Mike Sorber Joins the FieldTurf Team as Soccer Development Manager

Montreal, Canada, January 16, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Veteran professional player and assistant coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team bolsters FieldTurf’s industry-leading soccer division.

FieldTurf is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Sorber as its Soccer Development Manager. Mike’s experience and leadership within the soccer community will help FieldTurf better serve the needs of current and future soccer clients.

“Adding Mike Sorber to our team really strengthens our already strong position in the soccer community,” said FieldTurf President Eric Daliere. “Mike’s background as a coach and a player at all levels of soccer gives our current and future soccer clients another great resource to work with.”

Sorber earned his first cap with the U.S. Men’s National Team in 1992 and went on to earn a total of 67 caps, scoring 2 goals with the national team as a midfielder. Sorber played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the U.S. Mike’s knowledge of the game and leadership abilities landed him a position as assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2007-2011 along with the Montreal Impact of MLS from 2011-2013.

Upon FieldTurf’s introduction into the soccer community decades ago, it has built and earned its reputation as the #1 football reference worldwide. FC Barcelona, Ajax, Arsenal, Seattle Sounders, Montreal Impact, Portland Timbers, New England Revolution, Liverpool, West Ham United, and Paris Saint Germain are just some of the high profile references worldwide that play and/or practice on FieldTurf.

“Joining the FieldTurf organization was an easy decision for me,” said Sorber. “Having experienced their product first-hand and understanding FieldTurf’s commitment to innovation and customer service makes this an exciting opportunity. FieldTurf is the clear leader and I look forward to helping them better serve the soccer market.”

Independent studies show that FieldTurf has grass-like playability. FieldTurf is ideal for soccer play because of its fiber technology which delivers ideal ball roll and performance, its heavyweight infill system designed to provide grass-like energy restitution and shock absorption, while the company’s wide gauge tufting allows organizations to enjoy proper soccer-specific playability and safety features.

In addition to his extensive international experience, Sorber, a native of Missouri, played NCAA soccer with the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team while earning his bachelor degree in 1994. After spending two years contracted to the U.S. Men’s National Team leading up to the 1994 World Cup, Sorber moved to Mexico to play first division soccer with UNAM Pumas. He played two seasons with Pumas and became the first American player ever to be named a Mexican League All Star. In 1996, Sorber signed a contract with the newly established Major League Soccer (MLS). After playing for the former Kansas City Wiz and the NY/NJ MetroStars from 1996-1999, Sorber helped the Chicago Fire win the Central Division title, reach the 2000 MLS Cup final, and win the US Open Cup Championship.

About FieldTurf

FieldTurf is the inventor and world leader in infilled artificial turf with over 4,500 installations in North America. FieldTurf is part of the ‘FIFA Preferred Producer’ program and is the world leader in FIFA Recommended installations, with hundreds of FIFA Recommended fields worldwide. The company boasts the very first artificial surface to attain FIFA Recommended status due to its superior grass like performance, which football players prefer. 7 MLS teams play and/or practice on FieldTurf while 22 of 32 NFL teams have selected FieldTurf for their game and / or practice facilities. Hundreds of NCAA D-1 programs play and/or practice on FieldTurf, including such powerhouse programs as Illinois, Louisville, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Washington State among many others.

FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, a Division of the Tarkett Group. Tarkett Sports is the largest entity in the sports and landscape surfacing industries. Included within the Tarkett Sports portfolio is an impressive range of performance sports flooring products. This product range includes: synthetic and hardwood basketball; volleyball and gymnasium flooring; squash and racquetball courts; floor protection and covering systems; weight room flooring; and high performance indoor and outdoor running tracks, featuring Beynon and Atlas track surfaces.

For more information, please visit: FieldTurf Artificial Grass & Synthetic Turf Products.