Former Cosmos Captain Werner Roth Serving as Honorary Captain
February 26, 2009 - Xtreme Soccer League (XSL)
New Jersey Ironmen News Release
The New Jersey Ironmen officially announce today that National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee and former New York Cosmos captain Werner Roth will be the team honorary captain when the team hosts the Milwaukee Wave on Sunday, March 22nd. Kickoff for the afternoon matinee will be 1:00 p.m. at Prudential Center in the Downtown Core Redevelopment District of Newark.
"I appreciate the invitation from (Ironmen General Manager) Tony Novo and the New Jersey Ironmen to be their honorary team captain for their March 22nd match against the Wave," Roth affectionately stated. "I love the speed, skill and concentration of the XSL and especially the Ironmen with their roster mix of local, national and international players. I'm really looking forward to coming back to New Jersey, which holds such great memories for me from our Cosmos days at the Meadowlands, and visiting with some of its wonderful soccer fans."
Roth was born in what is present-day Serbia and made the move with his family to the United States at a young age. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School in New York, captaining the Engineers his senior season. He joined the New York Cosmos of the upstart North American Soccer League in 1972 and remained with the team until 1979. Playing alongside such superstars as Pelé, Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer, Shep Messing, Carlos Alberto and a host of some of the best names in the history of the game of soccer, Roth helped the Cosmos to the 1977 NASL Soccer Bowl Championship in what was the last game in the legendary career of Pelé. He was also a member of two additional Soccer Bowl Championship sides (1972, 1978) while serving as the captain of the world renowned Cosmos for three seasons, including the 1977 title run.
In addition to a brilliant career with the Cosmos, Roth capped 15 times with the U.S. National Team. He also played the role of German team captain Baumann in the 1981 movie Victory with actors Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Max von Sydow and Pelé. As a result of his accomplishments for the game, Roth was officially inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1989.
Roth recently started a soccer marketing boutique called Futbol Academia focused on player development and has a number of creative programs in the pipeline including an innovative soccer training competition called Power Futbol Challenge. PFC are unique 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 (with goalkeepers) and GKvGK challenges designed to enhance motivation, improve training and maximize performance through daily execution of simple training modules that build core futbol proficiencies and their application in team, club, league, state and national challenges. Roth also has the wheels in motion to incorporate the PFC into a television-based elimination series called SoccerMaximus. For more information regarding either program, email Wroth4@aol.com.
The New Jersey Ironmen established their honorary captain program in the first home contest in team history on December 1, 2007, when 13,249 fans welcomed the legendary Pelé to Prudential Center. The Ironmen have since built on their honorary captain program by having such stars as former U.S. National Team midfielder Tab Ramos, former MLS offensive juggernaut Giovanni Savarese, Survivor-Africa winner and philanthropist Ethan Zohn, former IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Paulie "the Magic Man" Malignaggi, former Cosmo midfielder Vladislav Bogicevic and former NASL/MISL goalkeeper Shep Messing being among their previously honorees. After Roth is honored on Sunday, March 22nd, five-time MLS Cup Champion Jeff Agoos will serve as honorary captain on Friday, March 27th, when the Ironmen host the Detroit Ignition at 7:30 p.m. When you go to an Ironmen game, who knows who you might see!
The Ironmen will take to the road over the next few weeks before returning to Prudential Center for their March 22nd match against the Milwaukee Wave. Tickets for the remaining four home contests start at only $10 and can be purchased today by calling 1-800-IRONMEN. The Ironmen will also be conducting a Newark School Day Exhibition Game on Wednesday morning, March 18th. For more information, call 1-800-IRONMEN.
ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY IRONMEN
The New Jersey Ironmen, owned by Jeff Vanderbeek and Michael Gilfillan of the NHL New Jersey Devils ownership group, are a professional indoor soccer team that completed their inaugural season in April of 2008. The Ironmen play their home schedule at Prudential Center in the Downtown Core Redevelopment District of Newark, and the team is currently amid their sophomore campaign as charter members of the newly-founded Xtreme Soccer League. The Ironmen are coached by two-time MISL Coach of the Year Omid Namazi. For more information on the New Jersey Ironmen, visit www.njironmen.com.
Xtreme Soccer League Stories from February 26, 2009
- Former Cosmos Captain Werner Roth Serving as Honorary Captain - New Jersey Ironmen
- Wave Play Exhibition at Chula Vista March 4th - Milwaukee Wave
- Wave Offer Increased Camp Discounts In Difficult Times - Milwaukee Wave
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