Atlanta Silverbacks Park is planning an indoor facility at its multi-million dollar complex near Spaghetti Junction in northeast Atlanta, according to a county filing.

The new facility could be similar to Atlanta Silverbacks Suwanee Indoor, a 48,000-square-foot facility with two indoor multi-purpose turf fields, a concession area and a room that can seat up to 50 people.
Silverbacks Park has four full-size soccer fields, including one inside the 5,000-seat stadium, which is home to the Atlanta Silverbacks men’s professional soccer team and the Atlanta Silverbacks Women semi-professional team. The complex also hosts numerous soccer leagues, is home to the Atlanta Renegades Rugby Club, and is regularly used as a practice site by local youth soccer clubs and high school teams, according to its website.
The Silverbacks joined the North American Soccer League for its inaugural season in 2011 but were operated by the league last season while it searched for a long-term local ownership group.
The NASL ended its operation of the Atlanta Silverbacks in January.
However, the club was bought by Atlanta Silverbacks Park and Atlanta Silverbacks Suwanee Indoor ownerBorris Jerkunica (chairman), John HardinJohn Latham, United Futbol Academy and A+ Sports Management Group, and now plays in the National Premier Soccer League.


The Tennessee State Soccer Association will host its annual adult soccer tournament the weekend of November 5-6 in Murfreesboro, at Richard Siegel Soccer Park. To apply for the event please copy and paste the following link in your browser bar:
http://tssa-adultcup16.sportsaffinity.com/tour/index.asp?sessionguid=The application deadline is October 21st by 5pm. The event will consist of competition in men's open, women's open, men's over 30, men's over 40, and co-ed. The application process will open next week and we will send an email with the official link once the application is posted. There will be prize money available based on the number of teams in each group. For more information, contact Derek Greene at dgreene@tnsoccer.org
Teams may be created specifically for the event, but non-registered Georgia Soccer or USASA players will need to register with Georgia Soccer and pay a $10 for a temporary weekend pass for the event. Contact your state association office for assistance in registering current non-registered players. Georgia Soccer – 770-452-0505 Team entry fees are $300 for ALL teams.

Notes of interest: 1. You will need to pay at the time you fill out the application in order to hold your spot in the event ($100 non-refundable fee) 2. The event will be open to teams outside of TN and brackets will be filled on a first-come/first serve basis, as field space is limited. 3. Space is limited so please sign up quickly. 4. All divisions are 11v11 with the exception of co-ed, which will be 8v8(7v7 + GK) 5. Roster size will be limited to 20 players in all divisions with the exception of co-ed, which will be limited to 15 players. Derek Greene Director of Sponsorships and Marketing Tennessee State Soccer Association



Seattle

Mr. Jordan Morris has now scored the winning goal in five Sounders matches this season, an MLS rookie record (impressive considering the team has ten wins.) Now you can watch them all here.
Here's hoping Morris makes this video outdated before the 2016 season is over.
The game-winner is just one of several plays from the Sounders-Whitecaps match featured in MLS' Plays of the Night.
The 1-0 win was much-needed for MLS Playoffs seeding, but didn't help much in the defense of the Cascadia Cup. With one match left, the most likely retention scenario is a Sounders 3+ goal win over Vancouver and a 3+ goal Vancouver victory when they play Portland on October 23.
Young Alex Roldan scored again for Seattle U, earning a victory over the College of Charleston Cougars. The team won again on Sunday, and next will play the Washington Huskies (who also downed Charleston). The women blanked Gonzaga in a 1-0 victory.

MLS

After missing the postseason for their first eight straight years, Toronto FChave ridden the back of Sebastian Giovinco to two straight playoff appearances.
Jack Jewsbury has been a solid player for the Portland Timbers since their expansion season in 2011, and now has a retirement planned for the end of the season.

USNT

More people know about Megan Rapinoe today than at any point previously in her career. Despite boos and criticism around her kneeling protest before the United States' wins vs Thailand and the Netherlands, Rapinoe says she's happy that the conversation is "picking up steam." After admonishing her last week, the United States has decided not to punish Rapinoe for the stance.


