Pittsburgh Riverhounds News Release -- www.riverhounds.com

Friday, May 6, 2011

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – On a cold and rainy Friday night, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1-2-2) and the Charleston Battery (3-1-2) to a second 0-0 draw in USL PRO in less than a week. The stalemate between the two clubs carried over to Chartiers Valley Stadium as neither side would concede the game-winning goal.

The Battery’s Evan Taylor was shown a straight red card in the 53rd minute after elbowing Shintaro Harada in the face, reducing his side to 10 men for most of the second half. Despite playing with a man advantage for the remainder of the game, the Riverhounds could not find the back of the net to earn the home win.

The Riverhounds maintained the majority of possession throughout the first half, but the Battery would be the most dangerous side. The Battery earned five corners and three free kicks in the first 45 minutes of play.

Following the intermission, the Riverhounds earned their first dangerous opportunity from the foot of Niko Katic. Jumping a passing lane, Katic penetrated to the goal line and served a low cross in front of the goal, but his service slid passed everyone and out for a throw-in.

The Battery received a set piece in the 73rd minute that resulted in their best opportunity of the second half. Outside midfielder Stephen Armstrong struck a left-footed shot that deflected off the Riverhounds’ wall. The deflection just missed the upper corner and went out for a corner.

In the 78th minute the Riverhounds’ Jason Yeisley connected with Tommy Gray’s corner. Taking the restart from the left side, Gray delivered a near-post cross for the slashing Yeisley. Fighting off his marker, Yeisley headed the ball down and on frame but was denied by the post.

The Riverhounds return to action next Saturday, May 14th when they take on Orlando City (3-1-1) at the Citrus Bowl. The Battery travel overnight to take on the Rochester Rhinos (1-2-0) at Sahlen’s Stadium.
 

Antigua Barracuda News Release -- www.antiguabarracudafc.com

Friday, May 6, 2011

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua -- A decisive header from Jamaican international Christopher Harvey in the 60th minute and a close range strike from Stefan Smith in the 77th minute was enough to secure a 2-0 victory and the three points for Antigua Barracuda FC against River Plate Puerto Rico on Friday, consolidating their position as leaders of the USL PRO International Division and giving the side its fifth consecutive victory.

“I am happy with my performance tonight," Harvey said. "I still believe I can do better so you can look forward to much more from me.”

The game started under cloudless skies and for large periods of the first half, the home team pressed and hurried the visitors preventing their usual smooth silky passes and any time to negotiate and exploit any weaknesses in the 'Cudas defense.

As the game continued though the influence of Peter Villegas, captain and engineer of almost every attack initiated by River Plate PR, became more influential. On the other hand, the power and pace of Peter Byers and Smith, along with the individual skill of Tamarley Thomas and Orlando Mitchum, provided their share of concerns for the visitor's defence.

The first real opportunity for the visitors fell to Villegas who should have done better when he beat the offside trap only for goalkeeper Keita DeCastro to make an important save.

Minutes later, Byers was put through and much to the dismay of the home crowd kicked wide to maintain his scoreless record at home.

The second half saw the visitors adapt a more direct approach that presented some problems for the Barracuda defence but the discipline of the team prevailed.

“We worked really hard out there tonight," Antigua coach Tom Curtis said. "They are a good team but we wore them down tonight and we had two good goals from Chris (Harvey) and Tommy (Smith).”

Smith recorded his fourth goal for the ‘Cudas and his second in as many matches was happy to put the game away and secure his team's position at the top of the table.

“After our long road trip it’s really nice to secure this victory in front of our fans," Smith said. "They deserve it and we hope to make it six straight on Sunday night.”

With another game scheduled for Sunday night and the bench of the visitors extremely short they must be carrying a few concerns going into the next few days.  Meanwhile a rampant and buoyant Barracuda FC can look forward to further enhance their stock as front leaders as they carry the fight for club and country.

USL Feature

Saturday, May 7, 2011

By NICHOLAS MURRAY

After winning the USSF Division 2-Pro League regular season title a season ago, it might seem like the Rochester Rhinos have started the 2011 USL PRO season rather slowly. Falling on the road to the Richmond Kickers and Wilmington Hammerheads to start the season before rebounding with a win against the Dayton Dutch Lions to earn their first points and goals of the season isn’t the start many were expecting the side to make.

But veteran Coach Bob Lilley isn’t going to let the start to the season concern him, especially ahead of Saturday night’s home opener against the Charleston Battery that starts a run of four of the team’s next five games being played at home.

“It’s early,” Lilley said by phone this week. “I think teams are rewarded over the course of the season if they continue to grow. We know we’re in a very competitive league with a lot of good teams and we can’t rest on what we did last year. We’re going to have to show up and play well or you’re going to drop points, so certainly we feel like we have areas we can improve, and we’re seeing that improvement as we go forward and hope that now having some home games and a few more games under our belt, our performance levels will go up.”

That’s not to say that Lilley hasn’t been impressed by what he’s seen around the league so far. Having become a coach in USL with the Hershey Wildcats in 1997, Lilley has seen the growth in soccer, and in the level of play within USL, throughout his stops in cities like Montreal and Vancouver. One of the reasons he cites for the greater levels of competition throughout the league is the number of players that are now coming into the professional game every year, with more players being able to contribute to teams immediately.

“Every year the depth of players in this country gets better,” Lilley said. ”I think the level has risen, but I think there’s also more players looking for jobs every year. There’s a lot more in the way of combines and opportunities for us to find players, for other teams to find players, and I think the clubs in this league have done a good job. I was impressed with Richmond and Wilmington on the opening weekend, it was early in the season and they had strong sides on the field.”

Lilley believes he has the same potential within his squad. Among the additions to the core of last year’s team are players like Tony Donatelli. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder has yet to find the back of the net this season, but Lilley has seen a lot to be pleased about otherwise.

