Team America Spotlight of the Week (#3)

On to USL-2 this week...the spotlight belongs to:


League: USL Division 2
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Coach: Bill Becher
Website: www.cityislanders.com
Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex (cap 4,000)
Avg Attendance: 1,781
Notable Wins: 2005 USL-2 Semifinals
2nd Place 2005 USL-2 Regular Season

Notable Players:
Chad Severs - A Vineland, NJ product who scored 13 goals last year for the Islanders.
Sumed Ibrahim - This Ghanain midfielder was taken 20th in the 2004 MLS Superdraft by the Chicago Fire. Released eventually to play with the MISL's Baltimore Blast.
Shane Crawford - anchored their midfield last year; known for his Jamaican national team caps (4 to be exact)
Mo Odour - appeared for the Kenyan U-20 team

Blurb:

This team based in the heart of Pennsylvania has only been in existence since 2004. It's existence coincided with the disbanding of the Harrisburg Heat, however the rich semi-professional teams in the area allowed the Islanders to thrive (Hershey Bears, Harrisburg Senators). The City Islanders are exactly what the name spells out as their field (city-owned) is actually located on an island. Already it has finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in USL Division 2. Their worst year in the league was this past year as they went 8-9-3 and finished 7th. Harrisburg's 2007 preseason will see them take on Bucknell University, St. Francis (PA) University, Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2), and NCAA Division 1 stalwarts Lehigh University. Their talent is mostly found from all the universities they play preseason friendlies against. Fittingly, the City Islanders consist of above 60% Central Pennsylvania boys. They seem to have a small connection with D.C. United as they seem to have an annual match-up against the boys in black. Their real connections seem to be with the development of youth players as their academy boasts a whopping 400 players (rather big for a USL-2 team) and agreements with some 55 different teams. According to GM Joe Sierko, the on-field goals for Harrisburg this year involve a USL-2 Championshp and the title as the USL-2 team to progress the farthest in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.


Tell me what you think about the Team America Spotlight of the Week at BonnWM3@hotmail.com. Have suggestions on next week's Spotlight, let me know