FC Sonic – Lehigh Valley NPSL Soccer

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head men’s soccer coach Dean Koski has named Ryan Hess as a new assistant coach, rounding out the current staff of Koski, Michael Benn and Michael O’Connell. Hess comes to Lehigh from nearby Moravian College where he enjoyed a standout playing and coaching career, with a coaching stint at Muhlenberg sandwiched in between. He is also a captain for local FC Sonic, a team which features a number of Mountain Hawks’ players.

On Friday night, June 24, the FC Buffalo Blitzers came to Bethlehem looking for revenge. They didn’t get it, as the FC Sonic Lehigh Valley scored twice in the first half, and added a late tally to win 3-0.

The Sonic had defeated Buffalo 1-0 on the Blitzers home pitch two weeks ago, and the visitors were determined to turn the tables this time. Nevertheless, toward the end of a very even first half, the Sonic’s Shastri Spencer sent a fine ball to forward Joe Puleo to create a one-on-one situation with the Buffalo keeper. Puleo got the better of it by placing a fine shot off the far post and in for a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute. Sonic captain Ryan Hess added a goal via penalty kick in the 39th minute, and midfielder Sean Baker chipped the ball over the keeper and scored his first ever NPSL goal in the 90th minute to cap off the scoring. Sonic netminder Tony Hernandez made several fine saves to secure a clean sheet.

The win keeps FC Sonic near the top of the table in the NPSL Keystone Conference, with a key matchup with the undefeated Erie Admirals ahead on Sunday, June 26 at 430pm at Lehigh’s Ulrich Sports Complex. The winner of that game will remain firmly in the battle for first place in the conference.

Don’t miss the Meet FC Sonic TV show that will be airing tonight, May 18th on Service Electric TV2 Sports show at 10:00 p.m.  This show will also run Thursday, May 19th at 5:00 p.m.  Watch coach Weitzman along with players Ryan Hess, Dan Odenwelder, and Todd Ervin talk about the upcoming season.  Go Sonic!

Join us to help raise funds for FC Sonic Soccer with a fun Celebrity Bartending event at Starters Riverport on Wednesday May 18th.  All tips during this time will be donated to FC Sonic Soccer.  Come mingle with our “celebrity bartenders” and cheer them on as they mix up your favorite cocktail!
Celebrity Bartenders will be:  Club President Fred Stellato, and player Ryan Hess.

Starters Riverport:  17 W. 2nd Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015 – 610-625-2300

Starters Restaurants have agreed to support our efforts by donating up to 10% of all purchases between May 10th – June 12th to FC Sonic Soccer.  We hope that you will support us in our fundraising efforts by dining at any of Starters three Bethlehem locations the next time you go out to eat.  Just present the donation voucher below to the staff and they will do the rest!  Thank you in advance for your support.

Click here to download the flyer!

The 2011 season of FC Sonic Lehigh Valley is set to begin at home on Monday May 16 with a match against a familiar opponent. The NPSL New York Red Bulls are headed to Bethlehem to face the Sonic in a rematch of last season’s Northeast Regional championship game, ultimately won by the Sonic, 3-2.  The game is technically a “friendly” match, but both teams are likely to remember last year’s tight playoff battle, with the result being a match that will be anything but friendly.

The idea of this rematch was hatched immediately after the playoff match last July. “After the game, we were so impressed with the Red Bull side, we asked if we could play a friendly match at the Red Bulls’ home pitch in the 2011 season,” said club president Fred Stellato.  “The Red Bulls coach immediately agreed, but asked if his squad could return to play again at Ulrich Stadium, because his team really appreciated our game day crowd and overall atmosphere”, reported Stellato.  And so, the FC Sonic kick off the 2011 season with this top-notch opponent at home.

Last year’s game was a barnburner, to say the least.  The seesaw match was tied 2-2 84 minutes into the game, with the visiting Red Bulls attacking with a vengeance.  Just then, a long lead feed was taken on the fly by Sonic forward Joe Sales.  Sales dribbled a bit, drawing out the Red Bulls keeper, then curled a beautiful shot into the far corner of the net, setting off a wild celebration by the rabid home fans who had urged the Sonic on all night.  The Sonic held on to earn the trip to the NPSL Championship in Madison, Alabama, and the Red Bulls were left to wait for 2011 for a chance for revenge.  That chance comes this Monday night…be there!

The NPSL soccer season is fast approaching and your FC Sonic squad couldn’t be more pumped up about it. Try-outs were held at the beginning of March, where players from all around the area competed for a spot on this year’s team. At the end of the try-outs, there were fifteen returning players as well has twenty new players accepted for training with the Sonic for the 2011 NPSL campaign.

“After several practices, the team is looking solid this year,” said James Graf, a veteran central defender for FC Sonic. “It looks as though we have attracted a diverse group of players from a broader geographic area. I would credit the success we had last year (NPSL Semifinals) for the large numbers coming out for tryouts and preseason,” explained Graf.

