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.
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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.
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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/

LAS VEGAS KNIGHTS: Playing in the pros

Soccer team celebrates two years of success

By JAN HOGAN VIEW STAFF WRITER
Break out the bubbly. Light up the candles on the cake. One of Las Vegas' newest sports teams, the Knights, will soon be celebrating its second anniversary.
The team is part of the Premiere Arena Soccer League and competes regionally. Head coach Travis Norberg said although it's a new team, its members are not lacking in ability.
"We have a lot of talent and a lot of speed," he said.
That talent and speed came into play just last year, when the Knights rose through the ranks against established teams out of Phoenix and San Diego. The Knights qualified for the 2007 nationals, taking fourth place. About 15 teams were at the national competition, which was held in Tijuana, Mexico.
The Knights team was formed in the spring of 2006. It has 20 players, ages 19-30. The team is based out of the Las Vegas Sportspark, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd.
They practice Mondays and Wednesdays at the Sportspark, taking the field about 10 p.m. until nearly midnight. The late hours are to accommodate recreational soccer leagues. The late practice can make for a long day for Knights team members, many of whom have day jobs in the hotel-casino industry.
"Obviously, we'd like a better time slot, but we appreciate the opportunity to use the facility for free," Norberg said.
The Knights play home games on Saturday evenings at earlier hours, usually 6:45 p.m.
Phil Webb, 34, is one of the team members. The former U.S. Marine has played the sport since age 7 and now spends his spare time as a youth coach. When he first learned Las Vegas would have a semi-pro team, he saw it as a great step for the sport and the city.
"Actually, my first thought was, 'It's about time,' " Webb said.
Word of mouth is helping to increase the team's fan base. Some games see about 400 attendees. One drew as many as 1,200. Still, they'd like to see more bodies in the stands, members said. Games are held indoors, so inclement weather and the summer heat are not factors.
"People are distracted in this city," Norberg said. "That's probably why professional sports traditionally don't make it here. But the potential (for garnering large support) is there."
One way the team is trying to drum up interest is by offering free admission to home games, an effort that will continue indefinitely as a fan base is built.
Norberg said the plan was to make the Knights a professional team in a few years.
Norberg, 34, played professionally for seven years for the Continental Indoor Soccer League and the National Professional Soccer League, both now defunct. A few of the team members also played professionally before joining the Knights.
"They bring experience, they show the others how to act on the field mentally, as well as physically," Norberg said. "In professional sports, you have to have the talent, but a lot of it is also mental."
For more information, visit www.lasvegasindoorsoccer.com

Las Vegas Knights are heading to Mexico

March 2, 2007
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On Saturday, February 24th, The Las Vegas Knights made it past the semi-final round of playoffs in the Southwest Division of Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) by defeating the Arizona Inferno (7-4).
Las Vegas Knights are categorized as semi-pro and are the highest level of any indoor soccer team playing out of Las Vegas. The Knights play in the Southwest Division of the PASL.
Las Vegas Knights finished second in the Southwest Division behind San Diego Fusion with a record of (7-3). The winning season qualified them for finals by wildcard.“This is a good start for our first season” said General Manager of LV Knights, Meir Cohen. “We just wanted to build a fan base this first year by playing hard and putting on a good show. I think we did that and next year we’ll be even better.” The International PASL Championships are being held on March 8-10 in Tijuana, Mexico. Look for the Las Vegas Knights finals results on lvsportsmagazine.com and be sure to catch the Knights in action next season.
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For more information about the PASL, go to: http://www.arenaleague.com/ z
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Link below to original web site at the Las Vegas Sports Magazine
http://lvsportsmagazine.com/content/view/364/477/