Crystal Palace Baltimore News Release - www.crystalpalaceusa.com

Thursday, February 21, 2008

BALTIMORE, MD -- Crystal Palace Baltimore announces that it has re-signed nine players from last season's squad. Gary Brooks, Sergio Flores, Shintaro Harada, Bryan Harkin, Ibrahim Kante, Andrew Marshall, Matthew Mbuta, Brian Rowland and Alex Ughiovhe were all key members of a Palace Baltimore team that finished strongly, just one win from making the playoffs in their inaugural season in USL-2.

Former Baltimore Blast and UMBC goalkeeper Brian Rowland had an outstanding first year back in outdoor soccer, missing only one game and allowing a mere sixteen goals in nineteen league appearances.

Sergio Flores will play as a out-and-out striker this season, moving up from the midfield role he filled last year. He is expected to fulfill the goal-scoring promise he showed in the 2007 pre-season, where he scored seven goals in six games.

Flores will combine with Gary Brooks up front to create a formidable strike partnership. Brooks proved to be a catalyst after signing midway through the season, netting seven times in nine appearances, thus turning Palace’s season around after a poor start. The Jamaican was rewarded at the end of the season when he was voted onto the 2007 USL-2 All-League First Team.

Matthew Mbuta and Bryan Harkin will once again anchor the midfield. Mbuta, a Cameroonian native, dazzled spectators and players all season long with his fabulous ball-control skills and bursting runs down the wings. He was Palace’s second highest goal-scorer last season with five, and the team’s leading provider of assists with six. As a result, he was also voted onto the 2007 USL-2 All-League First Team.

Harkin, a Northern Ireland national, established himself last year in the role of spoiler, breaking up countless opposition attacks. His talent as a defensive midfielder even caught the attention of the British parent club when Palace Baltimore visited London last October for an exhibition match against the UK team. Harkin was praised by Palace Baltimore Co-Managers Pete Medd and Jim Cherneski as the player of that game, earning an invitation back to London later that year for a tryout.

Ibrahim Kante, Shintaro Harada, Andrew Marshall and Alex Ughiovhe will again comprise Palace USA’s imposing defensive unit. Mali native Kante served as the team’s captain last season, intimidating opposing offenses with his skill and size and making history as the scorer of Crystal Palace USA’s first official goal. Former Japanese J-League player Harada started last season in midfield but moved back to bolster a leaky defense after just four games. Harada’s impressive defensive play earned him a place on the 2007 USL-2 All-League Second Team. Local lad Marshall, a standout at Towson University, was a revelation, improving in confidence game by game and starting at right back for all but one fixture. Ex-DC United and Howard University defender Ughiovhe also made a tremendous impact during the season, starting sixteen times and adding one assist.