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Metros kick off 2006 season with new rivals in May

March 27, 2006 - USL First Division (USL-1) News Release


NASHVILLE - A new division and a new group of rivals await the Nashville Metros when they kick off their 17th soccer season in May with a two-game road trip to North Carolina on May 5 and 6, then host three new divisional opponents for the first time at Ezell Park Stadium in a four-game home stand beginning May 13.

The 16-game season in United Soccer Leagues' (USL) 59-team national Premier Development League, the top level of amateur soccer in North America, features 14 games against the Metros' new rivals in the South Atlantic Division.

The teams competing for a playoff spot with the Metros this year include the Carolina Dynamo, Greensboro, N.C.; the Raleigh CASL Elite, Raleigh, N.C.; the Augusta Fireball United, Augusta, Ga.; and the Atlanta Silverback's U-23s, a new team being fielded for the first time this season by the Atlanta organization.

Raleigh made the 2005 PDL playoffs while Carolina is a perennial playoff contender. The Augusta team played an abbreviated provisional schedule last year but enters the league as a full-fledged PDL member in 2006.

The Metros and the Atlanta parent club, a member of USL's premier First Division professional league, were rivals in that league until the Metros returned to the PDL in 2002. That rivalry featured the annually competition for the Willie B. Cup, a trophy awarded to the winner of the annual series of games between the clubs. The trophy was named for the beloved Silverback gorilla Willie B., one of the most popular inhabitants of Zoo Atlanta until his death in 2000.

Four of the team's first five matches of the season, excluding the May 13 home opener against Atlanta, are qualifiers for US Soccer's 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup national soccer championship tournament. The Metros last qualified for the prestigious tournament in 2001, when they fell in the second round to Major League Soccer's L.A. Galaxy.

The Metros will complete their regular season on July 22. Conference championship playoffs begin the following weekend. The league semifinals will be the weekend of August 4-6 with the PDL Championship game Saturday, August 12.

Season tickets for the 2006 Metros season are now on sale at the team's web site at NashvilleMetrosSoccer.com. A 10-ticket Adult Flex Pass is just $50 while a 10-ticket Youth Flex Pass (16 and under) is $25. Flex pass tickets are good for any 2006 Metros match and can be used in any combination. Single game tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for youth.

For more information on the Metros, please visit our web site at NashvilleMetrosSoccer.com

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