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[Frank Cunha]

ACC Keeper Signs w/ Ajax Orlando 10/03/04

Ajax Orlando Football Club, the exclusive American affiliate of European soccer club AFC Ajax (Amsterdam), today announced the signing of goalkeeper Ford Williams.

During the 2003 season at the University of North Carolina, Williams received the number one ranking in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for number of shutouts per game. Williams will join UNC freshman recruit Dax McCarty on Ajax Orlando's Premier Development League (PDL) team, the Prospects.

"Ford's agility and vocal leadership from the goal will guide our team," said Mark Dillon, president and CEO of Ajax Orlando. "He demonstrates confidence, welcomes competition and commands control of his net."

Crawford Williams, more commonly "Ford" to his friends and fans, currently holds the goalkeeper spot on the Tar Heels' roster, where he finished his sophomore season in 2003. Williams also plays for the U.S. U20 National Team and represented the U.S. at the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates in 2003. Under his leadership, his club team, the Raleigh CASL Elite, has won four state titles and represented the U.S. at the Nike International Premier Cup World Championships in 2002.

Williams' prep experience is equally impressive. He received honors as the Prep All-America goalkeeper, was a two-time Adidas and Parade All-American, and participated in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game. He spent five years with the North Carolina ODP state team, four years with the ODP Region III team and the 2000-01 season with the U17 National Team residency program.

Ajax Orlando is the exclusive American affiliate of AFC Ajax (Amsterdam). The company was founded in 2003 to scout, recruit and train the top soccer talent in the United States at its Orlando, Florida headquarters. In addition to operating its youth academy, Ajax Orlando administers national camps and international tournaments to seek out the nation's premier soccer players. More information about Ajax Orlando can be found at http://www.ajaxorlando.us.

Get Your Jersey On! Buy the official jersey of Ajax at the WorldSoccerShop

[Frank Cunha]

Ajax Orlando Seeks 'Baby Beckhams' 16/03/04

Ajax Orlando Football Club, the exclusive American affiliate of European soccer club AFC Ajax (Amsterdam), today announced that Mark Nicole would join the soccer academy as the newest member of its youth development staff. Nicole will be responsible for developing and implementing a program for 4- to 6-year-olds. Nicole holds national and international certifications from the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB).

"Mark's experience in coaching and developing successful youth soccer programs will build a solid foundation for our future," says Mark Dillon, president and CEO of Ajax Orlando. "One of the reasons some of the European Olympic programs have been so successful is because they put their best coaches with the youngest athletes."

"Introducing proper motor skill concepts such as balance, coordination, and agility in concert with rudimentary problem solving situations is the foundation of the program. With this type of planning more children will be afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential athletically while learning various individual skills within a group setting," Nicole explains.

Most recently Nicole coached the Melbourne Beach Tsunami, a premier Under-12 boys' soccer team on Florida's Atlantic coast. The team has received numerous accolades including the 2001 and 2003 Disney Memorial Day Championship, 2003 Region B finals and 2002 Region B Third Place Cup. Other previous coaching experiences included assignments as Florida Institute of Technology Assistant Coach, Florida State Staff Coach and Florida Olympic Development Program Coach.

His playing experiences include the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, United States Air Force National Team and the United States Military National Team.

Nicole holds a USSF National "A" License, NSCAA Premier Diploma and both a Dutch Premier and Dutch Youth Certificate from the KNVB. A published writer on youth coaching, Nicole has appeared in Soccer Journal and Success in Soccer magazines, as well as authored Teaching Technique Tactically for Youth Players, a book to be published in August of this year.

Ajax Orlando is the exclusive American affiliate of AFC Ajax (Amsterdam). The company was founded in 2003 to scout, recruit and train the top soccer talent in the United States at its Orlando, Florida, headquarters. In addition to operating its youth academy, Ajax Orlando administers national camps and international tournaments to seek out the nation's premier soccer players. More information about Ajax Orlando can be found at <http://www.ajaxorlando.us>.

Get Your Jersey On! Buy the official jersey of Ajax

[Frank Cunha]

New Zealand Int'l Joins Thunder
Tuesday March 30 2004
New Zealand international midfielder Michael Wilson signed today with the Minnesota Thunder. Wilson will join his national team in Scotland for a short time in late May for World Cup qualifying. The 23 year-old measures in at 5-11, 170-pounds and has one cap for his country.

[Thatslife]

i don't know much about this league, could anyone give me a quick explenation? is it like a "reserve league" or something?