“I think sometimes with attacking players, even though he’s not a forward, everything is judged on how they do in terms of the scoring department,” Lilley said. “But he does a lot of things on the field in terms of possession and making good decisions, he reads the game well. He’s been a big addition and I think he’s going to be a strong piece for us as we go forward.”

As has happened with Donatelli so far other Rhinos players haven’t yet quite caught fire in their levels of play, not that it should be that surprising after only three games. For Lilley, the key to finding success this season will be how the team is able to develop and grow as a unit over the course of the season.

“Hopefully we put ourselves in a position by July or early August where we’re playing our best soccer,” Lilley said. “It’s a long march that’s obviously started, but there are a lot of games to be played and there’s a lot that’s going to happen in terms of injuries and teams hitting good patches and struggling. I think it’s the teams that are able to grow and are consistent that are the ones that can put themselves in the best position going into playoff time.”

And that building process is one that will continue on Saturday night.

“Hopefully we can bring energy and make it difficult for them and put them under pressure and create chances,” Lilley said of his side’s game with Charleston. “They’re very capable and have always been with [Battery coach] Mike [Anhaeuser] there, for a long time the Battery generally have a strong back four, defend well as a team collectively, and they’re always capable of getting goals on the break, they have some pacey guys up front.

“It’s a tough game for us, even with Charleston playing the night before, but it’s one where we’re on our home pitch and we feel like if we have a good performance, we’ll have opportunities to win this game.”
 

USL Feature

Saturday, May 7, 2011

By NICHOLAS MURRAY

The Portland Timbers U23 side accomplished something that had never been done before in the 2010 USL Premier Development League season as it finished with a perfect 20-0 record, claiming the league championship with a 4-1 victory against the Thunder Bay Chill.

But according to Coach Jim Rilatt, he hasn’t really thought about the team’s success in the lead-up to the new season, which begins for the Timbers today against the Victoria Highlanders at Jeld-Wen Field at 1 p.m. PST.

“The purpose for us is, and will always be, trying to promote our players to the next level,” Rilatt said by phone this week. “So what happens with the team and any accomplishments is obviously fantastic, but it rests with that team. Last year’s team is a sole entity of its own, it did a great job, hugely successful, the players should be happy with their achievement, but that is then, this is now.”

Certainly, when it comes to the goals Rilatt has set, the Timbers have put together an excellent record of developing players to move on to the professional level. Last year’s team has seen goalkeeper Jake Gleeson and midfielder Freddie Braun graduate to the Timbers senior squad, while Graham Dugoni is now with USL PRO’s Charleston Battery, and before them Collen Warner, now with Real Salt Lake, and Logan Emory and Jared van Schaik have all turned professional.

But for those returning to the side this season, like All-PDL selection Ryan Kowaluk, the memory of what the team accomplished a season ago has been in the back of a few minds as the new season has neared.

“Actually, I’ve started thinking about it a little bit now that we’re getting going again about what we accomplished,” Kowaluk said. “It was an amazing year, it was a year that I’ll probably never forget, I made some great friends and we were all really supporting each other throughout the whole year and we pulled off something pretty special that will always be part of us and always be part of the organization.”

Now, though, the focus is for this year’s group to take the steps they needs to join the predecessors, and former teammates, in the professional ranks. With nine players returning from last year’s squad, Rilatt has expectations for what he hopes to see from his returning players as they are joined by new teammates.

“I would hope they would take the experience they gained last year, use that to make certain that the new players understand the principles that we play by in our organization and use those to increase their own individual game for their own individual benefit,” Rilatt said. “Brent Richards, Stevie Evans have the ability to be professional players. What did they learn from Jake Gleeson, from Freddie Braun, what did Bim [Ogunyemi] pick up, and how do you share that with the new players, the new faces to our organization?”

Getting the chance to do that while being in the same environment, and playing on the same field, as their senior counterparts offers players like Kowaluk all the motivation they need to continue to develop and chase their goal of turning professional.

“It’s a class organization, it’s a very professional organization, they expect the best out of us and they won’t settle for anything else,” Kowaluk said. “You never know who’s looking down on you at practices or who’s looking down on you at games and it brings out the best in all of us, it makes us all competitive because we all definitely want the chance to play at the next level, and this is a great stepping stone to get there.”

And for the club itself, it’s a perfect situation to evaluate those who could help the senior side in years to come.

“It’s produced two players that we were able to sign, so I think that in of itself has made the investment worthwhile,” Rilatt said. “It gives us the opportunity to truly know a player’s game within our system, and what are they like when they travel. It’s not fun to travel in the PDL, it’s definitely not very glamorous, how do they handle that, how do they handle the grind it takes to be a PDL player? That tells you a lot about the character of the person and how they’ll deal with being a professional.

“Everybody’s great when things are going well, everybody’s on a high, I’m playing on a regular basis, everything is great. That’s not the reality, especially for some young players who have to earn their way and we get a good look under the microscope of what they going to do when things maybe aren’t so good.”

But both Rilatt and Kowaluk certainly hope things will go as well as they did last season, with the prospect of taking a second consecutive PDL championship an appealing one for the University of Portland standout.

“You don’t win many championships in your life, and any time you can win a national championship, especially on the level that the PDL is, it would definitely be something special,” Kowaluk said. “I made a ton of friends off last year’s team just from winning, because winning brings you closer, but if I could win another one it would mean a lot to me.”
 

RICHMOND, Va. – Gerson Dos Santos and Matthew Delicâte were on target for the Richmond Kickers as they overcame an early deficit to record a 2-1 victory over the Wilmington Hammerheads and remain perfect in USL PRO on Saturday night at City Stadium.

Wilmington’s high-pressure defense paid dividends early, as a Richmond turnover in the second minute led to a Hammerheads free kick just outside the penalty area. Chris Spendlove played a teasing ball into the box, and Ivan Becerra nicked in ahead of Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale to head home for a 1-0 lead in the third minute.

