MINOR LEAGUE SOCCER - DIVISION III

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Official Division III Pro Soccer

2011 USL PRO TEAMS

Antique Barracuda FC
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Eagles
Dayton Dutch Lions
FC New York
Harrisburg City Islanders
Orlando City SC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Richmond Kickers
CA River Plate Puerto Rico
Rochester Rhinos
Sevilla FC Puerto Rico
Wilmington Hammerheads

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USL Restructures Professional Division
USL PRO Featuring Top Quality Competition to Debut in 2011


Designed to help ensure the long-term stability of professional soccer in North America, United Soccer Leagues announced the merger of its First and Second Divisions into a single league property for 2011 - USL PRO.

Team owners and league officials are meeting in Tampa, Florida today to lay the groundwork for the 2011 debut of USL PRO, which will be governed by team owners and present the highest level of competition in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean outside of Major League Soccer (MLS).

USL PRO is a national league featuring a regional competition model to build natural rivalries and reduce travel-related costs. The U.S. Soccer Federation-affiliated league benefits from the leadership of the dedicated and experienced professional staff at USL’s Tampa headquarters as well as the developmental support of USL’s proven and integrated system of leagues.

USL PRO will consist of as many as four geographic regions in 2011. Teams scheduled to compete in USL PRO in 2011 will be announced in the coming weeks.

usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/464019.html

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F.C. New York set for USL PRO

Club to feature fully-integrated soccer pyramid

TAMPA, Fla. – United Soccer Leagues is proud to announce the addition of F.C. New York to USL PRO for the 2011 season. Headquartered in Garden City, New York, F.C. New York was founded in 2007 and will play its home games at The Soccer Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University.

F.C. New York President Doug Petersen and Senior Vice President Jo-Ellen Treiber are the club’s senior executives and principal owners. Former Manchester United Academy and Ipswich Town player Matt Weston serves as the club’s director of football. Weston is establishing the pro squad as well as overseeing F.C. New York’s academy system.

“F.C. New York is excited about the league moving in this direction,” Petersen said. “USL PRO is what we have been waiting for from a business and fan perspective; the model makes sense. Developing regional rivalries helps create a great fan experience that will also include national and international game play.”

USL PRO will make its debut in 2011 and includes marquee franchises such as the Charleston Battery, Richmond Kickers and Orlando City SC (formerly Austin Aztex). Designed to help ensure the long-term stability of professional soccer in North America below MLS, USL PRO will feature 16 teams in 2011 and will benefit from national television and online broadcast packages. Focused on franchise stability and longevity, USL PRO will feature an unprecedented six teams with more than a decade of operational experience in 2011, and more than 100 years of combined operational experience

uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/481335.html

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Hammerheads Return for 2011

Wilmington to join Revitalized USL PRO

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Wilmington Hammerheads, one of the most successful minor league soccer franchises in U.S. history, will return in 2011 as part of USL PRO. Led by majority owner Bill Rudisill and Head Coach/Director of Soccer David Irving, the Hammerheads will return to Legion Stadium and become a cornerstone franchise for USL PRO, which also includes powerhouse franchises such as the Rochester Rhinos, Charleston Battery, Richmond Kickers and Orlando City SC (formerly Austin Aztex).

Designed to help ensure the long-term stability of professional soccer in North America, USL PRO will feature 18-20 teams in 2011 and will have a national broadcast package, with USL expected to continue its nine-year partnership with Fox Soccer Channel for the coverage of its top professional league.

“It is a thrill to be a part of bringing the Wilmington Hammerheads back to Legion Stadium and to the Wilmington fans,” said Rudisill, who will be joined by partners Dr. Clyde Harris, Cindy Harris, Dr. Mario Basegoda and Dr. Sara Borcherding. “The Hammerheads are very much a part of our local culture and it is our hope that you will support us again as you did before.”

uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/479652.html

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USL Forging Bright Future

Rochester, Orlando Additions Show USL PRO's Strength

One is a name that has become synonymous with success over the course of its 15-year history.

The other is a newer face on the American soccer scene, but one that has quickly become a successful franchise.

Together, they will become two cornerstones for USL PRO, set to launch in 2011.

Monday’s announcement that the Rochester Rhinos and Orlando City Soccer Club, formerly the Austin Aztex, will join the USL’s new professional division is a clear indicator of the standard of play and quality of ownership expected of USL PRO franchises.

Under the ownership of Rob Clark, who acquired the club in 2008, the Rhinos continued their run of reaching the playoffs in each of their 15 seasons, head coach Bob Lilley earning USSF Division 2-Pro League Coach of the Year honors as he led the side to the best regular season record in the league.

"The new USL PRO is a tremendous opportunity to really market to and captivate our respective fan bases in all of our respective markets," Clark said. "I look forward to doing our part in Rochester to help further strengthen the marketing initiatives USL PRO will have in 2011 and beyond."