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Beer City Cup
Congrats to all who participated in the largest Beer City Cup to date! And even more congrats to our finalists and ,of course, especially to our Champions!
The 2016 edition featured 3 Champs from the Atlanta area, 1 from Florida, 1 from Asheville, NC, 1 from the Triad in NC.
In the Men's Open Division, 4 time consecutive champ Blue Ion was ousted in the quarterfinals by newcomers T-Puppies (Wofford's finest alums). T-Puppies then made a run to the finals after squeaking by perennial contender GO United in kicks in the semis. First time participants, Florida Kickers and T-Puppies then put on a Beer City Cup classic in front of a record crowd nearing 1000.
In a game that had 4 lead changes and the T-Puppies leading late due to some fantastic keeper heroics the Kickers wouldn't be denied. With only 3 minutes remaining, the Kickers center back uncorked the laser of all lasers from 30+ yards which sizzled past the red hot T-Puppies keeper. The crowd erupted and the game was level. The Kickers then rode the momentum to the game winning set piece goal with only a minute remaining. Truly a game to remember.
In the Coed final the Frienemies of Asheville leapt to a 4-0 lead and held off the "always in the hunt for the Cup" Realcoholics (Knoxville, TN). The Realcoholics scored twice late to creep back in to it, but ran out of time to mount a serious comeback. This is the second Beer City Cup title for the Frienemies, who bounced back impressively from not even making it out of group play in 2015. Two time defending champ Easy Riders (Raleigh) made another solid run again, losing in the semis to Realcoholics 4-3. Cliffhanger's of Asheville made a deep run for the 2nd straight year, but couldn't find their way past the gelling Frienemies in the end.
In the Over 30 Division, Triad United finally broke through to win the Beer City Cup for the first time. After losing in the finals in 2015, Triad knocked out current USASA National Champ Phoenix FC 5-2 in the semis to advance to the finals. Triad looked impressive in their 6-3 defeat of Wanderers FC (Winston-Salem). The Wanderers held their own for the first 20 minutes as the match was tied 2-2, but Triad's quality depth proved too much over the 60 minutes. Defending and 3 time O-30 champ the Asheville Wizards were in contention but lost in penalties to the Wanderers in the semis.
In the Over 40 Division, the Roswell Rovers got their 2nd Beer City Cup title. Winners in 2013, the Rovers needed an improbable comeback to overcome the Nashville Rowdies. The Rowdies led 3-1 in the 2nd half, but a penalty kick and a sweetly bent free kick sent the match into extra time. The Rovers capitalized on their momentum and scored a cracker of a golden goal winner halfway into extra time to win 4-3. Both defending champion Colortones and 2015 runner up Asheville Hotspurs were ousted in the quarterfinals. Two first time entrants rounded out the semifinalists in Sergio FC (Jacksonville, FL) and Highlanders FC of Georgia.
In the Over 50 Division, Atlanta based Minutemen edged defending champs Hammers, also of Atlanta, 1-0. The Minutemen prevented the Hammers club from sweeping the Over 50 & Over 55 Divisions. In the Over 55 Division the Hammers downed Curmudgeons FC 4-3.
Soccer is having a moment in Atlanta.
MLS team Atlanta United FC will debut at the new Mercedez-Benz Stadium in 2017, and this fall, Brookhaven will get its own soccer and international sports pub.
Hudson FC is set to open by mid-October at 4058 Peachtree Road in the former Pub 71 space. The bar and restaurant will show soccer and rugby matches as well as other popular international sporting events.
Hudson FC will offer a similar menu to its sister concept Hudson Grille sister concept (which has seven metro Atlanta locations), with a few differences. Offerings will include traditional pub food such as fish and chips, a pork and beef meatloaf big plate and a variety of flatbreads.
The pub is from restaurant group Metrotainment Cafes, which, in addition to the Hudson spots, also operates Einstein’s and Joe’s on Juniper in Midtown, Guaco Joe’s in Buckhead, Cowtippers in Ansley Park and Sugar Shack in Brookhaven, in the same shopping center where Hudson FC will be located.


