Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Does the NASL Have a New York Cosmos Problem? The return of the New York Cosmos has been met with fanfare throughout much of the country. The revival of the 1970s superclub brought more attention and eyeballs on North America’s Second Division than any time since the exodus of top second division clubs to MLS began with Seattle’s 2009 move. When the Cosmos return was announced by the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2012, it was indicated that the club would play the entire 2012 season. But a month later the NASL announced a split-season format and then a few months after that the Cosmos dropped out of the first half (Spring Season) of the 2013 campaign. Read more at http://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/10/...-new-york-cosmos-problem/#5hoTBx08zKyorY24.99
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Ottawa Fury FC to Play NASL Spring Season Games at Carleton University Will Host 10 Home Games at Lansdowne Park in the Fall Season Fury FC to play all five home games of the 10-game 2014 NASL spring season at Carleton while construction of the team’s permanent home at Lansdowne Park is completed in time for the fall season. NASL clubs will play a shortened spring season from April 5 to June 7 and, following a break for the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil in June and July, NASL action will resume for the 20-game schedule Fall Season (10 home and 10 away) from July 19 to November 15. The 2014 NASL schedule has not been announced but it is anticipated that Fury FC will play several games on the road before their inaugural home game in Ottawa at Carleton in late April. “Many thanks to our partners at Carleton University and its Department of Athletics for providing us with an alternate and intimate venue for professional soccer as we await the completion of the new stadium at Lansdowne. Our fans will relish the chance to turn Keith Harris into a cauldron of fan support for Fury FC when NASL soccer arrives in our city,” said John Pugh, Fury FC President and OSEG partner. “We promise to field an exciting, competitive team that will provide our fans with entertaining and attractive soccer. That display will be matched off the field for our fans who will have a great game-day experience both at Carleton and at Lansdowne,” said Pugh http://www.reddit.com/tb/1o8cr6
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Savarese Signs Contract Extension With Cosmos The NASL's New York Cosmos announced today that head coach Giovanni Savarese has signed a multi-year contract extension with the team. Savarese, 42, was originally named head coach of the Cosmos on November 19, 2012 and given the task of guiding the team during its first year back in competitive play in nearly 30 years. A former Venezuelan international and respected youth and academy coach, Savarese had never previously served as a head coach in the professional ranks. Savarese has since led the Cosmos to a first-place 7-4-1 record through the club’s first 12 games of the NASL Fall Season and is also undefeated at home. “What Gio has achieved as a first-year coach is exceptional,” Cosmos Chairman Seamus O’Brien said. “He’s managed to put together a cohesive squad playing good soccer in a very short amount of time. We have a vision for the team’s future and Gio has proven on the field that he’s the man who can help deliver it.” http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5723
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II A group of 30 at-risk teens from the Atlanta area who have excelled within the Soccer in the Streets’ School of Life program will have an opportunity to add volunteering at NASL Soccer Bowl 2013 to their growing résumés when the North American Soccer League championship game is played in the city. Having discovered opportunities that can be valuable to them and been inspired by the Soccer in the Streets organization, the 30 graduates will put into practice the personal responsibility and job readiness they have learned by being an integral part of NASL Soccer Bowl 2013. The young men and women will take on the role of special ambassadors and will assume a range of game day responsibilities to assist fans attending the match, including being customer service representatives and ushers at Atlanta Silverbacks Park on Saturday, November 9. NASL Soccer Bowl will make a donation to Soccer in the Streets, which boasts more than two decades of experience in the field, with programs that develop the next generation of leaders who will eventually cultivate change and progress in their communities. For more information, please visit http://www.soccerstreets.org. http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5734