Austin was one of the great success stories of the 2010 season, finishing as runner-up to the Rhinos in the USSF D-2 regular season. With new investment to aid its growth, the club headed by majority owner Phil Rawlins appears set to go from strength-to-strength in its new home.

usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/476391.html

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Riverhounds Join USL PRO

Will Continue to Build on Success in 2010

Pittsburgh Riverhounds News Release -- www.riverhounds.com

Friday, October 22, 2010

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are proud to announce their participation in USL PRO for the 2011 Season. United Soccer Leagues will combine teams from the its First and Second Divisions to form USL PRO, the strongest professional soccer league in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean outside of Major League Soccer.

USL PRO will introduce regional divisions through the merger of many storied franchises in the United States and the evolution of new franchises throughout North America. USL is anticipating as many as four regions, comprised of as many as 20 teams, creating highly competitive matches and natural regional rivalries to bolster the league’s allure. Additional franchises participating in USL PRO for the 2011 season will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

“The Riverhounds built an impressive amount of momentum both on and off the field in 2010, and we’re looking forward to them adding to their recent success in USL PRO,” USL President Tim Holt said. “Justin Evans has built a formidable squad that should be a force to contend with in 2011 and beyond.”

uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/475947.html

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USL Pro beginning a Caribbean Division

At a news conference Wednesday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sevilla Football Club Puerto Rico and Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico formally announced they will compete in USL PRO for the 2011 season. The Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL) members will join Barracuda FC of Antigua & Barbuda as the building blocks of a new USL PRO Caribbean Division.

The progressively-structured arrangement allows both Sevilla FC Puerto Rico and Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico - the past two PRSL regular season champions - to play in USL PRO, compete in the PRSL and continue to have the opportunity to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. PRSL expansion teams Indios de Mayagüez FC and Puerto Rico United, of Aguada, are also currently considering the possibility of competing in USL PRO.


In addition to officials from both clubs, Puerto Rican Futbol Federation President Joe Serralta, PRSL President Mike Roca and Juncos Mayor Alfredo “Papo” Alejandro joined USL Senior Director of International Development Francisco Marcos at the news conference.

www.uslsoccer.com/home/468481.html

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Orlando City Joins USL PRO

Will Forge Partnership with England's Burnley FC
Professional soccer is coming to Orlando in April. On Monday, Orlando Sports Holdings (OSH) announced that it had acquired the franchise rights to the United Soccer League’s Austin Aztex franchise and will move the team to Orlando. The franchise will play under the name Orlando City Soccer Club and will compete in the new USL PRO beginning in April, 2011.

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The West Coast is getting USL PRO representation next year with the announcement of the new LA Blues franchise, set to begin play in 2011. The club, which had been rumored for about a month to be the newest franchise for U.S. soccer’s new third division, will play in Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium and be coached by Charlie Naimo, the former head coach of the Pali Blues (a professional women’s soccer club) and team general manager.

The club becomes the third division’s fourteenth team and moves USL PRO two teams away from its stated goal of having sixteen for the 2011 season. Being able to field a stable and competitive league for the upcoming year would be a major accomplishment for U.S. soccer, considering that last season there was so much turmoil in the second and third levels. For 2011, the USSF Division 2 Professional League (composed of the USL and NASL) will be replaced with the NASL, while the third division USL-2 will be replaced with USL PRO.

www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/

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Puerto Rico United Joins USL PRO

Joins fellow PRSL clubs Sevilla FC, Club Atlético River Plate

TAMPA, Fla. – United Soccer Leagues announced today that Puerto Rico United Sporting Club will become the third team from the Puerto Rico Soccer League to compete in USL PRO in 2011.

Through a progressively-structured arrangement, Puerto Rico United will join Sevilla FC Puerto Rico and Club Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico in USL PRO. Barracuda FC of Antigua and Barbuda has also joined USL PRO for 2010.

“We welcome Raul Blanco and Puerto Rico United to USL PRO, and we’re excited about our growing relationship with the Puerto Rico Soccer League,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “Both the level of fan support and the level of play in Puerto Rico continue to grow and we’re looking forward to the participation of three of the PRSL’s top clubs in USL PRO.”

Led by owner Raul Blanco, Puerto Rico United was founded in 2007 and recently competed in the PRSL’s Super Copa DirectTV tournament, which will serves as the qualifier for the 2011 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship.

Puerto Rico United is based in Aguada, Puerto Rico, and plays its home games at 4,000-seat Aguada Stadium. Luis A. Echevarria Santiago serves as mayor of Aguada, a city of more than 40,000 located in the western coastal region and served by nearby Rafael Hernandez International Airport.

“PR United started as an amateur team in 2007 and now we are in USL PRO. We are growing!” Blanco said. “This is a big step for the team and we accept the challenge. Our participation in the 2011 USL PRO season will help raise the levels of professional soccer in Puerto Rico.”

www.uslsoccer.com/home/485773.html

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D3 River Plate PR shocks D2 PR Islanders


BAYAMON, P.R. - USL PRO's River Plate Puerto Rico pulled off a huge victory in the first leg of the 2010 SuperCopa DirecTV Finals, knocking off the reigning USSF D2 champion Puerto Rico Islanders by a score of 1-0. The teams will meet again Sunday at 6 p.m. to decide the title. By reaching the finals of the Puerto Rico Soccer League tournament, both teams have booked spots in next year’s Caribbean Football Union Club Championship.

