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Frank Cunha · 02-09-2003, 02:32 AM

By JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, August 28, 2003

The Riverhounds will drop a classification next season.
The soccer team, which had played in the Division II A-League the past five years, will move down a level to the D3 Pro Select League. The formal announcement is expected to be made early next week.

Riverhounds president and CEO Paul Heasley met with the players Wednesday to inform them of the move, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review learned yesterday.

It is not a shock to the soccer community the team is having financial problems. The Riverhounds also missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

[/i]

pirate · 03-09-2003, 03:39 PM

Maybe Pittsburgh can get back in the A_LEAGUE in 2 or 3 Years time. 8)

Frank Cunha · 03-09-2003, 03:58 PM

they just had a good run, not enough to make the playoffs

Frank Cunha · 16-09-2003, 11:02 AM

Story last updated at 9:55 a.m. Monday, September 15, 2003

Battery wins East crown, hosts title match Saturday

BATTERY 1, RHINOS 0

BY DAVID CARAVIELLO
Of The Post and Courier Staff
When it ended, the crowd was roaring so loudly that the referee's whistle could barely be heard. Battery players rushed onto the field and gathered into a circle in front of their own goal, where they hopped up and down in celebration. Forward Paul Conway doused spectators with champagne as he headed for the locker room.

Team owner Tony Bakker, who founded the franchise a decade ago, stood off to one side and tried to take it all in.

"We did it," he said, his eyes gleaming.

After years of playoff disappointment, only 90 minutes of soccer now separate the Battery from a first A-League championship. Josh Henderson's unassisted goal gave Charleston a 1-0 victory over Rochester Sunday in the second game of the Eastern Conference final, and a win in the two-leg, aggregate-score series by the same score. The teams had played to a scoreless draw Friday in Rochester, N.Y.

Charleston will host the A-League championship Saturday at 7 p.m. against Minnesota, which beat Seattle 2-0 in a Western Conference final that also ended Sunday. Charleston beat Minnesota 3-0 in its regular-season finale Aug. 30.

But the Battery saw Rochester as its biggest playoff hurdle. The Rhinos have won three A-League titles, more than any other team, and hadn't lost to the Battery in two years.

"We're there," Battery coach Chris Ramsey said. "A final is a final, and you have to go in and give your all like we did tonight. Really, this is the final here. (Rochester) is the team to beat. We'll get prepared for the final the same way we did this week, and hopefully we'll go out and play properly and take the championship home."

"We're one game away," added Conway, a former A-League MVP who has been in Charleston longer than any other player. "To go through Rochester to get to the final, I think that makes it extra special. They've got three championships, and they're the benchmarks of the league as long as I've been in it."

The lone goal came in the 41st minute, near the end of a tense, cautious first half that saw both teams trying to avoid the one big mistake that could win it for the teams trying to avoid the one big mistake that could win it for the other side. Charleston defender Terry Phelan served the ball into the box, where the Rhinos took control. It came to rest between goalkeeper Billy Andracki and defender Carlos Mendes, who had his back to the field.

Before Rochester could clear it, Henderson intervened. The Charleston forward slipped between the two Rhinos players and got just enough of his foot on the ball to slide it over the goal line.

"(Mendes) was tying to hold me off the keeper," said Henderson, whose 13 goals lead the Battery this season. "They didn't know who was going to get it.

"He was trying to shove me off, and I was able to just slide around him and get the outside of my foot on it. Sometimes those go in, sometimes they don't. It was going to take a lucky break to beat them. We got it, and it felt good."

Before Henderson's goal, Rochester had been the clear aggressor. The Rhinos nearly jumped ahead in the 21st minute, when Battery goalkeeper Dusty Hudock had to deflect a hard shot by Kirk Wilson over the crossbar. Six minutes later, Rhinos defender Bill Sedgewick hammered a shot from inside the 18-yard box that bounced off the near post.

"I think we were possessing the ball well. We were creating opportunities at the beginning," Rochester coach Pat Ercoli said. "I think we put a lot of energy into the first half. If one of those had gone in, I think that would have made it a different game."