[Lemmy]

The A-League is the league right below the MLS, but unlike football in every other part of the world, teams here do not get promoted or relegated. I believe that there are about 16 or 18 teams in the US and Canada, and they are divided in two groups: The Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.

Here's the website:
http://www.a-league.com/

[MUFC]

Oh thats really intresting. Thanks for the info lemmy.

[Frank Cunha]

the A-League belongs to the USL umbrella

do you know who runs the USL? yes a portuguese Francisco Marco the was his day in the day

under the USL we got
A-League like a II division
PSL
PDL
Youth division

also W1 divison
W2 divison

[Frank Cunha]

The A-League, now a two-conference, 16-team league, including a team in Puerto Rico, begins play Saturday....

[BethlehemFC]

Hopefully a trimmed down A-league does better. Although I am still wondering how the team from PR will survive travel costs. I could be wrong -- maybe it's not as prohibitive as I am thinking.

[Frank Cunha]

I don't think they will be able to do it

[Frank Cunha]

Saturday

Charleston
@ Richmond 7:00

Toronto
@ Puerto Rico 8:00

[Ricochet]

any wagers that Puerto Rico can make it to mid season?::hmmmm::

[Jager]

I thought I would get more involved with the A league, as I will be attending as many games this year.

Here my contribution so far....

Sixteen teams will take to the field in 2004 with one thing in mind… that every game matters. With 28 regular season games on each schedule and only four postseason berths per conference up for grabs, each game takes on even more importance. The 2004 field is slated to be the most competitive in league history with the off-season alignment changes.

Six teams are gone from 2003 with three joining in their place. Expansion clubs in Calgary, Edmonton and Puerto Rico are looking to erase memories of the departed. The Charlotte Eagles and Pittsburgh Riverhounds took a step back to the Pro Soccer League. The Indiana Blast and El Paso Patriots dropped to the Premier Development League while Cincinnati and the previous Calgary club were dissolved. The six departing clubs combined for a record of 48-103-19 last year with Pittsburgh posting the only winning record at 15-9-4.

Four of the five returning non-playoff teams posted double-digit wins in 2003, with the Portland Timbers and Richmond Kickers also sporting winning records.

Western Conference
Calgary Mustangs: It’s a new beginning for A-League soccer in Calgary. The newly-minted franchise will play the majority of their home matches at McMahon Stadium. Thomas Niendorf, who led the Calgary Storm to the PDL final in 2001, will take the helm.

Edmonton Aviators: Another expansion franchise, the Aviators will field teams in both the A-League and the W-League. The teams will play in beautiful Commonwealth Stadium. The highlight of the Aviators’ player signings so far is 2001 A-League Defender of the Year Rick Titus, formerly of the Charleston Battery.

Milwaukee Wave United: During the off-season, Milwaukee signed forward Johnny Torres to a year-round (indoor and outdoor) deal. Torres previously played for the Minnesota Thunder, where he knocked the Wave United out of the 2003 playoffs on the strength of two goals, one in the second leg and one in series overtime.

Minnesota Thunder: After several years of being located in suburban Blaine, MN, the Thunder will be heading to new digs in St. Paul at James Griffin Stadium. The move should have a positive impact on the Thunder’s attendance as they move closer to their fan base. Former Indiana Blast midfielder Godfrey Tenoff will take the field for the Thunder in 2004.

Portland Timbers: The Timbers return an almost identical roster to the one that amassed a 15-11-2 record in 2003. Seven of the team’s 11 losses came by just one goal.

Seattle Sounders: Seattle has signed former Major League Soccer All-Star Welton Melo. ‘Welton’, as he is commonly known, made his mark during the formative years of MLS before going abroad. Last season, Welton played in the Norwegian First Division.

Vancouver Whitecaps: Vancouver made some waves when they signed Martin Nash away from the Montreal Impact and Andrew Gregor from Western Conference-rival Seattle. The Whitecaps will look to take the next step as they have come very close to a good post-season run in the last two seasons, having been knocked out in series overtime (vs. Milwaukee, 2002) and penalty kicks (vs. Seattle, 2003).

Eastern Conference
Atlanta Silverbacks: The ‘backs are looking to recover from a dismal 2003 campaign with the signing of former MLS MVP Alex Pineda-Chacón. The MLS scoring champ in 2001 while with the Miami Fusion, Pineda-Chacón was a member of the Honduran National Team for more than 10 years. He was the MVP of two Gold Cups (1993, 1996).

