It’s time for the Blackhawks to take it home! The season opener is tonight, Thursday, May 14th against the Nashville Metros at Alpharetta High School! Kick-off is at 7:00 pm. Tonight’s Home Opener should prove to be great soccer, great fun and a great beginning! The National Anthem will be sung by local recording artist Christina Isabella and the first 100 fans will receive an Inaugural Blackhawks T-shirt!
The Atlanta Blackhawks first regular season game against the Mississippi Brilla is scheduled for this Saturday, May 9th in Mississippi. The new FC Atlanta Blackhawks team has been training at a local Alpharetta facility in preparation for regular season play. When they return, they will be preparing for the Home Opener here at Alpharetta High School on Thursday, May 14th!
The FC Atlanta Blackhawks would like to welcome the ESFA Under 18 English National Team to the Atlanta Metro area.
The England Schools Football Association (English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) - ESFA News) Under-18 team represents England in international football at the youth level and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England. The Blackhawks are very proud to host the ESFA team and help them prepare for their next match which is scheduled to take place at Wembley stadium on June 13 vs France.
The Blackhawks have scheduled two exhibition games for the ESFA National Team. The ESFA will play Friday, May 1st against Atlanta FC (the NPSL Southeast Champions) at Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs. Kick off is at 8:00 pm. Click here for more information on the game.
They will wrap up their tour with a game against the FC Atlanta Blackhawks on Sunday, May 3rd at Parkview High School in Lilburn. Kick-off is at 4:00 pm. Click here for more information on the game.
FC Atlanta Blackhawks Launch
Hosts the England Schools Football Association Under 18 National Team
Friday, April 24, 2009
ATLANTA, GA - The FC Atlanta Blackhawks are bringing PDL soccer back to Atlanta in 2009. As the highest level of men’s soccer currently available in the State of Georgia, the Blackhawks organization is committed to contributing to the continued growth of the sport by providing affordable, family entertainment to all soccer enthusiasts. The team begins league play in May.
“With the number of quality college players coming out of the state of Georgia every year, a PDL team is a necessary part of the soccer landscape in this state. Our team will be a preview of the type of teams that they could put together if schools like UGA or Georgia Tech offered men’s NCAA Division I soccer,” stated Massoud Roushandel, Head Coach and Executive Director of the Blackhawks.
As a prelude to their home opener on Thursday, May 14th, the Blackhawks will play host to the ESFA Under 18 National Team. The Blackhawks have scheduled two exhibition games for the ESFA National Team. They will play Friday, May 1st against Atlanta FC (the NPSL Southeast Champions) at Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs. Kick off is at 8:00 pm. The ESFA will wrap up their tour with a game against the FC Atlanta Blackhawks on Sunday, May 3rd at Parkview High School in Lilburn. Kick-off is at 4:00 pm.
During the regular season, the Blackhawks will compete in the Southeast Division of the PDL along with the Baton Rouge Capitols, the Bradenton Academics, the Central Florida Kraze, the Mississippi Brilla, the Nashville Metros, the New Orleans Jesters and the Panama City Pirates.
The Blackhawks will host home games at the Alpharetta High School for their inaugural 2009 season. Alpharetta High School is conveniently located just one mile off of Georgia 400 at exit 10/Old Milton Parkway. The stadium boasts a seating capacity of 4000 and features a sprint turf field measuring 120 yards long by 68 yards wide.
The home opener is scheduled for Thursday night May 14th when the Blackhawks will host the Nashville Metros. The Blackhawks are currently in the process of finalizing promotions, give-aways and interactive half-time activities that are sure to be crowd pleasers. Local recording artist Christina Isabella will sing the national anthem. Special half-time activities are also planned, along with a post game reception to be held at Jeffrey’s Sports Grill.
The first 100 fans to attend the Blackhawks home opener will also receive an inaugural Atlanta Blackhawks promotional t-shirt.
USL News Release
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
TAMPA, FL — United Soccer Leagues announced the details for the 2009 USL Premier Development League season. Among the details finalized recently at the 2008 Annual General Meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa, FL were the alignment, schedule structure and playoff details for the 2009 competition.
The PDL will consist of 68 teams in 2009, playing in eight divisions that comprise the four conferences.
Expansion teams that have been formally announced to date are the Real Colorado Foxes, Rochester Thunder, Forest City London, Portland Timbers U23, Victoria Highlanders, Rio Grande Valley and Midland (TX). Three additional expansion teams are yet to be officially announced.
The league will also play a 16-game season for the sixth straight campaign with games based primarily upon their divisional alignment. The season will open May 1 and conclude July 19.