The Faction is a recently launched Atlanta United FC support group. Courtesy of Kevin Kinley
Atlanta’s major league soccer team won’t play its first game for another seven months but it already has at least four support groups.
One of those groups says their focus is less on chanting and face-painting and more about family fun and tailgating.
“What is important to us is the whole game day experience – tailgating, being with family and friends. It makes for a good family outing,” said Kevin Kinley.
Kinley, three friends and their families came up with the  group called The Faction while they were watching the Women’s World Cup. They already have more than 125 season ticket holders signed up to join. They have also met with Atlanta United FC officials and plan to hold a launch event soon.
Kinley, who played professional soccer and is now a soccer coach, said the families were just looking for a way to get involved with the MLS team coming to Atlanta. They looked at the support groups already active and decided none of them exactly fit what they wanted in a group.
“We just didn’t feel it was us,” he said. Their group will probably be a little more low-key, but just as passionate about the team and soccer, he said.
Three other groups already recognized on the MLS page, called Resurgence, Footie Mob and Terminus Legion.
The Faction group plans to do volunteer and outreach work with Fugees Family, a non-profit that was launched in 2004 to provide refugee children with free access to organized soccer. Kinley said it is important for The Faction to give back to their communities.
“We are super excited about next season and very proud of what the Atlanta United group has done so far,” he said.
Last week, United FC made headlines when they announced they had sold more than 22,000 season tickets for the 2017 season. Atlanta United president Darren Eales told MLSsoccer.com the total tickets were the second-most season tickets sold in the MLS this year and a record for an MLS expansion team.
The team will begin playing at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium next year. Kinley noted the season will begin in March, but the stadium is not slated to be finished until June or July so it will be a while before the team plays an at-home game.
For more information or to join The Faction, visit their website http://www.thefactionatl.com

Georgia State

It took almost an hour for things to get started due to some weather moving through the area on Friday evening, but the Panther women opened up their season against Alabama State with a 3-0 rout. GSU had a 13-0 shot advantage in the first half, but didn’t find the net until Alexis Thomas’ 80th minute strike. The floodgates opened from there - Callie O’Connor found the net two minutes later and Brooke Shank added the game’s third goal nearly six minutes after that.
Up at Kennesaw last night, there were no goals to speak of as KSU and GSU played to a scoreless draw. The Owls led the way in shots 14-11 (6-5 in shots on goal) as Brie Haynes and Catherine McDuff stood strong in goal all evening for their respective teams.
The Panther men topped Oglethorpe in an exhibition on Saturday and open with a trip down I-85 to Mercer on Friday.

Kennesaw State

The Owls started their 2016 campaign on a high note as they topped Chattanooga 1-0 on Friday. Shannon Driscoll’s 14th minute marker stood up as the Owls held the Mocs to just four shots (all on goal) during a relatively straight forward night for McDuff. KSU would make it an unbeaten start to the year in their 0-0 match against Georgia State last night.

Georgia

The Bulldogs started their season with a draw as they finished 2-2 with Oklahoma State in Athens on Friday. After the area storms held this one up for twenty minutes, Mariel Gutierrez opened the scoring in the 10th minute. After the Cowgirls raced back with a pair of tallies in the 31st and 62nd minutes, it was Katie MacGinntie tying things up in the 81st for the match’s final goal.
Things weren’t as fortunate in Clemson as the #14 Tigers dropped the Bulldogs 3-1. Marion Crowder found the net in the 49th minute to cut Clemson’s margin to 2-1, but Paige Reckert iced the match away in the 64th minute. Louise Hogrell had a strong showing in net with eight saves to keep the margin relatively close for the Dawgs.

Mercer

Mercer’s men dropped an exhibition to North Florida in Jacksonville on Saturday. As mentioned, they’ll open their 2016 slate at home against Georgia State on Friday evening.
The women split the first two matches of their regular season. Friday evening’s contest against Alabama State in Huntsville ended up not really being much of a match as the Bears stormed to a 6-0 laugher over the overmatched Lady Hornets. Abbey Reddig notched two goals while Maddie Clark scored one and assisted on another in a game in which the Bears outshot the Lady Hornets 27-8.
Mercer found themselves on the other end of a shutout as they fell to Oklahoma State 3-0. The Cowgirls wrapped up their trip through Georgia with a perfect slate as they opened the scoring in the 2nd minute and never looked back. The Bears allowed a whopping 22 shots (10 on goal) while mustering three of their own (with just one on frame).

