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Category Archives: WPSL

The WPSL Comes to Rhode Island

The Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is proud to announce that the Rhode Island Reds Football Club has joined the league as an expansion team in 2014. The Reds will play in the New England Conference of the Eastern Region, beginning this May.

“The WPSL is excited to welcome the Rhode Island Reds FC led by a dynamic owner, Kabba D. Joof, who is committed to growing the game in his community and providing opportunities for local players to develop,” stated WPSL Commissioner Jerry Zanelli. “Rhode Island is one of the top soccer markets in
the country, as evidenced by recent news reports naming Providence as one of the best American cities with the largest number of viewers of the English Premiership Football in the United States.”

The Women’s Premier Soccer League is a 50-plus team national pro-am league and is the largest women’s soccer league in the world. The league was formed in 1998 and is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA)–an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).

The WPSL’s mission is to provide the highest level of soccer in our effort to bring affordable & quality family entertainment to the community; display positive role models for our youth; while, being a stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players.

“We are honored to join the WPSL, the fastest growing national league in the U.S.,” Reds’ Owner Kabba Joof declared. “Over the last few years, the quality of competition has risen to a very high standard here in Rhode Island and we are thrilled to take part in this nationwide league later this year. I am confident we will not only be able to put a team on the field that represents Rhode Island well, but one that is competitive from the very start.”

All Rhode Island Reds Women’s Premier Soccer League home matches will be played at Cranston Stadium, home of the Rhode Island Reds FC’s NPSL
team. The 3,000 seat facility, first built in 1941, includes an artificial playing surface renovated by the City of Cranston in 2007.

“We hope all area soccer fans will support the Rhode Island Reds growing tradition of developing young talent here in the Southern New England Region,” continued Mr. Joof. “As we grow the sport so many in our community truly love. As always, our commitment is to inspire, train and transform our players and volunteers–into good citizens.”

NPSL Champions Announce Start of WPSL Team

FC LVU Sonic general manager & president Matt McTish has officially announced the start of a women’s team that will compete in the nation’s largest women’s league, the WPSL (Women’s Premier Soccer League), starting in the spring of 2013.

FC LVU Sonic has won two national championships  and three Northeast Conference titles. McTish has stated that he looks forward to offering a high level of play for the women of the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.

“There are a lot of good players in the Valley and we hope to create a very competitive environment that will compete for the WPSL title year in and year out – similar to what we have created with the men’s program,” McTish commented. “The WPSL is a very competitive league with high standards and we want to find the best players possible to represent our organization on and off the field.”

McTish also stated, that FC LVU and its youth club (FC Lehigh Valley United) will be announcing the hiring of their first head coach and general manager in team history in the coming weeks.

WPSL league commissioner Jerry Zanelli is pleased to have the FC LVU Lady Sonic join the league and the Northeast Conference for the 2013 season.

“FC LVU Sonic have a rich history of being a first-class organization as well as a very competitive side in the NPSL and this will only enhance our league,” Zanelli added. “We look forward to having a long running relationship with the Lady Sonic and we wish the organization luck heading into the new campaign.”

Open tryouts for Lady Sonic and the Sonic will be held on March 10th at Whitehall High School. More information on FC LVU Lady Sonic, NPSL Sonic, and the youth club can be found at www.fcsonic.org and www.lehighvalleyunited.com.

Gulf Coast Texans Announce Roster

Players from 10 different countries and some local talent round out the initial batch of signings for the Gulf Coast Texans first-ever NPSL season. Plenty of experience and attacking flair will take the field this summer in Pensacola in what promises to be a ground- breaking development for soccer in the community.

Following the success of their WPSL team, who brought home the National Championship last summer, the Texans are fielding a men’s team laced with local products and some top level players from all over the world.

Carl Goody (England) becomes the team’s first signing. The 6’4″ goalkeeper was an All-American selection at William Carey College in 2011 and had a stint training with MLS side D.C. United. Goody will be joined at keeper by Steve Hermosa from UWF. Brandon May rounds out the group. The Pine Forest senior heads to Milligan College in the fall, having just completed some time with the Philippine U-19 Team.

The defense will be lead by 2 British center backs, Jordan Hall (England) from Lyon College, AR and James Casserly (Ireland) from UNC Pembroke, NC. The UNCP standout was named All-Conference this past fall as a freshman and has represented his country at the U-18 level. Albert Edward (Australia) is from Lindsey Wilson, KY and is joined at outside back by Teddy Mulamba (South Africa) from UNF and Thilo Koerperich (Germany) from William Carey, MS.