The Kickers were nearly able to respond immediately, but were unable to convert a host of chances in front of goal in the seventh minute. Richmond held the majority of the possession throughout the first half, but were unable to find an equalizer before the break.

Richmond began the second half with more energy than in the first, but it wasn’t until Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw made a triple substitution in the 58th minute that the Kickers were able to capitalize on their pressure. Good defensive work in the 65th minute by Richmond substitute David Bulow resulted in a misplayed Wilmington clearance, which fell to the feet of Gerson Dos Santos 35 yards from goal. The midfielder unleashed an unstoppable low drive past rookie goalkeeper Brock Duckworth to tie the score at one apiece.

Wilmington winger Paul Nicholson fired his own long-distance shot seven minutes later, but his powerful effort careened off the crossbar and was cleared. Wilmington continued to press for the go-ahead goal, but the Kickers were able to counter in the 80th minute when Luke Vercollone’s clearance arrived at Shaka Bangura’s feet. The substitute flicked the ball over a Wilmington defender, raced ahead toward the penalty area and passed to Delicâte, who slotted his shot under Duckworth to give the Kickers a 2-1 lead.

The Hammerheads pressed for a late equalizer and were almost rewarded for their efforts in the 89th minute, but Pascale made a diving save at the post to deny striker Chris Banks’ shot and secure the victory, handing Wilmington its first loss of the season in the process.

Cowlishaw said the game was “frustrating because we made life very difficult for ourselves conceding a goal so early from a set piece we knew about and discussed, but all credit to the team. They continued to play hard and dominated from the fifth minute to the 85th minute,” he said. “There were a few nervous moments at the end, but overall I think we deserved the victory.”

The Kickers will look to continue their perfect start to the season on the road next Saturday, May 14th, as they take on the Harrisburg City Islanders. For more information, visit www.richmondkickers.com.

Dayton Dutch Lions News Release -- www.dutchlionsfc.com

Saturday, May 7, 2011

DAYTON, Ohio -- The Dayton Dutch Lions were narrowly defeated by Orlando City 1-0 in USL PRO on Saturday night at Miami Valley South Stadium. Another rainy night in Dayton left the Dutch Lions with their fourth straight loss at home. Not able to recover from Orlando’s goal in the first 30 minutes, the Dutch Lions were unable to capitalize in the offensive third.

“We feel this was one of the best matches we’ve played," said Dayton assistant coach Jack Hermans. "The first 20 minutes were very good; Orlando was just able to put in the first goal. Mid way through the second half we had our best chance, but we missed our opportunity. We need to continue to build on our performance tonight, take the good and move forward from here.”

The Dutch Lions kept possession of the ball for the majority of the first 20 minutes. Trying to keep Orlando City’s standout forward Maxwell Griffin at bay, the Dutch defense broke down in the 28th minute to let Orlando forward Jamie Watson connect with Griffin for the goal, his fifth of the season.

Dayton opened the second half promisingly as the Dutch Lion’s offensive opportunities mounted. Orlando City gave up a corner early on, lead to a rocket off the crossbar by Dutch midfielder Brett Jones. Dayton created another opportunity midway through the second half, forward Marvin van der Pluijm beating Orlando’s defense to the goalline before he crossed the ball back across the six-yard box to forward Lucien Seymor. The opportunity was denied by Orlando’s defense and proved to be Dayton's best and last shot to equalize.

More unlucky results came in the 85th minute as Dutch goalkeeper Brian Visser was ejected from the match after clipping forward Griffin in a one-on-one just outside the penalty area. With no keeper to enter the match for Visser, after keeper Jesper Leerdam was booked and ejected in the previous matchup against Richmond, defender Joe Tait stepped in goal. The final minutes running out the Dutch Lions a man down and with weather conditions worsening couldn’t find the net, Orlando held strong for a 1-0 win.

The Dutch Lions will return to action Friday, May 20th at home, Miami Valley South Stadium, against Los Angeles 7.30p. For more information on the match visit www.dutchlionsfc.com.

F.C. New York News Release – www.fcnewyorksoccer.com

Saturday, May 7, 2011

QUEENS, N.Y. -- F.C. New York earned its second point, but was unable to hold onto an early lead as it fell short of its first USL PRO victory of the season in a 1-1 draw against the Harrisburg City Islanders at Belston Stadium on Saturday night.

The two teams didn't waste any time getting into the action. F.C. New York took the lead in the 10th minute through a goal by Kyle Hoffer after Graciano Brito had flicked on a corner kick by Owen Morrison.

Harrisburg answered back with a goal of their own in their own in the 16th minute, Jose Angulo finishing after being played in by Brian Ombiji to tie the game.

The pace of the game didn't slow down after the first two goals. New York's Paul Shaw saw his shot cleared off the line in the 26th minute, while Ombiji almost added to his assist in the 33rd minute as he shot just wide of the net.

The second half didn't have the same energy as the first, but after a slow start F.C. New York was able to show some glimpses creativity. New York was almost able to steal victory in the closing stages, as Sam Stockley volleyed over the crossbar with just three minutes to go, while City Islanders goalkeeper Chase Harrison was solid in helping his side earning its first point of the season.

F.C. New York faces a pair of games on the road next weekend as it travels to face the American Division's Charleston Battery on Friday night and the Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday night, opening a four-game road trip. The side's next home game at Belston Stadium is on May 30 as New York hosts in-state rival the Rochester Rhinos at 7:30 p.m.
 

Rochester Rhinos News Release -- www.rhinossoccer.com

Saturday, May 7, 2011

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Rochester Rhinos welcomed the Charleston Battery to Sahlen’s Stadium in the first match played between the two teams since 2009. Tony Donatelli’s 25th-minute goal was enough as the Rhinos held off the defending USL-2 champs 1-0 in the first home-opening win for the Rhinos since 2004.

