USL PRO Announces 2015 Harrisburg City Islanders Regular Season Schedule
February 2, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Harrisburg, PA - The Harrisburg City Islander's schedule became official Monday as USL PRO released the 2015 season slates for all 24 clubs.
The 2015 season will make the 12th anniversary for the club following a successful 2014 campaign where they finished as finalists in the 2014 USL PRO Championship, losing to Sacramento Republic FC (2-0). With a record of 14-12-7 and competing with one of the youngest teams in the league, with an average age of 22 years old, the City Islanders entered the 2014 USL PRO playoffs as a number 8 seed. They then went on to defeat regular season champions, Orlando City in the quarterfinals of the USL PRO playoffs and moved on to defeat number four seed, Richmond Kickers, to move on to the championship match in Sacramento.
The Islanders will begin the 2015 season by traveling to Highmark Stadium to face keystone rival, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the first of a series of four matches dubbed "The Keystone Derby". The Islanders will then face Pittsburgh for the fourth and final match to close the season at Skyline Sports Complex, Saturday, September 19.
"We're very excited for the season to get underway, and we couldn't ask for a better opponent to open with than Pittsburgh," City Islanders head Coach Bill Becher said. "It was a battle every time we played them last season, and now that we're division rivals, there is even more on the line. Obviously, it's a very important game for us."
In their third match of the season, the Islanders will welcome FC Montreal for the first time to Skyline Sports Complex in the 2015 season home opener on Saturday, April 18. This will be the first time in team history that the Islanders will play the new USL PRO franchise, owned and operated by the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer.
Becher added, "We are excited to host one of the newest USL PRO teams to the league for our home opener. FC Montreal is a quality club and we are eager to start the 2015 season hosting them."
Due to the unprecedented off-season growth of the USL PRO to 24 clubs, consisting of seven MLS owned and operate clubs, the 2015 competition format will feature a two-conference alignment to further promote regional rivalries within the Western and Eastern Conferences. In addition, the 2015 regular season will extend from March 28 to September 19 to accommodate additional clubs.
"Transitioning to a conference-based structure is consistent with our long-term growth strategy and enabled by the rapid expansion of the league," USL PRO Executive Vice President Jake Edwards said. "This new format will promote regional rivalries, allowing fans greater opportunity to support their clubs home and away as the league continues to bring its brand of professional soccer to enthusiastic markets throughout the U.S. and Canada."
2015 USL PRO Alignment
Eastern Conference
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Independence
FC Montreal
Harrisburg City Islanders
Louisville City FC
New York Red Bulls
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Richmond Kickers
Rochester Rhinos
Saint Louis FC
Toronto FC II
Wilmington Hammerheads FC
Western Conference
Arizona United SC
Austin Aztex
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
LA Galaxy II
OKC Energy FC
Orange County Blues FC
Portland Timbers 2
Real Monarchs SLC
Sacramento Republic FC
Seattle Sounders FC 2
Tulsa Roughnecks FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
The relationship between the Harrisburg City Islanders and their exclusive MLS affiliate, the Philadelphia Union, will continue to flourish in the 2015 season. As per agreement, the Philadelphia Union will loan four players to the Islanders. Allowing them to stay, practice and play vital games with their USL counterpart for an extended period of time to help the City Islanders compete for a USL championship.
The Islander's complete 2015 schedule is listed below. Games at home are in bold:
Saturday, March 28: at Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Saturday, April 4: at Charleston Battery
Saturday, April 18: FC Montreal
Friday, April 24: at Charlotte Independence
Saturday, May 2: at Wilmington Hammerheads FC
Saturday, May 9: at New York Red Bulls
Saturday, May 16: Charlotte Independence
Saturday, May 30: at Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Saturday, June 6: Toronto FC II
Saturday, June 13: at Saint Louis FC
Friday, June 19: Rochester Rhinos
Saturday. June 27: at Charleston Battery
Saturday, July 4: Wilmington Hammerheads FC
Wednesday, July 8: Charleston Battery
Sunday, July 12: at New York Red Bulls
Saturday, July 18: New York Red Bulls
Sunday, July 26: Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Saturday, August 1: at Richmond Kickers
Saturday, August 8: Richmond Kickers
Wednesday, August 12: Louisville City FC
Wednesday, August 19: at Toronto FC II
Saturday, August 22: at Rochester Rhinos
Saturday, August 29: FC Montreal
Wednesday, September 2: at Louisville City FC
Sunday, September 6: Saint Louis FC
Saturday, September 12: Richmond Kickers
Wednesday, September 16: at FC Montreal
Saturday, September 19: Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Kick-off time for the home opener Saturday, April 18 is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Skyline Sports Complex on City Island, Harrisburg. Tickets will be $7 for youth and $12 for adults. For more information on the City Islanders or any questions regarding season ticket discounts for the upcoming season, contact the team at 717-441-4625 (GOAL) or visit www.cityislanders.com.
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United Soccer League Championship Stories from February 2, 2015
- Aztex 2015 Regular Season Revealed - Austin Aztex
- Rochester Rhinos Announce 2015 USL Pro Schedule - Rochester Rhinos
- Toronto FC II 2015 USL PRO Regular Season Schedule Announced - Toronto FC II
- FC Montreal's Schedule Unveiled - FC Montreal
- Real Monarchs 2015 Full Season USL PRO Slate Revealed - Real Monarchs
- USL PRO Announces 2015 Harrisburg City Islanders Regular Season Schedule - Penn FC
- Kickers Announce 2015 USL PRO Schedule - Richmond Kickers
- Roughnecks Announce Complete Schedule - FC Tulsa
- 2015 USL PRO Regular Season Schedule Released - Sacramento Republic FC
- Riverhounds Face Four Keystone Clashes with Harrisburg - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Energy FC Announces 2015 Schedule - OKC Energy FC
- Charleston Battery's 2015 Schedule Could be Club's Best Ever - Charleston Battery
- Saint Louis FC Schedule Announced - Saint Louis FC
- USL PRO Unveils Inaugural Sounders FC 2 Schedule - USL
- Schedule Announced for Inaugural WFC2 Season in USL PRO - Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
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