Henderson's goal changed the tone of the match. Charleston attacked over and over in the second half, nearly adding to the lead in the 66th minute when Andracki deflected a Henderson header over the crossbar. Another chance came six minutes later, when Steve Klein came though the middle and missed an open shot wide.

"I think it forced them to open up a little bit," Henderson said of the Battery goal. "They're so good defensively, so organized. They knock the ball around the back so well, it's tough to break them down 0-0. If we got that first goal, we thought it would open up and we'd get more chances."

The biggest challenge to Charleston's slim lead came in the final minutes, when Rochester made one last push. Hudock made five saves in the game, four of them in the second half. The game's punishing nature became evident with four minutes left, when Rochester's Scott Schweitzer had to sit down and stretch to work out leg cramps.

"They were exhausting, probably more mentally than physically," Battery defender Mark Watson said of the final minutes. "Rochester is a very good team. They've set the standard in this league the last six or seven years. From my point of view, if you win the championship, you want to go through them. If you do beat them along the way, you're very deserving."

The Blackbaud Stadium crowd of 2,571 cheered each time Charleston cleared the ball in stoppage time. Players on the Battery bench hopped up and down nervously. The final whistle brought both exuberance and relief for a franchise that has always brimmed with promise, but had little other than early playoff exits to show for it.

"I thought anything less would be a disappointment. We had the talent," said Henderson, who played last year for a Richmond team that lost to Milwaukee in the championship game.

"They've been there close every single year, and I thought this would be our year. That's the reason I came. I think that's the reason (midfielder) Ted Chronopoulos came. That's the reason guys like Paul (Conway) and Dusty (Hudock) have been here every year. They think this is the place to be, and it is. And right now, it feels good."

Frank Cunha · 16-09-2003, 11:09 AM

Minnesota in the final of the A-League championship
Torres Secures Thunder’s Spot In League Championship Game
Thunder Go For the Title Saturday in Charleston After Blanking Seattle 1-0
BLAINE, Minn. (Sunday, September 14, 2003) – A second half goal by Minnesota Thunder forward Johnny Torres elevated the Thunder past Seattle 1-0 Sunday afternoon in the second leg of the two-game, total goals A-League Western Conference Final.

Minnesota earned a 2-0 series victory over Seattle to earn its fourth trip to the championship game in six years and claim its first Western Conference title since 2000.

The Thunder will play Saturday at the Charleston Battery, who defeated the Rochester Rhinos 1-0 Sunday in the Eastern Conference Final. To win its first A-League Championship since 1999, the Thunder will need to win on the road, where the team is 10-5-1 overall this season, one of the best road records in the league.

“Going back to the championship game is a testament to how hard this team worked,” said defender Steve Shak, who scored the game-winning goal in the 79th minute of the Thunder’s 1-0 win over the Sounders on Friday. “The boys stuck together.”

Minnesota put the match and the series out of reach in the 59th minute when Torres received a circus pass over the Sounders defense from Johnny Menyongar. Torres bolted through the defense to retrieve the pass and immediately blasted a powerful shot into the upper right corner surprising Seattle goalkeeper Rich Cullen. The scoring opportunity was setup by a combination of passes initiated by midfielders Amos Magee and Marco Ferruzzi along the right sideline.

“I’m happy to be going to the final and proud to play for a great organization like the Thunder,” said Torres, who was battling a sore throat and cough.

The A-League championship match will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 (kickoff 6 p.m. CT). The match will be televised nationally on Fox Sports World. Minnesota won its loan A-League Championship in 1999. Although Charleston has not won the A-League title, the Battery claimed a championship at the third division level in 1996. The Thunder has advanced to five championship games.

“I think we have a good chance to win, especially if we can have another shutout,” Shak said. “We lost to both teams (Charleston and Rochester) earlier this season, and what better way to get even than in the final.”

