New soccer team packs sports park

Jummel Hidrosollo / Special to the Home News
Las Vegas Knights midfielder Fekade Gebretsadik attempts to keep the ball in possession during the season home opener at the Las Vegas Sports Park on Dec. 13 against the Arizona Heat.
z

z

By Christopher Drexel
Wed, Dec 24, 2008 (2 a.m.)

The Las Vegas Knights indoor soccer team appears to be a hit in Southern Nevada.
Nearly 400 people packed the Las Vegas Sports Park in Summerlin on Dec. 13 to take in the Las Vegas Knights' season opener.

The Knights, a semiprofessional team playing in the Premier Arena Soccer League, began their third season with an 8-4 victory over the Arizona Heat. The team hopes to continue building support in preparation for hosting the league's championship in early March.

"I'm happy to see hundreds of people here," Knights owner and coach Meir Cohen said. "We need the support of our community.
"Because we're hosting the championship we want to build a great relationship with the community. This is just the first step."
Professionally printed programs, shirts with Knights logos and black and red balloons signifying the team's colors could be found throughout the sports park. In between the fast-paced game action, music was blasted on loud speakers as the home crowd was enthusiastic from start to finish.

"We did really well for an opener," captain Juan Romero said. "The few guys we have that are first-year players did really good. We all stepped up and played like a team. As long as we win all our home games, we can make the playoffs."

Romero was one of six players to score goals for the Knights. Forwards Derik Van Gessel and Emmanuel Kouhaiz each put in two goals, while Rene Abrego, Ryan Purtell and Luis Suarez also found the back of the net.

Goalkeeper Zeke Sanchez only allowed one goal in the first half before being pulled to give the team's backups experience.

The Knights hope to build as much momentum as possible early in the season to ensure they'll be playing in their own arena for the league championship.

"Hosting the championship definitely gives us extra motivation," defender Fekade Gebretsadik said. "It's our dream to play here for nationals and represent Las Vegas as best we can."

The Knights held tryouts in October where about 40 players from the Sports Park's adult leagues attempted to fill 20 roster spots. Of the 20 players, eight were born outside the United States.

"We had a good turnout for our tryouts so there was a good variety to choose from for the team," Van Gessel said. "We all play here so we know the field. This place is a big home field advantage for us."


Christopher Drexel can be reached at 990-8929 or christopher.drexel@hbcpub.com.
zz
zzz
Photos - Jummel Hidrosollo / Special to the Home News
Link below to original web site at the Las Vegas Sun
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/24/new-soccer-team-packs-sports-park/

Cougars Open Training Camp

Monday Oct 13, 2008

STOCKTON , Calif. – The Stockton Cougars, of the new Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), continue their open training camp this week at Big League Dreams in Manteca , CA . The 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. camp practice is open to the public and to local media throughout the week. All contracted Cougars players are to report to the team on Wednesday, October 15.

The Cougars open their fourth season of professional arena soccer on October 25 against the Colorado Lightning at Stockton Arena. Season ticket plans and individual or group tickets are available by contacting the Cougars office at (209) 373-1550 or online by visiting http://www.stocktoncougars.net/.The Cougars will announce the 2008-09 roster at the conclusion of training camp.
Currently signed players include: Bernie Lilavois, Brian Farber, Aaron Susi, Matt McDougall, Pedro Lupercio, Majell Aterado and Jesus Molina.
The Cougars are currently participating in two-a-day practices and will continue training up to the PASL-Pro inaugural match on October 25 at Stockton Arena.

