A number of former Barons are performing well in their "summer jobs." Ryan Heins (Temple / Medford, NJ) and Brian Devlin (Penn State / Phila, PA) are helping the Harrisburg City Islanders on a run of good form. Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, Matt Nelson (Lynn Univ. / Tampa, FL) has guided a USL Second Division team to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Tony Donatelli (Temple / Glenside, PA), in his third year with the first place Vancouver Whitecaps, was traded this past week to their Quebec-based rival, the Montreal Impact.
If you had to categorize Ryan Heins prior to the 2007 PDL season, one would say he’s an attacking midfielder. That’s where he spent most of his time at Temple University, and where he played for the majority of his five years with the Ocean City Barons. However, last season in Ocean City, he helped out a shorthanded Barons defense by moving to outside back. His defensive skills and his ability to get forward to join the attack, earned him the team’s MVP award that year.
After a strong rookie season with the Philadelphia Kixx of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), that versatility earned him a roster spot with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division. He joined Brian Devlin, who played for the Barons back in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Heins started out playing outside back for Harrisburg but was recently moved to center forward, a position, he said, he hasn’t played since high school.
So far this year, in 11 games, Heins has scored three goals in his "new" position and along with Devlin (12 games played), have helped the team rebound from a difficult start with an eight game unbeaten streak (4-0-4). Both players played all 90 minutes in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with the Wilmington Hammerheads. The club currently sits in a tie for 5th place with a 4-1-7 record. They also qualified for the U.S. Open Cup as the defending league champions, however, they were eliminated in the second round by fellow USL-2 club Crystal Palace Baltimore in a penalty kick shootout.
The man who played a key role in eliminating the City Islanders in round two was none other than goalkeeper Matt Nelson, who helped Harrisburg advance to the quarterfinals last year. After the two teams finished in a 2-2 draw after extra time, Nelson made three saves in that penalty kick shootout, and finished second in USOpenCup.com’s Player of the Round voting. In the third round this past Tuesday, his team was down a man for the last 65 minutes of the match, but even being a man short, Nelson still didn’t have to make a single save in the team’s 2-0 third round win over the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer (MLS). Baltimore now has a quarterfinals date with the New England Revolution of MLS, the 2007 Open Cup champions, next Tuesday.
In league play, Nelson has been splitting time with Brian Rowland in between the sticks. Nelson is 3-2 this season with three shutouts and a 0.80 goals against average. Crystal Palace is currently in third place, six points behind first place Charlotte.
Chris Williams (Philadelphia Univ / Phila, PA) continues to be a regular in the Miami FC (USL First Division) lineup. He’s played in 14 of the club’s 16 games, and has helped them to a 7-game unbeaten streak (2-0-5). He has also helped the Blues become one of the stingiest defenses in the league. They currently lead the league in shutouts with eight. Miami FC also made their own run in the Open Cup, advancing to the third round where they were eliminated by FC Dallas (MLS) 2-1 on a goal scored in the final minute of regulation. In their last league game the Blues tied the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1, with Williams coming off the bench to play 69 minutes.
Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Tony Donatelli was traded this past week to Montreal in exchange for forward Charles Gbeke. The 2007 Unsung Hero award winner leaves behind a team that he won the 2006 USL First Division championship with. He joins the Impact who are a franchise on the move. The 2005 and 2006 league champions recently opened their brand new soccer specific stadium, and are currently in talks with Major League Soccer about becoming a future expansion team. Donatelli has played in ten games this season, registering one assist.
The Impact, the Whitecaps and Toronto FC of MLS are currently battling for the Canadian spot in the 2008/09 CONCACAF Champions League in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Donatelli’s move is a bit of a "if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em" move because Montreal defeated Vancouver in both meetings 2-0, and are in prime position to earn that all important place in the champions league.
Matt Maher (Temple, Cape May, NJ), who had a memorable first pro season last year with the Carolina RailHawks (USL-1) and the New Jersey Ironmen (MISL), is taking the summer off to rest a reoccurring injury. In the meantime, he’s partnered with his former RailHawks teammate, and older brother, Anthony, to start the Maher Brothers Pro Touch Soccer Camps. Former Barons goalkeeper Pat Hannigan (Temple / Phila, PA) is also one of the coaches.
Last but certainly not least, Jeremiah White (Wake Forest / Lansdowne, PA), had a great season last year. He earned his first cap with the U.S. National Team, and also helped AGF Aarhus stay up in their first season in the Danish Superliga. The club finished with a 7-18-8 record. Currently White is taking part in pre-season training, getting ready for the 2008/09 campaign.
