "NWSL announces permanent ban for ex-Thorns coach Paul Riley, other sanctions following misconduct investigation". Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  17. ^ Day, Paul. "Humility fosters humor". Marquette Wire. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
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