Bill Manning, president and general manager of the 1999 A-League champion Minnesota Thunder, has been named the new president and general manager of MLS’s Tampa Bay Mutiny, succedding Nick Sakiewicz, the 1999 MLS Executive of the Year, who resigned last month to take the same position with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. “I’m excited to finally be joining MLS and the Tampa Bay Mutiny,” Manning said. “I think the program in Tampa is ready to go to another level, and I’m confident I’m the right guy to bring it to that level. It seems as thought the Tampa community is very supportive of its winning teams, and I look forward to working with (head coach) Tim Hankinson to put together a championship-caliber program. “My predecessor, Nick Sakiewicz, left the program in very good shape and I do not foresee the organization missing a beat within the transition period.”. In Sakiewicz’ absence and prior to Manning’s arrival, former Mutiny Executive Vice President for Operations and Administration Ed Austin served as interim General Manager. Austin has since been promoted to Chief Operations Officer (COO), and will focus on duties including team-related matters and the Mutiny camp program in addition to his day-to-day tasks. “Bill Manning is one of the top young sports executives in this country,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “He brings a great combination of business acumen and soccer expertise to the Mutiny. Bill was clearly the person we wanted for this position. We believe he will be a great addition to the organization.” Manning was named 1999 A-League Executive of the Year after Minnesota won the A-League championship and, spearheaded by his impressive corporate sponsorship campaign, developed a revenue base of more than $840,000, second-highest in the league. The Thunder won its last 13 games and capped a 28-6 season with a 2-1 championship victory over the defending champion Rochester Raging Rhinos. The host Thunder attracted a crowd of 9,987 to the final, the second-largest in A-League championship history. Manning, a native of Massapequa, N.Y., starred at the University of Bridgeport. He joined in a family-owned business after college, which allowed him the flexibility to play professionally with the Penn-Jersey Spirit, Valley Golden Eagles and New York Fever. Manning began his sports management career by joining the front office of the Continental Indoor Soccer League during its inaugural season in 1993. A year later, he returned home to the New York Fever as director of marketing. He was later hired as general manager of the Long Island Rough Riders. Manning and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of a six-month-old son, John.