Rochester controlled the pace of play for most of the first half and had the first real scoring chance in the eighth minute when Connor Tobin hit a cross just wide off a cross into the box from Tyler Rosenlund.

The Rhinos eventually struck when defender Quavas Kirk made a run down the right flank, crossing the ball into the box. Donatelli worked his way into scoring position and volleyed a right-footed shot off the goalpost to the right of Charleston ‘keeper Keith Wiggins. With Wiggins on the ground Donatelli cleaned up the rebound for his first goal as a Rhino.

Charleston held possession in the second half but couldn’t crack the Rhinos’ defense. Zach Prince had an opportunity to beat Neal Kitson from inside the penalty area but the Rhinos goalkeeper made the save.

In the 58th minute Donatelli’s free kick rang off the crossbar nearly adding to the Rhinos’ lead. Rochester again nearly added to its lead a minute later when Donatelli’s in-swinging free kick was headed just high over the crossbar by Tobin.

Rochester was able to hold off the Battery for the final five minutes as Charleston mounted a furious comeback.  

“The win was nice but the performance wasn’t” said Rhinos Head Coach Bob Lilley. “We need to tighten up some areas if we are going to be successful. We allowed them to pressure us late in the game but fortunately we managed to hold them off.”

The Rhinos travel to face the Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday night before returning to Sahlen’s Stadium for three consecutive games beginning next Saturday against Antigua Barracuda FC at 7 p.m.

Antigua Barracuda FC News Release -- www.antiguabarracudafc.com

Sunday, May 8, 2011

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua - A wonder strike from St Kitts International Orlando Mitchum made the difference in the second USL PRO encounter of the weekend between River Plate Puerto Rico and Antigua Barracuda FC, giving Antigua a 1-0 victory at the Sticky Wicket Stadium on Sunday night.

Preceded by a brilliant run and shot in the box by Tamarley Thomas and an effective save by River Plate goalkeeper Craig Hill, the ball rebounded into the path of the impressive Mitchum who fired from just outside the box to raise the roof as the home side took the lead in the 23rd minute.

“I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed that strike," Mitchum said. "I’ve been unlucky not to have a few more goals to my name, but this makes up for those I should have put away. What makes it more special is that is gave my team a deserving win.“

The home team employed its energetic and fast pace approach form the first whistle. But in the ninth minute, inspirational leader and captain of the team George Dublin was substituted with a suspected knee injury. Knowing the importance of Dublin to the team, this was not good news.

However that seemed to give added impetus to the 'Cudas and Thomas and Mitchum were particularly threatening as their runs from deep in the midfield presented serious challenges for the visitors. It was one such run that fell fortuitously for Mitchum and provided his superb finish and his second goal of the season.

As the half progressed, River began to come into its own and was able to string a series of passes together that saw them end the half perhaps with ambitions of finding an equalizer.

The resumption of the second half did see a continuation of greater possession for River Plate PR as the tired legs of the home team, having completed five games in twelve days, began to take its toll. The visitors missed the imagination and skill of Peter Villegas who sat out the entire game on a shallow bench, and with all the enterprise shown, could only account for three shots on goal, all of which Antigua goalkeeper Keita DeCastro handled with relative ease.

“We soaked up a little more pressure than we normally would tonight but it was another good test for us," Antigua coach Tom Curtis said. "We now looking forward to a couple days off to recover as best as we can before we hit the road for a five game trip.”

Asked if he was concerned about the injury to his Captain George Dublin, Curtis added, “George is important to our team but he will have a scan tomorrow and hopefully it’s not too bad. We will wait and see.”

With 18 points from eight matches and the lead in the USL PRO International Division leaders after an impressive winning streak of six matches, the team leaves the island on Wednesday for a five-game road trip beginning Thursday against Puerto Rico United.

Kitsap Pumas News Release -- www.kitsapsoccerclub.com

Sunday, May 8, 2011

BREMERTON, Wash. – There were some tense moments for the Kitsap Pumas, but they ultimately broke through thanks to some impact substitutes that contributed to a 2-1 win against the Victoria Highlanders on Sunday at Bremerton Memorial Stadium.

Pumas central midfielder Matt Friesen connected on a penalty in the 80th minute and Cameron Hepple scored the game-winner in the 86th minute.

Head coach Pete Fewing gave credit to subs Warlen Silva, David Gray and Elliott Fauske for making things happen.

Silva was caught by Victoria defender Jack Pearson in the box after receiving a pass and performing a fantastic spin move to get by Pearson and another defender.

Friesen connected on the penalty after getting Victoria goalkeeper Elliott Mitrou to commit to Friesen’s left. Mitrou had stopped two penalty shots in Victoria’s 1-0 win over the PDL defending champions the Portland Timbers U23s in Portland on Saturday.

“Elliott played a real good ball into Warlen,” Fewing said, "and Silva made a great turn in the box and forced them to make a foul.”

Hepple’s game winner came after Gray fed him with a pass in the box. The Bahamian speedster was able to get his left foot on it to send it past a stock-still Mitrou to spark a wild celebration in the stands and on the Puma sideline.

“It was a great ball from David Gray and Cameron did extremely well to get on the end of it,” Fewing said.

It was a much more nerve-wracking time in the first half as Taylor Hyde committed a foul in the penalty area just a few minutes before
halftime. The Highlanders’ Jordie Hughes easily scored on the attempt to give the visitors the lead.

The goal marked only the third time ever Kitsap has trailed on its home turf.

The Pumas threw a few more bodies into the attack in the second half, but couldn’t connect on anything. Friesen came the closest to a goal when his shot in the box and had Mitrou beat but a Victoria defender deflected the ensuing shot off the bar and out of play.

“I thought it was going to be one of those games where you think, ’Is this going to be one of those days?’ ” Fewing said. “But
it was good that the guys kept pressing. I was really pleased with that.”

