On Tuesday, Major League Soccer announced that Real Salt Lake midfielder Brian Kamler has been selected as the U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, while Brian Hall was selected as the OSI Referee of the Year.
A 10-year veteran of MLS, Kamler joined the Utah expansion team prior to the start of their inaugural season. He quickly became an integral part of the club both on the field and off, playing in 28 games this season and staying active in the Salt Lake City community. Kamler's primary means of community outreach comes through his "Kam's Kauses" charitable group.
Kam's Kauses set up a booth at all RSL home games this season, collecting money and supplies to be donated to various local and national charities. Some of the beneficiaries of Kam's Kauses include United Way of Salt Lake, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, National Disaster Relief (for Hurricane Katrina victims), Special Olympics, The Humane Society and more. In addition to accepting donations, Kam's Kauses also held raffle drawings at each game for items including autographed RSL player jerseys, equipment and photos, as well as soccer balls and match tickets.
But it wasn't only through Kam's Kauses that the 33-year-old reached out to his new community. Kamler also served as the Real Salt Lake spokesperson for Covering Kids & Families, helping to educate lower income families about low-cost and free health care programs. Kamler visited young patients at Primary Children's Hospital to kick off its literacy program. He also joined Utah's First Lady for a program known as Power in You, speaking about overcoming obstacles to succeed in life.
Hall was named the OSI Referee of the Year for the second time in three years, having also taken the honor in 2003. With vast officiating experience at nearly all levels, Hall is widely regarded as one of the best referees in the country.
The U.S. Soccer Federation's administrative handbook for referees lists in its code of ethics for referees the importance of honorable conduct and maintaining the dignity of the referee's position, the importance of treating players courteously and considerately without sacrificing fairness and the importance of showing the utmost respect for the game of soccer, in addition to having a keen knowledge of the laws of the game.
Hall's performance this season as the man in the middle is a prime example of how this handbook should be followed. His understanding of the roles of peacekeeper, judge and enforcer, while still allowing the play of the field to determine the outcome of the match, makes Hall a top referee.
Hall has been a referee in Major League Soccer since the inception of the league. Earlier this year, he became the second referee in league history to run the middle in 100 regular season matches. In addition, he has been a FIFA referee since 1992, and has advanced further on the international level than any other U.S. referee in history, including becoming the first-ever U.S.-born referee to officiate at the FIFA World Cup.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
