USL News Release

Thursday, August 27, 2009

TAMPA, FL – A lot of attention Saturday night at the USL Second Division Championship will no doubt be on the retiring Charlotte Eagles duo of Dustin Swinehart and Ben Johnson, but the Richmond Kickers have their own veteran stars on the other side in Ronnie Pascale and Mike Burke, all four born in the 1970’s, looking to claim another league title.

It would not have been surprising to see Swinehart, one of the all-time stars of the USL Second Division and USL First Division, play until he was 40, perhaps even 50. Therefore, when the announcement of the 35-year old’s impending retirement came nearly three weeks ago, it was probably a bit of a surprise to many. And he wasn’t alone as long-time defender Johnson, 32, joined Swinehart in the announcement on August 10.

"Dustin Swinehart has not only been one of the premier players in USL professional divisions over his decade-plus career, but more importantly is one of the truly great ambassadors for the Charlotte Eagles and USL,” said USL Executive Vice President and COO Tim Holt following the announcement. “It is unlikely there is another USL player who better epitomizes what a professional athlete should be in terms of his contributions to the community, the league and the sport. We are grateful for all the memorable moments he has provided us on and off the field over the years and look forward to what the next chapter of his career will bring."

For Swinehart, it has been an honor-filled career that dates back to his professional debut with the Minnesota Thunder in 1997 and includes 12 seasons with Charlotte. During Swinehart’s career, the forward has scored over 130 goals and led the Eagles to two championships and seven championship game appearances – six in USL-2. He has six USL-2 All-League awards, including last season when he unexpectedly claimed the Scoring titles and MVP awards for the first time in his illustrious career – at the age of 34.

In 2004, Swinehart had the unique opportunity along with teammate Jacob Coggins to train with the U.S National Team. When a USSF labor dispute arose in the spring of 2005, he was one of the elite players called up to the U.S. National Team in preparation for World Cup qualifying.

Johnson’s career began with Charlotte in 1999, a year after Swinehart joined the club. He’s helped lead the Eagles to six USL-2 championship games, winning the title twice in 2000 and 2005. The unfairly unheralded defender has helped lead the club to the top three in defense four times since the club’s return to USL-2 in 2004, including first twice. The defender, and part-time midfielder, has logged over 150 professional USL games in his career with the club and contributed a little on the offensive end as well with three goals and 10 assists.

"I have mixed emotions when I think about the reality of Dustin and Ben retiring from our Eagles team. I was hoping this day would never come,” said Eagles head coach Tom Steffens. “They have been more than great soccer players to me. They have been strong leaders that set an amazing example of what it means to be Christ-like both on and off the field - positive role models to the highest degree. It feels like my two sons are leaving home and creating a big hole in my heart. I will miss them dearly. On the other hand, I am excited to see them following God’s call in their lives. I know they will be greatly effective wherever God leads them in the years to come."

Emotions may have come into play for Charlotte down the stretch as the news began to spread. The Eagles seemingly awoke in the final few games, finishing out the season with a 4-0-3 run that included a 3-0 win in their season finale against Western Mass after the announcement. It carried onto the postseason as they downed Real Maryland 3-1 with a winning strike from Swinehart and upset regular season champion Wilmington 1-0 on the road to reach the final.

But Swinehart and Johnson are not the only children of the 70’s in the match. On the other side of the pitch will be midfielder Mike Burke (32) and goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, who is days away from his 33rd birthday on September 5. Both joined the Kickers in 2000.

Pascale has been a nemesis to Charlotte, which has only been able to tally three goals in six games in Richmond since their 2-1 loss in the 2006 USL-2 Championship match. The netminder, who has left slight hints in the media over the past year that his retirement may be nearing, has been one of the top netminders in the league, earning the Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2007 and 2009. He has logged over 200 games in his 10 seasons, having started as a reserve for Richmond in 2000-01, and boasts over 70 shutouts.

Despite his small 5’7” frame, Burke has proven to be the engine in the Kickers midfield, earning the USL-2 Most Valuable Player honor in 2007 and finishing as the league leader in assists in 2007 and 2008. His career started off brightly in USL-1 with the Charleston Battery in 1998 as an All-League selection and Rookie of the Year honoree. He has gone on to log over 300 games in USL and Major League Soccer, registering over 50 goals and 60 assists.

With Swinehart hanging up his boots, Burke may now be the odds-on favorite to continue playing to the age of 40 or 50. He has played in at least 17 of 20 league games in each of the last four years.

While the Kickers only have one other player from the 70s on their squad, the 29-year old Joey Worthen, the Eagles may be entering a bit of a rebuilding phase with six other players on the squad. Gustavo Bentos (32) has been quite a contributor of late, coming off the bench to score in each of the last three games for Charlotte – his first of the year. The others include Jacob Coggins (30), Chris Lemons (29), Josh Rife (29), Thomas Woods (30) and Patrick Daka, who turns 34 the day after Pascale.

One thing is certain regarding Saturday’s contest. Swinehart facing Richmond in his final game of his career with a championship may be the most fitting finale to his career. While two clubs played in separate flights, the captain of the USL-2 Eagles also played on loan with the USL-1 Kickers, and nearly won a personal double in 2005. After leading Charlotte to a championship, via penalties, he watched as Richmond narrowly missed out on the USL-1 title, falling short in penalties. 

The USL Second Division Championship is set for 8:00 pm Saturday, August 29 at University of Richmond Stadium. The match will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel at 11:00 pm ET.