Cleveland City Stars Sign Two From USL-1
April 2, 2008 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
The Cleveland City Stars announced today the signing of two USL First Division players to their 2008 roster. Midfielder Godfrey Tenoff, who spent the past three years racking up scoring and assist points with the Minnesota Thunder, and UCLA standout and member of the one season USL-1 California Victory, defender Kiel McClung will now work together to help the Cleveland City Stars pursue their lofty goal of a USL Championship in their second season.
Godfrey Tenoff, a 5'9" Sports Medicine major from the University of Dayton where he twice earned all conference honors, was born and raised in South Africa. He played for the Maritzburg City Football Club in 2002 and then went on to a successful stint with the Indiana Blast where he earned team MVP honors in 2003. Tenoff continued his progress moving up to USL-1 with the Minnesota Thunder in 2004 and was part of the squad which knocked the LA Galaxy out of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. During the 2005 season with the Thunder Tenoff tallied 3 goals and 2 assists and went on to become team captain in 2007.
"Godfrey Tenoff is a very accomplished USL-1 player who will help us control the game in the midfield. He is a very, very good player whose experience will benefit this team," said Head Coach Martin Rennie of the man slated to fill Adam Moffat's shoes. Rennie went on to say of other new recruit Kiel McClung, "We have been trying to sign Kiel for two years. He is a very technically gifted player and we are really excited to have him here."
Kiel McClung's soccer career path has been rising steeply since his youth. While in high school he was named to the NSCAA/Adidas All-American squad, his club team won the Dallas Cup and he was voted Golden League Most Valuable Player of the Year his junior year. Since then he has a combined 11 CAPS with the U-18 and U-20 Men's National teams and then went on to an outstanding collegiate career at UCLA where he compiled 13 points with four goals and five assists in his four years as a starter and co-captained his team to the NCAA finals his senior year.
McClung was selected by the LA Galaxy in the fourth round of the 2007 MLS Super Draft but ended up with the California Victory after several months of working out with the likes of Landon Donovan and David Beckham. With his 6'1" frame he will be a force to be reckoned with in the backfield for the City Stars, but he clearly is also capable of contributing on the scoring end of the pitch.
Former Cleveland Players to Make Return Trip
Former Cleveland City Stars' superstar Adam Moffat was named Man of the Match on Saturday after the Columbus Crew's 2-0 victory over Toronto FC. Moffat scored the first and therefore game winning goal for his new club and clearly will be as much of a contributor as he was in the Stars first season when the Scottish midfielder earned 18 points with 8 goals and 2 assists. The City Stars wish their former teammate much success and look forward to facing off against him on Sunday April 13th at the Kickoff Tournament Weekend when the Stars take on the Columbus Crew.
Interestingly, a number of former Cleveland soccer players will be congregating in northern Ohio next weekend for the Pre-Season Kickoff Tournament hosted by the Cleveland City Stars April 12th and 13th at Byers Field in Parma. John Ball, a well-loved Cleveland sports icon from the Cleveland Crunch and Cleveland Force days will roll into town with the Rochester Raging Rhinos who are scheduled to play an inter-division friendly on Saturday night April 12th at Byers. The finalists from that days' youth tournament will vie for the title during halftime of the game.
Andrew Peterson, who joined the Columbus Crew late last season after developing a faithful following at Krenzler Field, will also be in town along with Crew teammate Ryan Junge who played several games with the Stars last year while on loan. The three former City Stars, Peterson, Junge and Moffat, will undoubtedly bring out the best in their former club when CCS takes on the Crew Sunday April 13th, making the final match of the weekend something soccer fans in Cleveland can really get excited about.
The whole weekend will be an opportunity for experienced fans and newcomers alike to get to know the players and the game on a personal level. There will be scheduled autograph sessions, a press conference to introduce the new roster, and personal testimonies from players from the City Stars and the Columbus Crew, including Adam Moffat, during a special Sunday morning worship service which will also feature an inspirational message given by Dr. Aaron Tredway, the CCS Executive Director. This will be a chance for fan and player to stand together and understand how sports really can transcend the trivial.
All professional and youth league games during the weekend will be available live via the internet all around the world from the CCS website. Now fans from all across the world will be able to follow the City Stars on their quest to start their 2008 season.
• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...
United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 2, 2008
- Cleveland City Stars Sign Two From USL-1 - Cleveland City Stars
- Eagles Sign Goalkeepers for 2008 - Charlotte Eagles
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
