NASL Week in Review for 2/25/2011
NASL teams have been occupied with building their rosters since our last update. The Montreal Impact have signed goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, filling the gap left by the retirement of longtime Impact keeper Matt Jordan. The Impact also added D2 veterans midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer and defender Zurab Tsiskaridze. FC Tampa Bay added midfielder Keith Savage and Andres Arango, along with goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers have Bryan Arguez returning from Estoril in Portugal and have added veteran goalkeeper Nic Platter and defender Adam West, along with Jamaican international Lance Laing, while the Atlanta Silverbacks signed five players — Fernando Gonzalez, Kohei Matsushita, Mattias Schnorf, Shane Moroney and Matt Horth. The Carolina RailHawks have picked up midfielder Jonny Steele on loan from FC Tampa Bay, while NSC Minnesota has brought back Kevin Friedland. And today the Puerto Rico Islanders announced the signing of All-Star USSF D2 defender Aaron Pitchkolan.
Montreal Impact
The Impact filled their gap at the goalkeeping position, following the retirement of Matt Jordan, by signing former Puerto Rico Islanders goalie Bill Gaudette. After a career at St. John’s University, Gaudette was picked in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft by the Columbus Crew. He played in 17 matches for the Crew before joining the Puerto Rico Islanders in 2008. The 29-year-old native of Pennsylvania earned the 2008 USL First Division Goalkeeper of the Year Award and was a prime factor in the Islanders’ 2010 USSF D2 Playoff Championship, along with their 2010 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship and their success in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Signing Gaudette was a coup for the Impact. According to Sporting Director Nick de Santis, ““We wanted a top level goalkeeper that had experience in our league and is capable of filling the void left by the retirement of Matt Jordan. He did really well for the Islanders, taking them all the way to the championship. At 29, he is a player with personality, leadership and the potential to continue improving his game. We hope he will carry on the tradition we have here of great goalkeeping.”
The Impact added two more veterans in Kreamalmeyer and Tsiskaridze. Kreamalmeyer has had a successful career in D2 as a winger, scoring 25 goals. Kreamalmeyer was drafted by Real Salt Lake in 2005 after his college career at Bradley University, and saw six appearances with RSL before joining the Portland Timbers in 2006. Luke, 28, has also played for the Rochester Rhinos, Carolina RailHawks and AC St. Louis, where he scored 5 goals and tallied 8 assists in 2010.
Zurab Tsiskaridze was born in the former Soviet Union, in Tbilisi, Georgia. He joined his father, a professional opera singer, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., in 2000, and tried out for DC United while still in high school. Tsiskaridze’s determination to play professionally took him to Brazil and France, where he played for Championnat National side FC Sete after spending time with the Kansas City Wizards reserves. Tsiskaridze, 24, latched onto Miami FC, playing 18 games in 2009 and saw regular duty on the backline for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2010. Montreal’s signings brings the team roster to 19 players.
FC Tampa Bay
FC Tampa Bay has added three more players for Coach Ricky Hill. Keith Savage played for the Portland Timbers the last two seasons, appearing in all 30 league games in 2009 but limited to 10 matches in 2010 because of injury. The 6’2″ midfielder is a native of Florida, and played for the PDL’s Central Florida Kraze in 2006-2007 before being drafted by Chivas USA in 2008, where he made eight appearances. Keith’s father Bruce Savage played for the Atlanta Chiefs and Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the old NASL and had 16 caps for the USMNT in the early 1980s.
Tampa Bay also added defensive help in the form of veteran defender Andres Arango and rookie goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. Arango was born in Medellin, Colombia, but grew up in Canada and made 20 appearances for the Canadian national U-20 and U-23 teams. He began his career with the Montreal Impact in 2003, but was traded to the Toronto Lynx. Arango, 27, has also played with the Minnesota Thunder and NSC Minnesota Stars.
