NASL North Carolina FC

RailHawks Ready For Revolution

Published on March 19, 2010 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. (March 19, 2010) - The Carolina RailHawks will open the 2010 season by taking on Major League Soccer's New England Revolution at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday at 7 p.m

Saturday's match will be the RailHawks' first official friendly of the 2010 calendar year, and it will give coach Martin Rennie a chance to see how his team has progressed after three weeks of training camp and what needs to be addressed in the next three weeks before the USSF Division-2 Pro League season begins on April 10.

"New England have been one of the best teams in MLS for the last number of years, and they've got some great players," Rennie said. "It's a good way to start the season at home. It's early in our season, but it will be a good test."

This year's meeting will be the third between the two clubs all-time. They first met in the semifinals of the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Revs prevailed 2-1 in overtime on a neutral field in New Britain, Conn., and went on to win the first trophy in their club's history.

In last year's friendly at WakeMed Soccer Park, the RailHawks earned a 1-0 victory over the Revolution. The Revs outshot Carolina 11-6, but goalkeepers Eric Reed (zero saves) and Caleb Patterson (four saves) combined for the shutout. Mark Schulte scored the game's only goal in the 16th minute.

"We're pleased to return to Cary for another preseason training trip," said New England coach Steve Nicol. "The RailHawks have outstanding training facilities and they will also provide a very tough, competitive match in our final test before we open our 2010 MLS season the following weekend."

The match is presented by the Hilton Garden Inn Durham-Southpoint/Summit Hospitality Group.

Parking lots open at 5 p.m. Gates to the stadium open at 6 p.m.

SCOUTING NEW ENGLAND

The Revolution are in the Triangle for a 10-day training visit and Saturday's match will be their final tune-up before they're scheduled to start the MLS season on March 27 against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

New England last season went 11-10-9 and finished third in MLS' Eastern Division. In addition to the MLS playoffs, the Revs also reached the SuperLiga semifinals and participated in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last year.

Midfielder Shalrie Joseph is among the best players in all of MLS. He was a finalist for the 2009 MVP award after registering career highs in goals (eight) and assists (eight).

Forward Kheli Dube shared the team's Golden Boot award with Joseph for the team's lead in goal scoring.

Defender Darrius Barnes was the only field player in MLS to play all 2,700 minutes of the 2009 season.

In the offseason, New England bolstered their defense with the signing of Cory Gibbs, who has appeared 19 times for the U.S. National Team, and goalkeeper Preston Burpo, who started 11 games for Kansas City in 2009.

REVOLUTION HOMECOMING

The Revolution's 10-day training stay in the Triangle represents a homecoming for three New England players: Darrius Barnes, Zack Schilawski and Mike Videira.

Barnes, a second-year defender, grew up in Raleigh, played for Triangle Futbol Club and graduated from Southeast Raleigh High School in 2005. After a standout career at Duke - Barnes appeared in 76 collegiate matches, helped the Blue Devils to 32 shutouts and was named All-ACC Second Team and NSCAA All-South Region First Team as a senior - New England selected Barnes 40th overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Barnes made his professional debut on March 21, 2009, starting the Revs' season-opening 1-0 win at San Jose - and he never left the field. Last season, Barnes was one of only four players, including goalkeepers, in all of Major League Soccer to play every minute of the 30-game regular season.

Schilawski, a rookie forward, grew up in Cary, played for the Capital Area Soccer League and graduated from Cary High School in 2006. After a decorated career at Wake Forest - went to four NCAA College Cups, including 2007 when he scored the game-winning goal in the national final at WakeMed Soccer Park, and he led the ACC in goals (14) and points (35) as a senior - New England selected him ninth overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. This preseason, he leads New England in scoring with three goals and one assist.

Before the Revs selected Videira 18th overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Videira played alongside Barnes at Duke. The midfielder appeared in 80 games for the Blue Devils, was named the ACC's Freshman of the Year and was a three-time semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. After a six-month stay on Scotland in 2008, Videira returned to the Revs for the 2009 season. Overall, he appeared in 16 matches for the New England last season.

Also, all three players spent time with the RailHawks PDL team in 2007 or 2008.

RAILHAWKS 2009 RECAP

It was a banner year for the RailHawks in 2009, as they went 21-10-8 in all competitions, including 16-7-7 in the USL First Division, and they established a slew of club records along the way.

The 16 wins, 55 points earned and the runner-up finish in the table were all franchise bests, as were the 43 goals scored, 19 goals conceded and 17 shutouts earned. The 16 wins were tied for most in the league (and all levels of U.S. professional soccer) while the seven draws were tied for the second fewest. Their 11 wins at WakeMed Soccer Park tied them for the most home wins in the USL-1.

