I guess the 2011 season kicks off today, in mid-January, with the release of the schedule: Sat Apr 16 7:00 PM ET Pittsburgh at Harrisburg Sat Apr 23 7:00 PM ET Harrisburg at Pittsburgh Sat Apr 30 7:00 PM ET Rochester at Harrisburg Sat May 7 7:30 PM ET Harrisburg at New York Sat May 14 7:00 PM ET Richmond at Harrisburg Sun May 22 3:00 PM ET Orlando at Harrisburg Sat May 28 7:30 PM ET Harrisburg at Charleston Sat Jun 4 7:00 PM ET Charleston at Harrisburg Wed Jun 8 7:00 PM ET Dayton at Harrisburg Sat Jun 11 7:00 PM ET Harrisburg at Rochester Fri Jun 17 7:00 PM ET Harrisburg at Richmond Fri Jun 24 10:30 PM ET Harrisburg at Los Angeles Sun Jun 26 8:00 PM ET Harrisburg at Los Angeles Sat Jul 2 7:00 PM ET Charlotte at Harrisburg Wed Jul 6 7:00 PM ET River Plate at Harrisburg Sun Jul 10 3:00 PM ET Dayton at Harrisburg Fri Jul 15 8:00 PM ET Harrisburg at Charlotte Sat Jul 16 7:30 PM ET Harrisburg at Wilmington Sat Jul 23 7:00 PM ET Los Angeles at Harrisburg Wed Jul 27 7:30 PM ET Harrisburg at Dayton Sat Jul 30 7:00 PM ET Wilmington at Harrisburg Fri Aug 5 7:00 PM ET New York at Harrisburg Wed Aug 10 7:00 PM ET Harrisburg at Charlotte Fri Aug 12 7:35 PM ET Harrisburg at Orlando A few thoughts about the schedule: While it all makes sense, especially because USL-PRO is being responsible about travel costs, it would've been nice to see more of the Caribbean teams play on City Island. Only River Plate Puerto Rico will make the trip to Harrisburg, which is too bad because it's always fun to see different teams. That being said, I'm most excited about seeing the defending champs, the Charleston Battery, and Rochester Rhinos, if only because of their storied histories and past successes. It's too early to know what kind of rosters these teams will have, but the season-opening match against in-state rivals Pittsburgh Riverhounds should be good one. According the City Islanders' website, the following seven players are still under contract from last season: Dustin Bixler, Geoff Bloes, Anthony Calvano, Mpho Moloi, Brian Ombiji, Jason Pelletier, and David Schofield. Obviously the roster needs to be filled out, but that's a solid, if aging, core. It should be interesting to see who plays in goal for Harrisburg, a position that has been manned by excellent players like Danny Cepero and Chase Harrison in the past. Also, this club really needs a consistent goalscorer. Part of last season's problems came from inconsistencies up top, as the City Islanders never really replaced Chad Severs after the 2009 season. Sheanon Williams tried hard but is now a right back for the Union, J.T. Noone put up solid assist numbers but wasn't a goalscorer, and Jason Hotchkin led the team in goals from his midfield position. Who can score goals consistently for this club? Former Penn Stater, Jason Yeisley fell out with the FC Dallas coaching staff, could he be willing to give USL-PRO a try? Speaking of PSU, the NCAA's leading assist man, Matheus Braga, wasn't drafted by MLS, should Harrisburg get him into camp for a look? He'd be a solid playmaker at this level. How about bolstering the defense with Ross Liberati, a two-time All-Patriot pick at Bucknell? I guess we'll know more as the team hosts tryouts on February 21.
City Islanders have released their preseason schedule: March 16 Saint Francis University (LD Middle School) March 24 Villanova University (TBA) March 26 Robert Morris University (LD Middle School) March 30 @ Temple University (Temple) April 2 Towson University (LD Middle School) TBD Penn State University (TBA) Even with the MLS reserve games this year, Harrisburg expects to receive some players on loan from the Union: http://blog.pennlive.com/upper90/2011/01/union_draft_picks_have_city_is.html
As for guys on loan from the Union they are obviously not sure who and for how long but even with the reserve league in place the expanded roster will allow for guys to get sent to Harrisburg. I know they have a few guys training with the team right now that played in the NASL last year and are solid players. Slowly but surely the roster will start to take shape over the next 2 months or so.
