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Post by epjr on Aug 12, 2010 8:18:40 GMT -6
USSF D2 Update; New Standards Set for League, Current and Future OwnersThe much anticipated USSF D2 meeting on Monday took place in New York without much fanfare or negotiations according to sources involved with teams that participated. The meeting was in general amicable and US Soccer did allow discourse. Those attending the meeting from the federation were Sunil Gulati, Dan Flynn, and Brian Remedi. Team owners attending were: Austin Aztex owner Phil Rawlins, Carolina Railhawks owner’s Bob Young and Selby Wellman and his son Brian, Crystal Palace Baltimore’s Pete Med, FC Edmonton owner Tom Faph, Miami FC/Traffic US president Aaron Davidson, Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo, NSC Stars GM Kris Bjerkness, Rochester Rhinos owner Rob Clark, FC Tampa Bay majority owner Andrew Nestor and Vancouver Whitecaps president Greg Kerfoot and USL owner Rob Hoskins. Those not present were Jeff Cooper of AC St. Louis, representatives from Puerto Rico who were said to be frustrated and felt that they most likely will not meet the new USSF standards and the Portland Timbers who will be moving on to MLS next season. Vancouver and Montreal have been actively involved with these discussion because the Whitecaps and the Impact would like to discuss the possibility of keeping a team in the D2 league for developmental purposes. Atlanta’s Silverbacks Boris Jerkunica was not in attendance either which may be telling with his involvement with the league in the near future. www.insidemnsoccer.com/
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Post by epjr on Aug 12, 2010 13:00:38 GMT -6
FC Edmonton Dominates the Highlanders on the PrairiesWhen the two teams met on August 8 in Victoria, the home team Highlanders came from behind to squeak out a draw against an FC Edmonton team travelling for the first time as a squad. On Wednesday night, FC Edmonton decided to dominate on their home pitch from start to finish. www.fcedmonton.com/content/fc-edmonton-dominates-highlanders-prairies
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Post by epjr on Sept 30, 2010 21:01:55 GMT -6
NASL Submits Bid for Division-2 Sanctioning for 2011the North American Soccer League (NASL) has commenced the process for sanctioning of Division-2 soccer. The NASL submitted the bid to the USSF on Monday and included only 6 of the 8 required teams. However, the bid process is now believed to be much more fluid than originally thought, and NASL executives are working with the USSF to make sure they are presenting their bid properly. The NASL believes they will eventually have 8 teams who will play in the 2011 season and it’s possible that they could have up to 10. The six teams that were included in the bid all meet the financial requirements of the new USSF D-2 standards. The teams included were: Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, Miami FC, Montreal Impact, FC Tampa Bay and the Puerto Rico Islanders. www.insidemnsoccer.com/2010/09/29/nasl-submits-bid-for-division-2-sanctioning-for-2011/
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Post by epjr on Oct 4, 2010 18:13:57 GMT -6
The USSF D-2 Pro League playoff schedule is as follows: No. 1 Rochester vs. No. 8 Puerto RicoLeg 1: @ Puerto Rico 2:0 Rochester Leg 2: @ Rochester, Saturday No. 4 Portland vs. No. 5 VancouverLeg 1: @ Vancouver 2:0 Portland Leg 2: @ Portland, Sunday No. 2 Carolina vs. No. 7 MinnesotaLeg 1 Minnesota 0:0 Carolina Leg 2: @ Carolina, Saturday No. 3 Austin vs. No. 6 MontrealLeg 1: Montreal 2:0 Austin Leg 2: @ Austin, Saturday The first legs of the semfinals will be played Oct. 13 or 14 and the return legs Oct. 16 or 17. The first leg of the finals will be played on Oct. 23 or 24, and the return leg will be on Oct. 30 or 31.