Kitsap hosts the Washington Crossfire next Saturday at 1 p.m. May 14. Tickets are available through the front office or through www.brownpapertickets.com.

Major Beach Soccer News Release

Monday, May 9, 2011

TAMPA, Fla. – Major Beach Soccer/Soccer on the Beach is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement with Soccer in the Sand that will allow a true beach soccer national champion to be crowned in the United States for the first time at the Major Beach Soccer National Championship at Clearwater, Fla. on December 17-18, 2011.

The two organizations will host qualifying tournaments for the MBS National Championship, with eight tournaments being held throughout the months of June, July and August.

Major Beach Soccer/Soccer on the Beach will host three events in Florida, opening at Daytona Beach (June 17-19) and continuing at Clearwater (July 15-17) and Fort Myers Beach (August 5-7).

Soccer in the Sand will host events in Hollywood, Fla. (June 11-12), Seaside, Ore. (June 18-19), Grand Haven, Mich. (June 25-26), Cleveland, Ohio (July 16-17) and Boston, Mass. (August 20-21).

In addition to qualifying for the MBS National Championship, teams will also be able to gain points they can put towards their Major Beach Soccer ranking through their tournament performance.

“It is a great achievement for the sport of beach soccer to have a National Championship for the first time in this country,” USL Director of Beach Soccer Eddie Loewen said. “This will help the sport in the sense of branding and player development. We are very excited to work with Chris Lemay and Soccer in the Sand to build a foundation for grassroots beach soccer in this country.”

Beach Soccer is growing both nationally and internationally every year in terms of participants and media attention. Soccer in the Sand has grown nationally, and with the launch of Major Beach Soccer the timing was perfect for the two organizations to combine and move the sport in a positive direction.

“Soccer in the Sand is very excited to be partnering with Major Beach Soccer and USL,” Soccer in the Sand Owner Lemay said. “Combining a well established USL brand with the largest beach soccer tournament series in the U.S. will bring the game to a new level.

“We are looking forward to cross-promoting all events within Major Beach Soccer and Soccer in the Sand and we feel that providing qualifying tournaments for a National Championship will give serious beach soccer enthusiasts an opportunity to play at a higher level.”

To register for the Major Beach Soccer qualifying events teams can visit either www.majorbeachsoccer.com or www.soccerinthesand.com.

MBS National Championship Qualifiers 2011

Hollywood, Fla.; June 11/12 www.soccerinthesand.com
Daytona Beach, Fla.; June 17/18/19 www.majorbeachsoccer.com
Seaside, Ore.; June 18/19 www.soccerinthesand.com
Grand Haven, Mich.; June 25/26 www.soccerinthesand.com
Clearwater, Fla.; July 15/16/17 www.majorbeachsoccer.com
Cleveland, Ohio; July 16/17 www.soccerinthesand.com
Fort Myers Beach, Fla.; August 5/6/7 www.majorbeachsoccer.com
Boston Mass.; August 20/21 www.soccerinthesand.com

MBS National Championship – Clearwater, Fla. December 17-18, 2011  

USL News Release

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

TAMPA, Fla. – USL announced today that it has formally removed the three Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL) teams from the 2011 USL PRO schedule.

PRSL teams Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, and Sevilla FC Puerto Rico were participating in USL PRO as part of an agreement between the two leagues to grow professional soccer in Puerto Rico. Due to severe economic difficulties and serious unforeseen medical situations involving owners from two of the three PRSL teams, the teams are unable to continue to meet league standards and obligations.

“In the best interests of USL PRO and its teams, it was necessary to remove the three PRSL teams,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “USL PRO has established high standards which are an integral component of the league model, and we are determined to preserve the integrity of these standards on and off the field. Dealing proactively with this situation allows us to reset our daily focus on supporting the efforts of our USL PRO teams in maintaining the league’s position as the strongest, best operated domestic league below MLS.”

Each USL PRO team will continue to play 24 regular season games. All USL PRO games involving PRSL teams will continue to count towards the league standings with future games to be rescheduled amongst the 12 teams. Specific reschedule and realignment details will be publicly released later this week.

“Although disappointed we are unable to move forward as originally planned with the PRSL teams, we will continue to explore future initiatives that can benefit both the PRSL and USL,” USL President Tim Holt said. “In the immediate term, the priority is ensuring that the early-season success experienced by the majority of our USL PRO teams in terms of fan support, corporate sponsorship, and the emergence of a new class of exciting young players is sustained through the rest of the 2011 season.”
 

Charleston Battery News Release -- www.charlestonbattery.com

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Charleston Battery’s Kick for a Cure night on April 30 at Blackbaud Stadium raised mroe than $12,000 for the Lowcountry affiliate of Susan G. Komen and Dragon Boat Charleston. The funds were raised via a jersey auction, ticket sales and merchandise sales at the game.

The Charleston Battery teamed up with Dragon Boat Charleston and the Lowcountry Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® for the Saturday, April 30 match versus the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the game finished tied 0-0.

The Charleston Battery players wore special custom Pink UMBRO jerseys for the match which were auctioned off immediately after the game with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the two charities.

The Charleston Battery players will continue to show their support this Saturday as they enter a team in the Dragon Boat Charleston festival at Brittlebank Park, downtown Charleston.

Battery home Friday vs New York

The Charleston Battery takes on expansion USL PRO side F.C. New York Friday night at Blackbaud Stadium; gates open at 6:00 PM with kick off set for 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now starting at just $10 with discounts for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets or for more information please call (843) 971-GOAL (4625) or visit www.charlestonbattery.com.

 

USL News Release

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

TAMPA, Fla. – United Soccer Leagues announced the USL PRO Team of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 season today, honoring Orlando City forward Max Griffin as Player of the Week after he scored the game-winning goal in the Lions’ 1-0 victory against Dayton on Saturday night.