Charleston Battery: The Battery will sport a lot of new faces in 2004, as seven of the 16 players that appeared in last years final are gone. Nick Downing from the Portland Timbers, Justin Evans, Michael Green and Aleksey Korol from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Ivan McKinley from MLS are just a few of the recent addition to Charleston’s roster.

Montreal Impact: Last year’s Coach of the Year Bob Lilley has left the Impact, leaving new head coach Nick DeSantis to try to improve on last year’s 16-6-6 record. The Impact won the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to divisional rival-Rochester. During the off-season, Montreal signed two former Toronto Lynx players in defender Mauricio Vincello and 2002 Rookie of the Year Niki Budalic.

Puerto Rico Islanders: The Puerto Rico Islanders will begin play during the 2004 season. The first team to be based off of the continental United States since the Hawaii Tsunami (1994-96), the Islanders will be the highest level of professional soccer in the Federation of Puerto Rico Football.

Richmond Kickers: The Kickers welcome two former players back to the midfield in MLS veteran Richie Williams (1993-1995) and David Hayes (2002). The pair will take the place of U23 US National Team standout David Testo, who is on loan to MLS’ Columbus Crew. Richmond also signed Virginia’s State College Player of the Year Matthew Delicate, a two-year forward for the PDL’s Richmond Kickers Future.

Rochester Raging Rhinos: Ground has broken for Rochester’s Pae Tec Park, and it’s set to open in 2005. The Rhinos raided the A-League Champion Battery, signing midfielder Ryan Trout and defender John Wilson. They also signed Chris Carrieri, formerly of MLS’ Colorado Rapids. Carrieri, the top pick in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft, was in the top five in MLS in assists in 2003, with eight.

Syracuse Salty Dogs: Syracuse snagged two-time A-League Defender of the Year Scott Schweitzer in a trade with the Rochester Rhinos. The Salty Dogs posted 11 wins in their inaugural season.

Toronto Lynx: The Lynx looked to shore up both their offense and defense during the offseason, signing forward John Barry Nusum and goalkeeper Bryheem Hancock from the Atlanta Silverbacks.

Virginia Beach Mariners: Virginia Beach returns their leading scorer from 2003 in Roland Aguilera. Aguilera tied for fifth in the league with 29 points (10g, 9a) while Dante Washington notched an 18-goal season, which catapulted him into third in the league (37 pts, 18g, 1a).

Off the field, many clubs will be looking to build on a fantastic 2003. The new Edmonton and Puerto Rico clubs have created a lot of excitement and could see outstanding attendance right from the start. Four clubs surpassed an average attendance of 5,000 last season with Vancouver nearing that mark in just their first year under new ownership. Rochester led the league yet again with over 10,000 fans per game. Montreal’s new management has guided its numbers to over 7,000, while first-year club Syracuse nearly reached that same plateau. Portland continued to do well with nearly 6,000 people regularly attending Timbers matches. The league average also increased for the fourth consecutive season.

“We are expecting a fantastic season both on and off the field in the A-League this year,” says USL’s Chief Executive Office Dave Askinas. “It looks like it will be a very open race for the title once again.”

The 2004 season kicks off when the A-League Champion Charleston Battery head to Richmond to take on the Kickers at 7pm this Saturday, April 17th.

[Frank Cunha]

http://www.nj.com/sportsflash/metrostars/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?s0206_BC_SOC--A-LeagueGlance&&sports&njometros

[Frank Cunha]

Soccer News
A-League At A Glance

The Associated Press
4/14/04 7:00 AM



EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA
Atlanta 0 0 0 0 0 0
Charleston 0 0 0 0 0 0
Montreal 0 0 0 0 0 0
Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 0 0
Richmond 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rochester 0 0 0 0 0 0
Syracuse 0 0 0 0 0 0
Toronto 0 0 0 0 0 0
Virginia Beach 0 0 0 0 0 0


WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA
Calgary 0 0 0 0 0 0
Edmonton 0 0 0 0 0 0
Milwaukee 0 0 0 0 0 0
Minnesota 0 0 0 0 0 0
Portland 0 0 0 0 0 0
Seattle 0 0 0 0 0 0
Vancouver 0 0 0 0 0 0


NOTE: Three points for a victory, one for a tie.



Saturday's Games

Charleston at Richmond
Toronto at Puerto Rico
Saturday, April 24

Syracuse at Atlanta
Richmond at Charleston
Sunday, April 25

Montreal at Puerto Rico
Calgary at Minnesota