FC Sonic – Lehigh Valley NPSL Soccer

Do you have what it takes ?

2010 Northeast Conference Champions & NPSL Final Four participant FC SONIC will hold open tryouts on March 6th & 13th at the Iron Lakes Sports Dome in Allentown, PA.  The tryouts will run from 12pm to 2pm and are open for all competitive players 16 years of age and older.

Players will be invited back for training April 10th, if necessary, followed by the first official day of training on April 23rd.  All NCAA DIII players are expected to attend all FC SONIC sessions unless their spring college season conflicts with these dates.

All NCAA DI players must report to training on May 3rd unless granted permission.

Official training sessions will continue April 26th, 28th & May 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, & 17th.  Times to be determined.

FC SONIC’s first regular season game is scheduled for May 16th vs. NY Red Bulls.

All tryout candidates must complete a waiver and tryout application.

Download the waiver here

Download the tryout application

NPSL Secures Automatic Berths

The United States Soccer Federation’s US Open Cup committee has finalized the dates and the team allocations for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The 98th edition of the tournament will begin on June 14 with 40 teams entering and will wrap up with the championship game on October 4.

The only professional entries in this year’s tournament will be eight Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs and all 11 USL Pro teams (Third Division). With 16 U.S.-based MLS  teams eligible, it’s clear that MLS qualifying will return, in some form, for the fourth year in a row.

Aside from the US Soccer Federation’s exclusion of the five U.S.-based NASL (Second Division) teams, which was announced on Monday, the most notable changes to the 2011 edition of the Open Cup is on the amateur side of the competition. For the first time since the league began play in 2003, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) will have four slots set aside for the competition. In the past, the Fourth-Division amateur league has had to qualify for the Open Cup through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), which retains the eight spots that it has held since 2004. The Premier Development League (PDL) will get an extra team into the tournament this year, giving the league nine entries, the most they have ever had.

The two-time defending champion Seattle Sounders FC will earn an automatic bid to the Open Cup, and have the chance to be the first team in over 40 years to win three consecutive Open Cups. The last team to achieve that feat was the New York Greek-Americans (1967-69).

The Sounders will be joined by five other automatic qualifiers, based on the MLS league standings from 2010. The Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake and the Supporters’ Shield winning Los Angeles Galaxy will all enter the tournament in the third round.  The 10 remaining U.S.-based MLS clubs (Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, DC United, Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City) will battle for the remaining two slots.

Each league chooses how their teams will qualify, and will announce their criteria at a later date. Since 2007, MLS has held a play-in tournament, with the last two years having the games separate from the regular season schedule. 2007 and 2008 saw regular season games double as Open Cup qualifiers.

While it is unknown which format MLS will take for play-in games this year, the play-in games from the last two years have struggled to spark fan interest. In 2009, the qualifying games, which were separate from the regular season schedule, drew less than 5,000 fans per game, and last year, the average fell to less than 2,500.

The PDL will keep a similar format with each U.S.-based team having four regular season games selected (usually two home, two away) to double as Open Cup qualifiers. The top team from each of the nine divisions will earn a berth into the First Round.

The USASA will keep the same qualifying format they have had for the last seven years where each of the four regions submits both finalists in their US Open Cup tournament.

• MLS (8 teams – First Division): Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC + 2 qualifying teams
• USL Pro (11 teams – Third Division): Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Dayton Dutch Lions, FC New York, Harrisburg City Islanders, Los Angeles Blues, Orlando City, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, Wilmington Hammerheads
• PDL (9 teams – Amateur): Teams to be determined
• USASA (8 teams – Amateur): Two finalists from each of the four regional tournaments
• NPSL (4 teams – Amateur): Teams to be determined

The prize money also remains the same as last year with the winner of the tournament earning $100,000, the runner-up getting $50,000 and the Third Division (USL Pro) and Amateur team that advances the furthest gets $10,000.

Much like recent Open Cup tournaments, games are scheduled to take place on Tuesdays and the first three rounds will be played in consecutive weeks with the remaining games spaced out over the rest of the season until the October 4 final.

The dates for each round are as follows and are subject to change:

• May 30: Qualification Deadline
• Tuesday, June 14: First Round
• Tuesday, June 21: Second Round
• Tuesday, June 28: Third Round
• Tuesday, July 12: Fourth Round
• Tuesday, August 30: Semifinals
• Tuesday, October 4: Final

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, the area’s minor league soccer club playing in the National Premier Soccer League, released its season schedule for 2011. The season opens with a bang, with a rematch against last year’s NPSL playoff opponent, New York Red Bulls, on May 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Sports Complex, the home pitch for FC Sonic.

The NPSL season includes home and away matches against a local rival, Pocono Snow, as well as Keystone Division sides from Buffalo, Erie and New Jersey, and two new franchises,  Buxmont Torch and Atlantic City Crusaders. The regular season schedule ends with a home match against another local foe, FC Reading Revolution, on July 16. The winner of the Keystone Division will head to the playoffs for a date against the NPSL Northeast Atlantic Division, with the winner advancing to the NPSL semifinals, where, last season, FC Sonic finished third.

The schedule is as follows:

DATE                    DAY                     PLACE            OPPOSITION                    TIME

Professional Soccer Coaches and Trainers

Quality Equipment and Fields

For Field Players and Goalkeepers

Clinical Setting for Skills Demonstrations

The Camp will offer programs designed for the ability and skills of each player. For those new to the game, the Camp instructors will provide an introduction into the game for the aspiring soccer player in a challenging setting that will only increase their love and interest in playing. Players will develop ball skills and techniques through games and training exercises.

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