NASL Week in Review for 4/1/2011

It’s been an exciting week for NASL fans, with the naming of new commissioner David Downs, an upgraded NASL website and logo, and the unveiling of the new Fort Lauderdale Strikers logo.  In other news, the Puerto Rico Islanders added a veteran goalkeeper, a young defender and re-signed an Islander original while FC Tampa Bay added three players to their roster and the Strikers added a goalkeeper, midfielder and two veterans with extensive experience.  The Atlanta Silverbacks have added four young players to fill out their roster, while the Montreal Impact brought in a former RailHawk for the 2011 season.

Puerto Rico Islanders

The Islanders have added more quality at the goalkeeper position after the loss of veteran Bill Gaudette to Montreal. The Islanders announced the signing of veteran Ray Burse, rookie defender Jamie Cunningham and also announced that veteran Islander Alexis Rivera will be back for 2011. A native of Kentucky, Burse played at Ohio State and with the Chicago Fire Premier in the PDL before being drafted by FC Dallas in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. Burse played in 25 matches for FC Dallas between 2006 and 2009, and spent time on loan with the Portland Timbers in 2008, playing in 10 games. More recently, Burse, 26, was signed by the Columbus Crew on a short-term contract this February because of injuries at the goalkeeping position and started both legs of the Crew’s CONCACAF Champions League matches with Real Salt Lake, posting a clean sheet in the first leg.

“Burse brings vast experience as a goalkeeper and we are very excited to have him on our roster for the 2011 NASL season and CFU Club Champions Cup,” said Islanders assistant coach Adrian Whitbread. “We are looking forward to see him compete for the starting goalkeeping position on our team,” he added.

Jamie Cunningham is a defender from Fort Lewis College in Colorado.  The 6’2″ native of Scottsdale, Arizona was named to the Daktronics All America Central Region team his senior year.   Team captain Cunningham scored 17 goals in his four years for the Skyhawks and earned an invitation to tryout with Real Salt Lake earlier this year.  Cunningham also played for the Victoria Highlanders in the PDL.

Alexis Rivera has been with the Islanders since their 2004 beginnings, and is the only player from the Islanders’ inaugural season. The San Juan native has played in 125 matches for the Islanders. The 28-year-old defender/midfielder is currently recovering from ankle surgery, but should soon be ready for action.  Rivera has also represented Puerto Rico at the international level.

“We are extremely happy to have Alexis Rivera for another year with the Puerto Rico Islanders. Alexis has been a key member of our organization since day one and we are looking forward to having him on the field again and totally recovered,” said Islanders President Andrés Guillemard-Noble.

FC Tampa Bay

Coach Ricky Hill has three more players on his FC Tampa Bay roster to work with, as the club announced the signings of D2 veterans Warren Ukah and Omar Jarun along with preseason trialist Matt Clare. Ukah, 26, is a 6 footer from Georgia who has played for the Virginia Beach Mariners, Atlanta Silverbacks and Rochester Rhinos before heading to Minnesota to play for the Stars in 2010. Ukah has also played with the Village United club of Jamaica as well as the Wilmington Hammerheads, the Portland Timbers U-23 and indoors with the Milwaukee Wave.  He has scored over 20 goals while playing professionally outdoors in the U.S. and played in 19 matches for the Stars in 2010.

Omar Jarun, 27, was born in Kuwait City but raised by his Palestinian parents in Georgia, and has played internationally for Palestine.  The 6’5″ central defender played college ball at the University of Memphis and at Dayton before turning professional in 2006 with the Atlanta Silverbacks. Jarun played in 53 matches for the Atlanta club before joining the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2008, playing in 26 games for the 2008 USL-1 champion ‘Caps.  Jarun has played two seasons in Poland in the 2nd tier of Polish soccer for clubs Flota Świnoujście and MKS Pogoń Szczecin. Jarun will help fill the absence left in FC Tampa Bay’s backline following the season-ending knee injury to Yendry Diaz.

Matt Clare is a forward who scored against Swedish club BK Hacken in FC Tampa Bay’s preseason. He played for the West Virginia Chaos of the PDL in 2008 and was part of the IMG Bradenton Academy club.  His father, John Clare, played for the old Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the original NASL.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

The Strikers have announced the signing of goalkeeper Phillip Lamarre and midfielder Patrick Otte, along with veterans Eduardo Coudet and Christian Arrieta. Lamarre, 23, is a Florida native who played at Florida Atlantic University before transferring for his senior season at Florida International University.  The 6’2″ keeper was signed by FC Tampa Bay last season but did not see league action and was released in February, 2011.

