USL PRO Week in Review for 3/18/2011

This week in USL PRO has again been busy with clubs signing players for the upcoming season. The Harrisburg City Islanders announced the signing of four players, while Orlando City SC signed two veteran defenders.  The Pittsburgh Riverhounds announced four signings and the Richmond Kickers added two experienced veterans to their 2011 roster. FC New York announced seven signings, including two Irish players, while the LA Blues added a former LA Galaxy player and the 2010 USL-2 champion Charleston Battery signed two young Jamaican players.

Harrisburg City Islanders

The Harrisburg City Islanders have announced that team captain Dustin Bixler will be returning, and the team will be signing defender Andrew Marshall and midfielder Nelson Becerra. The team also signed goalkeeper Chase Harrison. This will be the goalkeeper’s second tour of duty with the City Islanders, but the 26-year-old has also played for Crystal Palace Baltimore, the Rochester Rhinos, and Portland Timbers, and has spent time on the rosters of the Columbus Crew, DC United and was drafted by Real Salt Lake in 2006. Harrison was a 2010 teammate at Crystal Palace Baltimore with defender Andrew Marshall, who has played for the Baltimore club since 2007 after attending Towson University.

Defender Dustin Bixler, 28, has been with the City Islanders since 2005, having played in over 100 games for the club. The native of nearby Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania attended Lock Haven University and has already begun his coaching career, coaching the boys’ soccer team at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Midfielder Nelson Becerra comes to Harrisburg from the talent-rich St. John’s University squad. Four other St. John’s alumni signed with FC New York earlier.

Orlando City SC

Orlando City SC have signed American defenders Wes Allen and Jack Traynor, both 24. Allen, a 6’1″ native of Austin, played two seasons with the Aztex, appearing in 22 matches, after previously playing for the Austin Aztex U-23 in 2008. Allen played his college ball at Oakland University in Michigan. Traynor has played 46 games in D2 the last two seasons with Miami FC and AC St. Louis after finishing his career at Notre Dame. Lions Coach Adrian Heath has also added goalkeeper coach Marcos Machado to his staff. Machado began his professional career in his native Brazil, and also played professionally in Portugal before coming to the U.S. to join the Orlando Sun Dogs in 1997. Machado has been active in coaching in the Orlando area after retiring in 2000.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Coach Justin Evans welcomes Thabiso ‘Boyzzz’ Khumalo back to the Steel City. Khumalo, 30, played in 27 matches for DC United after leaving the Riverhounds in 2008. The 5’10 winger/forward has also played for the Wilmington Hammerheads and Charleston Battery and in his native South Africa. Mike Seth is a defender returning for his second year with the Riverhounds, while forward Matt Fondy and midfielder Ben Horner were combine discoveries.  Fondy played his college ball at University of California – Santa Cruz while Horner is a local player who attended Duquesne University.

Richmond Kickers

The Richmond Kickers brought in a player with a vast amount of experience when signing Japanese midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama. The 33-year-old has over 150 appearances in the J-League, where he began his career in 1996.  The 5’9″ midfielder has also played professionally in Brazil, Paraguay, in Ligue 1 with Montpellier and in the Portugal with Braga. Hiroyama has also earned two caps for the Japanese national team.

Kickers Coach Leigh Cowlishaw appreciates what a player with Hiroyama’s wealth of experience brings to his team. “We are delighted Hiro has agreed to join the Kickers as he has exceptional quality and an extensive international experience,” said Leigh Cowlishaw. “We were fortunate that Hiro was able to train with the team prior to signing and we expect he will provide an added dimension to our attack.”

The Kickers also signed 5’7″ midfielder Shaka Bangura for the upcoming season. Bangura, 25, is a native of Sierra Leone who played in 14 games last season for the USSF D2 champion Puerto Rico Islanders. Bangura is an attacking player who can also play striker. Bangura grew up in Georgia and played in the NPSL for FC Atlanta and in the PDL with the Fredericksburg Gunners, where he scored 12 goals in 18 matches in 2009.

FC New York

The New York club announced the signings of seven more players. As IMS reported last week, midfielder Troy Cole, formerly of AC St. Louis, has joined the club along with another player with professional experience, Josiah Snelgrove. A native of New Brunswick, the 6’0″ Snelgrove was with the Charlotte Eagles in 2008 and played in the PDL with the Southern California Seahorses. The defender spent 2010 sidelined with injury.

FC New York have also added two players from Ireland, winger Owen Morrison and midfielder Stephen Roche.  Morrison, 29, has played professionally throughout the UK. In England, he has played for Sheffield Wednesday and their city rivals, Sheffield United, along with Bradford City, Stockport County and briefly with Hull City while on loan. He has played for Dunfermline AC in Scotland and Irish clubs Sligo Rovers and Derry City, where he began his career in 1997. Stephen Roche, 24, played for University College Dublin and captained his side in the 2009 World Student Games held in Belgrade. He has also played for Greystones AFC in the Leinster Senior League based in Dublin.

FC New York also brought in three rookies. Brent Brockman is a 5’10″ attacking midfielder who played college ball at George Mason University. Steve Covino is a Connecticut native who played for Sienna College, while Gary Boughton is a 5’10″ native of Buffalo. Boughton was one of nine finalists selected for GolTV’s 2010 “Soccer Aces” reality show, and the former Medaille University midfielder has played four seasons of PDL ball for the Ft. Wayne Fever, Austin Aztex U-23 and Houston Leones.

LA Blues

The Blues have added more experience to their club by signing veteran defender Mike Randolph, 25. The left back, who also can play in the midfield, played in 39 games for the LA Galaxy between 2006 and 2008. Randolph, a California native, has also played for the Portland Timbers and was with Miami FC in 2010, appearing in 16 matches.

“Mike is a great addition to our group and fits our system perfectly,” Head Coach and Vice President Charlie Naimo said. “He is also another seasoned professional that will help us navigate a long season.”

Charleston Battery

The Charleston Battery have added two Jamaican players to their squad, striker Dane Kelly and midfielder Evan Taylor, according to an article in the Charleston Post and Courier. Kelly, 20, is a speedy attacker who has already demonstrated his worth by scoring and drawing a penalty kick in the preseason against Toronto FC. Kelly, 5’11″ played last season in the Jamaican Premier League, leading the league with 15 goals.

Taylor, 22, has played over 75 matches in the Jamaican Premier League. He also has earned 11 caps for the Jamaican National Team and played in World Cup qualifying matches for Jamaica against Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas.  The central midfielder was on loan to the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency program in 2009.

Battery Coach Michael Anhaeuser shared his thoughts on the Jamaican duo with the Post and Courier’s Andrew Miller. “Dane showed he can hold his own against quality competition,” Anhaeuser said. “He has tremendous pace up top and he’s very dangerous with the ball at his feet. His potential is unlimited.”  Concerning Taylor, Anhaeuser added that “Evan is a solid midfielder with a huge upside.  He has played at a very high level with the Jamaican national team and the youth national team, so he’s seen quality opponents throughout his career.”