Griffin has been named twice to the USL PRO Team of the Week already this season, and is now tied for the league-lead in goals with Richmond’s Matt Delicâte, who was also named to the team after his game-winning goal in the Kickers’ 2-1 comeback victory against the Wilmington Hammerheads.

Griffin’s Orlando City teammate Jamie Watson was also named to the team for a strong midfield performance that saw him provide the assist to Griffin for his goal. The victory moved the Lions into second place in the USL PRO American Division as they prepare to host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds this Saturday.

Antigua Barracuda FC’s goalkeeper Keita DeCastro was named to the team for the second consecutive week after posting another pair of shutouts in the past week. Since being introduced to the starting line-up two weeks ago, DeCastro has yet to concede a goal, giving him a 450-minute shutout streak.

DeCastro is joined on the team by midfielder Orlando Mitchum, who had a game-winning goal and an assist in a pair of games last week as Antigua extended its winning streak to six games. Rochester’s Tony Donatelli joins Mitchum in the team’s midfield after his goal provided the Rhinos with victory in their home opener for the first time since 2004.

Richmond’s Delicâte was joined on the team by midfielder Gerson dos Santos, who had the equalizer in the Kickers’ rally, while Wilmington’s Ivan Becerra was named for the second consecutive week after his goal gave the Hammerheads an early lead at City Stadium.

USL PRO Team of the Week

Honorable Mention: Antigua – Chris Harvey; Charleston – Cole Peverley; Dayton – Joe Tait; Harrisburg – Brian Ombiji; Orlando – Miguel Gallardo; Pittsburgh – Hunter Gilstrap; Richmond – Nozomi Hiroyama; Rochester – Quavas Kirk, Troy Roberts; Wilmington – Chris Banks.

Harrisburg City Islanders News Release -- www.cityislanders.com

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Harrisburg City Islanders won their home opener against the Rochester Rhinos 1-0 at Skyline Sports Complex on Tuesday night as Jose Angulo was the hero of the night, scoring the game-winning goal to give the Islanders their first win of the season. Goalkeeper Chase Harrison also recorded six saves for his first shutout of the season.

Rochester opened the game strongly, pressuring the City Islanders’ defense with shots and corner kicks in the first five minutes. But it wouldn’t take long for the City Islanders to turn the tables as in the seventh minute Angulo volleyed a ball from the Islanders’ backline that struck the top of the crossbar.

Angulo wouldn’t miss his next opportunity as he finished a Nelson Becerra free kick from 35 yards out, giving the Islanders’ a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. The Rhinos bounced back quickly, forcing Harrison into a beautiful diving save five minutes later to deny a left-footed strike from the Rhinos’ Anthony Hamilton.

The City Islanders could have added to their lead early in the second half, Becerra providing a smooth through ball to Angulo who would shoot with the outside of his foot shot only to miss the goal by inches. Becerra continued his pinpoint distribution by crossing a ball to Jerrit Thayer who would volley and force Rhinos’ goalkeeper Ryan Kenny into a remarkable diving save.

As time began to run out, the Rhinos’ offense became more dangerous. In the 74th minute, Tony Donatelli bent a free kick from his powerful left foot, only to hit the goal’s side-netting. Just minutes later, the Rhinos would continue the pressure as Donatelli launched a missle that would bounce off of Chase Harrison. JC Banks would get the rebound and shoot, only to find the outside of the post. AndrewHoxie had Rochester’s final chance, but his shot just missed the top corner of the net.

The next home City Islanders’ game of the season is scheduled for 7 p.m. this Saturday at Skyline Sports Complex on City Island against the Richmond Kickers. A limited amount of fans will receive a free light bulb courtesy of PPL. For more information on the City Islanders, or to order tickets, contact the team at 717-441-GOAL, or visit www.cityislanders.com.
 

LA Strikers News Release - www.lastrikersfc.com

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

PASADENA, CALIF. – The LA Strikers continue to build an impressive roster, adding their fifth international player, a pair from USC, and more local talent after the signings of Laura Coombs, Samantha Johnson, Carly Butcher, Rachel Fleming, Michelle Gonzales, Lisa Kelley, and Michelle Weir.

Coombs is an attacking midfielder currently playing for Arsenal and attending the University of Hertfordshire. She has played for England on the U-17 Women’s National Team and was on the England U-19 Women’s National Team that won the UEFA Championship in 2009.

“It’s very exciting to be joining a brand new team in a different country, maybe with different tactics of how to play,” said Coombs. “I hope to play as well as possible, and link well with my teammates.”

One teammate that Coombs already has experience playing with, and against, is Strikers forward Cherelle Khassal.

“I know she’s a very lively player with quick feet,” said Coombs.

Johnson is a forward for USC, where she scored four goals last season as a sophomore. She was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2009 after finishing second on the team in points (12) with four goals and four assists. A U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team pool player and former member of the U.S. U-18 Women’s National Team, Johnson was also on the U.S. U-17 Women’s World Cup Team in 2008, winning a silver medal, and a member of the 2008 U-17 CONCACAF championship team.

“I’m excited about the high level experience that Johnson brings to the team,” said LA Strikers head coach Reggie Rivas. “She will be able to help some of the younger players with their game.”

Butcher is a midfielder from Anchorage, Alaska, who appeared in all 22 games for the USC Trojans as a junior this season. Butcher had one goal and one assist on the season for three points. She played at South Anchorage High School where she was named to the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team roster for the 2006 Nike Friendlies and was Named 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year for Alaska.

Fleming is a defender and former UC Irvine scholar athlete, earning the 2008 Coaches Award while serving as team captain for the Anteaters during the 2008-2009 season. Fleming prepped at Mission Viejo High School and was a member of the 2003 CIF and League Championship teams.

Gonzales is a midfielder from Pasadena, Calif., who played on the U-20 Mexican Women’s National Pool in 2009 and the U-17 Women’s National Team in 2007. She was also invited to attend the Adidas ESP 09 camp. In high school she was named the 2007-08 Gold Coast Athletic Conference Delphic League MVP, while also earning First Team All-America honors. She attends the University of the Pacific, where she redshirted her freshman year.