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II NASL Soccer Bowl 2013 To Air Live On ESPN3 And ESPN Deportes NASL Soccer Bowl 2013 – the championship game of the North American Soccer League – will be carried live on ESPN3 in English and ESPN Deportes in Spanish at 7.30pm on Saturday, November 9. Viewers across the United States who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider will be able to watch all the action live from Atlanta Silverbacks Park in English on ESPN3. ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network available in more than 85 million households nationwide and accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and Apple TV. The event will also be telecast live in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and available via WatchESPN on multiple platforms. The NASL Spring Season Championship-winning Atlanta Silverbacks will take on the team that wins the NASL Fall Season, which concludes on November 2. The New York Cosmos can secure the final remaining Soccer Bowl berth with a win this weekend, or the race will go down to the wire the following Saturday with the Tampa Bay Rowdies still in the running. http://www.naslsoccerbowl.com/index.php?id=785&newsid=5751
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Cosmos Qualify For NASL Soccer Bowl 2013 Win over Scorpions seals the right to meet the Silverbacks on November 9 The New York Cosmos got the victory and three points they needed to win the NASL Fall Season title and secure the remaining berth at NASL Soccer Bowl 2013 and will face the host Atlanta Silverbacks on Saturday, November 9 at 7.30pm. The Cosmos fell behind after only three minutes to a goal by Scorpions Polish striker Tomasz Zahorski, but were a constant threat and the game swung in their favor in the space of three second half minutes. Former Spanish international Marcos Senna pounced to equalize in the 52nd minute then Bulgarian striker Stefan Dimitrov gave his side the lead two minutes later and despite having a man sent off, New York held on to win 2-1 http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5768
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Congrats to the Carolina Railhawks! Winners of the 2013 Woosnam Cup! The Woosnam Cup will be a result of cooperation between NASL supporters and fans from across North America. All the supporters groups across the league are working together to make this trophy happen, and so far the response has been phenomenal. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months as the project begins to roll along! We hope to have a fundraising campaign up and running soon and the tentative target is to have the physical trophy designed and produced in time to be awarded to the 2014 champion. http://www.reddit.com/tb/1pue0k Past Champions: 2011: Carolina RailHawks 2012: San Antonio Scorpions 2013: Carolina RailHawks http://www.reddit.com/tb/1pue0k
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II RailHawks Forward Brian Shriver Wins NASL 2013 Golden Boot Award Top-Scoring American Striker Also Picks Up NASL Player of Week 14 Honors Carolina RailHawks striker Brian Shriver fired 15 goals in 2013 to win the prestigious North American Soccer League Golden Boot award as the top scorer during the combined NASL Spring and Fall Seasons. The American marksman led the race for the Golden Boot heading into the final weekend of regular season action and scored twice to seal a come from behind 2-1 RailHawks victory over the San Antonio Scorpions. His penalty kick finish and late winner ensured Carolina remained unbeaten throughout 2013 at WakeMed Soccer Park in competitive games – an impressive 15-game streak - and also won him the NASL Player of Week 14 award. Shriver is the third different winner of the NASL Golden Boot since 2011 when Etienne Barbara won the scoring title with the RailHawks with 20 goals, and in 2012 Pablo Campos scored 20 regular season goals with the San Antonio Scorpions. Congratulate Brian Shriver on Twitter @BShriver21 http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5831
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Cosmos Goalkeeper Kyle Reynish Wins 2013 NASL Golden Glove Award York Cosmos Goalkeeper Kyle Reynish has won the 2013 North American Soccer League Golden Glove award after recording the lowest Goals Against Average (GAA) of 0.92 during the regular season. Reynish has started and played every minute in 13 of the 14 Cosmos games during the NASL Fall Season, posting a record of 8 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss, while earning five shutouts. Goalkeepers had to play a minimum of 10 games in 2013 to be eligible for the honor. Of the clean sheets, three came on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies (0-0), Fort Lauderdale Strikers (2-0) and Minnesota United FC (1-0), while the other two came in home victories over United FC (1-0) and the Carolina RailHawks (4-0). http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5840
