Strikers Sign Defender Gordon; Release Granado
Published on July 12, 2012 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (July 11, 2012) - The Fort Lauderdale Strikers have announced the signing of defender Scott Gordon, pending USSF approval. Details of the contract were not disclosed.
"Scott is an exciting player who brings experience from the MLS to our team," said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore. "He knows how we like to play and knows our group of guys from being here in the preseason, so we're happy to have him back."
Gordon played in 23 games for the Strikers in 2011, scoring one goal and one assist. During the offseason, Gordon had a successful trial with Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, signing on March 16, 2012. He made three appearances with the Los Angeles based club before being waived on July 6.
FC Dallas drafted Gordon in the third round (53rd overall) of the of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Despite a significant amount of involvement in FC Dallas' preseason, he was not offered a contract by the club. Gordon returned to Florida to sign his first professional contract with his hometown club, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, on April 1, 2011.
On April 29th, less than a month after signing with the Strikers, Gordon made his professional debut against the Puerto Rico Islanders. Coming off the bench in the 66th minute, Gordon scored his first professional goal in the final minutes of the game, securing a 2-2 draw for the Strikers at the Estadio Juan RamÃ"n Loubriel, in BayamÃ"n, Puerto Rico.
Gordon featured a total of 23 times in the regular season and playoffs with the Strikers during the 2011 NASL season, appearing at left back, right back, and at the center of defense.
Gordon began his college career at Mercer University in 2006, but after one season transferred to Lynn University in Boca Raton. As the captain of the Fighting Knights, Gordon started 28 games.
The Strikers have also announced the release of midfielder Yoximar Granado. Granado was limited to one start this season due to injury. The Colombia native joined the Strikers last season and appeared in 19 games, starting five times while scoring one goal and adding one assist.
"We are going to miss Yoximar. He's a great player and a great locker room guy," said Shore. "Due to his injuries and not being able to get fully fit, we felt it was in the best interest of both parties for him to head back home to Colombia where he can find a team to continue his career."
After a 2011 trial with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, Granado signed his first professional contract with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on April 14, 2011. The next day Granado made his professional debut with the club, replacing Mike Palacio in the 58th minute of the Strikers 1-1 draw against the NSC Minnesota Stars at Lockhart Stadium. The midfielder scored his first professional goal with the club in the next home meeting with the Stars, a 3-0 victory on June 11.
The Strikers face the league-leading San Antonio Scorpions on Saturday, July 14 at 7:30p.m. EDT at Lockhart Stadium. Contact info@strikers.com or call (954)606-0400 for more information. Follow the Strikers on twitter @FTLStrikers and like us on Facebook to get the latest news and updates from South Florida's professional soccer team. All Strikers NASL matches are streamed live on www.strikers.com/live.
North American Soccer League Stories from July 12, 2012
- Stars FC Tops Rowdies 2-1 to Move to Third in NASL Standings - Minnesota United FC
- Strikers Sign Defender Gordon; Release Granado - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Scorpions Welcome Cosmos to NASL - San Antonio Scorpions
- New York Cosmos Returns to NASL - New York Cosmos
- New York Cosmos Join NASL - NASL
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.