Jerrit Thayer apparently signed with the team and will return for 2011. Thus, the roster looks like this so far: 2 Mpho Moloi M 5-9 155 5/20/83 Soweto, South Africa 3 Dustin Bixler D 6-3 185 12/21/82 Mechanicsburg, PA 4 Geoff Bloes M 6-1 180 6/3/85 Harrisburg, PA 6 Jeritt Thayer D 6-1 175 5/3/86 California 8 Brian Ombiji M 5-9 160 8/17/82 Eldoret, Kenya 10 David Schofield M 5-9 160 10/15/81 Preston, England 22 Jason Pelletier M 5-10 180 4/24/85 Middletown, PA 23 Anthony Calvano D 5-7 165 1/8/82 Manassas, VA
As usual it looks like Harrisburg will put a solid team on the field. The team does a great job with smaller budget and staff. I wonder if there is any chance that the City will upgrade their facilties there. I know they have done some things over the last couple of years with the field and some of the support structure. But would love a soccer facility on the same level as what the Senators have.
Count Tomer out for 2011. He has signed with VPS in Finland. Great guy, great player, he will be missed. Bill and Steve have a good GK track record with Nelson, Harrison, Cepero, Tomer, Kern so I trust they will get a capable replacement. http://blog.pennlive.com/upper90/2011/02/tomer_chencinski_signs_with_vp.html
http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2011/02/walburn-marcin-no-longer-training-union Speaking of the Union, they released two of their Supplemental Draft picks (Josh Walburn - D - Princeton and Matt Marcin - M - Providence) from their pre-season camp - have to wonder if they might end up with the Islanders.
I've been saying the exact same thing about the City Islanders on the HCI forum and a blog I occasionally write for (one is a blog for Harrisburg area sports, the other is in the spirit of "Best Damn Sports Show"): http://www.jtownsports.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=8 http://thesportsburger.com/categories/Confessions of a Soccer Nobody.aspx http://daddyssugarball.com/categories/Confessions of a Soccer Nobody.aspx I've been incredibly impressed with what Harrisburg does with such limited resources. Their staff is top notch, their teams have been competitive, and the way they treat fans is tremendous. If only they had the money to improve the stands and concessions at Skyline Sports Complex. It has the most amazing view of Harrisburg, its location on City Island is incredible, having fans walk across the bridge from the bars and restaurants downtown is so cool, and I love the general admission seating on the grass berm and party deck. If only they could replace those rickety old bleachers with some updated ones while adding real restrooms and lockers. I know a team that averages less than 1,500 fans per match can't afford it, but that's my biggest dream for the club: improving the facility. Honestly, it could be one of the coolest venues in American soccer if they had the funds to upgrade it a bit. As for the management side, here's an interview with the City Islanders' GM, Kierstin Rowe from the Patriot-News. She discusses some of the challenges facing the team in the new USL-PRO, including increased travel costs ($20,000), as well as their affiliation with the Union. One thing that caught my attention was how she mentioned "stadium standards" in the new USL-PRO. I wonder if that could prompt them to seek stadium improvements? Also, she really seems to dwell on attendance, so if you're in the area, get tickets and bring fans. Everyone I've ever taken has loved the experience, support your local club! http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/02/qa_with_harrisburg_city_island.html
The fact that the Union released them so quickly leads me to believe they won't end up in Harrisburg. Last year, the Union kept J.T. Noone in camp a long time before he was "released" and sent to Harrisburg. I think that if the Union wanted to retain these players and develop them in Harrisburg, they would've had a longer look. I might be wrong, but it seems like the City Islanders are more likely to end up with fringe roster players than ones who are cut almost immediately.
This is really interesting, I'm curious to see how the Finnish league compares with the USL. So many City Islanders players have moved on to MLS or other leagues, it might be fun to figure out where City Islanders alumni have ended up. Feel free to correct or add ones that I've forgotten, but off the top of my head, players from the past few seasons have gone to: Sheanon Williams - Philadelphia Union J.T. Noone - Philadelphia Union Tomer Chencinski - VPS (Finland) Chase Harrison - several teams, currently on trial with DC United Tiyi Shipalane - DC United and most recently Carolina Railhawks (NASL) Danny Cepero - rumored to be retiring but had a short loan stint with Union Nicki Patterson - played for Clyde in the Scottish third division in 2010 before signing with Charleston And then there's players who suited up for Harrisburg in the occasional loan match who were on MLS rosters or ended up there. I've noted how many games they played with Harrisburg. John DiRaimondo (formerly DC United, now unattached/retired?, 1 match in 2009) Tommy Heinemann (Columbus Crew, 1 match in 2009) Anthony Peters (several clubs, unattached/retired?, 1 match in 2009) Tino Nunez (formerly Real Salt Lake and Rochester, 5 matches in 2009) Jack McInerney (Philadelphia, 1 match in 2010) Shea Salinas (Vancouver, 1 match in 2010) Nick Zimmerman (Philadelphia, 2 matches and 2 goals in 2010) Toni Stahl (free agent, 1 match in 2010)
Sorry for the massive amounts of posts this morning, I wanted to reply to some of the recent posts without doing one massive post. In any case, the City Islanders have updated their preseason schedule: March 16 Saint Francis University 7:30 Lower Dauphin MS March 24 Villanova University 7:30 Millersville University March 26 Robert Morris University 7:00 Lower Dauphin MS March 30 Temple University 4:00 @ Temple April 2 Towson University 7:00 Lower Dauphin MS April 6 Penn State University 4:00 @ PSU Lower Dauphin Middle School in Hummesltown - Free Admission
Hax, my thought was that the City of Harrisburg would / could pay for the stadium improvements since the team rents the space from them. They have paid for the baseball stadium. But I think they are probably like most muncipalities and have a pretty tight budget these days. But I think they have a history now to show that they have staying power for the investment to be worthwhile.