“I feel like the newcomers have really taken to our philosophy and our determination to be the best team in the league. The veterans as well as the coaching staff really have set lofty expectations. Credit the new guys who have done very well to match those expectations so far,” stated Charlie Sales, goalkeeper for the Sonic.

After winning the NPSL Northeast Region title, and making it to the national semis last year, the FC Sonic players have high hopes for the upcoming season. “Our goal is simple, win a national championship, “stated Ryan Hess, a Sonic midfielder and last season’s team captain. Hess went on to say, “We understand that we cannot just expect championships to happen, and in order to win in this league, we need to challenge each other and compete at every training session to prepare for the season.”

Get psyched, along with the team, for the season opener on May 16 against the New York Red Bulls, last year’s playoff opponent!  The friendly will be held at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Sports Complex at 7PM.  Be there, and watch out for a Sonic “Blast” !!!

On Friday, April 29, 2011, FC Sonic will be playing a friendly match against Lafayette College at 7:00 p.m.  The Game will be held at Lafayette College’s Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex.  You can get directions by clicking here.

The qualification process has been set for the second of the four National Premier Soccer League’s automatic berths into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Northeast Division’s spot will feature a three-team tournament May 7 and 27.

The opening game will feature 2010 US Open Cup qualifier Brooklyn Italians playing host to FC Buffalo May 7 at James Dewey High School. The winner of the contest advances to play 2010 NPSL Finalist FC Sonic Lehigh Valley May 27 at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, PA.  Sonic received the bye as the defending NPSL Regional Champion. Buffalo and Brooklyn were the only other clubs in the 14-team division who chose to enter.

Previously, NPSL clubs needed to qualify through the USASA Regional tournaments. Only two clubs from the league entered for Region I a year ago. The Erie Admirals (PA) withdrew prior to the first match while the Brooklyn Italians went on to qualify from the region courtesy of a reprieve. After falling in the opening round to Imigrantes Das Ilhas, administrators overturned the result due to an ineligible player. With their second life, Brooklyn went on to defeat Go Soccer FC and Fenerbahce USA to earn one of the region’s two berths in the US Open Cup.

The Italians acquitted themselves well in the First Round of the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, taking the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division (pro third division) to overtime before falling 4-2. They took the lead once in each half only to see their hosts equalize both times.

About the Teams

Brooklyn Italians: New members of the NPSL in 2010, the club’s history is lengthy and dynamic. The club played in the second edition of the American Soccer League from 1956-64 before playing as an amateur club since. All along, the club has played under numerous names. While its recent history is as an amateur club, it was one of the premier teams to play in the US Open Cup over the course of 12 years during the tournament’s amateur era. The side won the tournament in 1979 and was runner-up two years later. They returned to prominence in 1990 as runners-up, following it up with a second US Open Cup title the next year that led to appearances in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup in 1991. Head coach Joey Barone is no stranger to qualifying, but was unable to lead the West Michigan Edge into the US Open Cup in two attempts (2005-06) in the PDL. Last year, Brooklyn finished second in the Northeast Division’s Atlantic Conference, losing out on the playoff berth via a tiebreaker. The club was level with New York Red Bull NPSL (10-1-1, 31 points) in the conference table as well as having the same totals as the division champion FC Sonic Lehigh Valley.

FC Buffalo: Entering their second season in the league, FC Buffalo is in its first campaign to qualify for the US Open Cup after finishing third in the Keystone Conference of the Northeast Division a year ago. The club is led by new coach Daniel Krzyzanowicz, who has served as the head coach of local Medaille College the past nine years.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley:  New to the NPSL a year ago, the club performed well in its debut, finishing first in the division’s Keystone Conference and winning the divisional playoff game to advance to the league semifinals. After falling to eventual champion Sacramento Gold, they rebounded to finish third. This is the team’s first attempt to qualify for the US Open Cup. They are led by head coach Dave Weitzman, a local high school and former collegiate men’s assistant coach.

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, the area’s minor league soccer team, announced today that it has re-signed head coach, Dave Weitzman, as well as several returning players from the 2010 squad, for the 2011 NPSL season. The Sonic also announced that Kyle Grim, an assistant coach at Emmaus High School, has been retained an assistant coach/director of goalkeepers for the upcoming year.

“We are pleased to have Weitie return and take another run at the NPSL championship,” said club president Fred Stellato. “We also understand that Kyle is an up and coming young coach who should bring some youthful enthusiasm to the squad,” stated Stellato.

The team has also signed five players from last year’s national semifinalist Sonic side.  Team captain, Ryan Hess, has committed to return, along with forwards Leslie Fraser and Sky Rimmele, defender AJ Barnold and goalkeeper Charlie Sales. Coach Weitzman said, “We are very happy to have a returning core of fine veterans. We are hopeful of signing a few more of the Sonic players from last year in the near future, and are excited to see what the upcoming tryouts will bring us in terms of new talent.”

FC Sonic will hold open tryouts at Iron Lakes Sports Club at noon on both March 6 and March 13. For further information, candidates should refer to the club website, www.fcsonic.org.