USL Feature
Friday, March 18. 2011
Wilmington Hammerheads
Coach: David Irving
2010 Season: N/A
The Lowdown – The Hammerheads return to the field for the 2011 USL PRO season after a remarkable effort off the field to bring the club back from the brink of extinction. Now that the club has been saved, Coach David Irving has to build a squad that will be competitive in what appears to be a tough American Division, a very tough task.
Key Losses – With the season away, the Hammerheads lost a number of the key faces that helped the club take a first-place regular season finish in USL-2 in 2009. At the forefront of those is Jamie Watson, now with Orlando City, who was the league MVP for the Hammerheads that season.
Key Returnees – That’s not to say that the entire Hammerheads roster will be unfamiliar to the fans at Legion Field. The club recently re-signed defender Chris Murray, who was the club’s Rookie of the Year in 2008, and Jyler Noviello, who scored eight goals and added five assists for the club during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, and was the recipient of a USL-1 Player of the Week award in 2008.
Key Additions – Most of the squad is new, and Irving points to players like English midfielder Tommy Taylor as among those whose experience will play a big role in helping the Hammerheads’ young squad develop this season. Taylor played in England and Norway before first joining the Portland Timbers and then the Real Maryland Monarchs upon his arrival in the United States.
Another important addition is likely to be Ivan Becerra, who brings MLS experience after two seasons with the Columbus Crew in the mid-2000s. Becerra was most recently with the Ventura County Fusion in the USL Premier Development League, and he leads a large contingent of other former Fusion players on the Hammerheads’ roster.
The Coach’s Opinion – “I know that the league, competitively, has moved up a notch since we played in 2009, it’s moved up a notch or two, so we’re going in with our eyes wide open and we’re going to try and prepare ourselves for April 16.” – David Irving
If it all goes to plan – It appears to be a season of building and hard work is ahead for the Hammerheads, but Irving believes the club has already won its biggest battle in the fact that it is back on the field for this season. There’s a road to be travelled to get the club back to its former standing as a championship contender, but Irving appears to be laying a solid foundation for the future.