Palace Hit The Road For Busy Weekend In The Carolinas

Published on April 30, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Crystal Palace Baltimore News Release


Baltimore, MD - Coming off their defeat of Bermuda last Friday at UMBC, Crystal Palace Baltimore head South today to face the 2008 regular season champion Charlotte Eagles on Friday night (at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina) and the Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday night. The combination of the long journey and the back-to-back fixtures will provide a stiff test for the only team in the league yet to concede a goal this season. It remains to be seen how Co-Managers Pete Medd and Jim Cherneski distribute playing time among the group of nineteen players making the weekend trip, but some changes from the recent starting line-up are to be expected in each game. Olawale Adelusimi and Larry Mark are the two players left behind as they both continue to recover from their respective long- term injuries.

"We're confident we can get six points," remarked Cherneski, "even though it's undoubtedly the hardest trip of the year as far as travel and the back-to-back fixtures go. We couldn't be happier with the way the team has come together and even if we have bumps in the road, which will happen, we have the character to bounce back from them. We'll probably start on Friday with a slightly different lineup. Some of the guys who have come back from injury aren't 100% fit yet, so we 'll see how they do and then make our decisions for the second game."

Palace will be looking to turn the tables on the Eagles of North Carolina this year - last season, Charlotte proved to be the Baltimore club's nemesis, defeating Palace handily in both regular season encounters and knocking them out of the league playoffs at the semi- final stage. Charlotte's goal-scoring threat has only improved in the off-season, with former USL2 top scorer and MVP Jacob Coggins returning after a one year stint in USL1 to team up with last year's league-leading scorer and MVP Dustin Swinehart, who netted twice in his side's season opener last weekend. Palace had an easier time with the Hammerheads last season, taking all three points in the encounter at UMBC and sharing the spoils in North Carolina.

Palace return on Sunday to recover and prepare for the most convenient of their away fixtures as they visit in-state rivals Real Maryland on Friday May 9th in Rockville - kickoff for the local derby is set for 6:00pm. Palace resume their home schedule with a double-header on May 15 and 16 against Western Mass and Charlotte respectively.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 30, 2009


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