USL News Release
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. – United Soccer Leagues is pleased to announce that Boston Victory Soccer Club will join the PDL for the 2012 season. Boston Victory will play their first season in Quincy, Mass.
“Boston Victory Soccer Club is another first-class addition to the PDL, which continues to grow stronger in its role as the top developmental league in North America,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “On the heels of our recent announcements of new PDL teams in Worcester, Baltimore, Tampa, Texas and South Carolina, adding a team in another top sports market such as Boston is another huge step forward for the league.”
BVSC is also announcing the launch of its Youth Academy, which will target young soccer enthusiasts wanting to develop professional soccer skills and be part of a winning team. BVSC Youth Academy will run its training and development program similar to top European teams, reflecting international industry standards.
“We are excited for the opportunity to bring a competitive, professionally operated team to Boston and the New England area,” said Sergio Taborda, Head Coach of BVSC. “Soccer is our passion and I invite all of our loyal fans to join the passion in the inaugural 2012 season.”
Taborda is a native of Portugal and has more than 26 years of soccer experience in professional leagues, playing 15 years in European clubs in Portugal and Germany.
“We want to win and to be inspiring on the field,” said Salim Kassouf, President of BVSC. “Our fans see us as Boston’s next generation soccer club and so we are committed to being resilient.”
BVSC intends to be part of the community and to reach out to the youth who live soccer as their sport.
“We are investing in today’s youth, who are tomorrow’s leaders,” added Salim. “All of us at BVSC believe that success is within the reach of any child who dreams of becoming a soccer player.”
BVSC will play a 16-game schedule between the months of May-August, and will aim to compete in the U.S. Open Cup. The top supplier of talent for professional soccer in North America, the PDL saw another large group of its alumni make the move into professional soccer in 2011 with 37 of the 54 players selected in the 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft having previously played in the PDL. A remarkable eight of the first 10 selections in the draft had PDL experience, including 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year C.J. Sapong of Sporting Kansas City, who previously played for Reading United AC.