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Post by epjr on Oct 11, 2010 20:11:10 GMT -6
Puerto Rico Islanders 2:0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (aggregate)SEMIFINALS 1st LEGThu, October 14, 2010 8:05 pm Puerto Rico Islanders 0:0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel SEMIFINALS 2nd LEGSun, October 17, 2010 4:00 pm Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0:2 Puerto Rico Islanders Swangard Stadium Montreal Impact 1:2 Carolina RailHawks {aggregate)SEMIFINALS 1st LEGThu, October 14, 2010 7:30 pm Montreal Impact 1:0 Carolina RailHawks Stade Saputo SEMIFINALS 2nd LEGSun, October 17, 2010 6:00 pm Carolina RailHawks 2:0 Montreal Impact WakeMed Soccer Park
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Post by epjr on Oct 23, 2010 17:47:54 GMT -6
D2 PRO SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP V. 1st leg: Carolina 0:2 Puerto Rico 2nd leg: Puerto Rico at Carolina October 30 - 07:00 PM ET
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Post by epjr on Oct 30, 2010 22:57:49 GMT -6
PUERTO RICO ISLANDERS F.C. - D2 PRO SOCCER CHAMPIONS 1:3 1st leg: Carolina 0:2 Puerto Rico 2nd leg: Puerto Rico 1:1 Carolina
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Post by epjr on Nov 11, 2010 10:49:25 GMT -6
NASL Concludes Successful AGM and Finalizes USSF ApplicationThe North American Soccer League (“NASL”) recently concluded its 2010 Annual General Meeting held in Miami, Florida on November 7th and 8th. The meeting was highlighted by the approval of two additional teams for the 2011 season - the NSC Minnesota Stars and the Atlanta Silverbacks - and their inclusion in the application to the United States Soccer Federation for sanctioning as a Division II league. The completed application, which was originally submitted with six teams on September 28, 2010, was submitted to the Federation immediately following the conclusion of the meeting. The application also includes San Antonio (which will commence play in 2012) and an additional team to be announced (which will commence play in 2013). The NASL is looking forward to favorable consideration of the application by the Board of Directors of the USSF at its meeting on November 21 in Toronto, Canada. “This is an exciting time for the NASL as it nears the finish line in its two year quest for second division sanctioning from the USSF. We were encouraged by fans to return second division soccer to Atlanta after a two season hiatus and are thrilled that over twenty years of continuous professional play in Minnesota will continue in 2011 and beyond ” said Aaron Davidson CEO of the NASL. Club owners and general managers will continue working on developing the schedule for the 2011 season over the coming weeks. The NASL plans to release the opening weekend schedule of games later this month. www.nasl.com/article/nasl-concludes-successful-agm-and-finalizes-ussf-application
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Post by epjr on Nov 21, 2010 21:36:07 GMT -6
"It's Called Football" has learned this afternoon from sources within NASL that heading into the USSF meeting this weekend ownership is expecting to receive only a temporary sanction from the governing body. The NASL announced last week that the eight team league - which is to include: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Montreal Impact, Miami FC Blues, NSC Minnesota Stars and the Puerto Rico Islanders - would be applying for sanctioning as the Division 2 league in North America. Since then, Canadian Soccer News has broken the news on a pair of items (here and here) that could affect the success of the sanctioning bid but the temporary sanction is now said to be, "the most likely scenario to play out.' NASL sources say that a full sanctioning for the league wouldn't come until the USSF AGM in February. www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?564-NASL-sanctioning
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Post by epjr on Nov 23, 2010 20:03:13 GMT -6
Champions, PR Islanders, to Host Open Tryout in FloridaThe Puerto Rico Islanders FC, 2010 USSF D-2 League Champions, announced a special open tryout on December 14th, 15th and 16th at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach, Florida. Coach Colin Clarke, a former international for Northern Ireland and Head Coach of the Islanders, will be evaluating potential players for the 2011 season. The three-time CONCACAF Champions League participants, who are also the 2010 CFU (Caribbean Football Union) Champions, are the first Puerto Rican soccer team to win both a Caribbean as well as a North American Soccer Championship www.nasl.com/article/islanders-to-host-open-tryout-in-florida
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Post by epjr on Nov 24, 2010 21:24:53 GMT -6
ATLANTA (December 1, 2010) The Atlanta Silverbacks, in a press conference at Atlanta Silverbacks Park formally announced today a long term joint venture with Traffic Sports that will see the Atlanta Silverbacks Men's professional team join the North American Soccer League ("NASL") for the 2011 season and beyond. The press conference was attended by local media, and area sports leaders. "After working five years to create a league that is team-owner controlled and managed we are thrilled that USSF has sanctioned the NASL and we are excited to get back to playing soccer again," said Boris Jerkunica, Chairman of the Atlanta Silverbacks. Michael Oki, President of the Atlanta Silverbacks stated “This is a historic day for soccer in Atlanta. We look forward to working with Traffic Sports as a key strategic partner in bringing their soccer expertise from around the globe to our organization.” "Atlanta is a