San Jose GM Peter Bridgwater has announced that he has accepted an offer from MLS to take a position at the league level. “Peter has built the Clash into one of the best-run teams in Major League Soccer, and his experience is unparalleled in our league,” MLS Commissioner Doug Logan said. “He played a key role in two of the most successful franchises in the old North American Soccer League [Vancouver and San Jose], he helped keep soccer alive in the San Francisco Bay Area after the NASL, he ran what was widely regarded as the best venue in the country in World Cup ’94, and he helped lay the foundation for MLS. “We’d now like to take advantage of Peter’s expertise on a league level,” Logan said. “Helping start MLS and building the Clash has been one of the highlights of my professional life,” Bridgwater said. “These past 17 years, being involved in professional soccer in the [San Francisco] Bay Area, have been both exciting and rewarding. “But the league has offered me a tremendous opportunity, and I’m eager to take advantage of it.” Bridgwater was named President of the San Jose team on Aug. 1, 1995, two months before the team adopted its “Clash” nickname. In 1996, the first season for the new league, Bridgwater established the Clash as one of MLS’s most impressive organizations and was named MLS Operations Executive of the Year. In addition, Bridgwater has managed a league championship game, (MLS Cup ’96), and served on the MLS Competition Committee.