Paul Mariner (born 22 May 1953) is an English football coach and retired player who is currently with Major League Soccer club Toronto FC, where he is director of player development.

A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley. He became a professional player in 1973 with Plymouth Argyle, where he scored 61 goals in 155 appearances and is considered to be one of the club's best players. He joined Ipswich Town in 1976, where he achieved domestic and European success under the guidance of Bobby Robson. He was called up to play for the England national team during his time at Portman Road, and went on to represent his country at the 1980 European Championships and the 1982 World Cup. He spent two years with Arsenal and then Portsmouth before finishing his career abroad. He played for clubs in Australia, the United States, and Malta.

He took up coaching during his time with the Albany Capitals and focused on it fully when he retired from playing. After spending time working in Japan, he returned to America to coach, firstly in Arizona and then at Harvard University. He joined Major League Soccer club New England Revolution in 2004 as a member of Steve Nicol's coaching staff. After five years in Massachusetts, Mariner returned to Plymouth Argyle in 2009 as their head coach. He succeeded Paul Sturrock as the club's manager two months later before returning to his role as head coach upon the arrival of Peter Reid. In January 2011, he returned to Major League Soccer as director of player development at Toronto FC.

Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish former footballer who is the current manager of Liverpool.

Rodgers began his career as a footballer at Ballymena United before moving to Reading, where an injury forced him to retire at the age of 20. He stayed at Reading as a youth team coach before being invited to join Chelsea as the manager of their youth team in 2004. He was promoted to reserve team manager in 2006.

In November 2008, he was appointed manager of Watford, before moving back to Reading as manager following the resignation of Steve Coppell in June 2009. He left the club by mutual consent in December 2009, and returned to management with Swansea City in July 2010. The following year, he led Swansea City to become the first Welsh team to win promotion to the Premier League, and guided them to 11th in their debut season. In June 2012, Rodgers was announced as the new Liverpool manager.

Rodgers was born in Carnlough to parents Malachy and Christina, the eldest of five brothers. He was educated at St. Patrick's College in Ballymena. He played Gaelic football and hurling in Carnlough before taking up football when he was 13. He grew up as a supporter of Celtic.

Eric Hassli (born 3 May 1981 in Sarreguemines) is a French footballer currently playing for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer. He is known for his strength and his technical ability.

Hassli began his career at his hometown club Sarreguemines FC. In 2000 Hassli moved 40 miles west to play for Metz. In 2002 he moved on loan to England to play for Southampton FC. He scored two goals in eight matches for Southampton's reserve side but made no appearances for their first team. Southampton decided not to sign Eric Hassli permanently and so he returned to Metz.

Six months after returning from Southampton Hassli was on the move once again. He moved to Switzerland to play for Neuchâtel Xamax in the 2003/04 season. His time at the club was not a success as he struggled to break into the first team. He managed just thirteen appearances, scoring two goals. At the end of the season he moved to Geneva to play for Servette FC of the Swiss Challenge League. However, on 4 February 2005 the parent company of the club was declared bankrupt. It had run debts of over 10 million Swiss francs, having not paid the players since the previous November, and consequently the club suffered an exodus of players looking for paying clubs. Hassli left to join FC St. Gallen of the Swiss Super League, a club in the very east of Switzerland.

Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former coach of the United States men's national soccer team as well as a former professional soccer and lacrosse player. He is the head coach of Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Arena has had a long and distinguished coaching career, and is generally considered to be one of the most successful coaches in North American soccer history. He was head coach of the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, was head coach of New York Red Bulls and D.C. United in Major League Soccer, and coached the University of Virginia to several college soccer championships.

Before beginning his coaching career, Arena was a goalkeeper for Cornell University, and earned one cap with the United States men's national soccer team.

Arena grew up in the Long Island town of Franklin Square, New York, where he attended Carey High School. While he excelled at several sports, he was too small for American football, so he joined the school's soccer team as a defender. He moved into the goal when the starting goalkeeper was suspended after hitting another school's player during a game. While in high school, he also played a single season with local club Hota S.C. of New York City's Cosmopolitan Soccer League.