April 23, 2013

Louisville, Ky.- 99 Rovers standout Trey Muse is one of 29 players to be called up by head coach Hugo Perez for the U.S. Under-14 Youth National Team training camp on April 20-28 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The training camp will include friendly matches against the LA Galaxy Academy, Real SoCal, and Chivas USA Academy as the team is preparing for a trip to Croatia next month.

U-14  YNT Coach Hugo Perez stated, “this camp is important for two reasons: one, it is our last preparation before we go to Europe next month for the Croatia trip. For that trip we’re only taking 20 players so it’ll be an interesting week because obviously we want our kids to work hard and earn a spot to go to Croatia. The second thing is, we’re bringing in a couple new guys…The ones who are here for their fourth camp obviously know what we expect and we expect that those players who have been here welcome the players coming in for the first time. Nobody has a secure place in this group, it’s a developmental group, it’s a group that has been introduced to the National Team program for the first time and need to understand how serious it is to represent our country and also the way we’re trying to change the way they think, the way they play and the way they behave and what it takes to not only be a National Team player but an elite National Team player.”

Muse is one of the newcomers to the U-14 YNT, earning his first call-up to the group which in the fourth training camp of this cycle.  Based on the recommendations of the Rovers coaching staff, Muse was recently selected to US Club Soccer’s ID2 International Tour Team.  This team, who traveled to Spain last month, competing against the likes of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, included a number of the players currently in the YNT training camp, and provided Muse the opportunity prove to Perez, who accompanied them on this trip, that he was capable of competing at the highest level.

To view a complete list of the U-14 YNT roster by position, click here

LOUISVILLE, KY – (March 5, 2013) – Louisville’s own Premier Development League (PDL) Franchise, the River City Rovers, has been selected for the 100^th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.  The Rovers will join 15 other PDL franchises across the nation including the Central Conference and Great Lakes Division rival, the Michigan Bucks.

“I am very excited to be a part of the oldest and largest national competition.  We hope to represent Louisville properly.  This is a great opportunity for the Rovers to not only play elite competition, but to get a taste of a great tradition,” stated River City Head Coach, Muhamed Fazlagic. 

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup dates back to 1914, and has recently expanded its tournament field to 68 teams.  The Rovers first match is May 14^th (venue to be announced). As it progresses, each team will have the opportunity to advance to the next round via single elimination format. If River City advances into the third round of the National Tournament, they will be paired against one of 16 MLS team franchises.

The Rovers organization was ecstatic about being selected. Executive Director, Pete Laventis stated, “I am so excited for our players.  To qualify for the Open Cup in our second season of PDL is an incredible accomplishment.”  He added, “…to my knowledge, no team from Kentucky has ever qualified for this tournament, so this is a huge advancement for the development of soccer in the state and an exciting accomplishment for the River City Rovers."

The Rovers will follow up their U.S. Open Cup game with a their first home game against the defending PDL national champion, FC London, at 7:00PM on May 18^th 2013.  The Rovers new home for the 2013 PDL season is Martha Layne Collins Stadium located at 801 Discovery Blvd in Shelbyville KY. Visit www.roverssoccer.com for more information about tickets and group packages.

*The River City Rovers 2013 Premier Development League (PDL) team showcases the most accomplished Louisville-area soccer athletes who currently play for their respective club and college teams. In 2012, the team included players from University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Bellarmine, Notre Dame and more. Rovers players are allowed to compete in the PDL and still maintain their NCAA eligibility. The United Soccer League (USL) manages the PDL, and features 67 teams across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The PDL has proven to be an important stepping-stone for soccer players looking to advance to MLS and beyond. 

Andrew Hagan (goalkeeper) and Mark Lanham (midfielder) from the Rovers Youth Academy 98s have been selected to participate in the USYS Regioan II International Tour.  The 98 Region II ODP team will travel to Costa Rica February 6-13, 2013, to play against top clubs.  The team will also go to a professional game and go on other sight seeing adventures.  Andrew and Mark were selected based upon thier performances at last summer Region II camp and this year’s Thanksgiving Interregional.