The Thunder appeared content to remain defensive minded throughout the first half as they thwarted off a Sounders team eager to score an early goal. In the final minutes of the half Magee fueled a Minnesota offensive attack with some timely runs along the right flank, applying continued pressure on Cullen.

The Thunder trail the all-time head-to-head matchup with Charleston 2-3-0. On Aug. 30, Minnesota was defeated on the road by Charleston 3-0.

GAME NOTES:

The victory was the first time in nine matches that the home team had won in the Thunder-Sounders series.

Midfielder Kevin Anderson was cut in his mouth in a collision in the 83rd minute and needed help walking off the field. Zafer Kilickan replaced Anderson for the final minutes of the match.

Earlier this week a pair of Thunder players received All A-League honors. Midfielder Marco Ferruzzi was named to the All A-League First Team while defender Steve Shak earned Second Team honors.

-Minnesota Thunder Game Report –

Match-up: Minnesota Thunder vs. Seattle Sounders

Date: Sunday, September 14, 2003

Competition: A-League Western Conference Final

Venue: National Sports Center

Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT

Attendance: 2,612

Weather: 66 degrees, sunny

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Thunder 0 1 1
Sounders 0 0 0

Scoring:

Thunder – Johnny Torres (Johnny Menyongar), 59

Lineups:

THUNDER - 23-Joe Warren, 3-Dustin Branan, 13-Mark Schulte, 4-Adam Eyre, 12-Steve Shak, 14-Kevin Anderson (2-Zafer Kilickan, 87), 21-Don Gramenz, 7-Amos Magee (16-Jason Willan, 83), 20-Marco Ferruzzi (17-Hugo Llamas, 71), 9-Johnny Torres (19-Marshall Morehead), 10-Johnny Menyongar (18-Melvin Tarley, 81).

Subs not used: 24-Alvin Hudson, 22-Brad Swenby.

SEATTLE - 22-Rich Cullen, 17-Zach Scott, 6-Ryan Edwards, 2-Scott Jenkins, 16-Chad Brown, 10-Jason Farrell, 3-Sean M. Callahan (9-Craig Tomlinson, 71), 4-Andrew Gregor, 12-Viet Nguyen (13-Darren Sawatzky, 52), 24-Roger Levesque (19-Herculez Gomez, 63), 25- Marco Valez (11-Kyle Smith, 56).

Subs not used: 23-Preston Burpo, 15-Kevin Sakuda.

Stats Summary: Thunder Sounders
Shots 7 11
Saves 2 1
Corner Kicks 1 7
Fouls 14 17
Offside 2 2

Misconduct Summary:

Sounders – Viet Nguyen (caution), 8

Sounders – Ryan Edwards (caution), 23

Sounders – Craig Tomlinson (caution), 85

Thunder – Melvin Tarley (caution), 90

Officials:

Referee: Terry Vaughn

Senior Assistant Referee: Jeff Filipek

Junior Assistant Referee: Jeremy Schroeder

Fourth Official: Mishaun Ahmad

Man of the Match: Johnny Torres

The Minnesota Thunder, founded in 1990, is a professional soccer franchise that plays in the Western Conference of the 19-team A-League. The Thunder's home schedule runs May through September at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Information on single-game and season tickets, as well as youth camps, can be found on the team's website www.mnthunder.com or by calling 763-785-3668.

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Ricochet · 22-09-2003, 03:51 AM

http://www.soccer365.com/US_NEWS/Bre...31_58435.shtml

Battery Claim A-League Title 21/09/03

The Charleston Battery raised the 2003 A-League Championship tonight with a 3-0 victory over the '99 champion Minnesota Thunder in front of a franchise-record crowd of 5,711 fans at Blackbaud Stadium.

The Battery scored all three goals in the first half en route to the league’s fourth shutout in single-game championship history – and with a record three-goal margin.

The scoring began in the 13th minute when Paul Conway sent the ball into the middle of the box from the right flank. With his back to goal, Josh Henderson turned to take a left-footed shot only to have it blocked by Minnesota's Mark Schulte. The ball deflected out to Charleston's Ted Chronopoulos, who slotted home the early go-ahead goal from the left flank to the far post.

