Aroundtheworld Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 http://www.wsawinnipeg.ca/News/PressReleases/index_E.html WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – WSA Winnipeg will become the newest member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League, it was announced today. Beginning in the 2011 season, WSA Winnipeg will play a 16-game schedule between the months of May-August, with stadium and tryout information to be announced at a later date. This is a great achievement for the city of Winnipeg and welcoming news for the province’s large soccer fan base. Winnipeg’s own World Soccer Academy (WSA) is credited for making this dream a reality for the city. Eduardo Badescu, William Rosales and Costas Ignat, the principals of WSA, completed the successful franchise bid. “We are impressed by the level of commitment demonstrated by Eduardo Badescu and his partners, as well as the enthusiasm of the province’s large soccer community,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “We have no doubt that WSA Winnipeg will immediately become a strong organization, both on and off the field, and will help set the bar high for other PDL teams.” WSA Winnipeg will compete in the Heartland Division of the PDL, the top U23 men’s league in North America. The PDL provides Major League Soccer with a large portion of its talent pool, with 48 former PDL players selected at the 2010 MLS Draft alone. Most importantly, WSA Winnipeg will provide a wonderful opportunity for aspiring local soccer players to break into the professional ranks, as the majority of the WSA Winnipeg squad will come from local academies. To further boost the profile of the Winnipeg franchise, local heavyweights and internationally recognized corporations such as Mondetta. Mondetta, a well-recognized brand in Canadian professional sports, will outfit the teams and provide the official team merchandise. Several other companies from the local business community are jumping at the chance to get on board and support the new franchise at various sponsor levels. “Winnipeg has been anticipating the return of elite soccer and we feel the soccer fans of this province will embrace the new franchise with great enthusiasm,” Badescu said, - “we are euphoric and invite all soccer fans province wide to come out and support our new team”. For ticket or sponsorship information, please visit www.wsawinnipeg.com. The USL Premier Development League (PDL) featured 67 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada in 2010. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away, and provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. The USL Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world. WSA Winnipeg will be playing their home games at the Winnipeg Outdoor Soccer Complex. The soccer club also revealed that it will make announcements concerning coaching, tickets and jersey unveiling in the coming weeks. WSA Winnipeg WSA Winnipeg is Winnipeg’s elite soccer club. The club will be competing in the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League (PDL), the top developmental league in North America. The club’s goals are to develop young players, provide an authentic soccer viewing experience and establish a foundation for a future professional soccer team in this city. United Soccer Leagues Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, United Soccer Leagues has become the largest organization of elite-level soccer leagues in North America by building on the vision, commitment, and passion of players, fans and investors. Now in its third decade of operation, USL continues to be a driving force in the growth of soccer in the United States, Canada and Caribbean. USL provides a clearly defined path for the progression of male and female soccer players beginning at the youth level (USL Super Y-League/USL Super-20 League), continuing through the amateur level (USL Premier Development League/USL W-League) and up to the professional level, both outdoor and indoor (USL PRO, I-League). A platform for countless players to reach for their dreams each year, USL is devoted to developing the sport at the grassroots level in every community across the region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuscan Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Fantastic crest! I expect a home candy stripes strip, who knows what they'll do for an away. Definitely going to try to make at least one home fixture next summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnado1555362291 Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 nice, website looks good ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 fantastic, good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Good luck to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakTFC Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Beautiful crest. Not one thing wrong with it. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex D Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 The crest is very Juventus-esq but original enough to stand on it's own. I like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 LOL. Well, having one of those "should have seen it coming" moments. Interesting. Very, interesting. Don't want to be negative or cynical about the PDL and the appetite for THAT level of footie in the Winnipeg marketplace (even though I am) but have to admit that on the non-business venture side of things I'm already encouraged. And I'm not talking about crests & websites. Some quality people attached to this, least in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 A Winnipeg Sun article mentioned that the team hopes to attract 2,000 fans a game, I suppose in a response to a question asked at the press conference. If that's just a goal they are working towards, fine. But if it's a break even point, there could be trouble. BTW, Investors Group was announced as the shirt sponsor. Here's their logo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFCRegina Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Refuse to support this team in any manner on the basis it's from Winnipeg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhat Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Interesting. Very, interesting. Some quality people attached to this, least in my opinion. Rosales, ignat, and Badescu were on previous rosters of the CSL Winnipeg Fury. The latter two played professionally in Romania as well; real quality people behind this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Congratulations on the launch of WSA Winnipeg! Nice crest. PDL for 2011 => D2 & Voyageurs Cup 20?? Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettermirror Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuscan Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 What's the deal with the animosity between Regina and Winnipeg (aside from Riders - Blue Bombers rivalry)? On another note, what's the geography of the Heartland division of the PDL? How close does it come to Saskatchewan aside from Winnipeg? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnado1555362291 Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 3 teams in Missouri, one in Minnesota, one in Ontario, one in Iowa and another in Colorado. Rochester Minnesota, T-Bay and Des Moines Iowa would be the closest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhat Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 What's the deal with the animosity between Regina and Winnipeg (aside from Riders - Blue Bombers rivalry)? I really have no idea, other than the Bombers-Riders thing. In fact most people here would support the Riders if the matchup didn't involve the Bombers. Well, except me since my brother's in Montreal, so ... If ever Regina or Saskatoon do obtain a PDL or Div 2 team, we'd be happy for you and glad to see a rivalry develop. So far we need someone to step up. Like, other than indoor, when was there a pro-soccer team in Potash land? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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