ROSTER:

No.	Pos.	Name	Hometown	Club
4	D	Tyler Adams	Wappingers Falls, N.Y.	New York Red Bulls
15	D	Andrew Aprahamian	Exton, Pa.	Penn Fusion
1	GK	Carlos Avilez	Dallas, Texas	FC Dallas
8	M	Omar Beltran	Garland, Texas	Dallas Texans
14	M	Josh Burnett	Glen Ridge, N.J.	PDA
18	M	Jose Carranza	Manassas, Va.	D.C. United
9	F	Lucas del Rosario	Durham, N.C.	CASL
5	D	Mckay Eves	Las Vegas, Nev.	Heat FC
7	F	Jonathan Gonzalez	Santa Rosa, Calif.	Atletico Santa Rosa
2	D	Kyle Gruno	Upper Saddle River, N.J.	PDA
3	F/D	Edwin Lara	San Leandro, Calif.	Pumas
17	D	Anthony Markanich	Bourbonnais, Ill.	Chicago Fire Academy
20	GK	Trey Muse	Louisville, Ky.	Rovers Youth Academy
12	M	Will Rojas	New Brunswick, N.J.	Match Fit Chelsea
6	D	Cody Sundquist	Lincoln, Calif.	Placer United
10	M	Nick Taitague	Midlothian, Va.	FC Richmond
11	F	Adolfo Trujillo	Livermore, Calif.	Ballistic United SC
16	D	Samuel Vines	Colorado Springs, Colo.	Pride SC

 

via USL PRO News Release

BRADENTON, Fla. - The finalized rosters for the 2013 USL PRO Combine presented by Umbro were released today as players began to arrive for a weekend of training, testing and competition at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy. Through injuries, and pre-combine signings, some new names have been added, with players aiming to impress the coaches and scouts assembled.

Among the players in Team 1, to be coached by Phil Wheddon and Tony Glavin, are former Orlando City U23 goalkeeper Chip Sanders, who played a key role in the Lions’ run to the Eastern Conference Championship. Also on the squad is Ventura County Fusion forward Chris Tsonis, who had three goals in 10 games as the Fusion won the PDL Southwest Division last season.

Team 2, coached by Gordon Hill and Paul Rogers, will be led by the River City Rovers’ Dillon ‘Buck’ Tufty, who had nine goals and three assists in 10 games in the PDL last summer. Other players to watch will include Des Moines Menace defender Logan McDaniel, and Sounders FC U23 midfielder Facundo Dipasquale.

Former Victoria Highlanders forward Sasa Plavsic will be a player to watch on Team 3, coached by Duncan Wilde and Scott Bowers. Plavsic had four goals in the PDL last summer, and is joined on the squad by a pair of players from Orlando City U23, with midfielder Anthony Arico having recorded three assists last season and defender Joseph Toby appearing in all 16 games last summer.

Former All-Southern Conference selection Moses Aduny, who previously played for the Mississippi Brilla and Orlando City U23 in the PDL, leads the group on Team 4. Colby Bauer, previously a standout midfielder for BYU, is also on the squad, set to be coached by Jeff Tipping and David Winner, as is former Reading United goalkeeper Bret Mollon.

Team 5, coached by Gwynne Williams and Abe Thompson, includes former Real Maryland defender Josh Danza, who last year was called into Puerto Rico National Team camp. Chicago Inferno midfielder Emir Zrnic, who had seven goals in the PDL last summer, is also on the squad, as is Panama City Beach Pirates midfielder Cory Adamson. 

Rounding out the combine is Team 6, set to be led by Billy Steele and Mark Litton. Midfielder Nuno Gourgel of the 2012 PDL Champion FC London will be a player to watch, as will former Cincinnati Kings and St. Louis Lions standout Steven Beattie, a former MLS Supplemental Draft selection of Toronto FC.

The combine opens on Thursday afternoon as the first goalkeeper training session gets underway, with the field players arriving at IMG Academy on Friday for training and testing. Scrimmages are set to begin on Saturday morning. Live updates throughout the weekend will be available on the @USLPRO Twitter feed as players chase their professional aspirations. 