first class sports market with a rich history of supporting the highest level of professional soccer," said Aaron Davidson, Chief Executive Officer of the NASL and Vice President of Traffic Sports. "Returning professional soccer to Atlanta at a high level reinforces the vision and ambition of the NASL and our member teams share with the supporters in this market with whom we had extensive meetings the past several days and will continue to engage meaningfully in the re-establishment of men’s professional soccer in this region." Fernando Clavijo, Director of Player Affairs for the NASL and Director of Soccer for Traffic Sports USA stated “The Atlanta market has a great history of developing top talent for the professional game including US Youth International, Brian Dominguez of Miami FC, who has joined us today. We are excited to be here and will work diligently to create a positive environment for local talen www.nasl.com/article/atlanta-silverbacks-to-play-in-nasl
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Post by epjr on Dec 2, 2010 13:17:31 GMT -6
In the upcoming weeks and months, we will be unveiling more details about Miami FC's plans to honor the legacy of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011. Stay tuned to www.strikers2011.com for more information. In the meantime, learn more about the legacy of the Strikers in South Florida soccer and World Football history here at www.Strikers2011.com
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Post by epjr on Dec 2, 2010 13:17:58 GMT -6
FCTB Exercises Options On Four PlayersFC Tampa Bay has kept four additional players from the 2010 squad under contract. The club elected to exercise contract options on forward Aaron King and midfielders Mozzi Gyorio, Long Tan and Jonny Steele. Steele’s option was picked up back in August due to the structure of his contract. Tan had been training with the Vancouver Whitecaps in its MLS camp as a result of the July 2010 trade between Vancouver and Tampa Bay, which brought Ricardo Sanchez and Jonny Steele to Tampa Bay. Steele was in training recently at Hearts, currently third place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League of Scotland, and MK Dons of League One in England. FC Tampa Bay also confirmed that the club has declined its option to keep defenders Gordon Kljestan and Joe Donoho and midfielder Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe. The club also holds options for next season on defender Graham Tatters and midfielder Stanley Nyazamba but has not made a decision in regards to the two players yet. In October, FC Tampa Bay declined its 2011 contract option on Ricardo Sanchez but the club has made Sanchez a new long-term offer and continues negotiations with Sanchez. Quick 2010 Stats on Players: •Gyorio played in 18 matches for FCTB, including nine starts with two goals and two assists in his first year as a professional. •King ended the 2010 season as FCTB’s leading goal scorer and third in USSF D-2 Pro League with 12 goals. King played in 28 of the 30 matches with 12 starts, playing in 1,196 minutes. •Steele joined FCTB in July 2010 after a trade from Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Steele started in nine of the 10 matches played, scoring one goal and assisting in three. •Tan played in 25 of FCTB’s 30 matches this season. Tan was ranked fourth on the squad with eight points after scoring three goals and two assists.
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Post by epjr on Dec 3, 2010 20:47:59 GMT -6
Crystal Palace Baltimore to Sit Out 2011 SeasonCrystal Palace Baltimore announced today that they will not be fielding a team in the North American Soccer League (NASL) during the 2011 season in order to restructure with an intended re-launch for the 2012 NASL season. The re-launch will include a complete re-branding of the club to coincide with opening a soccer facility in downtown Baltimore. In addition, the club announced that it is ending its four year relationship with Crystal Palace FC of England’s Championship Division. Crystal Palace Baltimore was the first trans-Atlantic partnership of its kind in North America but the relationship between the clubs could not survive the financial struggles that resulted in Crystal Palace FC entering administration in England. The club is currently working with the City of Baltimore to secure a venue for 2012 and beyond. “We want to be downtown and believe doing so will allow us to better connect to our fans and the City” said Pete Medd, part-owner and President of Crystal Palace Baltimore. “We would like to thank our loyal fans who have stuck with us despite not having a place to call home and we are committed to giving them what they deserve and what all of our future fans in Baltimore deserve; a venue that honors their loyalty and commitment to the club.” www.nasl.com/article/crystal-palace-baltimore-to-sit-out-2011-season
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Post by epjr on Dec 7, 2010 9:44:38 GMT -6
FC Edmonton Names New Head CoachFC Edmonton is pleased to announce the signing of its new Head Coach, Harry Sinkgraven. Sinkgraven comes highly recommended by former FC Edmonton coaches Dwight Lodeweges and Hans Schrijver. “When Dwight and Hans first told us about Harry, we felt like he would be the perfect coach to pick up where the two left off,” said General Manager Mel Kowalchuk. “Harry has gone through the same Dutch coaching program as Hans and even has experience working with both Dwight and Hans back in Holland. We’re happy to get him signed and expect the transition to be almost seamless.” www.nasl.com/article/fc-edmonton-names-new-head-coach
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