After losing the first four fixtures of their inaugural season, the American Eagles finished strong, landing in fifth place, just three points off the final spot for the 2007 USL2 championship playoffs. Now, after moving from Annapolis to Baltimore for the 2008 season, the buzz at Crystal Palace USA is all positive. The core of the team has been retained and several talented new additions have all combined to give co-managers Pete Medd and Jim Cherneski that favourite of management headaches: whom to select for the starting line-up.
The pre-season got underway early for Palace as the coaching staff planned to build up the team's match fitness at a steady pace, a strategy intended to avoid injuries. The plan worked well - Palace won their first seven games, conceding only twice, despite missing their two top centre backs - Ibrahim Kante and new signing, Mike Lookingland, playing in the Major Indoor Soccer Leagues for the New Jersey Ironmen and Baltimore Blast respectively - and their expected starting goalkeeper, Brian Rowland, who had kept a remarkable total of eight clean sheets in nineteen appearances during the previous campaign. Rowland was recovering more slowly than expected from surgery on a broken wrist - an injury he had played through for more than half of the 2007 season.
New full backs, Val Teixeira, Paul Robson (ex-Charlton reserves) and David Feazell, displayed skill, pace and no fear of bringing the ball up the flanks. Alex Ughiovhe showed his flexibility, readily switching from central defence to midfield, even mid-game when necessary, all the while displaying a confidence lacking from his appearances the year before.
Shintaro Harada has reverted to his more natural midfield position - he had been pulled to the back line to plug a leaky defense just two games into the previous campaign, and was so successful, he never moved back up. Harada, alongside Bryan Harkin, comprise the engine room of the Palace side, always looking up field, eager to drive forward whenever the ball is at their industrious feet.Alongside newly drafted local starlet, Pat Healey, and former Harrisburg player, Carlos Morales, they have owned the middle of the park.
New signings, Kevin King from Jamaica and Georgia native (the US state, not the Republic of) Cecil Lewis, are both pacey wingers who have shown all the right moves to trick their way past the opposition.
Up top, Matthew Mbuta, Sergio Flores and last season's top scorer, Gary Brooks, won't be completely satisfied with their pre-season performances - sure, they've all scored more than once, but they will all feel they should have hit the back of the net with more frequency. One of last season's super-subs, Larry Mark, will feel that he's made a strong case for a starting spot, after playing provider on so many chances and goals this pre-season, with his outstanding change of pace and dangerous crosses from the byline.
Columbian youngster, Harold Urquijo, has shown that he's matured tremendously, both mentally and physically, sitting back behind the forwards using his skills to create rather than going straight for goal.
The only hiccup in the pre-season came at the hands of new local rival, Real Maryland. That match served as a memorial to local youth star player - Matthew DeOrsey, who had died tragically at the age of 31 - and launched the nascent rivalry with the inauguration of the DeOrsey Maryland Cup, which will be awarded to the aggregate winner of all fixtures between the two sides each season. The coaches put that loss down to a casual attitude.
The subsequent 1-1 draw against perennial college soccer power, University of Maryland, might have been cause for concern that the team was going off the boil just as the regular season was about to begin. But that result came despite missing eight starters through minor injuries, and may have proved to the coaches that Palace had strength in depth - a crucial need in a division where the scheduling of three games in five days is commonplace.
The final friendly saw Palace bring their scoring boots to Virginia as they brushed aside local college team, George Mason University, 4-0. The flowing attacks, one-twos and sequences of one-touch passing in tight spaces seemed to validate Medd and Cherneski's strategy of patience. Ibrahim Kante had returned from indoor action just a few days before this match and defensive lapses provided far too many opportunities for comfort - nothing that a few more days of practice can't solve Medd and Cherneski proffered.
If the early signs are any indication, this is going to be a very good year for Palace USA.
