CINCINNATI, Ohio – Dan McNally was an apprentice professional player for Bury FC in his native England when second-year Embry-Riddle men's soccer Head Coach Dave Gregson spotted him in a match against Everton's youth team. The rest, as they say, is history."Dave came around to my house that night, after the game, offered me the opportunity to play college soccer in America and my life changed that day," McNally said.McNally's arrival in Daytona Beach coincided with the growth of the men's soccer program at Embry-Riddle as McNally led the Blue and Gold to a 45-30-2 record from 1996-99, including the program's first Florida Sun Conference Tournament title in 1998 and the team's first Florida Sun Conference regular season championship in 1999. The Eagles also captured the first regional crown in program history in 1999 as they posted a 14-4-1 record.McNally was a fixture in the Eagle midfield over his four seasons, finishing his collegiate playing career with 25 goals and 16 assists. McNally was named team MVP as a true freshman in 1996, earned second team All-Conference honors as a sophomore, followed by first team All-Conference accolades in his junior season before capping his career with Honorable Mention All-America honors as a senior."I loved my four years at Embry-Riddle," McNally said. "It was a fantastic experience to be a part of the men's soccer program as it grew from its infancy."After graduating in the spring of 2000 with his Communications degree, McNally joined former ERAU assistant coach Joe DePalo at Nova Southeastern where the pair helped the Sharks through the transition from the NAIA to NCAA II."We made a great connection in Ft. Lauderdale," McNally said. "We had some great seasons during the transition from NAIA to NCAA II."NSU went 54-17-8 over the four seasons McNally spent with the Sharks, and that success led to a call from NCAA II Montana State-Billings where McNally became the fifth head coach in program history."Not many people leave Ft. Lauderdale for Billings, Montana," McNally joked. "But at that time in my career I was very ambitious and I knew I had what it took to be a head coach, so when I got the opportunity I jumped at it."The Yellowjackets' men's soccer program had never had a winning season prior to McNally's arrival in the spring of 2005, but over McNally's eight seasons he guided the team to 71 wins, including five winning seasons. McNally stills holds program records for most career wins (71), most wins in a single season (13 in 2007) and career winning percentage (.528).One of the many highlights from McNally's time at MSU-Billings was his recruitment of the 2009 Daktronics NCAA II National Player of the Year, Sam Charles. McNally's MSU-Billings teams were also successful in the classroom, receiving National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Awards five consecutive seasons (2007-11). He also served as the chair of the MSUB Soccer Facility Steering Committee, which raised over $450,000 for the school's soccer facility.It was in Billings that McNally met his future wife, Jenny while getting his teeth cleaned."She was my dental hygienist," McNally said. "After she cleaned my teeth I asked her on a date and we've now been married for eight years with two beautiful little boys, Liam and Kellan."After eight seasons at MSU-Billings, McNally got another call, this time from the University of Cincinnati."I took the assistant coaching job at the University of Cincinnati," said McNally. "I was at UC for two years in the American Conference, competing against many of the best teams in college soccer like UConn and South Florida."While in the city of Cincinnati, another door opened for McNally, this one, as the first full-time employee of a professional soccer team that hadn't ever even played a game. Through his coaching connections in the Cincinnati area, former Cincinnati Bengals executive Jeff Berding reached out to McNally to offer him the position of Vice President of Operations for FC Cincinnati, a United Soccer League (USL) team that was planning on beginning play in 2016.Moving from the sidelines of the soccer pitch, where McNally spent nearly 15 years as a collegiate coach, to the front office of a professional soccer club felt like the natural thing to do for McNally."I've always been very interested in the business side of sports," McNally explained. "I love soccer, soccer is my life, and my role means I'm in constant contact with our coaching staff. I am the link between the technical staff and the front office, so my experience, as a coach and as a player, puts me in a good position to be that person for this club."FC Cincinnati, owned by Carl H. Linder III, officially was announced as a USL team in August of 2015 with the team's first match coming on February 21, 2016 against Iceland's KR Reykjavic, which ended in a 2-2 draw in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic."As the first employee of