Super-20 League Season Opener
Brigade U20 Ready for Season Two
Bakersfield Web Page - www.bakersfieldbrigade.com
Thursday, May 1
BAKERSFIELD, CA – The Bakersfield Brigade Super-20 League Men’s team announced today that they will kick off their 2008 season on Saturday, May 3 against the Lancaster Rattlers in Lancaster. That match is set to kick off from the Rattlers Pete Knight High School Field at 4:00 PM. The match marks the beginning of USL Super-20 League soccer in the Southern California Division.
The match that will officially open the 2008 Super-20 League season will kick off several hours earlier on the East Coast. It is between Orlando FC, who finished the 2007 season with a record of 1-4-1 and Florida Soccer Alliance, who ended last season 0-5-3. This will be the third season of competition in USL’s Super-20 League. It is also the third straight season that the league has expanded considerably.
 Of the four teams playing this weekend, Bakersfield had the most impressive 2007 season, clinching the Northern California Conference, Group A Championship. They will be looking to continue their success in 2008 in what will be the newest addition to the league, the Southern California Division. Last season, due to the lack of Southern California teams, the Brigade played their entire season in Northern California.
“We had been working with the USL over the past couple of years in an effort to expand into the [Super-20 League] and help create a division that would cover Central and Southern California,” said Brigade Vice President Joe Jimenez. “This season, it appears we have accomplished that goal.”
Mark Riley, the Director of Coaching for the Brigade Youth Club, will assume the Head Coach position for the Brigade Super-20 League this season. He brings 18 years of coaching experience to the Brigade, having worked for prestigious clubs that includes the California Surf, La Jolla Nomads and most recently Arsenal FC, who won two championships in United Soccer Leagues Super Y-League last season. Players to watch for in the 2008 season are Oz Hernandez, Kenneth Taylor and Andy Benton.
Competing with the Brigade in the Pacific Southern California Division of the Super-20 League is the Los Angeles Galaxy, Lancaster Rattlers, Poway Vaqueros and Ventura County Fusion. Like the Bakersfield Brigade, the Lancaster Rattlers and Ventura County Fusion also compete in United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League – the highest level of amateur soccer in North America.
For more information on the Brigade, please visit: http://www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.
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