“Michelle is a very technical player and can play several positions,” Rivas said. “She is also very strong and tall player.”

Los Angeles Blues News Release -- www.bluessoccerclub.com

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

LOS ANGELES – With the 1-0 defeat to visiting Antigua Barracuda FC still on their minds, the Los Angeles Blues are looking to redeem themselves this coming Thursday and Saturday in back-to-back home games against the Charlotte Eagles as they resume their USL PRO schedule. While Head Coach Charlie Naimo displayed the appropriate skepticism ahead of the two clashes with the Eagles, his players stressed a perceived increased intensity in training ever since the disappointing defeat.

“I would say the loss changed the mentality somewhat,” midfielder Jhonatan Bravo said. “It made us realize that we need to step up the intensity and become even better. The training sessions since the Antigua game reflect that. Everybody is going hard after every ball and the tackles are flying. That’s just part of the game when you have a hungry team. Especially after a defeat, everyone wants to win the next game and prove that they should be on the field to help make it happen.”

The Peruvian’s observation is representative of those by many Blues players these days. While Naimo admitted he doesn’t necessarily share their perspective entirely, he considered it positive nonetheless.

“I haven’t seen a reaction I would attribute specifically to the Antigua game,” he said. “I don’t mean that in a negative way. I’ve simply seen it become more and more intense with every training session since day one, so that’s something I consider normal. To be honest, I don’t think there was really a need to step it up even more after the loss to Antigua. It’s not like we had been training poorly, and the way we played didn’t show any signs of laziness or lack of competitive fire.”

Even so, Naimo once more provided evidence of his high expectations toward the team by sharply distinguishing his own, more critical view from that of the players.

“As a coach, I will always notice little things that are still not perfect in terms of discipline, like one or two guys usually arriving late to training,” Naimo said. “But if the players sense an increased intensity, that’s significant. They’re the ones who know what’s going on in their own minds and who are out there getting an up-close feel for their teammates’ attitudes. If they say the group has stepped it up, hopefully that means we’re in an even better place than we were ahead of the last game.”

While the Blues faced an Antigua side with plenty of speed in their USL PRO home opener, the players and staff agreed after the final whistle that they had brought the loss upon themselves by not finishing their scoring chances and lacking concentration on several occasions. Defender Nelson Akwari took some of the blame for the latter.

“There’s no denying that I was at the heart of some of those mistakes,” the 29-year-old said. “I was way too lax and got turned way too easily on some of the plays. But even as a team, some of our giveaways in our own half were highly uncharacteristic and we lost our shape on some of their counters. I feel like we just weren’t quite as sharp as we were in our first four games, so we need to get back to that.

“Anytime we give away simple five-yard passes, it makes it easier for the other team to get in promising positions. And anytime we help them get in promising positions, especially early on, they’ll always build more confidence for the rest of the game.”

Speaking through a translator, the Blues’ Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Dautt agreed.

“The team is aware that we had a lot of lows individually and collectively. That’s why we’ve been working very hard to try and become as solid in the back as we were in the previous matches. In addition, the attacking players have been focusing on their finishing. Being able to take advantage of most of our scoring chances helped us be a lot more comfortable in the first four games.

“Soccer is about creating looks on goal, and we did that. However, I still feel like we’ve let our supporters down with the loss. It’s the small details that can become important in a match. If you don’t put your chances away or if you make a mistake in the back, you suddenly find yourself with your back against the wall. We have to find a way to avoid that in future games if we’re hoping to win the league.”

As he did immediately following the match against Antigua, Naimo conceded that his side committed some unnecessary defensive errors but put much greater emphasis on his attackers’ struggles at the other end of the field.

“We made a couple of defensive mistakes, but every team in the world makes mistakes in every game,” he said. “It’s a question of whether or not you get punished for them. I’ve never seen any team play a perfect 90 minutes. We certainly weren’t perfect against Antigua, and we were a little unfortunate to get punished for one of our three or four defensive mistakes.

“To me, the bigger issue is that we failed to finish any of the chances we created. That’s why we lost the game. With the way we play, we’ll create chances in every game. The question is whether we can put them away while also limiting our mistakes and recovering quickly when a mistake is made. If we can do those things, we should be okay.”

The sentiment was echoed by Bravo, who hit the crossbar with a thunderous effort on one occasion against Antigua and tried to lay the ball off when he should have taken a shot from close range on another.

“We’ve been trying to work even harder in practice so that hopefully the intensity will carry over into the games,” the 25-year-old Peruvian said. “In addition, we’ve been working on our finishing. We controlled the possession well against Antigua, but we were lacking the execution. I definitely include myself in that, because I had a couple of really good looks that I could have put away. Each time we don’t finish a chance, it makes it more likely for us to get punished for it at some point.”

In looking ahead to the upcoming pair of home games, Naimo admitted that it’s difficult to prepare for an opponent his side hasn’t faced in 2011. While the Charlotte Eagles had a poor start to the season, going 0-3-1 in their first four games, the Blues Head Coach cautioned not to read too much into the losing record. All three of the Eagles’ defeats came by a one-goal margin and against high-quality opposition, as they went down twice to the Charleston Battery and once to Orlando City.

“All of our knowledge about Charlotte this year is from one game on USLLive.com,” Naimo admitted. “I also called some people who have seen them play more often this season, but that’s pretty dangerous because their observations might be very different from what I end up seeing. We know that the Eagles are a classy franchise and that their players always work extremely hard, but the real worry is that they haven’t won a game yet. All of their matches were extremely close, so they could be a very good team. It’s scary for any coach to be playing a good team desperate for its first win.”