Attinella, like Savage, is also a Florida native. The rookie played at the University of South Florida from 2007-2010, where he received many individual honors, including being named as Big East Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009. Attinella was also a member of the Countryside High School, which were ranked number one in a national poll in 2006. Attinella was also invited to the MLS Combine in January.
Attinella made a big impression on the FC Tampa Bay brass. “I’ve watched Jeff play during his college career at USF. He developed into one of the best collegiate goalkeepers in the country,” said Executive Vice President, Director of Player Development and Technical Director Perry Van Der Beck. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to sign a player of his caliber and I believe he has the potential to be a top goalkeeper in our league.”
Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Strikers’ management has brought four more veteran players into the fold. Goalkeeper Nic Platter played ten matches for the Carolina RailHawks in 2010 after spending five seasons with the Minnesota Thunder, appearing in 85 matches. Platter had a standout career at the University of California-Davis, setting school records for shutouts and saves. Helping out defensively will be ex-Rochester Rhino Adam West. The former Washington Husky also played for the 2007 USL First Division Champion Seattle Sounders. West,24, is a Washington native.
The Strikers have also signed Jamaican defender Lance Laing and have brought back Bryan Arguez. Laing, 22, has played professionally in Jamaica for Harbour View FC and Village United, and appeared for the senior national team in 2008-2009. Arguez is also 22 years old, and has made almost 45 appearances with the USMNT’s U-17, U-20 and U-23 squads. Arguez has been with DC United, Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin and Portuguese side Estoril along with Miami FC, where he played in seven games in 2010.
Atlanta Silverbacks
Atlanta Director of Soccer Rodrigo Rios has brought in five players for Coach Jose Manuel Abundis. His most recent signing was midfielder Fernando Gonzalez, 21, who played for the University of South Florida. The 5’10″ Tampa native played mainly in a defensive midfield role for the Bulls, and also was a member of the Puerto Rican U-21 Men’s National Team pool in 2010. The other Silverback signings making their professional debuts are striker Matt Horth, 21, and midfielder Shane Moroney, 22. Horth is a 6’3″ native of Akron, Ohio who scored 15 goals in his first 18 collegiate matches at Gordon College in Massachusetts. Moroney played at Berry College and is a Georgia native. The 5’10 midfielder will try to duplicate the success of fellow Berry College alum Mark Bloom, who was a backline fixture for AC St. Louis as a 2010 rookie.
The Silverbacks also added some veteran presence in Kohei Matsushita and Mattias Schnorf. Matsushita, born in 1985, started his career in his native Japan at J-League club Jubilo Iwata, but got his playing time on loan at 2nd division club Ehime FC. Matsushita has demonstrated the ability to play at both left and right back, and spent time with the Japan national youth teams. Mattias Schnorf, 26, also bring professional experience to the Silverbacks, having played with Swiss 2nd division side FC Winterthur. The central defender also earned six caps with the Swiss U-21 national team.
Carolina RailHawks
Coach Martin Rennie’s RailHawks have obtained well-traveled midfielder Jonny Steele on loan from FC Tampa Bay. The Northern Ireland native is only 25, but since beginning his career with Wolverhampton in 2004 has played with with the Vancouver Whitecaps, FC Tampa Bay, the Puerto Rico Islanders, the Rochester Rhinos and Syracuse Salty Dogs, in addition to playing for three different indoor teams. Steele played for the RailHawks in 2007, and the 6-footer won USL First Division MVP honors in 2008 while with the Islanders.
The RailHawks will also be looking for goalkeeping help, as last year’s goalkeepers, Eric Reed and Nic Platter, have signed with the Charlotte Eagles and Fort Lauderdale Strikers, respectively.
NSC Minnesota Stars
Stars Coach Manny Lagos will have Kevin Friedland back for the 2011 season. The 29-year-old defender from Irvine, California played his college ball for the SMU Mustangs, and gained All-American honors in 2002. After five years with the Minnesota Thunder, Friedland joined the Stars in 2010 as a player-coach. Friedland was originally drafted by the Kansas City Wizards in 2003. He was a member of the silver-medal winning U.S. squads in the 2004 Maccabiah Games held in Israel.
