The Minnesota Thunder announced today that it has acquired midfielder/forward Brian Farber on loan from the California Cougars of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Thunder has also signed defender Kyle Zenoni who will make the start in Charleston Friday night.
Fans can see both new players LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel Friday, April 20, in the Thunder's season opener at the Charleston Battery. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Farber just finished his second season with the Cougars where he had 22 goals and nine assists this season. The 5-8, 155 pound Oregon State graduate began his professional career in 2004 as a reserve player for the now defunct San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. He also spent part of the 2006 season with the Houston Dynamo of MLS.
"We might have just signed the fastest player in our league," said Thunder head coach Amos Magee. "Brian is an unbelievably athletic attacking player with a great work rate. He gives our team an added dimension of speed that will allow us to stretch defenses and cause teams all sorts of trouble. He was very successful in his short stint with the (Houston) Dynamo reserves and we believe that he will be very successful for us here."
Zenoni, a native of Hartland, Wisc., graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 2005. He was the team captain his senior season and finished his career with 83 games played, 10 goals, and eight assists. He was drafted by the Chicago Storm (MISL) in 2005.
After four years of collegiate soccer, Zenoni traveled abroad and had stints in Scotland with Dundee FC and in Sweden with Falu FK.
22 April 2007
The Portland Timbers announced today the team has added four more players - midfielder Shaun Higgins and forwards Jaime Ambriz, Luc Harrington and Bryan Jordan to the 2007 roster. Higgins, Harrington and Jordan have been cleared and are eligible for the 2007 USL First Division season opener on Saturday. Ambriz is waiting for international clearance.
"I'm glad to have these guys on board this season," said Timbers head coach and general manager Gavin Wilkinson. "These are all hard-working players who will all be battling for spots on the field."
Ambriz trained with the Timbers during the 2006 season and made an appearance against English side Coventry City in July. Ambriz, 28, started his professional career in Switzerland in 2002 and last played for Concordia Basel in 2005. In 2002-03, Ambriz scored 24 goals for FV Lyss to lead the Liga Interregional 2 (Swiss fourth division) in goals and earned a spot on the all-league first team. Ambriz attended UC-Santa Barbara for three seasons, and led the Gauchos in scoring his junior year (2000).
Last season, Harrington split time with Miami FC and the Charleston Battery, playing in a total of 15 matches scoring one goal. Harrington, 23, played the 2005 season with Danish side B10909 Odense and spent parts of the preseason in the Timbers training camp. Harrington played collegiate soccer at UC-Riverside where he was the first player in school history to earn three All-Big West Conference selections. He ended his time at UC-Riverside as the school's career-leading scorer with 23 goals and 11 assists.
Higgins, who was a member of the Timbers 2005 squad, returns for a second season. Last year, Higgins, 28, played in six reserve matches for Chivas USA of Major League Soccer. He totaled 364 minutes and earned three starts with the Chivas USA Reserves. Higgins scored two goals in 16 matches for the Timbers during the 2005 season and was a USL Team of the Week selection in Week 18. The Redlands, Calif., native attended Cal State-Fullerton and spent the 2004 season with the Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League (PDL) before starting his professional career in 2005.
A standout at Oregon State University, Jordan, 21, begins his professional career with the Timbers in 2007. At OSU, Jordan was an All-Pac-10 honorable mention his senior year and was a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic first-team selection. Jordan scored seven goals in 19 matches his senior year, and finished his junior season sixth in the Pac-10 in scoring with five goals. Scoring a goal on his first collegiate touch, Jordan finished his OSU career with 15 goals in 68 matches over four seasons.
Jordan joins former Timbers forward Alan Gordon on the list of OSU alumni to have played with the Timbers since the club joined the United Soccer League in 2001. Gordon is currently a member of MLS's L.A. Galaxy.
With the announcement, the Timbers' roster has increased to 21 players.