Patrick Otte is a 5’8″ midfielder who learned his trade at the Middlesbrough Academy in England. The 19-year-old has been part of the USMNT U-18 squad.  Additionally, the California native has played in the PDL for the Ventura County Fusion.

“Pat is an exciting, attacking player. He can help us in the midfield or up top,” said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore. “We are happy to add Phil to close out what we feel is an exciting group, all of whom will compete for the number one spot.”

Eduardo Coudet, 36, is a native of Buenos Aires and brings a wealth of experience to the Strikers club. The 5’10″ midfielder began his professional career with Atletico Platense in Argentina in 1993, and subsequently played for Argentine clubs River Plate, Rosario Central and San Lorenzo, along with a brief spell at Celta Vigo in Spain. Coudet has also played professionally in Mexico for San Luis, scoring 10 goals, and for Necaxa. In 2010, Coudet played for Colon de Santa Fe in Argentina and played nine games for the Philadelphia Union in MLS.  Coudet has played in nearly 500 league matches on three continents, scoring 72 goals.

Christian Arrieta, 31, is a defender who’s twice achieved USL-1 Defender of the Year honors while with the Puerto Rico Islanders in 2008 and 2009. Born in Florida, Arrieta grew up both in Spain and Italy and began his professional career in the lower divisions of Italian soccer but played for Lecce in Serie B in 2006.

The 6’2″ defender was named the USL-1 MVP in 2009 in addition to his Defender of the Year honors, being only the second defender to ever win MVP (the other was Marcelo Balboa.) Arrieta also took part in the Italian soccer reality show Campione, il Sogno, centered around the Cervia club with which he played.  Winning the reality show brought Arrieta a tryout with Inter Milan. Arrieta spent the 2010 season with the expansion Philadelphia Union club, making 16 MLS appearances.

The Strikers have had a busy week with the unveiling of their new logo and uniforms.  The club had a ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, Florida to celebrate the introduction of their new kit.

Atlanta Silverbacks

The Silverbacks have brought in four youngsters to the club: strikers Junior Sandoval and Jon Cox, plus goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and defender Willie Hunt. Sandoval, 20, is a native of Honduras who grew up in Georgia. He attended Georgia Perimeter College and played two summers for Atlanta FC. Sandoval made four appearances for the Puerto Rico Islanders in 2010 and he is on loan with the Silverbacks.

Jon Cox is a 6’1″ forward from Georgia Southern University. Cox, 24, is a native of Atlanta who was born in St. Louis and had two seasons in the PDL with the Atlanta Silverbacks U-23. Maurer, 22, attended the University of South Carolina where he kept 28 clean sheets in his career, second in school history, and is another area product. Maurer also played with the Chicago Fire Premier, Atlanta FC and the Silverbacks U-23. He was drafted by the NY Red Bulls in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft and did get a one-game contract with the team when the top two goalkeepers were unavailable.

Willie Hunt, 23, played college soccer in his home state of South Carolina at Francis Marion University, a school that plays at the NCAA DII level. Hunt also played two seasons for the Mississippi Brilla in the PDL. In 2009, Hunt was the only Brilla player to play every minute of every match.

“We’re so happy to announce that we’ve officially added these players to our team,” said Silverbacks Director of Soccer Rodrigo Rios. “They bring a combination of youth and experience that we’ll use as a foundation for our franchise.”

Montreal Impact

The Impact have added former Carolina RailHawk Amir Lowery for the 2011 season. The 27-year-old native of Washington, DC played at Wake Forest University, and was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in 2005 (and also the Philadelphia Kixx of the MISL).  Lowery has been with the Atlanta Silverbacks, Kansas City Wizards and San Jose Earthquakes before finding a home in Carolina in 2009, playing in 48 matches with the RailHawks over two seasons. Lowery can play in both the midfield and on the backline.

NASL News

FC Edmonton announced a shirt sponsorship affiliation with Sears Financial.  “It’s my extreme pleasure to announce our main sponsor, Sears Financial, who is making such a significant statement of support,” owner Tom Fath said. “It is a great privilege to have an international organization with such a strong reputation join us, support us and share in the great things we hope to do in, for and with this city.”

The Montreal Impact announced the that long-time Impact midfielder Patrick Leduc was retiring. The 33-year-old Quebec native proudly wore the colors of the Impact his entire professional career, which spanned eleven seasons and 222 games. Leduc played on two USL-1 championship teams with the Impact, along with two USL-1 Commissioner’s Cup trophies and seven Canadian Voyageur’s Cup championships.