Eight minutes later, the Battery would push the lead to 2-0 off a direct free kick from 20 yards out, just left of center. Conway sent a curling shot into the right upper-90 out of reach of Minnesota goalkeeper Joe Warren.

Henderson set up the third goal of the match in the 37th minute to give Charleston the commanding lead. Conway sent a cross into the box, where Henderson headed the ball off the crossbar. The rebound came out to Steve Klein, who rose above the Minnesota defense to head the ball into the back of the net from five yards.

Klein’s goal and presence in the midfield garnered him Championship Most Valuable Player honors. It was only Klein’s third goal of the year and first of the postseason, coming just days after the birth of his first child.

“This was the best week of my life. The championship is a dream come true – this one’s for him,” said Klein, referring to the birth of his son and winning the title.

“This is great, Tony Bakker getting his championship. I’m really happy for him,” added Klein about the club’s majority owner, who financed the building of Blackbaud Stadium – the nation’s first privately financed soccer-specific stadium in the United States in the modern era.

The stadium debuted in 1999, three year’s after the club won the Pro League (third division) championship in 1996 with a 3-2 victory over the Charlotte Eagles via a shootout.

Celebrating the championship after the final whistle, Bakker helped injured defender Terry Phelan out onto the field to join his teammates after being knocked out of the game in the 57th minute with an injury to his left leg. Bakker would later be lifted into the air by the team during the cup presentation.

Outmatched by Charleston’s size, Minnesota’s most dangerous chance came in the eighth minute when Johnny Torres sent a corner kick to the top of the box to Marco Ferruzzi, who blasted a 22-yard shot on goal, forcing Charleston goalkeeper Dusty Hudock to make the stop.

Minnesota nearly gave Charleston the lead in the sixth minute when defender Mark Schulte headed the ball back to goal and nearly into the back of the net only to be saved by the right post.

Minnesota forward John Menyongar regularly proved to be a threat in the offensive third of the field for the Thunder, but was unable to muscle past the Charleston back line to find the back of the net.

Frank Cunha · 15-12-2003, 11:27 PM

A-League College draft
DRAFT IN TWO DAYS
The A-league college player draft will be held via conference call on
Wednesday, December 17th at 2pm. The draft will consist of two
rounds with each A-league team receiving open draft picks based upon
reverse league standings from the 2003 season. Minnesota will have
the 14th and 30th overall picks in this year’s draft.

Frank Cunha · 16-12-2003, 03:34 PM

http://www.a-league.com/news/2003/news,2003,0597.shtml

Frank Cunha · 16-12-2003, 03:40 PM

16 teams for 2004

2004 A-LEAGUE DRAFT ORDER
1 - Puerto Rico
2 - Edmonton
3 - Calgary
4 - Atlanta
5 - Toronto
6 - Syracuse
7 - Milwaukee (Rd 1) / Richmond (Rd 2) *
8 - Virginia Beach
9 - Portland
10 - Rochester
11 - Charleston
12 - Vancouver
13 - Seattle
14 - Minnesota
15 - Montreal
16 - Milwaukee

Frank Cunha · 16-12-2003, 03:41 PM

10 teams from the US

Frank Cunha · 16-12-2003, 10:34 PM

Edmonton & Puerto Rica Join A-League 16/12/03

The Montreal Impact will have new opponents in 2004: the Edmonton Aviators and the Puerto Rico Islanders, two expansion teams slated to join the A-League next season.

The Aviators, who will be part of the Western Conference, will play their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton becomes the fifth Canadian team to join the North American league, after Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

As for the Islanders, they will play at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in the city of Bayamon, 20 minutes away from San Juan.

Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium is currently undergoing renovations designed to make the baseball facility more soccer-friendly. It is part of an overall three million dollar project that also includes a recreational park and road improvements.

"We are excited to welcome Puerto Rico and Edmonton to the USL family," said Dave Askinas, CEO of the United Soccer Leagues, the organization which includes the A-League at the top of its pyramid. "The Islanders and the Aviators both presented us with a unique opportunity to continue to expand our horizons internationally.

