Harrisburg City Islanders and Philadelphia Union Agree to Dissolve Five-Year Exclusive Partnership
August 19, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Harrisburg City Islanders in Action
(Penn FC)
Harrisburg, PA (August 19, 2015) - The Harrisburg City Islanders and the Philadelphia Union have announced that they have mutually agreed to go separate ways and dissolve the current exclusive partnership which was established in 2010.
The Harrisburg City Islanders and the Philadelphia Union pioneered the efforts for USL and MLS partnerships dating back to 2010. The partnership was the catalyst that developed further partnerships within the leagues and carved out the model as the growth to where the USL and MLS are at this time in history.
"We thank the Philadelphia Union for being a great partner. They were generous and helped us at a time we needed it. Last year was a great example of how well the partnership worked," states majority owner Eric Pettis. "Having their players as an integral part of our program, was a positive factor in our run to the Championship Final. The USL landscape is changing and we have mutually agreed to go our separate ways."
The organization achievements over the past 12 years have been great including a 2007 Championship, 2011 and 2014 Championship Finalist. The club has reached the playoffs nine out of 11 seasons and has made a remarkable impact in the league.
"We were the first to form a relationship back In 2010 and it's been a great five years working with the Union,'' states Head Coach Bill Becher "We have always been centered around having a young roster with the ability to move players to the next level of professional soccer. We will keep that focus and are proud to have advanced nine players into the MLS and abroad."
The focus of developing players was a great benefit for the Philadelphia Union and that has been confirmed with the advancement of players such as Richie Marquez (Union), Pedro Ribeiro (Orlando), Jimmy McLaughlin (Union) and Antoine Hoppenot (Union). The Islanders have also moved players into MLS such as Brian Sylvestre, Sheanon Williams, Chase Harrison, Morgan Langley, Yann Ekra, Ty Shipalane and others along the years. The Islanders are committed to proceeding in the same route of developing players and working with partners who will share the same player development philosophy.
The Islanders are prepared for the next chapter in the organization and will strive to keep the results on and off that field as they have for the past 12 seasons. "We have been working diligently with the USL league and we look forward to announcing the exciting plans for the Harrisburg City Islanders 2016 Season," affirmed Pettis. "Increasing the investment of the franchise in order to continue to be relevant in this league is the direction the organization is headed."
The Islanders next home match has been moved from City Island to Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster against FC Montreal on Saturday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a friendly against the Philadelphia Union on Monday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m.
General Admission tickets for both games are on sale NOW and are available through www.lancasterbarnstormers.com, through the Two Dudes Box Office at Clipper Magazine Stadium, through www.lancasterbarnstormers.com and by calling 717-509-HITS.
The Islanders return to Skyline Sports Complex on City Island to complete their USL regular season schedule in September.
For more information and tickets please visit www.cityislanders.com or call 717-441-GOAL (4625).
Images from this story
 Harrisburg City Islanders in Action |
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