Georgia Southern

The Eagle men split a pair of exhibition matches against SCAD (3-1 win) and UNC Asheville (2-1 loss). They travel to Houston on Friday to open up a weekend tournament against Houston Baptist to start their 2016 slate.
The women started off their campaign 0-2 as they launched their season against UNC Wilmington at home and on the road versus Jacksonville State. In a 3-0 loss on Friday to the Seahawks, the Eagles conceded goals in the 26th, 40th, and 72nd minutes as they were badly outshot 29-6 (13-3 on net) and trailed 10-1 on corners. Emily Flinn and Lauren Karinshak combined for 10 saves despite being beaten three times.
Sunday’s match at Jacksonville State was a little more competitive, but the Eagles dropped this one by a count of 3-1. GSU spotted the Gamecocks the game’s first two goals before Alana McShane put the Eagles on the board in the 53rd minutes, but a Kayla Thompson goal less than two minutes later extended the lead to two to put it out of reach.

Coming Up This Week

Georgia State
MSoc - 8/26 at Mercer; 8/28 vs. Memphis
WSoc - 8/26 vs. Charlotte
Kennesaw State
8/26 vs. Mercer; 8/28 vs. Alabama A&M
Georgia
8/26 vs. Samford; 8/28 vs. Cal State Fullerton
Mercer
MSoc- 8/26 vs. Georgia State
WSoc - 8/26 at Kennesaw State; 8/28 at Tennessee Tech
Georgia Southern
MSoc - 8/26 vs. Houston Baptist; 8/28 vs. UTRGV (in Houston)
WSoc - 8/26 vs. North Florida; 8/28 vs. Charlotte
An ordinance amendment granting a special-use permit for a soccer field in Castleberry Hill is to be considered Wednesday by the Zoning Committee of the Atlanta City Council.
The Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association seeks the permit for an approximately 1-acre site at 310 Trenholm St. SW, according to a Zoning Committee agenda item.
A flier posted online by the Castleberry Hill Athletic Club proposes turning a vacant lot at 310 Trenholm into a multi-use athletic field. H.J. Russell & Co. has given the club usage rights of the lot for six years, the club says.
Working with the Neighborhood Association, “our goal is to raise funds, enabling us to complete objectives such as establishing an artificial turf field, installing lights, and fencing to ensure safety and security,” the flier says. Plans call for a 176-by-110-foot athletic field, lawn area with deck, and a gravel parking lot.

The 2016 Torneo Naciones de Mexico kicks off for the U.S. U17 national team on Thursday against Portugal and four Atlanta United academy players will be part of the squad. Charlie Asensio, Andrew Carleton, Chris Goslin, and Zyen Jones were selected to represent U.S. Soccer in the tournament.
Atlanta United academy manager Tony Annan said:
“The boys have worked incredibly hard this summer, and it was clear that they left for Utah last week with a lot of confidence heading into training camp.”
All four players spent time with the U.S. Soccer Residency Program from January through July of this year and are well known the youth national team program.
Carleton and Jones are wide attacking players, Goslin is a central midfielder who can contribute creatively and physically, and Asensio is an attacking left back that creates scoring opportunities.
U17 head coach John Hackworth is taking twenty players to Mexico for the tournament, with Atlanta United having the largest contingent from any single club.
The U.S. plays Portugal on Thursday, followed by Qatar on Friday and Mexico on Sunday.



With the college soccer season upon us, it’s time to take a look at what to expect on the pitch from the local programs. If you’re new to the game, the area has four Division 1 soccer programs: Georgia, Kennesaw State, Mercer, and Georgia State. Two of those - Georgia and Kennesaw State only field women’s teams. We’ll keep an eye on these programs and also keep you up to date on what’s happening with the lower division programs throughout the course of the season. But for now, we zero in on the D1 schools and let you know what to expect.