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Cosmos Head To Spain To Face Villarreal New York Squad Travel To Spain After NASL Season NASL Soccer Bowl winners the New York Cosmos are on their way to Spain to play Villarreal CF in a tribute match for Marcos Senna at El Madrigal Stadium on Wednesday, November 13. The game will be a homecoming for Cosmos midfielder Marcos Senna who spent the previous 11 seasons at Villarreal. Senna, known as Villarreal's "Eternal Captain," is the club's all-time leader in appearances, as he made 363 in all competitions before joining the Cosmos this past June. During Senna’s time at Villarreal, the club reached the UEFA Champions League semifinal and also finished second in La Liga. “We’re delighted that we have the opportunity to visit Spain at the conclusion of our season,” Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese said. “It’s great that Marcos will be able to play in front of the Villarreal fans once again and for our squad it’s a chance to play one of the top teams in La Liga.” The Cosmos will remain in Spain for additional training through Tuesday, Nov. 19. http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5847
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II Fury FC Sign Brazilian Forward Oliver Minatel Ottawa Fury FC and head coach Marc Dos Santos today announced the signing of Brazilian forward Oliver Minatel to a one-year contract pending international transfer. Minatel joins the expansion North American Soccer League club from Brazilian Paulista second division side Velo Clube after spending two years in the Portuguese Premier League with C.D. Nacional. "Oliver is a young player coming from two great development centres," said Fury FC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos. "He already has experience in UEFA competitions and in the Portuguese Premier League. He's a winger that works extremely hard on the field and I'm positive he will bring a lot to our club." Minatel, 21, is a 5'8 winger who has tooled his game in Brazil, Holland and Portugal. The native of Campinas, Brazil has spent three seasons with Portuguese side C.D. Nacional that included two years in the Primeira Liga. Minatel became the youngest player in Nacional club history to start in an international match when he featured in their UEFA Europa League qualifier against Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjordur at 18 years of age. http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5906
Re: Minor League Soccer - Division II SA Scorpions Name Alen Marcina Head Coach The San Antonio Scorpions have named Alen Marcina as their head coach, Scorpions President and General Manager Howard Cornfield announced on Wednesday. Marcina finished the 2013 NASL season as the Scorpions interim Head Coach, following the departure of Tim Hankinson in August. The former assistant coach was chosen from a group of talented and impressive candidates that were considered for the position. http://www.reddit.com/tb/1r3966
Indy Eleven Signs Veteran Honduran Defender Erick Norales Indy Eleven has secured another veteran presence to build its budding roster around, today announcing the signing of Honduran defender Erick Norales to a contract with the expansion North American Soccer League side. Norales was officially introduced to fans and media by Indy Eleven President/General Manager Peter Wilt and Director of Soccer Operations/Head Coach Juergen Sommer this afternoon during a presentation at the Omni Severin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. “I am very happy for the opportunity that Indy Eleven has given me and for the trust they have put in me,” said Norales. “I am looking forward to helping Indy Eleven make a name in the soccer world. Within a few hours the staff has treated like I’ve been here for a long time and made my family very welcome, which is the most important thing to me.” http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=5955
NASL 2014 Player Combine Set For University Of California-Irvine From January 24-26 The North American Soccer League will hold its annual Player Combine at the University of California, Irvine from January 24-26, 2014. Coaches representing all NASL teams will cast a watchful eye over 80 elite domestic and international players that will be invited. The three days of evaluation will include fitness testing, position drills, small-sided games and full 11v11 matches to conclude the Combine. “The NASL is built around our competition and this combine will give our coaches an opportunity to evaluate some of the best talent available, prior to making their final rosters,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. “I expect the combine to be highly competitive as the players compete to sign a contract.” http://www.reddit.com/tb/1rs7kb
Soccer Bowl Rematch Highlights 2014 NASL Season Openers NASL Announces 2014 Spring Season Schedule The 2014 North American Soccer League Spring Season will kick off on Saturday, April 12 and among the opening weekend highlights, the reigning-champion New York Cosmos will face the Atlanta Silverbacks opponent they beat 1-0 to win Soccer Bowl 2013. “Winning the Soccer Bowl was a great experience for our team and a good way to start building our club back up,” said Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese. “We are looking forward to building off of that victory and starting next season in front of our great supporters in New York.” The shortened nine-week spring campaign will run through June 8, to allow for amid-season break to align with the FIFA World Cup before the Fall Season begins. The winner of the first half of the NASL season will qualify for and earn the right to host NASL Soccer Bowl 2014. Virginia Cavalry FC’s decision to defer its inaugural season until 2015 means the ten clubs participating in 2014 must each play a nine-game season, with an unavoidable uneven balance between each club’s total number of home and away games. Having considered adding a tenth game and factored in several components including stadium availability, cold weather climate challenges and participation in domestic cup competitions, NASL owners agreed to the nine-week 2014 schedule. http://www.reddit.com/tb/1t9f6c
