August 27, 2008

Dear Alumni & Friends,

Yesterday we finished up our last day of double sessions in pre-season with the regular season right around the corner. It has been a long couple of weeks but very productive as we head into the first weekend of the 2008 campaign. Thursday we head to the University of New Hampshire for the UNH Nike Classic. Friday we come up against old friend and former URI Assistant Pat Laughlin and the Black Bears of Maine and finish up the weekend versus host UNH on Sunday. These will be two challenging matches against these America East Conference rivals and a great test for our young team.

Pre-season, as I said, has been marked by hard work and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. This year, the squad had the addition of nine new players that included 3 transfers. The latter group brings us experience while the remainder, a great base for the future. It has been a very competitive situation for everyone and our depth in every position is tremendous. I've been very proud of the captains, senior Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) and junior Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) who have done a great job bringing the squad together.

we've also had a chance to see the squad in action outside of training in an exhibition game versus Bryant College (which is moving to Division I in 2010) as well as a Blue vs. White game this past Saturday night. Against Bryant, we got goals from sophomore Josh Sousa (Barrington, R.I.) and Kedan Crosby for a 2-0 win. In the Blue vs. White game Sousa tallied again but sophomore defender Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) equalized to keep the score knotted at 1-1. Many thanks to alumni Kevin Algozer, Brian Bradley, Paul Fanning, Steve Froberg, Kevin Kennedy and Dennis Richards who came along to help us make up numbers due to some injuries.

I don't want to forget to remind all of you to join us for our home opener on Friday September 12th at 7:00 pm versus the University of Albany. We have some great matches this season including 7 against teams that made the NCAA tournament in 2007. Our game against in-state rival Providence College on Tuesday September 9th will be broadcast locally on Cox Sports (via tape delay, September 11th at 7:00 pm).

When we take the field at Brown on September 20th, it will be a special night as we are helping to fundraise with the Bears for Grassroots Soccer - a non-profit organization that educates and raises awareness about AIDS in Africa through soccer. The squad will wear special edition jerseys provided by adidas in recognition of the night. The game jerseys will be auctioned off with all proceeds will got to GRS. I have a personal attachment to Grassroots as it was founded by Dartmouth College standouts Tommy Clark (son of my boss at Dartmouth) and Methembe Ndlovu (a former Zimbabwean International) whom I had the pleasure of coaching while in Hanover from 1990-1994. It should be a good night and a great match, all for a very worthy cause. If you want more information about Grassroots Soccer and what YOU can do to help, log onto www.grassrootsoccer.org .

Of course one of the highlights of the year will be on Friday October 3rd when we welcome back former URI standout and Siena College Head Coach Gareth Elliott `02 to the URI Soccer Complex for a 7:00 pm tilt. Gareth begins his first season at the helm for the Saints and we are so excited to have him back in Kingston for a match.

Before signing off, I would be remiss if I didn't say congratulations to Dean Ruddy '06 for recently signing a contract with Lewes FC in England. I got the news from his mom Luanne who said Deano is excited as he has moved up three levels and is now playing in the Blue Square Premier Division. Much of their talent comes from the Premier League and he is now part of some good soccer traditions and competition.

Along with Dean, we also saw some movement here in the states when Ross Smith `03 signed with the Rochester Rhinos this past spring. He was formerly with Dagenham & Redbridge FC in England's Second Division where he represented the club in England's prestigious FA Cup.

Hopefully many of you have also been following the progress of Geoff Cameron and Danleigh Borman in Major League Soccer. The two played against each other this past weekend with Borman's New York Red Bulls getting the best of Cameron's Houston Dynamo, 3-0. Geoff has been a jack of all trades for the Texas based club, being mentioned as the "Best Kept Rookie Secret in MLS" by Ridge Mahoney of SoccerAmerica. Danleigh is online too - and you will get a good laugh if you check out he and his housemates' "Real Life: Secacus" video on YouTube.

Well, that is about it from here... the season begins soon, and we're all excited! Hopefully we will see you all - both here and on the road - cheering the boys on... Have a great remainder of the summer and GO RAMS!

August 7, 2008

It's been quite a while since my last installment of "This End of the Bench" so I thought I would update you on what is going on here in the world of URI men's soccer. Pre-season is less that a week away and we are excited to get rolling. We have nine new players coming in with loads of experience and exciting potential for the future so I look forward to you getting a chance to see them. If you haven't seen their profiles and backgrounds yet, Rob Czlonka to our staff as Assistant Coach and Director of Coaching for Rams FC which is our fundraising arm of URI men's soccer. Rob comes to us from Carnegie Mellon University and we are excited to have him on board. I met Rob when doing camp at Notre Dame and I am confident he will do a great job for us and the program. Make sure you introduce yourself to him when you get a chance and welcome him to the Rhody Soccer Family.

On Tuesday night, Rob Czlonka and I were lucky to get to Gillette Stadium to see Geoffrey Cameron and his Dynamo teammates take on the New England Revolution in the 2008 SuperLiga Final. Also in attendance were Frank Bergren and daughter (and former men's soccer manager) Emily, Doug Stone and his wife as well as Jodi Pontbriand (Sports Communications), her roommate and Lauren Goley, Michelle Levreault and Angie Farine from our athletic training staff. Unfortunately (depending on which way you look at it) the Revolution beat the Dynamo in a PK shootout after a 2-2 overtime tie. Geoff got an assist on the first goal of the game and played well at CENTER BACK...yes you read it correctly. Cam has been playing all over the park for the defending MLS Champions as a starter and reserve at forward, right midfielder, center midfielder, right back and center back.

I got a chance to meet Houston's President and General Manager Oliver Luck, who said that the organization was very pleased with Geoff and felt as though he was playing "like a 5th year veteran, not a rookie!"

Danleigh Borman is still plugging away with New York Red Bull and getting plenty of time with the reserves. His minutes with the first team are restricted because of his roster slot with the big club. If he goes over in minutes played as an international developmental player, the club would have to change his status.

Here is a great article written about Danleigh which is a tremendous tribute to his hard work and determination. Hopefully you got to see him and his New York Red Bull teammates take on Barcelona last night (8/6/08) at 7:00 pm on ESPN 2 as part of Barca's US tour. Not a great result, but Danleigh played the first 45 minutes and had his hands full with Thierry Henri, Samuel Eto'o and their teammates.

Have not heard from Lukasz Tumicz as of late, but he has started his pre-season and first full-season with his club Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Polish First Division. As you know, he played part of the season with them this past spring which included a goal 2 minutes into his first appearance with the club against their rival. Callum Bissett is finishing up his first full season with the Western Mass Pioneer (USL 2) and has his final friendly against the Vermont Voltage on August 9th.

Before I sign off, I encourage everyone to get out to our games this fall. It should be an exciting season with some new faces to keep up the URI Men's Soccer tradition of excellence. I've attached a schedule and hope to see you at some matches... Keep your eyes on your e-mail for our "fall soccer weekend" announcement as well as some special doings in the works.

All the Best and GO RAMS!