I'm thinking of heading down to the GSU game today. Anybody else heading down? No tailgating I suppose due to college field. Also looks to be rain gear weather.
Last weekends game against GSU was washed out so the team held an intersquad game. I got there late and only got to see about 20 min before the sky lit up. Some of us are going to try going to the Weds Clayton St game at Silverback park. I think the start is 430. I plan on getting there about 330 with a cooler in the lower parking lot. I'm going rain or shine.
Pretty good turn out for a 4:30 game about 150 in the drizzle. Nice to chat with a few familiar fans. On the pitch the Backs are improved from the previous outings. The back line and midfield are coming around. They were also trying out a new kid in goal. He did OK, but wasn't really tested by Clayton St. The college guys did look pretty good though. The Backs had control of the ball most of the game. Perez looked very good on the left side. O Brien and Paulini also look to be very active this season. Two of the early signing players, Matsushita and Schnorf are still not on the field do to visa issues I hear. They should really balance out the team. I wish we could have played GSU or The Battery also in preseason. I think they could have used another game before the season opener. Anyways the season begins on April 9th. Bring it on Minn.
I thought it was a dull game for the most of the time. They need to try to possess the ball in the midfield more rather than in the back all the time.
http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/pro/news/Silverbacks-to-Play-U+23-National-Team U-23 scrimmage, apparently closed-door :-(
http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2012/...n=Feed:+InsideMinnesotaSoccer+(IMSoccer+News) scoreline included
Hi, I am new to this site and just wanted to know if the NASL teams train full time and what kind of salary they are on?
Incomes are not reported. Most seem to make a living off this, but many have a side-job like coaching youth teams. The players train regularly and hard, but not during the off-season.
Also got a few more questions, is there much coverage of the NASL? And what is the average attendance roughly? I'm just trying to find out as much information as I can because I am a professional player in England, but I'm just recovering from an injury and im out of contract so just trying to plan my next move. I'm only 21 so got plenty of years ahead but america really appeals to me.
There is a free streaming video broadcast of all games by U Stream. You can see this on the NASL web page http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=1855 You are a bit behind the power curve since try-outs and combines are pretty much over for the upcoming 2012 season. But if you are interested you should contact the teams through their web pages. Be prepared to offer credentials.
Yeah I realise that the season is pretty much started so I'm probably looking for next season. Like I said I'm just trying to get a bit of back ground on the league and teams. Is there many English players in the NASL?
I also think that the Silverbacks have reached the maximum # of international players for this season so that might be a barrier if you are coming from England. As for salary, I don't know. But I've seen several of them coaching and also reffing the amateur leagues, so you probably won't get rich off it. But it would be a decent launch into a youth coaching career, if that is what you are interested in. Lots of English coaches in the US. Silverbacks have an English player, Martyn Lancaster. Not too familiar with the players on the other teams
See from reading that I've learnt that you can only have a certain amount of international players. How many is that? Ive just got rid of my agent and trying to find an agent with experience and contacts in America. But whilst I'm trying to find one I'm just doing some of my own research. Is the NASL a league with alot of young players or is it a bit of a old pro retiring league? I have just seen a few clips on YouTube and the standard looks to be ok. I have played in the English league 1 which is 2 below the premiership. I can't imagine it being as good as league 1 standard or is it?
I won't try to compare leagues for you. I suggest you contact the team, even though yes they are said to have the limit which I do not know. They get a lot of inquiries but if you have credentials they will likely answer all your questions even if they don't sign you.
I heard that there maximum # of international players is 7, though I have not seen an official list of NASL rules so I cannot 100% confirm it. About the age, my knowledge is too limited to make generalizations, again because I don't know that much about the other teams. Last season, Atlanta had a lot of young players, early 20s. This season we seem to have picked up a few older players who have played in other (perhaps better) leagues. With respect to league comparisons, I have not watched much English football below the Premier League, though my sense is that a 3rd division league team in a strong European country like England can definitely do well in the US 2nd division.
Hope you dont mind me jumping in here. Not sure of NASL exact numbers but In USL Pro (the league below NASL) you are allowed 7 international players and can only have 5 on a game day roster. NASL and USL pro both have a lot young players and a few "experienced" players its always tough to compare standards of play between leagues but I would say that both some teams in the the NASL and USL Pro could probably compete in a one off game with league 1. over a season I think it would be tough for a NASL or USL team. That said their are many other issues that the English teams don't have to deal with. budgets in the US are next to nil and travel is a huge issue. imagine a league traveling from London to St. Petersburg Russia week to week. With smaller budgets come smaller rosters so injuries, suspensions start weighing into a coaches decision making a lot more than overseas. Another big factor is the weather, especially in the South East. the humidity will sap your energy quickly. It often will cause even the best players play being slowed down. My team the Charleston Battery plays in USL Pro and played matches against Sunderland, Bolton and Portsmouth in the past, beating sunderland 2-1, lossing to bolton 2-1 and drawing 0-0 with portsmouth so take that how you want also here is a link to a blog that has good info on attendance in the US http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?tag=usl-pro
Thank you, all your information is helping, like I said I'm just trying to get a bit of background just to make sure America is right for me, I have had a handful of English clubs who want to speak to me but I'm keen to play abroad. I feel that I do have the experience to get noticed. I started my career at Aston villa and had two years there as a youth,I then moved on to Cheltenham town and played 2 years as a pro then i got my injury and didn't get my contract renewed. Kidderminster harriers contacted me at Christmas and they are conference level, my guess is the NASL is pretty much the same level of play. Do you know how to get in contact with the manager, I have videos of me playing matches, I also have references from a number of professional coaches in England.
Try their website and their facebook page. Just as an aside, the NASL has strong ties to a group call Traffic Sports, which, in addition having partnerships with many of the clubs, can act as player's agents. I believe that several of the NASL players are affiliated with this company, so that might be worth investigating if you are looking to make connections. However, some view the company's practices as questionable (see here for an example http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/5764564/anguish-gale-agbossoumondehttp://) so make sure you inform yourself thoroughly.
for the benefit of the player USSF rule is 7 internationals. (D-II) I'm shocked too-we just signed our 8th-which means somebody has to go.