Georgia

Last year: 5-12-1 (4-7-1 SEC)
Who’s gone: Leading scorer Bella Hartley; forwards Cara Smith and Andie Fontanetta, defender and captain Emma Sonnett, and reserve forward Mackin D’Amico.
Who’s back: Everyone else, including leading scorer Marion Crowder (four goals, eight points), Mariel Guttierez (two goals, seven points), Sydney Shultis (two goals, five points), and a corps of defenders including Summer Burnett, Maya Cherry, Caroline Waters, Bria Washington, along with keeper Louise Hogrell.
The Georgia defense did a solid job keeping the ball out of the net (1.72 goals allowed per game), but it was scoring - or lack of it - that did the Dawgs in. Georgia scored only 16 goals in 18 games all season, which works out to a microscopic .088 goals per game. Needless to say, they’ll need to lean on Crowder, Guttierez and Shultis for offense.

Kennesaw State

Last year: 6-10-3 (3-3-1 Atlantic Sun)
Who’s gone: Midfielders Hannah Churchill (started 18 games in 2015) and Khatra Mahdi (appeared in all 19 games, starting 11); defenders Jackie Gray (16 games, 10 starts) and Megan Tymchuk (18 games, 11 starts). Also gone is coach Rob King, the only coach in program history. He resigned after 14 years at Kennesaw State and leading the Owls to a Division II National Championship and three conference titles.
Who’s back: Brittney Reed, lost to a knee injury three games in last year, returns along with forwards Cassidy Kemp, Kim Fincher and Maggie Gaughan; and key defenders Abby Roth and Ida Hepsoe. In all, eight players who appeared in at least 16 games - and six players who started all 19 games - return.
The Owls took a big loss when Reed went down, but still managed a .500 record in A-Sun play and were second in the league in goals scored (37). They did give up 37, but it’s a little deceiving since eleven of those were allowed to Samford and Top 20 team South Carolina - they went on to concede just eleven times in their final nine games. A strong core of veteran defenders, led by Roth, Hepsoe and goalkeeper Ashley Zambetti, along with a healthy Reed leading the offense and some age at midfield, could help the Owls challenge for the top of the A-Sun table. New coach Benji Watson gets started Friday night on the road at Chattanooga.

Georgia State (men)

Last year: 9-8-1 (4-1-0 Sun Belt)
Who’s gone: Leading scorer Eddie Wilding; starters Conor Acheson, Cory Plasker, Greyson Waldorff, and Nomis Cisic; substitute Andy Anglade
Who’s back: Eight of their top nine scorers, including junior Lebanese forward Jad Elkhalil and senior midfielder Casey Shultis. Rashid Alarape trained with the Nigerian Olympic team this summer while they were in Atlanta.
The Panthers advanced to the Sun Belt championship game last year, where they lost to Hartwick 3-0. Can they make it back? They’ll have to do so without Wilding and a core of starters (including goalkeeper Waldorff) that helped them go 4-1 in league play. But, with basically everyone else returning, along with players like Elkhalil, Shultis and Burmeister to anchor the offense, and a good group of freshmen being added to the mix, they should hold their own.

Georgia State (women)

Last year: 11-6-4 (4-4-1 Sun Belt)
Who’s gone: Head coach Derek Leader left in February to become the head coach at Grand Canyon University. Personnel wise, Ashley Nagy (seven goals, 16 points); midfielder Lauren Harriman; defenders Jenna Moore and Anna Hilpertshauer; goalkeeper Christa Fox
Who’s back: Goalkeeper Brie Haynes returns from injury, defensive starters and leaders Amanda Bruemmer and Kenzie Winters. Also, leading scorer Suzanne Arafa (nine goals, 23 points); rising sophomore Caitlin Ray (seven goals, 16 points); midfielders Monique Hundley; forward Taina Anglade
New head coach Ed Joyce takes the reins at Panthersville for the Georgia State women. He was previously an assistant for the Georgia State men and at Campbell for the last two seasons. He’ll have nine newcomers to count on this season.
The Panthers tied their last preseason game with freshman Erin Rhodes scoring the Panthers’ goal in a 1-1 draw with Austin Peay. Junior Skylar Olson scored the winning goal in their first preseason game, a 1-0 win over Lipscomb in Nashville.
The Panthers will have to navigate 2016 without the stalwarts of their defense (Fox, Hilpertshauer and Moore) and second leading scorer Ashley Nagy. However, the duo of Arafa and Ray, along with Haynes, Bruemmer and Winters, hope to make another run to the Sun Belt championship game (where they lost to South Alabama 4-0 last year).

