Rangers Add W-League Team for 2010
The NJ Rangers are proud to announce the addition of a new W-League team to begin competition in the 2010 season. "With the recent success of the WPS we felt that this was a great opportunity to not only compliment or PDL team but also highlight some of the great talent that has come through the area over the past few years." commented Head Coach, Andy Rotsides
The new W-League team will be made up of players that have come from the northern New Jersey area. "We have identified close to 60 players from the area that are playing for Division I programs and have had a contributing role on their teams this past season" added Rotsides. Morris County has a rich tradition in both youth girl’s and women’s soccer programs. This W-league team will give these talented players the opportunity to excel at a very high level of play and improve their skills to continue onto the next level.
Full season details and schedules will be announced by the United Soccer Leagues (USL). "The USL provides the best organized format in the country today for the development of tomorrow’s professionals. We know the competition will be very good with teams like the NJ Wildcats, NY Quickstrike FC, and Washington Freedom. We are looking to put the best talent we can on the field to compete," commented General Manager Aaron Balber.
The original and longest-standing women’s league in North America, the W-League, is USL’s highest level of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. It is also the 4th highest women’s soccer league in the world. The 2009 USL W-League campaign featured 37 teams in four regional conferences playing 12 - 14 regular season matches. In addition to the league featuring international and professional stars, elite collegiate players have the opportunity to compete on amateur teams in the league while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league is recognized throughout the world for providing elite competition for female players, while providing affordable family entertainment for fans across North America.
The Rangers will play their 6 scheduled home games at Morris Catholic High School in Denville beginning in May.
PDL 2010 alignment announced
TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced the official alignment for the upcoming 2010 USL Premier Development League season, unveiling the conference and divisions for the 68-team league.
The conference and division alignments remain the same as 2009 with four conferences each containing two divisions of at least six teams. The clubs also remained relatively in place from their 2009 alignment with the exception of the Eastern Conference, which saw the three New Jersey clubs switch to the Mid Atlantic Division with four more northerly-based franchises entering the Northeast Division.
The four new Northeast Division teams are part of a group of nine teams that will make their PDL debut this season, three of whom are returning USL clubs. Former PDL club Vermont Voltage, returning from a year off due to stadium renovations, is one of trio along with former USL Second Division sides Bermuda Hogges and Western Mass Pioneers.
New franchises in the conference are led by the MPS Portland Phoenix and two new expansion sides in Albany, NY and Central Jersey. The three other first-year teams will be the previously announced Dayton Dutch Lions and Fort Lauderdale franchises along with a team returning in Rochester, MN.
2010 PDL Alignment
Central Conference
Great Lakes Division: Chicago Fire, Cincinnati Kings, Cleveland Internationals, Dayton Dutch Lions, Forest City London, Indiana Invaders, Kalamazoo Kingdom, Michigan Bucks, Toronto Lynx
Heartland Division: Des Moines Menace, Kansas City Brass, Real Colorado Foxes, Rochester (MN), Springfield Demize, St Louis Lions, Thunder Bay Chill
Eastern Conference
Mid Atlantic Division: Bermuda Hogges, Carolina Dynamo, Central Jersey, Hampton Roads Piranhas, Ironbound Express, New Jersey Rangers, Northern Virginia Royals, Ocean City Barons, Reading United, West Virginia Chaos
Northeast Division: Albany (NY), Brooklyn Knights, Long Island Rough Riders, New Hampshire Phantoms, Ottawa Fury, MPS Portland Phoenix, Vermont Voltage, Western Mass Pioneers, Westchester Flames
Southern Conference
Mid South Division: DFW Tornados, El Paso Patriots, Houston Leones, Laredo Heat, Rio Grande Valley Bravos, West Texas United Sockers
Southeast Division: Atlanta Blackhawks, Baton Rouge Capitals, Central Florida Kraze, Fort Lauderdale, IMG Bradenton Academics, Mississippi Brilla, Nashville Metros, New Orleans Jesters, Panama City Pirates
Western Conference
Northwest Division: Abbotsford Mariners, Kitsap Pumas, Portland Timbers U23, Spokane Spiders, Tacoma Tide, Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, Victoria Highlanders, Washington Crossfire, Yakima Reds
Southwest Division: BYU Cougars, Fresno Fuego, Hollywood United Hitmen, Lancaster Rattlers, Los Angeles Legends, Ogden Outlaws, Orange County Blue Star, Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion
Headlines from USLsoccer.com
