USL-2 Champion City Stars take on USL First Division challenge
Published on December 4, 2008 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
Tampa, Fl - United Soccer Leagues announced that the current USL Second Division champion Cleveland City Stars are moving up to the USL First Division beginning in the 2009 season, becoming the first USL-2 side to move up the ladder since the Charlotte Eagles in 2001.
"Miami FC is pleased to welcome the Cleveland City Stars to USL First Division. Without a doubt, this is a great addition to our league and will likely develop into an exciting rivalry between the Southeast and the Midwest," said Aaron Davidson, Miami FC's president.
"The Cleveland City Stars will bring a mix of talented players from the USL-2 and new signings to USL-1. This is great because the backbone of the team will be formed by players accustomed to playing in the very competitive USL-2. They will definitely be a team that Miami FC will have to watch out for next year," said Luiz Muzzi, Miami FC's GM.
"We are delighted to be the latest addition to the USL First Division for the 2009 season," said Cleveland City Stars General Manager Mark Geissbauer. "After winning the USL-2 Championship last year and the success of our franchise on and off the field, this was the most logical decision to make. We know that this is going to be a big step for our still fairly young franchise, but we are looking forward to the challenge of competing at the highest level in the USL system and bringing the USL-1 into a flourishing market like Cleveland."
Heading into their third season of play, Cleveland has been an elite side in the USL Second Division since day one, suffering just one regular season loss in their debut 2007 campaign (10-1-9) before a semifinal round defeat. In 2008, the City Stars finished 10-3-7 and went on to capture the league championship with victories over the second-seeded Richmond Kickers and the regular season champion Charlotte Eagles.
The Eagles made a similar ascension to the USL First Division in 2001 after capturing the league championship in 2000. Charlotte made the postseason in two of three seasons in the upper flight before returning to USL-2 in 2004.
"Our promotion of the USL-2 Champion Cleveland City Stars is a function of their high-level competitive and organizational performance over the past two seasons," said Executive Vice President and COO Tim Holt. "The City Stars have clearly demonstrated they are prepared for the challenge of competing and operating at the USL First Division level and instantly strengthen the league. This is just one more example of the benefits of a USL's multi-level system of leagues which involve the movement of teams up and down the pyramid in a manner that best aligns with the growth of their club over time."
USL First Division Stories from December 4, 2008
- Cleveland City Stars to Play with RailHawks in USL-1 - North Carolina FC
- USL-2 Champion City Stars take on USL First Division challenge - Cleveland City Stars
- Cleveland City Stars Promoted To USL-1 - Cleveland City Stars
- Cleveland moving up to USL-1 - USL-1
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