BALTIMORE, Md. – United Soccer Coaches announced on Saturday the following award recipients in the association’s annual media contest:

* Deadline/Game Story: Meg Linehan, The Athletic, “The USWNT beat Thailand 13-0 because you don’t win World Cups by playing nice”

* Feature Story: Jeff Kassouf, The Equalizer, “Vlatko Andonovski is prepared for the USWNT job”

* Column: Mike Woitalla, Soccer America, “Sigi Schmid (1953-2018): Farewell to a soccer friend”

* Video Feature: Michael Holstein, “Soccer in the City”

For the past 25 years, United Soccer Coaches has recognized outstanding works of journalism in the sport by honoring those who cover the games, personalities and stories at all levels of American soccer.

The United Soccer Coaches media contest recognizes writers and reporters with work published in a newspaper (daily or weekly), magazine, website, television broadcast, or blog covering soccer. Freelance writers published in newspapers, magazines or as special features also cam submit published articles.

Stories and features published from Dec. 1, 2018 through Nov. 30, 2019 were eligible for this year’s contest.

Saturday’s announcement was made at the 2020 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Baltimore, where more than 100 media members are in attendance at the world’s largest annual gathering of soccer coaches and administrators.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.