Tuesday, March 8, 2011
AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic welcomed the Akron Summit Assault, the newest team in the Premier Development League of The United Soccer Leagues, at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron this morning.
Jeff McRaney, senior director of the Premier Development League made the official announcement in a press conference held on March 7, 2011.
Denzil Antonio, head coach of the Akron Summit Assault, officially signed Cleveland State University Goalkeeper Brad Stuver as the first player for the team and presented him with his jersey.
Born in Mayfield, Ohio, Stuver is a graduate of Twinsburg High School. He was named to the 2008 Plain Dealer All-Star Team and earned All-Ohio honors as goalkeeper after his senior season at Twinsburg High School playing for Mike Lally.
Stuver finished his prep career with 24 shutouts in goal and 12 goals and three assists as a midfielder. Brad is currently a sophomore goalkeeper for Cleveland State University.
The Akron Summit Assault will play at the 3,000 seat John Cistone Field/Green Street Stadium on the campus of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in downtown Akron with a 16-game regular season beginning May 14, 2011 against the Chicago Fire Premier.
The Premier Development League (PDL), which contains 64 franchises throughout the United States and Canada, has provided a launching point for college-aged players to develop into professional prospects.
This year, 37 of the 54 players selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft had previously played in the Premier Development League. The Akron Summit Assault is part of the Great Lakes Division, one of the most competitive divisions in the league. The club will play teams from Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, Detroit and South Bend as well as Toronto, London and Hamilton of Canada.
Many of the teams in the Great Lakes Division have produced great players that are now playing professionally in Major League Soccer or abroad, including Darlington Nagbe, Perry Kitchen, Zarek Valentin, Kofi Sarkodie, Rich Balchan and Michael Nanchoff, all of whom were selected in the first round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
Premier Development League teams are comprised primarily of players who aspire to play professionally after college. Many of the players in the Premier Development League hail from their team’s community and have developed into outstanding players at top colleges. The Akron Summit Assault will be comprised of players mainly from universities and colleges in Ohio.
This is a unique opportunity for both adults and children to be associated with regional players they can follow. The Akron Summit Assault is a non-profit organization team.
Mayor Plusquellic emphasized the family-oriented nature of soccer being an important element in community life, saying, “We’re proud to be known as a city with affordable family-friendly entertainment. From the Akron Aeros, to the Racers, the pro golf tournament, the Soap Box Derby and now Assault soccer, we have even more low cost, wholesome activities for the coming summer.”