Mercer (men)

Last year: 11-6-3 (5-3-2 SoCon)
Who’s gone: Midfielders Drew Schall, Alexander Andersson and Jourdan Gooden, defenders Mark Riggins and Carson Brooks
Who’s back: Leading scorer Jordan Duru (seven goals and 21 points); Will Bagrou (14 points); Kobe Perez (nine points); durable defender Airrion Blackstock (played every minute last season); backfield mates Ian Antley and Trenton Whitely; keeper Jeremy Booth (also played every minute last season); midfielder Nickolas Tripodi
Mercer will feature nine freshmen this season. Despite a large incoming class, the Bears have some strong experience in some key spots. Duru, Bagrou and Perez should lead the offense once more, while Antley, Booth, Blackstock, and Whitely lead a defense that allowed just 21 goals all season in 2015. Mercer’s three conference losses came either in overtime (twice) or via a late goal (not counting a loss in penalties in the SoCon semis), but with the calendar having turned, this is a team that could legitimately challenge for the top of the league table.

Mercer (women)

Last year: 9-8-4 (5-3-1 SoCon)
Who’s gone: Midfielder Sarah Daane, forward Sydney Brogden, goalkeeper Maddie Kropp
Who’s back: Basically everyone else: leading scorer Katelyn Dimopoulos (seven goals), Maddie Clark (four goals) and five of last year’s six top scorers; much of last year’s defense and midfield.
The Bears are blessed in the fact that they didn’t lose too many key contributors from last year’s squad that was tied for second in the SoCon for goals allowed. However, they lagged offensively at times (scoring a goal or less in fourteen matches and getting shut out in seven games). Even with Cristina Mursuli taking the reins from the graduated Kropp, another year to grow for Dimopoulos, Clark and the rest of the go-to players in offense has hopefully done Mercer good - and with something to prove after being picked to finish fourth in conference play, they’ll be aiming for their second NCAA appearance in three years.



The women’s soccer team at Kennesaw State University pulled out a 3-2 victory against Middle Tennessee State University in a scrimmage game Thursday, Aug. 11.
Even though it wasn’t a regular season game, it was the first game — and the first victory — for Benji Walton, the new head coach of soccer at KSU.
The Brookwood High School alum enters his 14th season as a coach in collegiate women’s soccer, after serving three years as an assistant at Indiana University, which followed six years as the head coach at Birmingham-Southern College, and four years at Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina.
“I’ve always been an admirer of this institution, and when I saw it open – being from Atlanta and growing up in this area – when Kennesaw State was available, I said ‘I got to go for it,'” Walton said.
After graduating from BHS in Snellville, Georgia, Walton went onto play locally at Reinhardt College. As senior member of the Eagles, he helped lead his team to an overall record of 21-1-1, for which Walton will be inducted into the Reinhardt Athletics’ Hall of Fame on Sept. 30.
“Very rarely are you a part of something where everyone is on the same page and truly puts the greater good of the team ahead of themselves and that is exactly what this team was about,” Walton said. “It was 21 guys who were more than teammates… We were like brothers and to this day, some 18 years later I am still extremely close to these guys.”
Now as the head coach of KSU, Walton leads a squad which features A-SUN all-conference midfielder Brittney Reed, who began in 2015 scoring six goals in the season opener against Alabama A&M. Reed would suffer a season-ending knee injury against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, just three games into the season, yet she still finished second on the team with 15 points on seven goals and one assist.
Joining Reed leading the team is junior defender Ida Hepsoe who was named to the A-SUN all-conference 2nd team in 2015, and senior forward Maggie Gaughan who was named to the all-conference team preseason team the same year.
After the scrimmage game against MTSU, coach Walton expressed that, although the win doesn’t count in the standings, it does count toward building confidence.
“Kennesaw State women’s soccer has a tremendous tradition of success,” Walton said. “I look forward to leading this team into the next chapter of women’s soccer at KSU and continuing to build on that tradition.”
KSU will host its opener on Monday, Aug. 22 against Georgia State University at 7 p.m.