New England Division Alignment
Interview with Ottawa's John Pugh
 Friday, January 18
TAMPA – United Soccer Leagues announced today the 2008 alignment for the New England Division of the Super Y-League. The division will contain a total of 79 teams, playing upon the heated rivalries amid the eight premier clubs in the New England region, which includes: Seacoast United (New Hampshire), Black Watch SC (Albany), BW Rhode Island, MPS Boston, MPS Cape Cod, the New Hampshire Phantoms, Nordic Soccer Club (Vermont), and the Ottawa Fury. Clubs compete on various planes of the U13-U17 age groups in the Super Y-League.
All but three teams in the division will also compete in the Men’s and Women’s Super -20 League this season. Two additional women’s Super-20 sides will fill out the New England allotment, playing under the banner of their USL W-League affiliates: Connecticut FC and the Long Island Rough Riders.
“We are very excited to start the season,” said Ottawa Fury President and CEO, John Pugh. “We have a year-round program, so our SYL teams are all but set to go. I feel the division, and the Fury in particular, will be stronger because of the work we have done with our academy program in our younger age groups. Now, when our players come into the U13 and U14 age groups of the SYL, they are well prepared. Our ’95’s and ‘96’s are particularly strong.”
The details regarding the primary New England Division schedule, minimum standards and updated league regulations for the 2008 season were discussed this past week at the annual SYL New England Divisional Meeting held at the Marriott Providence, in Providence, Rhode Island. USL’s Melanie Fitzgerald, the Director of Operations for the SYL & Super-20 League and Jeff McRaney, USL’s Senior Director of Youth Development, conducted the divisional alignment conference. Once policies and procedures were reviewed, the clubs finalized the scheduling process. The finalized schedule will be released in February.
The parity of the New England Division during the 2007 season was well-represented at the North American Finals, held in late November in Tampa, Florida. Six of the eight clubs in the region qualified for “postseason” play including: Seacoast United (six teams), BW Rhode Island (four teams), the Ottawa Fury (four teams), Black Watch SC (two teams), MPS Boston (one team) and MPS Cape Cod (one team).
“We have some really strong teams in the league’s New England Division,” said Pugh. “Seacoast is competitive at every level while Boston, Rhode Island, Albany and Cape Cod all fielded teams at some level in the North American Finals. Across the board there are no easy games.”
The Fury held the distinction of being the most improved club in the New England Division last season as they upped their North American Finals representation from one team in 2006 to four squads in 2007.
“For four teams to qualify is great,” said Pugh. “That is the best we have ever done.”
“The Super Y-League is our ticket as far as getting players exposed to American-based colleges and universities,” added Pugh. “The Fury has helped 12 kids gain a soccer scholarship from an American institution in each of the past two seasons. To have one-third of our players moving on to the next level is quite amazing. The kid’s interest is in American schools because the level of play is typically stronger. ”
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