The official training facility of the Stockton Cougars is Big League Dreams in Manteca , CA . Big League Dreams is located at 1077 Milo Candini Drive in Manteca , CA . They can be reached at (209) 824-2400.

z

About the Stockton Cougars

Announced on February 28, 2004, the Cougars made their competitive debut as a member of the now defunct Major Indoor Soccer League in November, 2005, with the beginning of their first 30-game regular season. The Cougars announced their move to the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro) prior to the 2008-09 season. They begin competitive play as an inaugural member of the PASL-Pro on October 25, 2008 at Stockton Arena against the Colorado Lightning. Located in Stockton , California , the Stockton Cougars play their home games at the state-of-the-art Stockton Area, an integral piece to the city’s developing waterfront district. Stockton Arena opened to the public in December, 2005. For additional info rm ation about the Cougars, contact Greg Young, Director of Media Relations, or visit the Stockton Cougars’ official website: http://www.stocktoncougars.net/.

z

About the PASL-Pro

PASL-Pro is a newly fo rm ed arena soccer league that is made up of eight U.S. teams and four Canadian teams. The league has partnered with the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League (CMISL) and Liga Mexicana de Futbol Rapido (LMFR) in order to create a true North American arena soccer league. PASL-Pro is the direct result of 10 successful seasons of the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL-Premier). PASL-Premier is the nation’s top amateur arena soccer league. PASL-Pro and PASL-Premier are members of Federacion Internacional de Futbol Rapido (FIFRA). More info rm ation about the PASL-Pro can be obtained at http://www.arenaleague.com/.

z

Link below to original web site at the Stockton cougars

http://www.stocktoncougars.net/news/index.php?cat=15&id=819

Stockton Cougars Tryouts

Las Vegas Knights - Semi-pro team to compete at Las Vegas Indoor Soccer

By David Hilario and Photos by Bennie Palmore
Goalkeepers Phil Webb and Ezequiel Sanchez took their turns kicking and defending the goal. They paid no mind to the cold weather hovering just above freezing. It could be their passion and dedication to the game of soccer, but it can also be the fact that they were practicing indoors as part of Las Vegas’ inaugural semipro indoor soccer team.
Called the Las Vegas Knights, the team plans to make a statement in the Southwest Division of the Premier Arena Soccer League. As part of the nation’s largest indoor soccer league, the Knights are confident in taking the division and the city by storm.
"My goal is to have a couple of good seasons and create a good relationship with the community to go to the next level," team president Meir Cohen said. "We want to create a good fan base for indoor soccer."
Cohen, owner of Las Vegas Indoor Soccer Summerlin, founded and funds the team, while providing the practice facility at his establishment. A soccer player himself, Cohen, came to Las Vegas with the idea of introducing arena soccer to the valley.
"The demand for indoor soccer is here," he said. "We have so many great players in town, but once they finish high school or college, how will they continue to play? That’s why we give them the opportunity to keep playing."
The opportunity has interested players from many different backgrounds that now call Las Vegas home and represent the team. In addition to the United States; players from Bulgaria, Mexico, Argentina, and Ethiopia make up the team. Even Cohen, himself, brings another foreign element to the team as he was born in Israel. The players also come from all walks of life: from coaching future soccer stars to attending dental school to working at a mortuary. Yet one thing remains the same: they all want to win and they want this team to progress in this league and beyond.
"We’ve got some really good players on our team," defender and, Palo Verde alum, BJ Freeman said. "I can’t imagine anything but a good season."

"Everytime I step on the field, I want to win," Lamb said. "I know this is going to be a trial run, but I think we have the best shot to succeed." Although the Knights have the confidence to win in the competitive 6-on-6 league, they know that having the community behind them is key.
"If we get all the support we need from people in Las Vegas and if everyone works hard, we’ll do fine," goalkeeper and Argentinean Ezequiel Sanchez said. "We just want to start by winning the first game and get off on the right foot."
Taking charge of the team is head coach John Kennedy, born in Scotland, who’s experience includes serving as a referee in numerous collegiate games such as the 1984 NCAA final between UCLA and America University, still the longest game in NCAA history. He has also moved up the ranks as a coach, serving as an assistant for the 1994 world champion soccer team the Las Vegas Dustdevils. His assistant coach will be Joe Mendoza, a former San Jose State University soccer player who also coached the Spartans after he graduated.
The Knights play their first game against the Phoenix Inferno on December 9th. Come out and support your new team as they embark on an inaugural journey where the walls are in play, the pace is fast, and the action is nonstop.