David Fellerath ·
29 Oct 2009, 7:22 PM ·
4 Comments
Can Gregory Richardson, shown here scooting past USL-1 player of the year Cristian Arrieta of the Puerto Rico Islanders, lead the RailHawks into a successful new league? (Photo by Jeremy M. Lange)
In an interview Thursday afternoon, Carolina RailHawks president Brian Wellman confirmed that the dissident group of USL-1 club owners known as the Team Owners Association (TOA) would be submitting an application to the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) to form a new league.
“We’ll be submitting an application to USSF for a new league as soon as tomorrow,” Wellman said in a phone interview from Charleston, S.C., where he was meeting with Andrew Bell, president of the USL-1 Charleston Battery, to coordinate the scheduling of friendlies next season.
“Nothing’s changed as far as the teams go,” Wellman said of the composition of the proposed new league. The TOA consists of five former USL-1 clubs (Minnesota , Miami FC, Montreal, Vancouver and Carolina) and three ownership groups (in Atlanta, Tampa Bay and St. Louis).
Wellman suggested that the TOA has heard from other member prospects, as well.* “We have at least one conversation a day with people representing new markets. Even without media coverage [of the dispute], there’s a lot of interest in the league.”
Furthermore, Wellman left open the possibility that the new league might follow the FIFA calendar, playing during the winter months.
If the TOA settles on a winter schedule, Wellman said, “It wouldn’t be this winter. It would start sometime in the summer, and prorate as our fiscal year went along.” Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Alec Papadakis, Atlanta, Christian Arrieta, CONCACAF, Daniel Paladini, EPL, FIFA, Gregory Richardson, Mexican first division, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, NuRock, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, TOA, USL, USSF, Vancouver Whitecaps, Wilmington Hammerheads, Winter schedule
David Fellerath ·
3 Apr 2009, 9:14 AM ·
Comment
Jarrett of trisoccerfan.com spotted this one: Chris McClellan, the two-year starting goalkeeper who left town to make room for new goal management, has signed with the Puerto Rico Islanders.
The Islanders, of course, are the pride of the USL-1, having marched to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League—where they are presently ahead of Cruz Azul 2:0 after the first leg. Colin Clarke’s side is also home to ex-RailHawks Jonathan Steele (who was last year’s league MVP with the Islanders) and Martin Nuñez (who was a finalist for league rookie of the year with the RailHawks).
However, don’t expect to see too many minutes from McClellan: The Islanders have one of the better keepers in North America and the Caribbean in Bill Gaudette, who was last year’s USL-1 goalie of the year.
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Chris McClellan, CONCACAF, Jonathan Steele, Martin Nuñez, Puerto Rico Islanders
David Fellerath ·
11 Feb 2009, 1:15 PM ·
Comment
Last night we ran down the official RailHawks roster, as it now stands. We noted two significant absences: forward Dan Antoniuk and winger Martin Nuñez.
There’s still no news of Antoniuk—and he’s not training with the team right now—but Nuñez, last year’s co-offensive player of the year and a finalist for USL-1 rookie of the year, will not be playing for the RailHawks this year. Instead, he has signed with the powerful Puerto Rico Islanders, who finished atop the league in 2008 (but lost in the playoff final to Vancouver). The Islanders are also still playing in the CONCACAF Champions League (although it’s not clear Nuñez will be eligible for those games.)
In a Feb. 9 scoreless scrimmage between the Islanders and the MLS Red Bull New York, Nuñez was in the starting lineup.
Incidentally, Nuñez spent time training with RBNY prior to becoming a RailHawk. Another participant in the game was Mac Kandji on the left wing for RBNY; Kandji was briefly and technically the property of Carolina. A third player in the game, for PR, was Jonny Steele, who played for the RailHawks two years ago before departing for the Islanders, where he would become league MVP in 2008.
Nuñez was a popular, flashy player and a huge crowd favorite. On the other hand, the current team is loaded with midfield signings. Later today, we’ll have a camp report by Chris Gaffney.
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer CONCACAF, Jonny Steele, Macoumba Kandji, Martin Nuñez, training camp
