Saint Louis FC Adds Two
March 3, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Saint Louis FC News Release
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis FC announced the signing of two players today, Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson and Midfielder Vince Cicciarelli.
Thompson, of Jamaican nationality, was a member of the Jamaica U20 and U23 teams as well as a member of the 2015 Copa América and CONCACAF Gold Cup teams. He played 4 games in the Gold Cup and finished with three wins and one loss. Thompson was in net when Jamaica defeated the United States 2-1.
"We are excited to have Ryan join our goalkeeping corp." said Head Coach Dale Schilly. "His professional experiences both domestically and abroad, coupled with his international competitions, particularly his role with Jamaica in last year's Gold Cup, will help solidify us at the back and give us solid leadership in the back half of the field."
In 2011, Thompson made seven appearances for the Shamrock Rovers in the Premier Divsion of the League of Ireland. He also became the first Jamaican to play in the Champions League as Shamrock Rovers competed against FC Copenhagen in the third qualifying round. After stops in Sweden and Tampa Bay, Florida, Thompson spent the 2015 season with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL. He started 10 games and had a .622 save percentage and finished with a 3-4-3 record.
"Ryan is extremely athletic, courageous and quick. He is a terrific shot stopper and very good shutting down the space behind the back 4. We obviously were impressed with his performance against us in league play."
Vince Cicciarelli, a Peoria, Illinois native and alumnus of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher, played three years of college soccer with Notre Dame before transferring to Saint Louis University for his senior season.
"After working with Vince in the Academy system, we have followed his career at Notre Dame and his final year at Saint Louis University." said Schilly. "We also played Vince in the Open Cup last year when he played up front for the Des Moines Menace."
While playing for Notre Dame in 2013, Cicciarelli appeared in all 24 matches, scored six goals, had three assists, and was selected third team All-ACC.
As a senior at SLU, Cicciarelli played in 15 matches and led the team in goals scored with six, was the A-10 player of the week for two consecutive weeks, and was voted second team All-Conference.
"Vince brings power, pace and explosiveness to the team. Vince has a chance to be a force in this league as he develops his understanding of timing and exploiting space behind the opposition's back four. Additionally Vince is a great cultural fit. His leadership tendencies coupled with his competitive nature is great for a locker room."
Saint Louis FC opens its 2016 USL season on March 26 in Sandy, Utah. FC will host the Tulsa Roughnecks on April 16 for the season's home opener. For ticket information, visit saintlouisfc.com, call 636.680.0997 or email us at tickets@saintlouisfc.com.
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