I knew that the city of Harrisburg owned City Island, I didn't realize they had financed the renovations of the baseball park (which are spectacular, by the way). I can't imagine in this climate that the city could have the funds to renovate Skyline too, but then again, it wouldn't be too expensive to merely replace the bleachers. Start small and do it in phases. First things first, remove the ancient seating and build the newer enclosed floor ones (a la Jeffrey Field at Penn State). Then down the road you can add bathrooms, lockers, concessions, etc. There's absolutely no money at the state level to help, especially considering that Pennsylvania helped finance things like Coca-Cola Park (the Lehigh Valley minor league baseball stadium) and refused to allocate money to build a hockey stadium in Bethlehem for the Phantoms (the Flyers' affiliate). Considering that PA laid off employees like faculty at some of the state universities, I wouldn't think they'd have anything to offer a soccer team. Still, I wish it could happen...
I have been told that the team has put in requests with the city for financial support to upgrade Skyline Sports Complex. The team has limited resources or else they would do it themselves. They are good to their fans IMO, it is just a matter of $$$. I know H-burg the city has its on money issues so who knows what will come of it. I think it is cool Tishan Hanley got to play for the St. Kitts & Nevis senior national team this fall. He is a cool guy and a great young player. http://blog.pennlive.com/upper90/2011/02/former_islanders_in_camp_with.html
Is Hanley still on the roster? If so, why isn't he listed? Also, Jason Hotchkin has been doing some community service for the team, I gotta assume his signing is just a formality. It'll be interesting to see what new players the team brings in, especially with the NASL receiving USSF sanctioning but being barred from the Open Cup. Salaries might be a tad higher in the NASL, but if I were a player, I might pick the more stable USL with MLS connections (via Open Cup competition and affiliations). Finally, the City Islanders have tweaked their preseason roster a bit, adding an exhibition against Rochester which will be played in Lancaster.
I do not believe that Hanley is currently under contract. They had a few guys last year that had one year deals with options for another, maybe he is one of them. I would bet Hotchkin will be with the team during pre-season. I think a few other guys will be there as well like Petrasso and Zabinski. They will compete with the new guys brought in. I like Hotchkin as well. He is older.... which is a plus and a minus. I like the fact they added the pre-season match with the Rhinos... smart move. I agree that the smart long term move for a player would be to go to USL Pro for stability but guys make just take it one year at a time. The fact we are a lock for the Open Cup is cool also.
Derek is reporting that Brandon Poltronieri has been training with Harrisburg after impressing the staff at an earlier tryout. He's played for the Costa Rican U-23 national team, Brujas FC of Costa Rica (2005-08, 10-11), and Leixoes FC of Portugal (2008-10). He had trials with the Red Bulls and Houston that never materialized into a MLS contract, but anyone who's played 27 matches in the Portuguese League and Cup should be solid at the USL-PRO level. He seems to be a holding midfield "enforcer" and also has American citizenship. Derek's blog entry on him: http://blog.pennlive.com/upper90/2011/02/monday_night_workouts_intensif.html Wikipedia on Brandon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Poltronieri Big Soccer discussion of him at Tanks abroad: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1000315&page=3
Brandon did well at an open tryout. Can't say 100% for sure but I believe he will be with the team when camp starts in two weeks. I can honestly say that I think we will see the level of players in camp with Harrisburg will be higher then years past. I think the affiliation with the Union and the chance of moving up (like Williams did) helps that. Guys may be attracted to the team knowing they will be monitored by other eyes at the MLS level. I think we will see names on the training camp roster that are impressive. Instead of saying, "who is that guy and what college team did he play for" we will be saying, "oh yeah, I know that guy. He was good at the USL-1/NASL level and should be great for us." We will also see guys names we recognize from years past but it won't mean they are a lock to make it. Competition in camp will be heated for sure.