04 April 2007
The Charleston Battery has agreed to terms with veteran striker Byron Alvarez. Alvarez arrives in Charleston after four seasons with the USL First Division Portland Timbers. Alvarez is Portland's all-time leading goal scorer with 41 goals and 9 assists in 96 games played.
A native of Mexico City Alvarez joined Portland after playing one season with Major League Soccer's MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) in 2002; the MetroStars acquired Alvarez from Tampico of the Mexican Second Division.
Alvarez turned pro at age 16 and in addition to Tampico has also played for Mexican sides, Reboceros de La Piedad, Jaiba Brava de Tamaulipas and Astros de Ciudad Juarez.
The Battery has also signed rookie defender Lee Sandwina. A native of Santa Rosa, CA, Sandwina played college soccer at San Jose State before transferring to the University of Virginia in 2004. Alvarez and Sandwina both featured for the Battery in last week's Carolina Challenge Cup tournament.
17 March 2007
The Charleston Battery has signed midfielder Lazo Alavanja for the 2007 USL First Division season pending US Soccer approval. The veteran midfielder returns for a third season after an excellent campaign in 2006 that saw him log 2,750 minutes while adding 2 assists. Alavanja's two-year totals with the Battery include 53 games played with three goals and five assists.
"Lazo brings a lot of experience and maturity to the team and has been an important member of the squad over the past two years," Charleston Battery head coach Mike Anhaeuser said. "I look forward and expect him to have another successful season with us."
Alavanja started his pro career in 1999 with Major League Soccer′s Dallas Burn and played four seasons in MLS with stints at the Miami Fusion and DC United in addition to Dallas.
A native of Crown Point, IA, Alavanja, 6-1, 28 yrs., 165 lbs., is one of seven Indiana University players to earn All-American honors during three of his four years of college (1996, 1997, and 1998). Alavanja ranks 13th on the Hoosiers′ all-time points scored list with 35 goals and 103 points. The Hoosiers had a record of 75-11-5 record during Alavanja′s playing career.
13 March 2007
The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the first three new signings to the 2007 squad with the addition of USL2 Rookie of the Year (2006) Nowaf Jaman and Trey Alexander from the Cincinnati Kings and Fredericksburg, Virginia native Kevin Edwards who join second-year pro, Steven Wolfe, returning to the midfield.
USL Second Division Rookie of the Year, Jaman joins the Kickers from the Cincinnati Kings where he was the lone player on the squad to see action in every match on the year. With two goals and four assists in 20 games played in 2006, Jaman earned USL2 Team of the Week honors for the week of May 1, 2006 for his goal and assist in a pair of wins. He previously played in the USL Premier Development League, spending the previous two seasons with the Chicago Fire Premier while attending Western Illinois University.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Alexander was signed by the Charleston Battery (USL1) in the spring of 2005 before spending the 2006 season with the Cincinnati Kings (USL2). He made 18 appearances with the Kings for 1,403 minutes and recorded two goals and one assist for five points on the season.
Alexander participated in the Kickers February 2007 combine and is the recipient of the dedicated signing bonus. He began his collegiate career at Meridian Community College as a freshman and Tyler Community College as a sophomore before spending his final two seasons at Western Kentucky University.
In two seasons at Western Kentucky (2003-2004), he started 36 matches, compiling 12 goals and eight assists. After netting just one goal in his junior season, Alexander became an offensive force in his senior year, scoring a team-high 11 goals, and leading the team with 23 points on the season. Earning an honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and the team's Most Valuable Player award, he finished the season one of the top-25 goal scorers in NCAA Division 1 men's soccer.
"Last season Nowaf and Trey impressed the coaching staff with strong performances against us," comments Richmond Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw. "Both players are smooth on the ball and will suit our style of play. Another important factor is that they have valuable USL professional experience and are proven performers in this league."
Also a result of the Kickers 2007 combine, local talent Edwards is a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia where he played for Stafford High School, breaking the single season record for goals with 17 as a freshman and set the career goal record with his 34th goal in his junior year.