The midfield is led by University of Mobile freshman standout and All-American Gaetan Massiah. The French native will be joined by Renan Serafini (Brazil) from Lindsey Wilson College and 3 local products: Diego Figueroa, Miguel Santos, and Lance Nelson. Figueroa represented Catholic High and is now team captain at Belmont, TN. Santos played for West FL Tech and is now at UWF after 2 years at Wallace State. Nelson brings experience to the squad, having played for Niceville High. He went on to play for the University of Mobile and UWF and had stints in Australia as well as the PDL for the Panama City Pirates. Jonny Watson (Scotland) brings some U-18 Scottish National Team experience to the squad and just completed a great fall season at Union College and has been named All-Conference 2 years running.

Leading the lineup top will be Harry Mason (England) an All-Conference selection from Cumberland University. He will be joined by Gulf Breeze High graduate Max McDaniel from UNF, Casey Caronis also from UNF, and Dillon Gallet from UWF. Local player Andrew Green (Malawi) rounds out the initial signings.

Head Coach Felipe Lawall is thrilled with how the team is taking shape, “I am very pleased with our signings so far.  We have a variety of players from different backgrounds that added together will bring a diversity for our team.  Over the next few weeks we hope to add a couple more impact players and a couple more local players.”

The Texans open play in their inaugural season on May 18th at home vs. Chattanooga FC.

WPSL Champions Expand to the NPSL

The 2012 WPSL Champion Gulf Coast Texans have added a men’s team that will compete in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for the 2013 season.

“We have been very impressed with the growth of the league over the last few years and are excited to be a part of that further expansion,” Director of Coaching David Kemp stated.“We want to approach this with the highest possible professionalism on every level and expect to provide a product that will continue the reputation of our women’s team.”

Adding the NPSL team is the final piece of the puzzle for the Texans as they now offer every level of soccer in their program, one of the most prominent youth soccer organizations in the Sunshine State.

The Texans, based out of Pensacola (FL), have tremendous facilities.  Ashton Brosnaham Stadium is their home, the centerpiece of their 10 field complex. The stadium hosts the Gulf South Conference Soccer Championships every year and has also seen play for the NCAA DII National Championships and the WPSL National Final Four.

They have partnered with local businessman Bill Fetke to make this next step possible.

“Bill’s passion for soccer, his connections, and energy for this project are a good match for our own so we can’t wait to get started,” Kemp added.

General Manager Gerald Praylow, who helped build the team that won the WPSL Championship in 2012, and Head Coach Felipe Lawall will be other key figures for the NPSL team.

The NPSL team, which will play in the Southeastern Conference, will be made up of players that came up through their youth program, local and national college players, and internationals.

Maryland Capitols Partner with Serie A Club

The WPSL Eastern Division South Champions 2012 are proud and extremely pleased to announce the launch of the USA’s first ever female only professional soccer centre of excellence in affiliation and partnership with Italy’s leading Serie A team Torino ACF.

To begin in the spring 2013, the Maryland Capitols FC will become known as Torino ACF USA and look to recruit female soccer players looking for a professional soccer education from U9 – U18 age groups.

In addition to a professional soccer environment, the Maryland Capitols FC will also provide in complete conjunction with Torino’s professional academy, a fully integrated support infrastructure system that includes high school educational counselors, college preparation advisors, sports and spine injury rehab and prevention experts and qualified nutritionists all on board.

The academy teams will hope to compete in a top youth soccer league and tournaments around the country. They will also be involved in a complete exchange program with Torino ACF academy teams, where the players will get to go to Italy to play against the age-appropriate academy teams.

Likewise the academy teams from Torino will visit here and get the opportunity to play against our academy teams and provide a complete soccer and cultural education experience. Ultimately it will allow the senior players from Torino ACF Italy to play here for the new Torino ACF USA women’s team and play at the highest level possible here in the USA.

The Maryland Capitols FC are also finalizing a new 5 – 10 acre academy site in PG County and hope to have this ready for the Spring 2013, where it will be exclusively used and developed for the professional centre of excellence players and staff.

“There are many top level soccer organizations in Maryland that offer a very good soccer education,” Capitols CEO David Jones stated. “We don’t doubt that. However, one thing that they don’t offer is the opportunity to play at the highest level. After players get to college age level, we have not only the WPSL team, but a WAWSL team too.”

“We provide a complete support system for players and parents so when they join us at U9 level they continue their soccer education all the way up to U18,” Jones added. “We help provide a base for college preparation, not just turn up at college showcase tournaments.”

“We have an affiliation with one of the top female soccer teams in Europe that will allow players of all ages to integrate and experience soccer and cultural experiences not found anywhere else,” Jones concluded. ”Our training staff is and will be one of the most qualified and experienced around. We will have our own training site exclusively for our Centre of Excellence and most importantly, we will be far less expensive than some of the “top” soccer programs out there.”

Tryouts for the Professional Academy Centre of Excellence Torino ACF USA teams will begin in January 2013. If you wish to be considered for a place in this female only professional centre of excellence then please email your details including age, parents contact details, position and previous playing experience to [email protected].