Cascade Surge News Release - www.cascadesurge.com

Tuesday, January 23, 2006

SALEM, OR -- The Cascade Surge have opened a new permanent branch of their organization in Vienna, Austria. The base will be the European headquarters for the Surge's youth outreach and soccer relief work (newly named SOS Soccer) into Eastern Europe and Africa.

Jonathan Bergen, a former collegiate player (Concordia U./CA) for Surge President Dave Irby, will head up the Surge's work at their new location.

Bergen, who grew up in and currently lives in Vienna, has officially joined the Surge staff transferring over from Light In the East, Inc, where he worked for ten years.

Under Bergen's direction, the new Surge base - named Breakaway Soccer (and SOS Soccer) will expand it's effort in youth outreach and soccer relief work as soon as the Surge begins sending players from their PDL team to Austria; which is scheduled to begin in August of 2007.

In addition to these duties, Bergen is a staff coach with the Vienna Football Federation coaching their elite U13 boys (a similar program to America's ODP system.)

Bergen, who graduated from Western Connecticut St. University in Danbury, Connecticut also, has a M.A. in International Relations from Webster University in Vienna. In addition he is holder of a UEFA "B" Coaching License; Child and Youth Coaching Certificate (Austrian Soccer Federation) and a UEFA Profi Youth License.

"We are really excited to have Jon on board", said Surge President Dave Irby. "He adds a lot of experience to our program, provides our players who want to participate in our Global Player Placement program a new dimension, and expands our vision and outreach possibilities as he is already involved in projects in Romania and Kosovo."

Even though Bergen transferred from Concordia after one season He played for Irby on soccer missions trips to Uganda ('89) on a peace mission when the civil war was ending and to Kenya, Holland, Germany and Austria on six different trips, and he coached with Irby at Concordia for one season.

Irby and Surge advisor Jerry Ruud (who played with Bergen at Concordia) recently returned from an eight day trip to visit Bergen and his family to make the final arrangements for this expansion of the Surge program.