Tony Noto, whose success as a local soccer coach was bypassed only by his passion for the beautiful game, has passed away. He was 70 years old. Noto was a head coach or assistant coach with several teams in the metropolitan area over several decades. He was an assistant under Mike Rybak when the Brooklyn Italians captured the 1991 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

“Tony had an unprecedented passion for the game at many levels,” said Anthony Catanzaro, a long-time friend and fan of the Italians club. Indeed, he did. “Tony was a huge part of the Brooklyn Italians’ U.S. Open Cup championship team in 1991,” said former Italians standout Carlos Jaguande said. “He was so passionate about it.”