The playoffs will begin with the return of the Divisional Championship playoffs (July 24-26) for the first time since 1998 with each division seeing three teams advance to the postseason. The second seed will face the third seed in the First Round with the winner advancing to face the top seed from the regular season in the championship. The eight division champions will advance to the PDL Elite Eight Weekend (July 31-August 2), where PDL Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be held. The divisional winners from Eastern and Central Conference will be grouped in one half of the bracket in one location while the Southern and Western winners comprise the other half at another locale. The PDL Quarterfinals will pit the top seed versus the fourth seed in the bracket, and two versus three. The winners of the PDL Semifinals will square off in the PDL Championship Saturday, August 8 on Fox Soccer Channel. Divisional playoff hosts are based on overall seeding, pending availability, with all other playoff site locations determined by bid.
2009 PDL Playoff Bracket [+]
2009 Premier Development League Alignment
Central Conference
Great Lakes Division: Chicago Fire, Cincinnati Kings, Cleveland Internationals, Forest City London, Fort Wayne Fever, Indiana Invaders, Kalamazoo Outrage, Michigan Bucks, Toronto Lynx
Heartland Division: Des Moines Menace, Kansas City Brass, Real Colorado Foxes, Rochester Thunder, Springfield Demize, St Louis Lions, Thunder Bay Chill
Eastern Conference
Mid Atlantic Division: Carolina Dynamo, Cary Clarets, Fredericksburg Gunners, Hampton Roads Piranhas, Northern Virginia Royals, Reading Rage, Virginia Legacy, West Virginia Chaos
Northeast Division: Brooklyn Knights, Long Island Rough Riders, New Hampshire Phantoms, New Jersey Rangers, Newark Ironbound Express, Ocean City Barons, Ottawa Fury, Rhode Island Stingrays, Westchester Flames
Southern Conference
Mid South Division: Austin Aztex, DFW Tornados, El Paso Patriots, Houston Leones, Laredo Heat, Rio Grande Valley Bravos, Midland (TBA)
Southeast Division: Atlanta, Baton Rouge Capitals, Bradenton Academics, Central Florida Kraze, Mississippi Brilla, Nashville Metros, New Orleans Shell Shockers, Panama City Pirates
Western Conference
Northwest Division: Abbotsford Mariners, Cascade Surge, Kitsap (TBA), Portland Timbers U23, Seattle (TBA), Spokane Spiders, Tacoma Tide, Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, Victoria Highlanders, Yakima Reds
Southwest Division: Bakersfield Brigade, BYU Cougars, Fresno Fuego, Lancaster Rattlers, Los Angeles Storm, Ogden Outlaws, Orange County Blue Star, San Fernando Valley Quakes, Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion
Blackhawks Take Flight in Atlanta
New PDL team to begin play under Roushandel USL News Release
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
ATLANTA, GA — FC Atlanta Blackhawks announced today the launch of a United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL) franchise for the 2009 season. The Blackhawks will begin league play in May.
“With the number of quality college players coming out of the state of Georgia every year, a PDL team is a necessary part of the soccer landscape in this state. Our team will be a preview of the type of teams that they could put together if schools like UGA or Georgia Tech offered men’s NCAA Division I soccer,” stated Massoud Roushandel, Head Coach and Executive Director of the Blackhawks.
No stranger to the PDL, Roushandel is the current Executive Director of FC Atlanta youth soccer club and was the head coach of the PDL’s Augusta Fireballs in 2005 and assistant coach in 2006. In their first official season, Roushandel helped lead the team into the playoffs with a roster that included a majority of the players from his 2002 USYSA National Champion Atlanta Fire youth team. The Augusta Fireballs ceased operation after the 2006 season due to the difficulty of attracting Atlanta-based players who would need to commute to Augusta.
“The city of Augusta was great and the fan support was tremendous, but it was really difficult having to travel five hours round trip to play.”
The Blackhawks will unveil their new website and logo, as well as their home venue, in the coming weeks. The website will announce tryout dates along with other news and information including information on their reserve team/college prep program, summer camps, sponsorship opportunities, ticket sales, etc.
The team will compete in the Southeast division of the PDL along with the Baton Rouge Capitols, the Bradenton Academics, the Central Florida Kraze, the Mississippi Brilla, the Nashville Metros, the New Orleans Jesters and the Panama City Pirates.
Roushandel also states, “Without a current professional team in Atlanta, we hope to fill a void for the soccer enthusiasts that are looking for some good quality, entertaining men’s soccer during the summer months. The team will be a who’s who of top college players from throughout the Southeast along with several foreign players and ex-professionals. For all of the area youth players that aspire to play college soccer, watching PDL games will give them a good idea of what it takes to be an impact player at the collegiate level”
Single game tickets to Blackhawks games will cost $5 for adults and youth 4 and above. All others including senior citizens (65+) will be admitted for free. In addition, the Blackhawks will offer season tickets for $25 which will be good for all 8 home games. Season tickets can be ordered immediately by calling the FC Atlanta Blackhawks office at 404-372-8700 or by e-mailing Massoud Roushandel at massoud@fcatlanta.org.
