Wednesday, October 8, 2003

 

TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the Builders and 10+ Clubs that will be inducted into the USL Hall of Fame for 2003. Six individuals will be honored by USL as Builders with seven clubs being recognized for their 10 years of existence.

Builders and 10+ Clubs are honored for their 10 years as a USL or A-League franchise or for their services and contributions to the growth of USL and the sport. USL will announce the Coaches and Players for the Class of 2003 Thursday. For more information about the USL Hall of Fame, including last year’s class, visit USLsoccer.com’s USL Hall of Fame section: http://www.uslsoccer.com/aboutusl/uslhalloffame/index_E.html
 

BUILDERS
 

Not only did Brian Davidson help start the Charlotte Eagles and later its women’s side the Lady Eagles, but he was a pioneer with several other clubs through Missionary Athletes International, with which he spends most of his time with now. Through MAI, Davidson helped found the Southern California Seahorses and the Chicago Eagles Select. Not only did Davidson serve as President of the Eagles, he was the team’s coach for the first four seasons in USL, posting a 41-29 regular season record, 5-5 postseason record and reaching the Pro League final in 1996. Davidson is currently in his third year of work overseas for MAI in Africa’s Rwanda and Ethiopia. In August of 2002 he moved to Ethiopia, where two Eagles players spent a few months last year and three Lady Eagles players will spend time this year.
 

Tom Engstrom
Charlotte Eagles, 1994-present; Minnesota Thunder 1994
In his seventh year as Charlotte Eagles General Manager, Tom Engstrom has played a critical role with the Eagles franchise and was honored as the 2000 D3 Pro League Executive of the Year. He also served as an assistant coach in 1996, helping guide the team to the Pro League championship match, and played for the club from 1994-98. A native of Minnesota, he was also a co-founder of the Minnesota Thunder as a non-USL amateur team in 1990 and served as the club’s general manager and president from 1990-94.
 

One of the original owners of the modern Seattle Sounders re-created in 1994, Neil Farnsworth has remained a dedicated owner of the franchise for the last 10 years. Under his guidance the Sounders won back-to-back A-League titles in 1995 and 1996. The Sounders made a historic move to Seahawks Stadium in 2003 after setting the all-time USL and A-League single-game attendance record with 25,515 fans as the first-ever event in the stadium July 28 of 2002.
 

In November of 1994, Bill George invested in the Minnesota Thunder following the team’s impressive expansion outing in USL. His backing helped propel the team to the Pro League and the A-League, where the team has played for the past seven seasons. Under George’s guidance, the team has reached five finals, four in the A-League, and won the 1999 A-League championship. The team has also been a regular leader in attendance in the A-League.
 

The original founder and former owner of the Long Island Rough Riders, Chuck Jacob also founded his current clubs, the Long Island Lady Riders and Brooklyn Knights. Under his guidance the Rough Riders and Lady Riders both won league championships in 1995. Jacob sold the Rough Riders after the 1997 season but is still an owner and chairman of both the Lady Riders and Knights. In 1994, Jacob established the Rough Riders and Lady Riders, who were one of the exhibition teams in the development year of what would become the W-League in 1995. The Lady Riders have dominated since, never losing more than five games in a single season, reaching the playoffs seven of nine seasons and winning the 1995 and 1997 championships. A year after leaving the Rough Riders, Jacob established the Brooklyn Knights as a provisional team in the PDL. In 1999, the club became an official member. 
 

The Minnesota Thunder were co-founded in 1990 by Buzz Lagos, who has been the team’s only head coach. Lagos helped bring the Thunder into USL in 1994. He is and will likely be the only person to ever be inducted into the USL Hall of Fame as a Builder and a Coach. Lagos has been one of the most successful coaches in USL history with a regular season record of 161-76-13 and a postseason mark of 35-13-2 with six league championship game appearances and the 1999 A-League Championship. He and inaugural 2002 inductee Pat Ercoli are the only coaches to be inducted as active coaches in USL.
 

10+ CLUBS
 

Cape Cod Crusaders
Established in 1994, the Cape Cod Crusaders have played at the amateur and third division professional levels, but has seen its greatest success as of late with back-to-back PDL championships in 2002 and 2003. The Crusaders are a part of Mass Premier Soccer, which also operates the two-time W-League champion Boston Renegades as well as Super Y-League teams in both Cape Cod and Boston.
 

Des Moines Menace
The Des Moines Menace have gone from a 5-13 inaugural season in 1994 to being one of USL’s top franchises. The Menace have been among the league leaders in attendance in the PDL over the last five years and have been a dominant force on the field the last three, becoming just the third team in USL’s amateur men’s history to go unbeaten during the regular season with a 15-0-3 mark in 2002.
 

Long Island Rough Riders
The year following an appearance in the league semifinals after a 13-5 inaugural season, the club would continue to play well, joining the A-League in 1997 and did not miss the postseason until 2001. In 2002, the Rough Riders would return to the third division, where they would rediscover their form and win their second championship seven years later under former player turned head coach Paul Riley.
 

Minnesota Thunder
Originally founded in 1990 as an amateur team, the Minnesota Thunder had to wait until 1994 to join USL. The Thunder proved more than ready, dominating the league with an unbeaten 18-0 expansion season only to fall in the first of six USL finals. In the Pro League the following year, the Thunder lost only one game during the season and came up short in the final for a second straight time. The team moved up to the A-League in 1997 and after missing the postseason in their first year, became one of the dominant clubs in the league, squaring off against Rochester in three straight finals from 1998-2000, winning the 1999 A-League Championship. After a two-year absence from the final, the Thunder would return for a fourth time in 2003. Off the field, the club has been one of USL’s best as a continual leader in attendance and marketing.
 

Montreal Impact
The Montreal Impact joined the league in 1993 and have been, arguably, the most successful Canadian franchise in the A-League, winning the championship in 1994 and reaching the semifinals in 1995 and 1996. Under the ownership and guidance of Joey Saputo, the club has been excellent off the field as well as on and is one of the league leaders in attendance. Although the team left the league for the 1999 season and was forced into USL ownership in 2001, it has rebounded magnificently again under Saputo, who came to the club’s rescue along with the government of Quebec. The team has become one of the premier sports teams in Montreal, breaking franchise attendance records and outdrawing Major League Baseball’s Expos.
 

Seattle Sounders
The modern Seattle Sounders were re-created in 1994 and were an immediate impact in the A-League, reaching the semifinals in their inaugural season and winning the league championship in 1995 and 1996. The club has only missed the postseason once and established the second-best record in league history at 23-4-1 in 2002. The Sounders made a historic move to Seahawks Stadium in 2003 after setting the all-time USL and A-League single-game attendance record with 25,515 fans as the first-ever event in the stadium July 28 of 2002.