The RailHawks never found themselves below fourth place in the USL-1 table all season. They earned points from every team in the league, and they earned at least one win over every team except Commissioner's Cup winner Portland (against whom Carolina was 0-1-2).

RAILHAWKS AT A GLANCE

While Rennie has not yet finalized his roster for the 2010 season, it is mighty close. Of the 22 players currently on the roster, 16 of them played for the club in 2009, marking the smallest roster turnover the RailHawks have ever had in a single offseason.

Returnees include 2009 team MVP and all-league first-team selection Daniel Paladini (7G, 5A), forward Gregory Richardson (6G, 5A), forward Sallieu Bundu (7G, 1A), midfielder Joseph Kabwe (5G, 4A), defender and 2009 all-league-second team pick Mark Schulte and goalkeeper Eric Reed (0.70 GAA, 8 SO).

Among Rennie's new signings are midfielder Marques Davidson, an eight-year veteran of the J-League, forward Etienne Barbara, who has played for more than 10 years in Europe, and defender Matt Bobo, a 2009 all-league first-team selection with the Charleston Battery.

RAILHAWKS IN THE PRESEASON

While Saturday's friendly is the RailHawks first official match of 2010, they actually have four matches under their belts this year. Since training camp began on March 1, the RailHawks are 4-0-0 against area college teams and they've won by a combined margin of 12-5. They defeated Duke 2-1, Wake Forest 2-1, Elon 3-2 and N.C. State 4-1. Before kicking off the league season on April 10, the RailHawks have remaining preseason dates with North Carolina (March 26), the Montreal Impact (March 27) and the Charlotte Eagles (April 6).

RAILHAWKS VS MLS

Saturday's match will represent the RailHawks' seventh all time against a team from Major League Soccer. In the previous six matches, they are 3-3-0, with wins over New England, Chicago and Chivas USA. They lost to New England, New York and Kansas City.

MORE RAILHAWKS-REVOLUTION TIES

This is the second straight year the Revolution have spent the last stages of their preseason training at WakeMed Soccer Park, and the teams have a number of ties.

Midfielder Gregory Richardson's legend began to bloom in a 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., when he scored three goals and had an assist in a 4-0 win over the Revolution while playing for Trinidad and Tobago's Joe Public.

RailHawks defender Ramak Safi went on trial with New England twice in 2009, once for one week and later in the ear for two weeks.

New England features seven players who played at Atlantic Coast Conference schools, meaning all of them passed through WakeMed Soccer Park during their collegiate careers. They are Darrius Barnes, Nico Colaluca, Pat Phelan, Zack Schilawski, Chris Tierney, Taylor Twellman and Mike Videria.

RailHawks defender Brad Rusin trained with the Revolution for two days earlier this week.

Revs goalkeeper Preston Burpo was a part of the RailHawks' first-ever win in club history. He was in goal for Chivas USA in 2007 when the RailHawks earned a 2-0 win in the friendly.

Both teams' head coaches are Scotland natives. The RailHawks' Rennie is from Thurso, and the Revolution's Nicol is from Irvine.

NEXT UP

The RailHawks will continue their preseason with matches next Friday and Saturday nights. First, they will meet the UNC men's soccer team in Southern Pines. The match will be the centerpiece of the RailHawks' three-day getaway to the Sandhills, which will also feature a team retreat and a clinic for area youth players.

They will return to the Triangle and then meet the 2009 USL First Division champion Montreal Impact at WakeMed Soccer Park on March 27.

Both games kick off at 7 p.m. ABOUT THE CAROLINA RAILHAWKS The Carolina RailHawks are a professional soccer team that plays in the NASL Conference in the USSF Division 2. In 2009, under the guidance of coach Martin Rennie, they finished second in the USL-1 standings with a record of 16-7-7. The RailHawks play at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. For more information about season and individual tickets, as well as group nights and other RailHawks events, please visit www.carolinarailhawks.com or call the LGFCU Box Office at 919-859-5425. ABOUT THE NASL The North American Soccer League (NASL) was established in November 2009, and will be submitting an application with the U.S. Soccer Federation to become a sanctioned league in 2011. The NASL's nine member teams - Carolina RailHawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Miami FC, NSC Minnesota Stars, Montreal Impact, Rochester Rhinos, AC St. Louis, FC Tampa Bay Rowdies and Vancouver Whitecaps FC - will all compete in the 2010 USSF D-2 Professional League, a second division league established and administered by the United States Soccer Federation. In 2011, the NASL will be joined by teams in Atlanta and Edmonton. The NASL and its member teams are committed to building on their long tradition of providing a high level of soccer to fans across the United States and Canada in 2010 and beyond.

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