USL News Release
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
TAMPA, FL — United Soccer Leagues announced the 2009 regular season schedule for the Premier Development League. The season opens with three Opening Night matches on May 1. Opening weekend will see four divisions beginning play.
The Southwest Division duo of Ventura County Fusion and San Fernando Valley Quakes will play host to the Bakersfield Brigade and Fresno Fuego on Opening Night, respectively, while the expansion Victoria Highlanders make their debut on the road against the Spokane Spiders in the opener for the Northwest Division.
<img src=”http://www.uslsoccer.com/imgs/home/PDL-09sched-laredo.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Three-time finalist Heat begin run for fourth straight on Opening Weekend” hspace=”5″ vspace=”5″ align=”right” />Opening Weekend continues with the Northeast and Mid South Divisions opening play over the next two days, including the openers for the expansion West Texas United Sockers and Rio Grande Valley Bravos. Fellow expansion side Kitsap Pumas will follow in Victoria’s shoes with their debut coming in Spokane.
Two of the four PDL Semifinalists from a year ago will also be in action Opening Weekend as the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency host Victoria and 2008 runner-up and 2007 champion Laredo Heat visit the Bravos in RGV’s inaugural match. The other Semifinalist Reading Rage open at home May 20 against Hampton Roads with the defending champion Thunder Bay Chill beginning their title defense May 29 at Real Colorado.
Each team plays a 16-game schedule. Four of the 16 matches for the clubs based in the United States will also count for qualification into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The format and dates for the tournament will be announced at a later time by the US Soccer Federation.
The season wraps up July 19 with the playoffs beginning the following weekend with the return of the Divisional Championship playoffs (July 24-26) for the first time since 1998 with each division seeing three teams advance to the postseason. The second seed will face the third seed in the First Round with the winner advancing to face the top seed from the regular season in the championship. The eight division champions will advance to the PDL Elite Eight Weekend (July 31-August 2), where PDL Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be held. The divisional winners from Eastern and Central Conference will be grouped in one half of the bracket in one location while the Southern and Western winners comprise the other half at another locale. The PDL Quarterfinals will pit the top seed versus the fourth seed in the bracket, and two versus three. The winners of the PDL Semifinals will square off in the PDL Championship Saturday, August 8 on Fox Soccer Channel. Divisional playoff hosts are based on overall seeding, pending availability, with all other playoff site locations determined by bid.
Tryouts scheduled for Sunday, March 15 will be held regardless of weather.
FC ATLANTA BLACKHAWKS TRYOUT DATES FOR 2009 SEASON
The Atlanta Blackhawks PDL team will hold three open tryouts/combines for the 2009 season. The tryouts will be held on the following weekends:
March 8, 15, and March 22
Tryouts will be limited to 50 participants per session and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Walk up registrations will be accepted. While we welcome international players to attend any tryout weekend, we DO NOT PROVIDE LETTERS OF INVITATION FOR VISA PURPOSES.
Tryout Schedule
All tryout weekends will follow the same schedule. Players are only required to attend one day of tryouts. Please arrive 30 minutes early in order to register for the tryouts.
All tryouts will follow the same schedule.
9:30 am - registration
10:00 am - warm up
10:30 am - 7v7 games
11:45 am - water break and rest
12:00 pm - 11v11 games
1:00 pm - dismissal
Registration & Fees
The fee to attend tryouts is $50. Tryout fee must be paid by cash or money order. You will not be permitted to tryout without paying the tryout fee. Atlanta Blackhawks coaching staff will be assessing the players attending the tryouts. If you are selected by the Atlanta Blackhawks staff to play for the Atlanta Blackhawks you will be contacted by phone within 48 hours after the tryout and your tryout fee will be refunded. If you do not receive a phone call you have not been selected for the team. If you don’t make the team yet you are interested in the college soccer preparation program, contact us for information on that program or go to the “College Soccer Prep Program” link on our website.
Tryout Location:
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open these files. To attend a tryout you must fill out both forms and mail them in, along with a check or money order in the amount of $50 made out to the Atlanta Blackhawks. Walk up registrations will be accepted.
Completed forms and payment should be mailed to:
Atlanta Blackhawks/PDL Tryouts
3460 Preston Ridge Rd.
Suite 175
Alpharetta, Georgia 30022
Lodging and transportation for tryouts
Lodging arrangements and transportation costs are the responsibility of the player. More information will be posted regarding special rates and hotels once they have been determined.
Please direct questions about the FC Atlanta Blackhawks PDL team tryouts to Massoud Roushandel. Massoud can be contacted by phone at (404) 372-8700 or email at Massoud@fcatlanta.org
