Fan Favorite Anthony Stovall Returns To Cleveland

January 30, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Cleveland City Stars News Release


The Cleveland City Stars today announced the re-signing of Anthony Stovall for what will be the defender's third season in Cleveland. The friendly Stovall quickly became a fan favorite during the inaugural season of 2007 thanks to his energetic personality and his ever-changing crazy hair styles.

Stovall originally joined the City Stars after a stellar career at the University of South Carolina and a season with the Charlotte Eagles.

"I feel ecstatic about coming back. The fans and this city have been great to me," said Stovall. "After the championship I evaluated my situation and I realized that this is the best decision for me and I'm excited. I've been here two years and I didn't really think I would be here a third, but everything worked out great.

"Last season our goal was to win a championship and it was awesome for us to accomplish that," said Stovall. "Now we have a new challenge and moving to USL-1 is huge. We will have new goals, new players, new staff and everything is bigger and better. Last year we knew what we were shooting for the whole time. Every week, every day, every second we had that goal in our mind. This year we need to have that same focus so we can put our best team out on the field to win games and to win championships."

Originally from Columbia, SC, Stovall totaled 13 goals and 10 assists in 55 matches during his South Carolina career and was named USC Player of the Week seven times.

Stovall was the only sophomore to start all 20 matches for the Gamecocks in 2002 and was named captain as a junior in 2003.

Stovall played his rookie season in the USL Second Division with the Charlotte Eagles in 2006, seeing action in four matches and totaling 83 minutes.

In 2007, Stovall appeared in 16 matches and totaled 1,212 minutes for the City Stars. Stovall came up big in the inaugural match for the expansion franchise, a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Kings, and also in the 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace Baltimore in the home opener. Stovall set the tone early for his Cleveland career, providing fine defense while playing all 90 minutes in both victories.

During the championship season of 2008, Stovall appeared in 19 matches and was second on the team with 1,678 minutes played. Stovall recorded an assist on an equalizing goal in the season opening victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and was named to the week six USL-2 Team of the Week following a dominating defensive performance against the same Pittsburgh club.

Stovall continued his strong play into the post season, starting every match during the USL-2 playoffs and totaling all 300 minutes, including 120 in the double overtime victory over the Richmond Kickers in the semi-finals.

Stovall turned in one of his finest performances of his career in the semi-final with a marvelous defensive showing.

With the score still knotted at 0-0 in the 2nd half, Stovall individually stopped a one-on-one attempt and stuffed a would-be open net goal to preserve the tie and set up the eventual winning goal by Adam Ruud in the first overtime.

"We are extremely happy to bring Anthony Stovall back for another season," said Cleveland City Stars General Manager Mark Geissbauer. "He has been a staple in our lineup since the inaugural game and his personality fits in great with the team and the fans. Stovi played extremely well last season and he was a big part of us winning the championship. We look forward to him putting together another great season in front of the fans of Cleveland."



USL First Division Stories from January 30, 2009


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