“A player of Kevin’s experience in this league will be hugely beneficial, doubly so because of his coaching role,” said Lagos, who doubles as NSC Minnesota Director of Soccer Operations. Friedland will also have some front office duties in addition to playing and coaching.
The Stars also announced the renewal of their partnership with Fit Studios in St. Louis Park, MN. The strength and conditioning firm will work with Stars’ players both during the preseason and during the season.
Puerto Rico Islanders
The 2010 USSF D2 playoff champions lost regular goalkeeper Bill Gaudette to Montreal and are without defender Richard Martinez, who’s in camp with the Seattle Sounders. But good news for Islanders’ fans was announced today as the club has signed former Rochester Rhinos defender Aaron Pitchkolan. Pitchkolan, 27, was named to the USSF D2 Best XI while with the Rhinos in 2010. He has played over 75 MLS league matches, mostly for FC Dallas, while also playing briefly for the San Jose Earthquakes.
Comments are closed.
@Gerry – Really liking these weekly updates Gerry, thanks! And don’t forget everyone in South Florida, tomorrow at 2:30 PM, the Strikers preseason kicks off with the Red Bulls at Lockhart, and it’s FREE to the public!!!! Go Strikers!!!!
@ Strikers Return — Thanks for the kind words and thanks for the reminder about the Strikers match with the Red Bulls tomorrow. I was going to mention it and then got a tweet about the Islanders signing Aaron Pitchkolan and wanted to get that into the post. You’ll have to give us a report on the game.
Also, for those missing out on American soccer, ESPN 3 will stream the Toronto FC-Orlando City SC match at 6:00 pm ET Saturday and the Houston Dynamo-FC Dallas contest at 8:00 pm ET. Those games will most likely be archived for awhile.
According to this interview with the president of the PR Islanders (http://www.primerahora.com/seattlesefijaenrichardmartinez-476992.html) in one of the nation’s big three newspapers, Richard Martinez is under contract with the Islanders for 2011 and they will only consider an offer by Seattle if it is “in the best interest of the franchise and the player.” Which sounds like they are in no hurry to get rid of Richard unless the price is right.
The same article says that, without mentioning names, they are looking at a prospect to mind the nets from England as a replacement for Bill Gaudette. Andrés Guillemard said that by Bill joining the Impact he is with the team that “wants to be the second best in the NASL.” That is a very cute way of expressing his hopes for the Islanders this year.
Thanks for the updates Gerry! I really appreciate them.
@fotbalist….I’m glad you like the review.
@El Padre….Thanks for the clarification on Richard Martinez’ status with the Sounders.
@Gerry & everyone else – This afternoon’s game was a bit disappointing on the field, but the crowd was great. Considering the game wasn’t announced until Thursday evening, giving really just Friday to advertise it, which I think wasn’t done more then on the local paper’s website in the sports section, there was a great crowd on hand. I’m not the best at estimating numbers, and since it was free admission there won’t be an offical count, but I’d guess 3,000, maybe a little more.
As for the game itself, it was easy to see it was the Strikers first preseason game. Some errant passes and missed chances were clearly the result of players still trying to get used to one another. All in all, outside of the early goal by Henry, I’d say the defended pretty well. But the offense needs a lot of work. You could see some guys with skill, but there wasn’t much flow. I think it will come as preseason moves along. All in all, despite the score, I’d say the return of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers was a success!
@ Strikers Return…..Thanks for sharing the info about the Strikers -RedBulls match. At this point of preseason, the more important news is the crowd in the stands opposed to the play on the pitch IMHO. Good to hear !!!
