Whitecaps Introduce New CEO Paul Barber

Posted by: admin  :  Category: Soccer, USA

The Vancouver Whitecaps of the USSF Division II Pro League officially welcomed Paul Barber to the team as their new chief executive officer Wednesday.

Barber comes to the Whitecaps from Tottentham Hotspur of the English Premier League, where he served on the team’s board of directors since 2005.

He will join team president Bob Lenarduzzi and chief operating officer Rachel Lewis on the executive team as the Whitecaps prepare to transition from USSF D2 to Major League Soccer, where they will be a 2011 expansion franchise.

Beat Loses Makoski For Season To Knee Injury

Posted by: admin  :  Category: Soccer, USA

In a statement by general manager Shawn McGee Wednesday, the expansion Atlanta Beat of Women’s Professional Soccer announced Manya Makoski will miss the entire debut season of the franchise to a knee injury.

McGee stated she will be placed on the team’s injured reserve list.

Rangers Add Wells, Carares, Ryan

Posted by: admin  :  Category: Soccer, USA

The New Jersey Rangers of the United Soccer Leagues W-League announced the signings of midfielders Ingrid Wells and Amanda Carares and forward Katie Ryan.

Wells was a former Most Valuable Player in the USL Super-20 League and was an outstanding player at Montclair High School in New Jersey, where she was named the Newark Star-Ledger High School Player of the Year and a first team All-State member, along with being named an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

She joined Georgetown in 2007 and finished her freshman season with 25 points and was ranked eighth nationally in assists per game at 0.59 per game and started every game. Wells was named the Big East Conference’s Rookie of the Year and was placed in the conference’s first team, as well as being named an NSCAA/adidas National All-American and Regional All-American, and Soccer Buzz magazine’s National All-American, National Freshman All-Americnan, Regional All-American and Regional Rookie of the Year.

Wells red-shirted the 2008 season as she led the US U-20 Women’s National Team to the FIFA U-20 World Cup competition.

She returned to the Hoyas and again scored 25 points on seven goals and 11 assists.

Carares started 13 of 14 games as a freshman at Binghampton University and scored her first collegiate goal in a 3-0 win over the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Over her sophomore and junior seasons, she was named twice to the America East Conference All-Star team and was a NSCAA All-Regional Team selection.

In her 2009 season, she led the Bearcats to a runner-up finish in the conference’s title game and again was named a first team all-conference pick.

At Rahway High School, Carares was a first team Associated Press All-State pick and the leading scorer in Union County with an impressive 30 goals and 13 assists. She was named a four-time New Jersey Girls Soccer Coaches Association all-state player and was part of the state’s Olympic Development Program.

Ryan was a three-time all-state selection by the NJGSCA and the Star-Ledger, a two-time Top 20 pick in the state, the 2007 Star-Ledger Player of the Year representing Passaic County and a three-time All-County pick from 2005 to 2007.

She went to Villanova and scored 20 points on eight goals and four assists in her freshman season, finishing second on the Wildcats roster. Three of her goals were game winners and one assist was as well. Ryan also was named the conference’s Rookie Of The Week three times in 2008.

In 2009, she led the team in scoring with 29 points on 11 goals and seven assists.

Pali Blues Sign D Christie Shaner To Roster

Posted by: admin  :  Category: Soccer, USA

The two-time defending United Soccer Leagues W-League champion Pali Blues announced the signing Wednesday of defender Christie Shaner.

Shaner was acquired by the now-defunct Los Angeles Sol in Women’s Professional Soccer in a midseason trade with the eventual league champion Sky Blue FC, but missed the rest of the season after breaking her tibia and fibula in a head-on collision with Abby Wambach of the Washington Freedom in Shaner’s first game with the team.

Shaner led Notre Dame to four straight Big East Conference championships and a 2004 NCAA Women’s College Cup title.

Before joining WPS, Shaner played for the FC Indiana Lionesses in both the Women’s Premier Soccer League, where she led them to league titles in 2005 and 2007, and in the W-League, where they lost 2-1 to Pali in the 2009 league championship game.

PGI Retains Presenting Sponsor Status With W-League’s Atlanta Silverbacks

Posted by: admin  :  Category: Soccer, USA

PGI, an Atlanta-based on demand communication services company formerly known as Premier Global Services, will be the presenting sponsor for the United Soccer Leagues W-League’s Atlanta Silverbacks Women for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the team announced Wednesday.

PGI’s logo will now appear on all player jerseys, both home and road.

They join Joma, Marca Personal, Cooper Atland, Neurosport Physical Therapy and InkHead as sponsors for the season.