Eagles at the World Cup

From overseeing stadium security to broadcasting matches on television, BC alumni played all kinds of roles in a tournament that broke attendance records. Here are a few of their stories. — By Scott Kearnan and Ellen Seaward

Ryan Winmill ’00
Chair of the US Host City National Security Working Group 

Over the course of thirty-nine days and 104 football matches, millions of World Cup fans from around the globe filled stadiums to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event. Behind the scenes, homeland security expert Ryan Winmill was working closely with international partners to make sure every single game in the US played out safely.

For more than three years leading up to the World Cup, and then during the tournament itself, Winmill coordinated with chief security officers in each of the eleven US host cities, as well as with federal agents in the White House FIFA Task Force. They developed plans for crowd management at event venues, exchanged global counterterrorism intelligence to monitor for safety concerns, and trained local law enforcement to respond to potential threats at events. This was all in addition to the role Winmill’s committee played in obtaining federal security funding, including $500 million for anti-drone security and training. The result was a World Cup that went off without incident. “It took tireless hours behind the scenes,” said Winmill. In a separate role as vice president and chief security officer of the Boston Host Committee, he directly oversaw safety plans for World Cup operations in Massachusetts. “At Gillette Stadium, it was like hosting seven back-to-back mini Super Bowls over a six-week period.” 

The son of an army veteran and a nursing professor, Winmill studied history at BC and was motivated by the events of 9/11 to pursue a career in public safety. He earned a law degree at Suffolk University and was hired by the state of Massachusetts to develop their homeland security program. Winmill subsequently worked for the US Department of Homeland Security before launching his own consulting firm in 2006. Over the course of his career, he’s worked on security for major events including three presidential inaugurations, four Super Bowls, and a G8 Summit.

Winmill said protecting attendees and athletes at the World Cup will always remain a special accomplishment. “It was a great experience for me personally and for the country,” he said, “because so many different people were leaning in to bring a global community together.” 

Lou DiSabatino ’87 
FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Director, Boston

As FIFA’s point person in Boston for the World Cup, DiSabatino led local operations and connected FIFA with state and local officials, stadium operators, and public safety personnel. And for the more than 447,000 fans who attended Boston’s seven sold-out matches, DiSabatino was part of the team that ensured their visits went smoothly and lifetime memories were made. Among the fans was a group of more than one hundred children traveling from Israel for the World Cup. When no one seemed to have information on the group, DiSabatino found three separate rabbis to connect with them and welcome them to a match.

Nancy Gonsalves ’85
Airport Manager

Gonsalves oversaw arrivals and greeted FIFA VIPs, guests, match referees, and players at Boston Logan International Airport and Hanscom Field. Standing planeside on the tarmac, Gonsalves welcomed teams including France, Scotland, and Cabo Verde, which touched down to a hero’s welcome by the local Cape Verdean community. It was easy to spot fans in the airport, Gonsalves said, with supporters wearing their country’s colors and jerseys. “Everyone was taking pictures with each other,” Gonsalves added. “People were cheerful, happy, and loved visiting.”

Alfonso Gonzalez ’20
Team Facilities Lead, Central North

Gonzalez’s job was finding and overseeing base camps for the fifteen national soccer teams assigned to his region. He assessed more than forty sites, including private schools and universities, before interviewing teams to help guide them toward their selections. Ice baths for players were an essential amenity, and to make everything feel like a home away from home, most teams put up flags, decorations, and messages from fans. “Argentina had branded grills at their hotel so they could grill dinner just like they would back home,” Gonzalez said. Meanwhile, the University of Kansas marching band learned the Algerian national anthem. “It was a great example of how soccer brings people together,” Gonzalez said.

Alejandro Bedoya ’09
Broadcast Analyst

Named to this magazine’s list of BC’s top twenty-five athletes of all time, Bedoya served as a color commentator for Telemundo Deportes’s Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup. Nearly half of Americans who watched the World Cup did so on Telemundo, and Bedoya said the network’s emotional coverage helped to draw fans. “We are really passionate about the game of soccer and fans could feel that energy transmitted through the television,” he said. “The emphatic ¡Goooooool! calls helped as well.”

Joe Gravellese ’10 and
Taylor Giuffre-Catalano ’22
City Employees in Revere, Massachusetts

Major sporting events like the World Cup can result in a big boost for local businesses, with fans packing bars and public viewing parties rather than streaming games at home. In Revere, Gravellese, a community development planner, and Giuffre-Catalano, a communications associate in the mayor’s office, organized viewing parties and community partnerships, even helping one local taproom have its most successful day ever. “It was a nice reminder that humans crave community and connection,” Gravellese said. “For a month, soccer gave us the opportunity to embrace that in an atomized world.”

Brewing Pints for the World Cup

Back in his college days, Brian Kulbacki ’08 bartended at the late, legendary Cleveland Circle dive bar Mary Ann’s. Now he makes beer as founder of Departed Soles Brewing Company in New Jersey, sold in sixteen states. One specialty is World Pint, a light lager the company brews to coincide with major professional soccer tournaments. “Beer and sports go hand in hand,” Kulbacki said. World Pint was served during World Cup fan events and watch parties at venues like Sports Illustrated Stadium, with a portion of proceeds benefiting local youth sports initiatives. The brewery has produced other beers that give back too, like Flutie Flakes, an IPA that supported the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

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