Derek-- Even though I don't have the inside scoop that you do, I agree completely that Harrisburg is in a good position to recruit talent. They've been a very stable club unlike many from the USL and NASL ranks, and they do very well in the Open Cup every year. With their track record of sending players to MLS--such as Shipalane, Noone, Williams, Harrison, etc.-- and their relationship with the Union, I'd think they're a very attractive place to play. They get a lot of exposure within MLS circles, playing DC United, the Red Bulls, and Union consistently, and this seems to be a very well-run and respected franchise. I'm happy to hear that the City Islanders have recognized a need to increase the talent level for the inaugural season of USL-PRO. Rochester and Charleston carry high standards with them, and it looks like the City Islanders are trying to be competitive by adding players like Brandon. And oops, just noticed a typo in my previous post where I meant to say "Yanks abroad" but had a Freudian slip and wrote "Tanks abroad." Anyway, I can't wait to see how this roster shapes up!
Former City Islander J.T. Noone was released by the Philadelphia Union yesterday. Considering his local ties and strong play for the club last season, I wonder if he'd return to Harrisburg. First, he would need to clear waivers (aka the MLS waiver draft), but I can't imagine any teams selecting him. I never thought Noone had the strength or speed for MLS, he was a nice player for the City Islanders, leading the team in assists, but he never got playing time for the Union. He's best as a withdrawn forward, setting up others, and isn't a big goalscorer historically. I wonder how the Union would feel about waiving him and then seeing him end up at their affiliate. Philadelphia obviously doesn't see him in their long term plans, so I wonder if they'd prefer the City Islanders not put too much into him. That being said, I hope the Harrisburg front office does what's best for their team, and if Noone can help the City Islanders win, sign him!
Here's another good blog entry from Penn Live. I wonder who the USL legend in training camp is? Trying to think about who has recently been released from a MLS camp. http://blog.pennlive.com/upper90/2011/03/city_islanders_raise_their_gam.html
No idea who the "USL legend" is, but the club announced some player signings today: all-league defender Dustin Bixler returns to City Island, while Andrew Marshall of Crystal Palace Baltimore and Nelson Becerra of St. John's University join the club. http://www.cityislanders.com/driver.aspx?topic=2011 Club News Bixler and Marshall should be a very solid defensive pairing, while Becerra will hopefully add some attacking flair to the midfield. Here's Wikipedia on Marshall: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Marshall_(soccer) Nelson Becerra from St. John's: http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/becerra_nelson00.html Soccer By Ives on Becerra's MLS prospects: "Skillful playmaker who also saw time on the left wing, Becerra is another player who's stock was much higher a year ago. He will need to serious impress at the Combine if he wants to stay in the first two rounds." http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/01/sbi-mls-draft-big-board-version-50-1.html
Lots of player information in this article by Michael Bullock: * GK Chase Harrison returns to Harrisburg after stints with Rochester and DC United * Several players from last season, MF Jason Hotchkin, F Tishan Hanley, and MF Vince Petrasso, are in camp trying to earn new contracts * Ze Roberto, formerly of the Montreal Impact and Rochester Rhinos, is in camp * D/MF Ryan Heins has been offered a contract after playing for Harrisburg and Rochester in the past * Andrew Welker (Seton Hall) and Mitch Walters (Slippery Rock) are among the college players seeking contracts http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/03/city_islanders_open_eighth_tra.html
I'm guessing this is the USL legend. Didn't he start with Hershey? * Ze Roberto, formerly of the Montreal Impact and Rochester Rhinos, is in camp
I am a bit of a Ze Roberto fan from his days with the Wildcats so yes, he is the "USL Legend". He played for the Rhinos 2 seasons ago on City Island against Harrisburg during the friendly match. Other then that match I have not seen him play live since the old Hersheypark stadium/Wildcat days. Joseph Niouky is in camp also. He played over 1,000 minutes last season with New England. Paul Robson is also with Harrisburg. He is an English player who has spent three seasons in NASL and USL-2 with CPB. Harrison is huge. It is nice to have the starting keeper spot firmed up early in camp. I posted some photos and videos. http://blog.pennlive.com/upper90/2011/03/city_islanders_training_camp_r.html