He attended one year at Virginia Tech where he made 20 appearances, starting 18 with the Hokies, notching two goals for four points on the season. Additionally, Edwards has four years experience on the ODP level, playing with the Virginia State Team from 2000-2003.
"Kevin is certainly one for the future and was a standout at our recent combine," continues Cowlishaw. "He has all the physical attributes required to be a top class professional and we expect him to immediately compete for the left back position."
Richmond local Steven Wolfe will return for his second year in the midfield. Wolfe made four starts in 16 appearances as a rookie with the Kickers' defensive unit last season and tallied his first professional goal with the game-winner in the Kickers 1-0 win over Wilmington on June 30th.
Overall, he added power both offensively and defensively, contributing four points for Richmond with one goal and two assists on the season. Wolfe joined the Kickers upon graduating from the University of Richmond and a stint with the Richmond Kickers Future of the USL Premier Development League. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Wolfe was a four-year varsity starter at Benedictine High School and holds Benedictine's all-time points record.
"We are pleased to resign Wolfey," adds Cowlishaw, "and are confident with a year of pro experience under his belt he is ready to battle for a regular starting position."
12 March 2007
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have announced the re-signing of the 2006 United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division All-League Second Team defender Steve Klein.
"Steve is a very valuable part of the team," said Whitecaps men's head coach Bob Lilley. "He brings leadership both on and off the field and has the ability to play at a high level no matter where he is on the field. Last year he showed his tremendous versatility by making the transition from the midfield to the back and became one of the better defenders in the league."
Klein, 31, returns to Whitecaps for his third season with the club and his tenth in the league. Last year, Klein was instrumental in the team's solid defensive play, leading the Whitecaps to the league's fourth best defensive record and third best goal difference at plus 12. Klein played and started 27 of the team's 28 regular season games, leading the team with 2,335 minutes played and added two assists.
During the Whitecaps triumphant run to the title, Klein played all 480 minutes in the playoffs and added one assist. For his efforts Klein was named the team's Outstanding Defender at the Whitecaps Blue and White Banquet and was selected to the 2006 USL First Division All-League Second Team.
"I am excited to be back with the Whitecaps and ready to start the defence of our title," said Klein. "I am looking forward to building a solid defensive unit that will put our team in a position to host Vancouver's first championship game."
In 2005, the 6'2" 176-pound resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania finished second in team scoring with seven goals and four assists in 27 games and was named to the 2005 USL First Division All-League First Team.
Prior to joining the Caps, Klein spent three years with the Charleston Battery, where he started 81 of 84 games played, scored eight goals and assisted on five. From 1999-2001, Klein played for the Hershey Wildcats under coach Lilley, scoring 13 goals and adding 10 assists in 68 games.
Klein was a 4-year starter at Bowling Green State University, where he was voted first team All-American in his senior year and is the all-time leading scorer. After college, Klein was drafted by Major League Soccer's New England Revolution for the 1997 season but saw limited time due to injury. In 1998, before joining the Wildcats, Klein played a season for the Nashville Metros.
05 January 2007
The Portland Timbers today signed forward Chris Bagley to a two-year contract.
Bagley, 26, joins the Timbers after spending the previous three seasons with the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Second Division. While with the Hammerheads, Bagley netted 19 goals in 31 games (23 starts), including 10 strikes last season. For his effort, Bagley was named to the USL Second Division First Team following the season.
Prior to joining the Hammerheads, Bagley spent time with the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division and the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.
"We're very excited to bring in Chris," said Gavin Wilkinson, head coach and general manager of the Timbers. "He is a proven goal-scorer in the Second Division, and we think he can step up and score goals for us at this level as well."
A four-year starter at Saint Anselm College before turning professional, Bagley was a two-time All-American with the Hawks and twice was voted Northeast 10 Player of the Year.
"Coming to Portland is a great opportunity for me," said Bagley. "I've been part of championships at several levels, and I think I can come in here and help lead the Timbers to a title, too. Joining the Timbers is a great opportunity for me. I've never played in Portland, but my I've heard it's the best place to play, and I can't wait to play my home games there."
