Leonardo Cuellar coached the Mexican women’s national team for years. (Matt Kryger-USA TODAY Sports)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

One way to determine someone’s impact and influence?

Easy.

Just count the people they have touched.

Ron Newman influenced hundreds of players, perhaps more. The greatest tribute could be the number of his former players who went into coaching.

Newman, a pioneer in American soccer, passed away Monday morning. He was 82.

While it is not the ultimate count, FrontRowSoccer.com has found 20 former players under Ron Newman who decided to coach. And that number probably is low.

“There are loads of them all over the place,” Guy Newman, Roy’s son said in a 2016 interview. “They all come and go so quick, especially in the pro ranks. He was always proud of the guys who continued in the game, I can tell you that. He always wanted to see how they were doing, all his ex-players and stuff.”

Guy Newman then rattled off some names: Roy Turner, John Best. Chris Klein, the LA Galaxy president who play for Ron Newman with the Kansas City Wiz.

“There were so many to keep up with it,” he added. “Every game there seemed to be someone coaching against someone who had played for him.”

Here is a partial list of Newman’s players who went on to coach at various levels over the past several decades:

Dallas Tornado

Kenny Cooper — Baltimore Blast

Roy Turner — Wichita Wings

Mike Renshaw — Dallas Tornado

John Best — Seattle Sounders

Mirko Stojanovic — Oakland Stompers

Kyle Rote, Jr. — Memphis Americans

David Chadwick – Atlanta Chiefs, Georgia Generals, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Minnesota Strikers, Atlanta Datagraphic

San Diego Sockers

Leonardo Cuellar — Mexican women’s national team

Guy Newman — Las Vegas Dust Devils, assistant with San Diego Sockers, Kansas City Wizards, Del Mar Sharks, San Diego United, Encinitas Express

Jean Willrich — Rancho Bernado High School

Julie Veee — La Costa Canyon High School

Kevin Crow — San Diego Spirit (interim)

Hugo Perez – U.S. youth national teams

Brian Quinn — San Diego Sockers, San Jose Clash, San Diego Sockers, University of San Diego (assistant)

Peter Skouras — Buffalo Blizzard

Gary Collier — San Diego Nomads

Jim Gabarra — Washington Spirit

Paul Dougherty — San Diego Flash (assistant), La Jolla Nomads, US San Diego (assistant) San Diego WFC SeaLions)

Wes Wade — James Madison High School, Park University

Tim Wittman — Baltimore Blast (head and assistant coach) — John Hopkins women

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.