 Eintracht Frankfurt of the German Bundesliga has announced the signing of former River City Rovers Rovers standout Paolo DelPiccolo.  Last week DelPiccolo was selected with the 27th pick in the MLS Draft by the Montreal Impact--Rover Andrew Farrell was selected with the #1 overall pick by the New England Revolution--but instead the deep-lying midfielder has chosen to play in one of Europe’s top leagues.  A former member of the USMNT U18 and U20 teams, DelPiccolo joined the Rovers for the 2012 season in which they earned an impressive 3rd place finish in the Great Lakes Conference of the PDL.  "I’m extremely excited to be starting my career at Eintracht Frankfurt," said DelPiccolo via his agent. "There is a good environment here, and I feel like people believe in me. I can’t wait to get started." He will be joining Eintracht Frankfurt who are currently 4th in the Bundesliga standings, a position which would earn them a spot in next year’s UEFA Champions League. He is expected to play with Eintracht II, its under-23 team, in the Regional Liga. We wish Paolo the best of luck as he continues to pursue his dreams.

(Paolo DelPiccolo, left, with Eintracht Frankfurt jersey)

CONGRATULATIONS ANDREW!

Our inaugural show comes during the week of the 2013 MLS Draft, so who better to have as our first two guests than the two highest-rated players on the SBI MLS Draft Big Board? We were lucky enough to speak with Generation adidas signings Andrew Farrell (@louisville05) and Walker Zimmerman (TheWalkerZim). Farrell talked to us about how his Combine has gone so far, and even provides some insight into what could be the first speech delivered at the 2013 MLS Draft. Zimmerman catches us up on his injury, his chances of being a part of the U.S. Under-20 national team qualifying campaign, and what he will bring to the table as a 19-year-old centerback.

LAUDERHILL, Fla. — For the player projected by some to be the No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick, it was the only blemish on an otherwise dominant performance.

Six minutes into the second half, with his AdiZero team cruising 3-0 on the first day of the MLS Player Combine, Louisville central defender Andrew Farrell danced on the ball until he was ultimately dispossessed by an opposing forward. The error resulted in a shot which forced AdiZero goalkeeper James Belshaw from Duke into one of the saves of the Friday afternoon doubleheader.

"James saved my butt there," Farrell said. "I told him I was trying to give him some reps in goal. That’s always something I tend to do. I try to do too much sometimes and I have to simplify the game. I’ve played different roles and I have to mature in that position. That will come with playing time and learning from other guys."

It was a humble admission from a player who backed up all the hype surrounding him in the lead-up to the Combine with a dominating physical performance in which he canceled out the opponents’ forwards.

READ: Where does Farrell go in our experts’ pre-Combine Mock Draft?

And those who still question Farrell’s technique also got their answer when he slotted a crisp, 22nd-minute through ball to forward Ashton Bennett, who put his team up 2-0 en route to a 4-0 victory.

Not bad for a player who has only been playing at center back for two college seasons. Farrell started out at defensive midfielder and right back before moving full-time into the heart of the defense for his junior and senior years at Louisville.

"I think I came in my freshman year more of an athlete. I really didn’t have a spot," Farrell said. "Just by seeing me in practice, [Louisville coach Ken Lolla] thought I could play different roles, so I did that and I guess he moved me to center back because he thought that was the best option for me. And getting offered a Generation adidas contract as a center back speaks volumes. That was my best spot."

Will it be his spot in MLS? Some still believe he could be moved back to defensive midfield or right back after he is drafted on Jan. 17. In the meantime, the 20-year-old will be busy soaking in all the chatter in anticipation of the biggest day of his budding soccer career.

"You hear about it and that’s exciting, obviously," he said about the talk of him becoming the No. 1 pick. "But at the end of the day, it’s only what you do on the field that speaks. A lot of our guys should be top guys [too], and their names should be going around because we played well and got a good win."

Andrew Farrell – Is it possible for the consensus No. 1 pick’s stock to rise? Turns out the answer is “yes.” Farrell (above) was physically dominant (expected), but also picked up an assist on a 40-yard, defense splitting through ball (unexpected). It was a cultured play.

He also had one of the day’s worst plays, getting dispossessed midway through the second half, but was bailed out by a great save from James Belshaw. Farrell showed admirable self-awareness afterward, saying “I have a tendency to try to do too much. It’s something I know I need to work on.” Combine coachability and talent, and you usually have a guy that you can build around for a long time.