City Stars to Face Real Maryland Saturday at 7pm
May 9, 2008 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
Saturday night at 7pm marks Real Maryland's first ever trip to Krenzler Stadium. The expansion team is off to a 1-2 start with losses to Western Mass sandwiched around a victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
The Stars are looking to get back on the winning track after consecutive draws with last years champions Harrisburg. Cleveland remains undefeated overall in 2008 with a 1-0-2 record and it looks to remain undefeated at Krenzler Stadium, as the Stars have never lost a home match.
The first 200 fans in attendance will receive a free seat cushion from Charter One Bank. Saturday is also Green Army night, with all members of the Green Army ticket package receiving special VIP treatment during the match.
Back by popular demand, halftime will feature the Charter One shoot on mascot game. Kids age 5-15 will be able to take the field and attempt a penalty kick against CCS mascot Crocodinho.
Starting tomorrow in Parma Heights, the City Stars are also conducting free game-day clinics for Kids all across Cleveland. In partnership with University Hospitals and the Parma Heights Baptist Church, CCS players are leading soccer clinics in different suburban neighborhoods across Cleveland throughout the remainder of the summer. Tomorrow's clinic will start at 10 AM until Noon at the soccer fields behind the Parma Heights Baptist Church and there are still a few open spots to sign up.
The Real Maryland match is the third to be broadcast on SportsTime Ohio. The match will air directly following the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night at 10:30pm, replaying Sunday at 4:30pm with additional replays airing throughout the week.
Few tickets for Saturday's match are still available through clevelandcitystars.com or by calling 216-916-6586.
City Stars Players a Big Hit at Lonnie Burton Rec Center
Community Day at the Lonnie Burton Recreation Center was held Thursday afternoon and the event proved successful.
Over 180 children from 19 different rec centers from across Cleveland attended the event, which was hosted by the Cleveland City Stars in partnership with The City of Cleveland Recreation Department, HeavenTrain and DownTheWay.
The event consisted of soccer training from the Cleveland City Stars as well as small sided games for the kids to put their new skills to the test. At the conclusion of the games, the kids had a chance to watch Midfielder #16 Dana McGregor show off some of his soccer tricks. The day ended with an inspirational talk from CCS captain Mark Schulte about "achieving your dreams" that included a question and answer session. The soccer equipment for the clinic was kindly donated by Dick´s Sporting Goods and Charter One Bank.
"To see these kids from rival neighborhoods in Cleveland come together to play soccer is great to see," said Andy Batten from HeavenTrain. "People sometimes assume that bad things will happen if you bring these neighborhoods together, but today is proof that good things can happen and if we put in the time we can make it happen more often.We sometimes have trouble getting people to come down here to help us out, but the City Stars came out on their own and we're very appreciative of that."
Every child in attendance at Thursday's event received free tickets, courtesy of SwissTTP, to attend Saturday's match with Real Maryland. After spending a day playing with the Stars, the children will now have a chance to come out and watch their new friends and role models in action.
"This was a life-changing event for us because we were able to bring so many kids together that normally wouldn't have a chance to interact. We have kids from all across the city that were able to play with new people and make new friends," said City Stars General Manager Mark Geissbauer. "With SwissTTP donating the tickets, we're excited to have the children out for Saturday's game so our players can put on a show for them."
• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...
United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 9, 2008
- Kickers And MYSL Extend Partnership - Richmond Kickers
- City Stars to Face Real Maryland Saturday at 7pm - Cleveland City Stars
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.