the club, it has been an amazing two years as we've built this," McNally said. "We've gone from nobody knowing about us to getting 35,000 fans at games and playing on ESPN."The 2016 season proved to be an extremely successful and impressive debut for the squad as FC Cincinnati finished third in the USL Eastern Division and set every attendance record in USL history.On April 16, 2016, FC Cincinnati broke the USL attendance record for a game with 20,497 in attendance for the rivalry game against Louisville FC, and then on May 14, the club broke its own record with 23,375 fans against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and once more with 24,376 against Orlando City B.On July 16, 2016, FC Cincinnati set the record for highest attendance at a soccer match in the state of Ohio when 35,061 people came for an exhibition game against Premier League club Crystal Palace. The team's inaugural season concluded with yet another attendance record in a playoff game against Charleston Battery when 30,187 fans came out to Nippert Stadium to watch the match.The success of the team's debut season has generated national and even international media coverage and that has drawn the attention of the MLS."Our club's ambition is to become an MLS franchise, and that's what we're all about," McNally said. "We have great ownership, an excellent general manager and president who is very connected to the city. Cincinnati is on the rise in terms of a lot of millenials moving to the area after they graduate from college, and there are a lot of great businesses that are moving to Cincinnati. The culture is really good for young people. When we launched, a lot of factors came together at once, including a fantastic stadium in Nippert Stadium that we've turned into a soccer venue. There was already a strong soccer culture in Cincinnati with 66,000 youth that play soccer in this city. We've put a lot of work in and it all came together for us."The 2017 season is threatening to overshadow the success of 2016 for FC Cincinnati. The club is in the midst of an unprecedented U.S. Open Cup run, having advanced to the quarterfinals where they will play Miami FC on Aug. 2. FC Cincinnati has dispatched MLS clubs Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire en route to their quarterfinal appearance, drawing more than 30,000 fans in each contest while playing on ESPN.McNally, who typically spends three days a week fully at the club's downtown offices, and two days a week splitting time between the practice field and his office, is also very involved in game day operations for home matches at Nippert Stadium, spending 10-plus hours making sure FC Cincinnati's matches are amongst the best experiences in North American soccer.McNally has seen the growth in popularity in the sport of soccer in the U.S. since his arrival at Embry-Riddle in the mid-1990s."Where I come from in Blackburn in the north west of England, soccer is everything," McNally said. "When I got to Daytona Beach in 1996 people were like, 'Soccer? You play soccer?' It wasn't seen as very important in the culture. Over the last 20 years so many people have worked so hard to build the soccer culture in America and I really feel now we're at the stage where soccer is emerging as the fourth sport in America. There'll always be football, basketball and baseball, but now soccer is so established, especially with the younger generation, that you see it in all the attendances in Major League Soccer and our club, FC Cincinnati, teams are regularly getting 25,000 people at games. The transition has been extreme over the last 20 years through so many people's hard work: players, coaches and administrators across the country. Soccer is established and is here to stay."McNally is one of those people that have worked to bring soccer to the forefront of American sports culture, first as a player at Embry-Riddle, and then as a coach for three colleges across the country, and now, in the front office of a professional soccer club."Building a quality professional soccer franchise is very demanding," McNally said. "But I am very fortunate to be a part of something special that is making an impact on the city of Cincinnati and U.S. soccer culture."Speaking of impacts, McNally recognizes the one made on him by Dave Gregson, who will coach his 24season at Embry-Riddle in 2017."I'd say other than my parents, without question, the most influential person in my life has been Dave Gregson," McNally said. "When you live in a foreign country for 20 years, away from home, you need a support system, and Dave was with me from the first day I arrived on campus of Embry-Riddle. He has been a great friend to me and to this day, he supports me in everything I do. He's a fantastic coach, but more than that, he cares about his players, long, long after they graduate. I still call him a friend to this day and I would not be in the position I am now without him."