"The addition of the Islanders, in particular, enhances our link to the Caribbean beyond the players who play in the US and Canada with our other franchises. We feel that USL has played a critical role in developing the game in both the US and Canada and that through the Islanders, the Puerto Rican soccer federation and the city of Bayamon, we will be able to do the same in Puerto Rico and the greater Caribbean area."

A-LEAGUE DRAFT

The Islanders and the Aviators will have the first and second picks, respectively, in the 2004 A-League College Draft, to take place Wednesday at 3 pm via conference call.

Impact head coach Nick DeSantis will have the second-to-last pick in the two-round draft, since the Montreal squad finished first in overall league standings last season, tied with the Milwaukee Wave United.

"Since our philosophy is to promote local talent, we’ll be looking for young Quebecers who have done well for Canadian or American university teams," said DeSantis. "We’re interested in any talented player, regardless of his position, but there’s no doubt that we have a preference for young strikers."

Frank Cunha · 17-12-2003, 12:34 AM

Several new clubs added for Y2K+4 for 55 clubs total:

http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/home/65512.html

Frank Cunha · 17-12-2003, 12:37 AM

PDL alignment announced for 2004
Four new clubs among league’s 55 set to play
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, December 12, 2003

TAMPA, FL -- United Soccer Leagues announced today the alignment for the 2004 Premier Development League season. Four new expansion clubs are among the 55 teams that will play in the upcoming season.

The conferences and divisions remain unchanged from 2003 with the Central Conference (Great Lakes and Heartland Divisions), Eastern Conference (Mid Atlantic and Northeast Divisions), Southern Conference (Mid South and Southeast Divisions) and Western Conference (Northwest and Southwest Divisions).

Two of the four expansion clubs will play in the Central Conference.

The Cleveland Internationals will join the Columbus Shooting Stars, Fort Wayne Fever, Indiana Invaders, Kalamazoo Kingdom, Michigan Bucks, Toledo Slayers and West Michigan Edge in the Great Lakes Division.

Former A-League club Indiana Blast, along with a new club in Colorado Springs to be announced at a later date, will join the Boulder Rapids Reserve, 2003 finalist Chicago Fire Reserves, Des Moines Menace, Kansas City Brass, Sioux Falls SpitFire, St Louis Strikers, Thunder Bay Chill and Wisconsin Rebels in the Heartland Division.

The Eastern Conference sees three former clubs from the Pro Soccer League come into the mix.

The Carolina Dynamo join the Chesapeake Dragons, Raleigh CASL Elite, Richmond Kickers Future, West Virginia Chaos and Williamsburg Legacy in the Mid Atlantic Division.

The New Jersey Stallions and Reading Rage are among the nine in the Northeast Division with the Albany Blackwatch Highlanders, Brooklyn Knights, Jersey Falcons, Rhode Island Stingrays, South Jersey Barons, Vermont Voltage and two-time defending champion Cape Cod Crusaders.

The Southern Conference will see the most change with two new clubs, the addition of a former pro team and two teams with name changes.

The Mid South Division will look rather different in 2004 with the formation of a club in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the addition of former A-League side El Paso Patriots and name changes for the clubs formerly known as the Texas Spurs and Louisiana Outlaws. The new names will be announced at a later date. They are joined by the Austin Lightning, Memphis Express, Nashville Metros and 2003 regular season champion New Orleans Shell Shockers.

The Southeast Division sees just one change with the addition of the Ajax Orlando Prospects to the 2003 roster of the Bradenton Academics, Central Florida Kraze, Cocoa Expos and Palm Beach Pumas.

The Western Conference remains relatively unchanged.

The Abbotsford Rangers became a full member of the Northwest Division after playing a provisional schedule last year, joining the Cascade Surge, Spokane Shadow and Yakima Reds.

The Southwest remains the same with the BYU Cougars, Fresno Fuego, Nevada Wonders, Orange County Blue Star and Southern California Seahorses.