The Supporters’ Cup is the overall points championship for North American Soccer League teams. Supporters around the league are coming together to fund and produce a trophy to award to the overall points champion at the end of each season We are currently taking submissions for names of the competition/trophy via the official Twitter account, @SupportersCup. Some of you may remember this website starting as woosnamcup.com, as the original concept for this trophy was to name it in honor of original NASL player, coach and longtime commissioner Phil Woosnam. That name is of course still very much in consideration, we just want to let all fans let their voice be heard on the issue. Be sure to follow up and have your say! http://www.woosnamcup.com/
NASL.com Launches Partnership With PERFORM The North American Soccer League website NASL.com and each of the league’s club websites are being launched through a new and exciting digital platform in partnership with PERFORM, the world’s leading digital sports content group. As soccer in the United States reaches new levels of interest and intensity, partnering with PERFORM will help propel the new look www.NASL.com website, the NASL and its clubs to a wider audience throughout the global soccer community. PERFORM commercializes multimedia sports content across internet-enabled digital platforms, driving revenues through a mix of content distribution, advertising and sponsorship, the development and management of subscription platforms and technology and production. PERFORM owns one of the largest digital sports rights portfolios, including leading U.S. soccer site Goal.com, through contracts covering more than 200 sports and their associated leagues, tournaments and events. http://www.nasl.com/article/uuid/50zyi8xl664v1cmgyrzrvs23t/naslcom-launches-partnership-with-perform
NASL Announces 2014 Fall Season Schedule As the 2014 FIFA World Cup nears its conclusion the North American Soccer League will resume its 2014 season on the weekend of July 12 and 13. The 10 teams competing to earn a berth at NASL Soccer Bowl 2014 will kick off the 2014 Fall Season following a mid-season break for the World Cup tournament, which concludes the same weekend. NASL fans in Canada will be treated to a clash between rivals FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC, who meet at Clarke Stadium on Sunday, July 13, shortly after the World Cup Final is decided. The match will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs in 2014, as they will play twice during the Amway Canadian Championship and once during the Spring Season. http://www.nasl.com/article/uuid/gokvvy1oro8610h8qpxognjau/nasl-announces-2014-fall-season-schedule
Cosmos Corner: It's Not All About The U.S. Open Cup Despite what a majority of fans may think, the New York Cosmos play in the NASL — US Soccer’s second division. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The team’s ideology and history was something that they felt was better preserved in the NASL and, in all actuality, they are probably right. The Cosmos were known as big spenders with a flashy style and tons success under that umbrella. They already have the spending and championships locked down. However, a large portion of the fanbase isn’t interested in dominating the NASL like the old days. Instead their sights are set on the US Open Cup and – potentially – the CONCACAF Champions League. Aside from the fact that team still needs to acquire a first-division level of depth to progress deep into the Open Cup. http://www.empireofsoccer.com/cosmos-corner-about-22313/
First-round MLS draft pick Lewis signs with Cosmos Jamaican Andre Lewis was part of what seemed to be an impressive draft class for Vancouver but will join the NASL Cosmos instead of signing with MLS, sources told Goal. The Vancouver Whitecaps picked up what looked to be an impressive haul of talent at the 2014 MLS Draft, but it appears that one of the team’s most promising draft picks won’t be joining the Whitecaps after all. Jamaican youth international Andre Lewis, the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, has signed with the NASL’s New York Cosmos, sources confirmed to Goal USA on Friday. When reached for comment on the signing, Cosmos CEO Erik Stover confirmed that the Cosmos have reached an agreement on contract in principle. "We agreed to a deal in principle with the player a while ago, and he's under contract with us now pending approval from U.S. Soccer," Stover told Goal USA. "We haven't made an official announcement yet since we're in the process of finalizing the terms of the developmental agreement with his club in Jamaica." http://www.reddit.com/tb/1vh5tw
