Fellow St. John's Soccer Alum, Connor Lade is back in Red as he takes on the job of Senior Manager of Alumni & Player Relations at his one and only pro team for 8 years, New York Red Bulls. Lade is out of Morristown and will be the first to occupy such a position within the team. In this role he will handle many things, outreach to other ex-players (LA Galaxy just gave out bottles of wine, hint-hint), Community outreach, media & broadcast roles, public appearances and more. Half time of the 2020 opener will feature an event to shine the light on Connor, a 2019 retireee, this will of course have a video component showcasing his years in Red, gifts to honor his time with the team and a Q & Q with one of our favs., ex-Olympian and Colmbian NT player Melissa Ortiz. After his highly successful 4 year career at SJU, Connor was the 5th ever Homegrown Player to ink a deal with the team on Dec. 5, 2011, 2012 saw him make his mark fast, 26 games 22 as a starter with a trio of assists as he was a big part of the defense and their 8 shut outs. Following his stellar start, it was off the the USMNT as he was in the camp from Jan. 3, 2013 and selected to the roster of 23 facing Canada Jan. 29 in a friendly.
Conor informed "I got to live out my dream by playing with my hometown team and now the dream continues as I transition into the front office. I could'nt be more excited to help the club that I love so much and am honored that they have given me this opportunity. I will bring the same work ethic and enthusiasm from the field into my new role."
Big numbers for the diminutive back, 116 stars over 153 games for 10.456 minutes over those 8 years, 5 goals and 9 assists with a special first goal facing Orlando July 13, 2016. He is tops among Homegrowns in games.
His off field presence looms just as large as it had on, the "11 Days of Service", a Red Bull program, had him at the Morristown Soup Kitchen and pitching in with Habitat for Humanity. Many trips to the Hackensack Medical Center and HSS as he also went to Camp Shriver for Special Olympics NJ. Team related things he frequented were local RBNY camps and the dedications of mini pitches