Earlier this year, former Real Monarchs SLC Assistant Coach Liam Miller tragically passed away after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. In honor of Miller and his accomplishments in the footballing world, a tribute match has been established and set for September 25th at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Miller’s hometown of Cork, Ireland.
Playing in the match will be a combination of legends from Manchester United, Celtic and Republic of Ireland. Manchester United’s squad will be led by United legend and current Republic of Ireland Assistant Coach Roy Keane, with the combined Celtic and Ireland squad being led by Martin O’Neill.
Miller began his professional journey with Celtic FC before making the move to English powerhouse Manchester United where he scored on two occasions for United. Miller made 21 appearances for the Republic of Ireland at the international level. At the end of his career he joined then-USL club Wilmington Hammerheads FC, where he made 25 appearances in the 2016 season.
“To have Liam on the staff was incredible for us as a team,” Monarchs captain Chandler Hoffman said of Miller. “To have him as a personal mentor and coach meant the world to me.”
He then joined the staff of Real Monarchs SLC for the 2017 USL season and helped the club claim the USL Regular Season Championship for the first time.
“As a person he was incredible,” Monarchs midfielder Sebastian Velasquez said. “Every day he’d come in and you’d think he’d never had a bad day. He was always smiling and laughing and always looked at the positives of our team.”
The Monarchs currently don a patch on the sleeve of its home and away jerseys to commemorate Miller and have dedicated the season to his memory.
Proceeds generated by the match will directly benefit Miller’s wife Clare and their three children, as well as Marymount Hospice in Ireland.
The following players have been confirmed to feature in Liam Miller’s Tribute match on September 25th:
Manchester United Legends: Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Ronny Johnsen, Paul Scholes, Denis Irwin, David May, Louis Saha, Rio Ferdinand, Quinton Fortune, Andy Cole, Michael Clegg, Mikael Silvestre, Kevin Pilkington, Dion Dublin, Roy Carroll, Gary Neville, Alan Smith.
Celtic/Republic of Ireland Legends: David Forde, Stephen Carr, Kevin Kilbane, Richard Dunne, Kenny Cunningham, Keith Andrews, Kevin Doyle, Stephen McPhail, Andy Reid, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Lee Carsley, Colin Healy, Shaun Maloney, Paul Lambert, John Hartson, Neil Lennon, Stylian Petrov, Shane Supple.