@Gerry – Been talking to a few others that were there, and some with contacts in the organization. Seems the team is estimating 3,500, so I’d say somewhere between 3,000 – 3,500 is very accurate. I agree that the attendance is the bigger factor here, outside of it being the first time the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers have taken the field in Lockhart in a LONG time of course! Basically Friday was the only real day for the team to promote the match, and an small article, not even in the sports section, in the Sun-Sentinel was pretty much the extent of that. Given that context, you could not have asked for more in the way of turnout. Plus it’s being said that another 100 season tickets were sold today, to end up a week of very solid sales.
I can’t speak about the other NASL teams (that’s everyone else’s cue ot chime in here!) but the Strikers and Traffic have been doing a hell of a job so far in working on this rebrand. There are a bunch more preseason events scheduled, hopefully another friendly or two will be added as well, and things seem to be going just as I (optimistically) hoped they would. The community is embracing the revival of the Strikers brand, and I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far.
Walking into Lockhart and being able to root for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers for the first time in nearly 30 years was incredible, and having my son there with me, just about the same age I was when my Dad took me my very first time, made it even sweeter! Anyone out there who scoffs at nostalgia like that, or foolishly thinks the Strikers brand is not going to make a difference, I’ve got some advice for you – just watch things unfold this year in South Florida. Pay even closer attention on May 14th when one of the oldest, and greatest pro soccer rivalries in North America is renewed! Like I said, today was just the tip of the iceberg…….
I asm glad to see this coming together. May the momentum continue throughout the season.
You think 3,000 fans was good for a free game with all Red Bull starters? I don’t know about that but hopefully its a good start. They should have charged admission and used the ticket as a down payment credit on season tickets.
Sheridon they sold nearly 100 season tickets at the game alone. That’s 2 or 3 times more than they had all last season. Considering the very short timeframe to spread the word about the game, 3,000 was a VERY good crowd. We had a handful of the most dedicated supporters who could not make it because they already hand made commitments for Saturday afternoon. Until Thursday night, we were told it was going to be closed to the public. It was a great start.
They’ve sold a mess of season tix since last week’s name announcement, they are up to around 500 now, and it’s not out of the question that the number of season tickets sold this year will be more than the average total attendance for last year(1200-ish) before the season even starts.
I don’t understand how it is good that a potentially big event wasn’t advertised enough, and that three thousand plus tickets were not sold. You guys will have to explain this one to me. Because it seems that not making money is the start of losing money, and losing money is the start to folding. Maybe my logic is off a bit, but I think some people dropped the ball on this one.
@Daniel – I can understand your confusion, but let me explain the circumstances, and let’s see if it makes a bit more sense. The game itself was Saturday the 26th at 2:30 PM. Until 6 PM the Thursday before, the 24th, this was supposed to be a scrimmage, closed to the public. Somehow it seems the Strikers convinced the Red Bulls at the last minute to open it up for the public to watch.
At that point, the team had two options. Treat it as a preseason friendly like most teams would and charge normal admission, or do what they did, and say, you know what, this game was going to be played anyway, let’s use it as an opportunity to further market our product to the community. Obviously it left practically no time to get the word out locally via normal channels, and all I saw was an ad for the local paper, not even in the Sports section mind you. So when you stop to think about it, you had over 3,000 people show up, based mianly on the word of mouth of season ticket holders, and followers of the team via the web. IMHO, the club made the best of the situation and turned it into a really great marketing event. As we all know, marketing is priceless at this level if it is successful. I’d say it definitely was.
100 season tickets sold in one day for a D2 team is nothing to scoff at. Add those to the great sales work the organization has done since the offical renaming of the team, and as F19 stated, word is they are up to 500 in less then two weeks! Considering the team sold less then 100 season seats last year, I’d say things have turned around drastically. And they aren’t slowing down either. Between now and the season opener, there are still numerous events already planned (check out http://www.strikers.com for the info), and I’m sure we’ll see some more preseason friendlies as well.
We have every reason to be optimistic about this season down here in South Florida. I’m hopeful the other NASL teams give their fans the same kind of optimism with their efforts leading up to the season. I know it’s going to be a great year in Lockhart!