USL Feature
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Charlotte Eagles
Coach: Mark Steffens
2010 Season: Fourth Place, USL-2
The Lowdown: The Eagles narrowly missed out on the playoffs a season ago after reaching back-to-back USL-2 finals in 2008 and 2009. Getting back into the playoff mix might be tough, though. With the top three teams in the American Division making the postseason, the Eagles will do well to get past 2010 finalists Charleston and Richmond and new addition Orlando City.
Key Departures: Maybe the best news of the offseason for the Eagles was the retention of the core of its 2010 team. While some of the team’s depth will need to be replaced, both Chris Klotz and Chris Lemons departed in the offseason, Klotz remaining with the club to be part of its youth program, all of the Eagles’ starting line-up is returning which should allow the side to hit the ground running when the USL PRO season begins.
Key Returnees: Steffens is quick to emphasize the Eagles’ ‘team’ philosophy, but Charlotte will certainly be hoping Columbian Jorge Herrera can at least match his outstanding performance in the 2010 season. Herrera finished fourth in USL-2 with six goals last season and added two assists, earning All-League First Team honors in the process.
Key Additions: Playoff contenders can usually point to a strong presence in goal as a reason for their success, and the Eagles think they’ve found a good one in former PDL Goalkeeper of the Year Eric Reed. Previously with the Carolina RailHawks, for whom he made 35 appearances over two seasons, Reed earned his Goalkeeper of the Year award while playing for the Eagles’ PDL affiliate the Southern California Seahorses in 2006.
The Coach’s Opinion: “My expectations are the same every year. We strive for excellence in every aspect of the game: fitness, work ethic, team play, sportsmanship and unity. Our organization invests in the lives of our players, equipping them to be better husbands, better fathers, better people. That may or may not translate into wins but it will translate into every player giving their all the entire match and more importantly build them for whatever is next in life.” – Steffens
If it all goes to plan: If Charlotte’s best players play to the level they’re capable of, the Eagles could be a dangerous team. But it’s likely that they would need one of the division’s big three to falter if they are to make it to the playoffs this season.