Joe Anzalone has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 New Jersey Youth Soccer Distinguished Service Award.

He will be honored at the organization’s 30th annual awards dinner Friday.

Since 1977, Anzalone has performed in many different roles during his 40-plus years of serving the New Jersey Youth Soccer community. Twenty-eight of those years have been spent coaching at the recreational and travel levels. He also has served in administrative roles.

Anzalone also served as the vice president of travel for Montville Soccer Association before working as the games chairman and president for the Morris County Youth Soccer Association. During that time, he concurrently served as president of The Soccer Foundation where he developed soccer-specific scholarships.

Most recently, Anzalone has served on the NJYS board of directors in various roles such as North Area recreation commissioner and treasurer, while also as a member of the discipline committee. He is the scholarships chairman on the Morris County Youth Soccer Association board.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.