USL News Release
Thursday, January 19, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – United Soccer Leagues is pleased to announce that the Chicago Inferno will join the PDL for the 2012 season. The Inferno, an established men’s amateur team that has captured three major regional trophies since 2009, will be led by President Todd Short and is committed to fielding players from the talent-rich Chicagoland area and providing an inexpensive entertainment option for the local soccer community. 
“Our vision is to identify the elite college-age players in our back yard and give them an opportunity to play for a winning club and further their ambitions for a professional soccer career,” Short said. “In the process, local soccer fans will get to see some of the nation’s top youngsters competing in a setting that is both affordable and family-friendly.”
To help carry out this vision, Short has appointed Branko Savic as the team’s manager. The Serbian is a former All-American at Lindenwood University and professional at clubs FK Cukaricki and FK Zeleznik in his native country. In 2010, he was player/coach of the indoor Chicago Storm, which captured the Ultimate Soccer League title.
“I’m so excited to be involved in this Inferno project and to be part of the top amateur league in the nation,” Savic said. “Chicago Inferno is a forward-thinking club committed to winning, player development and community involvement. With a wealth of area talent and the local passion for the game, I felt this was the ideal scenario for me to return to coaching.”
“The Chicago Inferno will be a great addition to what is already a highly-competitive region for the PDL, and we expect the team to become an immediate contender,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “With the PDL experience Todd Short brings to the club, as well as the fantastic fan support for soccer in the Chicagoland area, we expect the Inferno to be an immediate success both on and off the field. "
The Inferno has yet to announce its home venue for 2012, but already has started recruiting players for its inaugural PDL campaign. The club held its first open tryout on January 9, and another is scheduled for February 26 at the McCook Athletic and Exposition Center in McCook, Illinois. More information is available at www.infernosc.com
The Inferno will play a 16-game schedule between the months of May-August. The PDL is the top supplier of talent for professional soccer in North America, and an impressive 26 of the 38 players selected in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft - including six of the top 10 - had PDL experience. That included No. 1 overall selection Andrew Wenger, who previously played for Reading United AC and the Carolina Dynamo.
The PDL has now had 111 alumni selected in the past three years of the MLS SuperDraft, an average of more than 70 percent of the selections made.