Palace Look to Top Kickers to Stay in Playoff Hunt

Published on July 17, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Crystal Palace Baltimore News Release


July 17th 2009 - Baltimore, MD - Crystal Palace Baltimore take on the Richmond Kickers at UMBC Stadium tomorrow, Saturday, July 18 at 7:00pm. With Palace on the playoff bubble, each of their four remaining matches can be considered a "must-win".

Palace are coming off an impressive win over the Harrisburg City Islanders and will be looking to carry that momentum into Saturday's crucial clash. The Kickers are on a roll, having won four and drawn one over their last five fixtures. Their most recent game saw them thump Bermuda 7-2 at the University of Richmond.

Palace currently sit in fifth spot in the league standings, five points behind Richmond who occupy first place. The top five teams qualify for the playoffs and Baltimore is in a battle for that fifth and final spot, with local rival Real Maryland in fourth, equal on points but having played three matches fewer than Palace, while Charlotte occupy sixth place, two points behind Baltimore but with two games in hand.

"We played the team at the top of the table last Friday and got a result" remarked Crystal Palace Baltimore Co-Manager Jim Cherneski, "so we're looking forward to playing Richmond tomorrow. We think we can go out and win."

"We had a tough match with some quirky happenings on Monday," Cherneski added, referring to Monday night's friendly loss to Palace's British sister club, which included a pair of own-goals by defender Zack Flores, "but we're ready to go. It's been a good week of training, so we're planning to go out and win, and stay on track for the playoffs."

Palace have released Brazilian left back Mateus dos Anjos from his contract so that he can return to his home country for personal reasons. Former Northern Virginia Royals defender Eric Dougnaglo (pronounced doon-YAL-yo) has been signed for the remainder of the season as cover. The 30-year old Senegalese native was on trial with Palace this pre-season and played in the March 12th exhibition match against the New York Red Bulls at Navy Stadium in Annapolis.

Andrew Marshall suffered a nasty knock against Harrisburg last week and is a game-time decision for the Baltimore coaches. Palace captain and top scorer Val Teixeira is likely to return to the starting lineup after completing his one-game suspension last week. The latest on the long-term injury list is that Alex Ughiovhe and John Barry Nusum have both undergone their respective surgeries while Larry Mark is scheduled to go under the knife early next week, ruling all three out for the rest of the season.

Palace host Charlotte next Saturday in the final home fixture of the regular season, kicking off at 7:00pm. Tickets are currently still available for these two home fixtures either online at http://www.crystalpalaceusa.com/ or by calling 410.933.TEAM(8326).

About Crystal Palace Baltimore One of only 30 professional outdoor soccer teams in the United States, Crystal Palace Baltimore competes in the United Soccer Leagues Second Division and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The club also runs a Professional Development Academy for young players at age levels U9 through U17. Crystal Palace Baltimore is the sister organization of 104-year old Crystal Palace Football Club in the United Kingdom. The London-based club was a founding member of the English Premier League and currently competes in the Coca Cola Football League Championship. More information can be found at http://www.crystalpalaceusa.com

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 17, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central