Eagles Open 2014 Season against Dutch Lions

April 2, 2014 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release


Charlotte, NC -- The Eagles open the 2014 USL PRO season this Friday April 4th against the Dayton Dutch Lions at 7pm at Queens Sports Complex.

Eagles fans will have some friendly faces back as Jorge Herrera returns for his eighth season in Charlotte. Last season Herrera recorded 10 goals and 4 assists en route to being named Second Team All-League. Brock Duckworth, Matt Gold, Juan Guzman, Ben Newnam and Drew Yates all return to build on the 2013 USL PRO Runner-Up finish. Ben Page will also transition from player to coach for the 2014 season.

Some new faces will lace up the boots for the Eagles in 2014. Zak Boggs, Bilal Duckett, Doug Herrick, Jonathan Leathers and Wells Thompson all bring Major League Soccer experience to Charlotte for their first season.

Thompson is a Wake Forest alum who most recently played with the Chicago Fire. Boggs was the 2011 MLS Humanitarian of the Year before stepping away from the game for a season to pursue a Fulbright Scholarship in Leicester, England. He is eager to return to the game and is looking forward to this season in Charlotte.

Duckett and Leathers are both defenders who played together in Vancouver for the Whitecaps in 2012. They will look to solidify a backline that lost Shaun Francis and Fejiro Okiomah to MLS clubs after the 2013 season.

Herrick spent 2013 as a MLS Pool-Goalkeeper training with the Seattle Sounders. If a keeper would have went down with an injury Herrick then would step in and fill that role. Herrick will look to win the #1 goalkeeper spot after Eric Reed took a coaching job with Bowling Green State Unviersity this offseason.

In the Eagles last meeting with the Lions in July of the 2013 season the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Last season the Eagles finished the regular season in 5 th place while tallying 41 points with 10 wins 5 losses and 11 draws. Charlotte had a great playoff run that ended in a 7-4 defeat to Orlando City in the Championship.

The Lions opened their 2014 season with a 3-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls Reserves on Sunday April 30th. Last year they finished in 8th place with 37 total points, and lost to Richmond in the first round of the USL PRO playoffs.

This season Dayton and the Columbus Crew signed an exclusive affiliation agreement where the Crew will send players to Dayton to train and play for the Lions. So far seven members of the Crew have been sent the hour and a half west to play for the Dutch Lions. Ryan Finley, Kevan George, Ross Friedman, Matt Walker, Fifi Baiden all played in the 3-0 loss to the Red Bulls Reserves. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver is also on loan from the Crew but sat behind Matt Williams on Sunday.

Charlotte owns the only win between the two clubs with the other five matches being draws.

Tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased at the box office the day of the game. Adult tickets are $10 and kids tickets are $7.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 2, 2014


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