After facing an Antigua side that made life difficult for the Blues by closing down the spaces and looking to hit on the occasional counter, Oscar Dautt sent a polite request the Eagles’ way. The 34-year-old goalkeeper joined Los Angeles ahead of the season, following a successful career in Mexico.

“This being my first year in the U.S., I don’t know much about Charlotte,” he said. “My hope is that they might come out and play head-to-head rather than just bunker down. That would make the game more entertaining for the fans, but also more enjoyable for us since we’re an attacking team. However, if they end up sitting back and counter-attacking like Antigua, we still have to find a way to create our chances. Only this time, we have to make sure we put them away and get the win.”

The team will likely be looking to Akwari for some advice on what to expect from their opponent in the two upcoming matches. The Houston, Texas, native played 20 games for the Eagles in 2007 and 2008 before moving on to the Charleston Battery.

“I know Charlotte very well,” Akwari said. “They’re a very strong team that’s capable of gritty defending. They’re always working extremely hard, challenging every single pass and fighting for every defensive tackle. I feel like we have to really match their intensity going in. It will be a true test for us.”

The task is not made easier by the fact that Naimo may not have his full squad available. The former UConn duo of Akeem Priestley and Chukwudi Chijindu, among others, are still laboring minor injuries, and while Walter Gaitán is eager to dress and see time against Charlotte, it remains to be seen whether he can start the game. The Blues’ star playmaker is still feeling some of the quadriceps pain that kept him out of the home opener. Still, Naimo refused to take a less attacking-minded approach and finished on a spirited note.

“We have some guys that are nicked up, so the starting lineup and our active roster for Thursday are a bit of a guessing game with even a few game-day decisions in there,” Naimo said. “However, we’re going to keep playing our style and not adapt to any opponents until we run into a team that’s flat out better than us. Of course, Charlotte could be that team. If they are, we may have to adjust at halftime. But we’re playing at home, so we have to go in looking to create a similar amount of chances as we did against Antigua.”

The Blues face the Eagles at Centennial High School’s Husky Stadium in Corona this coming Thursday, May 12, at 6 p.m. PST, followed by the second clash at Fullerton’s Titan Stadium on Saturday, May 14, at 7.30 p.m. PST. Individual tickets are $10 if ordered in advance and $14 if purchased at the gate. Fans looking to order tickets to any Los Angeles Blues home game should call 310-264-4649 or visit www.labluesprosoccer.com. Special deals are available as well and include discounted group packages starting at $6 per person.

USL News Release

Thursday, May 12, 2011

TAMPA, Fla. – USL announced the revised schedule for USL PRO today, with the Antigua Barracuda FC joining the American Division and the Los Angeles Blues joining the National Division as part of the adjusted divisional alignment resulting in two, six-team divisions. The change was made necessary by the removal of three Puerto Rico Soccer League teams from the 2011 schedule earlier this week.

The revised schedule for the remainder of the 2011 season is available on www.uslsoccer.com. Each USL PRO team will continue to play 24 regular season games, and all games involving PRSL teams will continue to count towards the league standings. The schedule was revised for the 12 USL PRO teams with existing home dates and travel considerations as the primary factors.

USL also announced minor alterations to the USL PRO Game of the Week schedule on FOX Soccer. The Friday, June 24 game will now feature the Charleston Battery at the Wilmington Hammerheads (8 p.m. ET), while Antigua Barracuda FC will travel to FC New York on Friday, July 1 (8 p.m. ET), the Los Angeles Blues will play host to the Dayton Dutch Lions on Friday, July 15 (11 p.m. ET), and Los Angeles will be featured at Wilmington on Friday, August 5 (7 p.m. ET).

The 2011 USL PRO playoffs will continue as planned with eight teams advancing following the conclusion of the regular season. The top four teams each from the American Division and National Division will advance to four single-game Division Semifinals taking place Friday-Sunday, August 19-21. The single-game Division Finals will be played a week later, with the 2011 USL PRO Championship, hosted by the highest remaining seed, to be played Saturday, September 3. One Division Semifinal, a Division Final and the USL PRO championship game will be televised nationally on FOX Soccer.

Charleston Battery News Release -- www.charlestonbattery.com

Thursday, May 12, 2011

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Charleston Battery takes on expansion USL PRO side F.C. New York on Friday night at Blackbaud Stadium; gates open at 6 p.m. with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ($10 - $18, www.charlestonbattery.com / 971-GOAL (4625)). The Battery are back home following a tough two-game road trip last weekend that saw Charleston tie 0-0 with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and lose 1-0 to the Rochester Rhinos.

This will be the first ever meeting between F.C. New York and the Charleston Battery; the teams play twice this season with the return fixture set for June 3rd at Belson Stadium, Queens, N.Y.

The Battery (3-2-2) enters the game in fourth position in the American Division of USL PRO while FC New York (0-2-2) are in fifth position in the National Division still searching for a first franchise victory.

The Battery tied 0-0 with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last Friday night in a game that saw Charleston reduced to ten men for the majority of the second half after Evan Taylor was shown a red card.

On Saturday night the Battery dropped a close 1-0 decision to the Rochester Rhinos. The lone goal deflected in off Battery goalkeeper Keith Wiggans in the 24th minute after Rochester midfielder Tony Donatelli's volley bounced back off the goalpost.

Wiggans will feel a little unfortunate not to have earned a third consecutive shutout as the Battery defense limited Rochester to a handful of scoring chances.

Charleston Battery head coach Mike Anhaeuser should have an almost complete squad to choose from on Friday night. Goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra (foot) and defender Graham Dugoni (back) are the only players unavailable for selection through injury.

F.C. New York tied the Harrisburg City Islanders 1-1 in its last match played on Saturday night at Belson Stadium. New York took an early lead through Kyle Hoffer but Harrisburg’s Jose Angulo leveled to deny them a first victory.

New York’s other tie came on the road versus the Charlotte Eagles on April 23; they dropped a pair of games home and away to Orlando City.