Westchester Flames Open Season Saturday in New Rochelle

The following release is from Westchester Flames F.C.:

Westchester Flames F.C. will be home at City Park Stadium on Saturday May 10 to open their 2014 USL PDL season against the Seacoast United Phantoms. Game time is 7:30 PM and tickets can be purchased directly via the Flames website.
 
Both teams are coming off difficult 2013 seasons in the USL PDL and are looking to start the 2014 season with a win and much needed 3 points. The Flames return to the league's Northeast Division for 2014, which provides both teams with the opportunity to play each other for the first time since 2010.

The Seacoast United Phantoms are coached by Iain Scott, a native of England who previously coached professional clubs in Scotland. A couple of top college players with connections to Northeastern University are on the Seacoast roster. Forward Terence Carter is coming off his sophmore season at Northeastern, where he started 13 games and scored 4 goals. Midfielder Jonathan Eckford finished another standout season at Northeastern where he started 17 games and was named to the All-CAA Second Team. Eckford was considered for the 2014 MLS Super Draft where he drew comparisons to former Seacoast midfielder Jeff Larentowicz. Pablo Aguado is a Spanish defender who previously played with Huracán Valencia CF, a club that currently plays in Segunda División B, which is the third level of the Spanish football league system. 

"Seacoast are a very good team with some talented players" said Flames Head Coach Gus Skoufis. "We have to play very well, and we need to come away from this game with the three points. I hope that our fans come out on Saturday night to see all of the terrific players that Seacoast have and to support us as we look to getting off to a great start this season." 

The Flames recently announced their 2014 roster, which features several returning players including: Matthew Danaher; Zachary Gosse; Mark Kramarchuk; Thomas Manz; Michael Abraham; Richard Heredia; Housainou Ogoo; and Kyle Poetzsch. Lucas McBride played for the Flames 2013 USL Super-20 team and Jaret Petras previously played for the Flames youth soccer program. 

Skoufis explained that "We won't have all of our players available to us for Saturday's game. Some of the guys are finishing up the college semester and might not be available till our second or third game. We will put out a strong lineup and have high expectations for the guys playing for us on Saturday night. This is a great opportunity for them to show everyone why they should be regular starters for the rest of the games this season."

Westchester Flames 2014 USL PDL Schedule

Saturday, May 10, 7:30 PM vs. Seacoast United Phantoms
Saturday, May 17, 7:30 PM vs. Montreal Impact U23
Wednesday, June 4, 7:30 PM vs. Vermont Voltage
Saturday, June 7, 7:30 PM vs. Real Boston Rams
Saturday, June 14, 7:30 PM vs. Western Mass Pioneers
Saturday, June 28, 7:30 PM vs. CFC Azul
Sunday, July 6, 7:30 PM vs. GPS Portland Phoenix
 
Tickets to all 2014 home games are general admission and cost $8.

For group discounts, please call Gus Xikis at (516) 315-1077.

All home games will be played at City Park Stadium in New Rochelle, NY.

About Westchester Flames F.C. 

Westchester Flames F.C. is an American soccer team based in New Rochelle, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the Westchester Flames play in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at City Park Stadium, where they have played since 2001. 

The Westchester Flames won the USL PDL North American Championship in 2001. In the 2000 season, the Flames finished third in the PDL and in 2003 the team were USL Pro Select League Finalists. The Flames were also USL PDL National Semifinalists in 2006. 

The Westchester Flames have featured players such as former U.S. National Team members Charlie Davies and Chris Wingert, Trinidadian National Team member Julius James, and many players who have advanced to MLS and other professional clubs. 

Keep up with news about the Westchester Flames on Facebook and on Twitter @WFlamesUSL. For more information on the Westchester Flames, please visit the club’s official website atwww.westchesterflames.com.