River wasted little time in putting the Islanders on their heels, with Peter Villegas finding Guillermo García Barros alone in front at the seven minute mark, and Barros giving River a 1-0 lead and silencing the Islanders fans. The Islanders began to possess the ball more after falling behind, but River stayed dangerous via the counter-attack.

The Islanders were given a golden chance to equalize in the 20th minute when referee Jose Carlos Rivera awarded them a questionable penalty. Joshua Hansen stepped up and fired to the left, but River keeper Mariano Graziano was up to the task and knocked the shot away, demoralizing the Islanders.

River picked up its play in the second half, and though both teams had chances the Islanders weren't able to find the equalizer. As the game wore on and the frustration increased for the Islanders, the rough play resulted in a shower of yellow cards for both teams.

uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/486224.html

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Islanders Sunday with a 2-0 victory that sealed a 3-0 aggregate romp to capture the Puerto Rico Soccer League’s 2010 SuperCopa DirecTV. River Plate entered the second leg with the advantage following a 1-0 victory against the Islanders on Thursday.

Confident after the opening-leg victory, River Plate started Sunday’s game at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium on the front foot and created several chances for Alexander Russo. After a couple of near misses, Russo staked River Plate to the lead in the 35th minute when Yakiel Perez sent him in and he beat Islanders keeper Cody Laurendy.

River Plate put the nail in the Islanders’ coffin two minutes later when Perez beat a pair of defenders and dribbled past a charging Laurendy. Though he had reduced his angle greatly, Perez remained calm and slotted the ball home. Down 3-0 on aggreagate, the Islanders found themselves in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

The Islanders resorted to long balls for much of the second half in hopes of closing the gap, but the River Plate defense held firm to complete the 3-0 aggregate domination.

By reaching the final, both teams have earned spots in the 2011 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship.

uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/486762.html

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Orlando City Unveils Logo'
The Lions' establish colors for first season


Orlando City News Release -- www.orlandocitysoccer.com

Thursday, December 16, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Last month, Orlando City Soccer Club announced its commitment to bring pro soccer to Orlando, Florida. Today, we are proud to formally launch our new club crest and brand.

About our brand: The name Orlando City was chosen to reflect our community’s pride in our City and its growth into one of America’s major cities. It is our goal to evolve with the City and to bring into this market the City’s second major league sports franchise.

"City" states we are Citizens of Orlando and the equals of all. "City" says that all of us who live here are part of a vibrant population that expects the best that any large city offers. Orlando City intends to give us all the best soccer experience possible. The "City Beautiful" deserves the "Beautiful Game."

About our colors: Our brand is built on our choice of colors, Regal Red, Pride Purple, and Championship Gold.

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USL Men’s Combine Returns to Blackbaud

5th Edition to be Presented by Umbro in Charleston, S.C.


The 5th Annual USL Men’s Player Combine, presented by Umbro, will return to the first-class confines of Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The event, set for January 20-23 and hosted by USL PRO’s Charleston Battery, will feature 102 of the top players from North America and abroad hoping to land a professional contract.

To date, more than 125 players have gone on to sign professional contracts with USL, MLS and international squads since the debut of the USL Men’s Combine in 2006. The event attracts the top U23 talent from throughout North America, with many of the participants coming from the USL Premier Development League.

This year’s event will be led by USL National Technical Director Peter Mellor, who will work alongside USL staff to develop a comprehensive curriculum that challenges participants while providing coaches with the proper environment for evaluation. Coaches expected to participate in the event will include USL National Technical Advisor Tony Waiters, who led Canada to the 1986 World Cup Finals, as well as MLS assistant coaches and several current PDL head coaches.

www.uslmenscombine.com/

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F.C. New York Announces Affiliation with RGV Ocelots FC
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK (December 10th, 2010) – F.C. New York of USLPRO today announced its affiliation with the Rio Grande Valley Ocelots F.C of the Southern Premier Soccer League. The two clubs will exchange best practices, while RGV Ocelots F.C will act as a feeder club for F.C. New York.

“These are exciting times for F.C. New York. We have built up some great relationship’s over the last 6 months and the vision we have set out at our inception is starting to come into fruition” F.C. New York Technical Director Matt Weston said. “Our goal was to link up with the ‘right’ clubs at all levels both here and abroad and ultimately open up the pathway for aspiring youth soccer players to dream of one day reaching the top.

www.fcnewyorksoccer.com/home/487142.html


F.C. New York Announces Affiliation with West Virginia Chaos

GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK (December 21st, 2010) – F.C New York of the USL PRO league today announced its affiliation with the West Virginia Chaos of the Premier Development League. The two clubs will exchange best practices, while WV Chaos will act as a feeder club for F.C. New York.

“We are excited about this new relationship with the West Virginia Chaos. Over the last few months we have been going back and forth with plans for the future and how our relationship can help both clubs move forward successfully in 2011’’ say’s FC New York’s Technical Director Matt Weston.

www.fcnewyorksoccer.com/home/488696.html