January 23, 2012

Dear Alums & Friends,

Hope you are all doing well and for those in New England, have dug out from our first significant snow of the winter. Classes began for the spring semester today and this morning we meet with the team in preparation for our winter training to begin tomorrow morning. We’ll have 2 hours per week with the ball and another 6 hours of fitness training which should get the boy’s ready for the spring season. The spring non-traditional season will be upon us before you know it but we’ll send along our schedule when the dates and times are confirmed.

Speaking of the spring the Annual URI Alumni Game will be held on Sunday April 29th at 1:00 pm at the URI Soccer Complex. Assistant Coach Callum Bissett ‘07 has already began his recruiting his squad via Facebook as the alums are looking to follow up last years win with the a repeat performance. Will see if the boy’s have something to say about that! Following the game there will be a BBQ for all alums, friends and families. Callum and Chris Pennock ‘10 are looking into getting alumni replica game jerseys for their squad so if you are planning on coming/playing please let us know asap.

On the alumni front hopefully many of you saw or heard about Geoff Cameron making his first start for the United States National Team against Venezuela which was shown live on ESPN3 (you can see the replay there now). Cam played central defender alongside Rhode Island native Michael Parkhurst and in front for Brown alum Jeff Larentowicz. That’s three players with RI ties! He had a great match, nearly scored on a header and helped the US to a thrilling and well deserved last minute 1-0 victory. New US Coach Jurgen Klinsman’s and his boy’s next match will be January 25th against Panama. Here’s a nice article about the game and Geoff courtesy of Michael Tanke ‘11.

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/usa/story/united-states-mens-national-team-geoff-cameron-jermaine-jones-012212

I spoke to Michael the other night just before the US game. He is back in Rochester after spending the fall as a volunteer assistant coach at Indiana University-Perdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI), a NCAA Division I program in the Summit League that is coached by his former club coach Isang Jacob.

In other alumni news Peyton Warwick ‘11 and Adam Howarth ‘07 recently participated in the InfoSport Combine in FL. Adam had been training with the NE Revolution this fall but wasn’t able to catch on. InfoSport was the combine which allowed Danleigh Borman and Michael Tanke to be seen and eventually picked up by their respective MLS and USL teams. Peyton also travelled back home to Kansas to be a part of a Sporting KC combine which be all accounts went well.

FEBRUARY 1ST is right around the corner and with that the National Signing Date for NCAA Division I men’s soccer programs. We will be posting and sending out a press release announcing our class as it is one that we are VERY, VERY excited about. I can’t go into detail as of yet as it is against NCAA rules to do so but it includes several internationals, players from high profile USSF Academy programs, two URI Centennial Scholars as well as a couple of home grown Rhode Island transfers. The Class of 2012 will follow up our 2011 group which we all saw made a great impact on the program last fall.

Before I sign off we got some sad news to report in the untimely death of Atlantic 10 Referee Assignor Nick Cinquanto. Nick was a great person, a consummate professional guy and a fan of Rhody soccer. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends in their loss.

GO RAMS!
Coach O’C