With the 2026 FIFA World Cup having brought international attention to soccer in the region, Essex County is looking to honor one of Newark’s longtime champions of the sport.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. announced Thursday that he is recommending the soccer field at Essex County Riverfront Park be named for Albert Coutinho, the co-founder of the Ironbound Soccer Club and former state assemblyman who died in a car accident March 29.
“There were three things that Albert loved: his family, his hometown of Newark and the game of soccer,” DiVincenzo said in a statement.
DiVincenzo said naming the field after Coutinho would preserve his legacy and inspire future generations to give back to their communities…