Cleveland City Stars in Town to Face NH Phantoms
July 12, 2007 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
New Hampshire Phantoms News Release
HAMPSTEAD, NH - (July 12, 2007) - The New Hampshire Phantoms hope to put together its first two-game win streak of the season when the Cleveland City Stars come to Manchester for a 7:30 PM kickoff Friday night at Chabot-McDonough Stadium at Manchester Memorial High School.
Fresh off its finest performance of the year when it shocked previously unbeaten Richmond Kickers, 1-0, last Friday night, a young Phantoms squad will be bolstered with the addition of newly signed central midfielder Oumar Thiam. Thiam, a 2003 graduate of Northeastern University and a native of Senegal, was selected 2nd Team All-New England in 2003 and was also a member of the America East all-championship team. He played for ASC Thies in Senegal in 2004.
New England Revolution reserve squad player Chris Loftus will also make his home debut for the Phantoms. Loftus adds some much needed depth and brings some lofty credentials including his selection as All-ACC while serving as Captain at Duke University. The 6'5" tower netted 24 goals and added 14 assists in 80 appearances for the Blue Devils while leading his team to the NCAA number one ranking at the conclusion of the 2006 season.
Loftus' reserve squad teammate with the Revs, Miguel Gonzalez, of Miami, Florida, played the entire game against Richmond last week and is expected to be with the team versus Cleveland. The U-20 U.S. Men's National Team member contributed admirably in the Phantoms victory.
While the Phantoms would like nothing better than to put together a solid win streak to end its 2007 campaign, it also is adding fuel to the fire for next year. With a host of first-year players, most of this year's starters were part of a team that produced a 9-10-1 record in 2006. The team is brimming with confidence despite its win-loss record (2-9-4) which is not indicative of how well it has played. Seven of NH's games have been decided by one goal, along with its four ties. Of the seven one-goal games, the Phantoms have won only two.
Cleveland (8-1-4, 28 points) enters the contest tied for second place in the United Soccer Leagues Second Division standings along with Charlotte Eagles (9-4-1, 28 points) and riding a three-game unbeaten streak including consecutive 2-0 victories over Bermuda Hogges and Cincinnati Kings. The City Stars are all but assured of a post-season playoff berth.
The Stars come to town with some firepower of its own featuring three of the league's top scorers. Adam Moffat is second in total points with 14, and Moffat and teammate Nigel Codrington are tied for second in goals with 6 apiece. Stars' playmaker Mark Schulte is fifth in the league with 5 assists.
Moffat had a goal and an assist to lead Cleveland to a 3-2 triumph over the Phantoms on May 19 at Cleveland's Krenzler Stadium in the two teams only other ever played. NH had roared back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the 82nd minute on a Narciso Fernandes goal before losing a heart-breaker on a goal in the 93rd minute and added time.
Phantoms Head Coach and General Manager Jim DeDeus remains optimistic about his team's chances of knocking off two off the top three USL-2 teams in back-to-back weeks. "Cleveland will not be an easy opponent, said DeDeus. "They are one of the top teams in the league. But we also feel our team's confidence is high after having played the past two games. The tough 1-0 loss at Western Mass and the hard-earned 2-1 win over Richmond has our team feeling good about itself, and we are going to give it our best shot against Cleveland."
That positive feeling was reinforced when USL announced that two of the Phantoms players, Joseph Clancy and Tom McNeil, were named to the Week 12 USL-2 Team of the Week. Clancy drilled a 35-yard rocket past Richmond's goalkeeper last week to tie the game just moments after Richmond had taken a 1-0 lead. That goal was followed by McNeil's game-winner. Clancy, a native of Dublin, Ireland, and McNeil (Paisley, Scotland), coming off the bench at the 65th minute mark, played tremendous in one of the team's most exciting victories in its 12-year storied history.
The Phantoms home crowd will be bolstered by the fact that the first of five venues of the Phantoms/Caramba Summer Soccer Camps started this week in Londonderry, and all youth campers are being issued free tickets as part of the registration fee. The last five home games of the season for the Phantoms align with the four remaining weeks of camp including Londonderry next week, followed by St. Paul's School in Concord, Nashua's Mines Fall Field, and Atkinson.
Tickets for the game will be available at the gate or by calling the Phantoms ticket office at 603-329-4422. Individuals interested in attending the popular Phantoms/Caramba camp may register on line by going to www.nhphantoms.com.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 12, 2007
- Cleveland City Stars in Town to Face NH Phantoms - New Hampshire Phantoms
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