Turning their attention forward, the Islanders face off in a league match against the Charleston Battery Saturday nigh, July 24, on City Island. The Islanders have climbed out of the cellar and sit on 17 points (4-6-5) just on the edge of the playoff bubble. With 5 games left in the regular season, every game is important when trying to make up ground and secure 4th place. Charleston sits atop the league with 30 points (9-3-3) but the Battery have divided the season series with the Islanders on a win, loss, and a tie. The Islanders will look to take all 3 points from the visiting Battery in what should be a hard fought and physical contest. In addition, the Islanders will have the benefit of young striker Jack McInerney on a one game loan from Philadelphia. His speed and creativity will hopefully cause some problems for the Battery defense.

On the lighter side, Tuesday, July 27, shows the Union coming to City Island to square off against their affiliate club in their first-ever friendly. The Islanders will look to keep their team sharp while the Union prepare for next Saturday’s battle with the New England Revolution. Also look for the Union to showcase their new signing, Argentine midfielder Eduardo Coudet, and for Coach Nowak to run out any trialists he may look at over the next week.

For more Islanders coverage:

Upper 90 by Derek Meluzio

Team Website

Islanders News Index on Pennlive.com

They are also in the midst of a quarterfinal run in the U.S. Open Cup posting wins over the Brooklyn Italians, Long Island Rough Riders, and the New York Red Bulls of MLS. Despite needing overtime to dispatch NYRB, the Islanders are the last USL team alive in this year’s Open Cup and are on a collision course with the struggling DC United on July 21st.

Their run of form in USL-2 play has moved the Islanders from 6th to 4th in the league table and their Open Cup run has already won them a payout for being the last lower division team left. The Islanders have posted six straight wins in all competitions and look to keep rolling as they head out to Pittsbugh on July 17th.

Development Report:

With each game I have attended this season I have been more and more impressed by the play of Goalkeeper Danny Cepero. Once the New York Red Bulls starter in place of Jon Conway, Danny continues to impress on the island and his leadership at the back continues to prove decisive. Cepero turns in at least a few terrific saves each game and his willingness to come out and challenge for the aerial ball makes the Islanders 18 a difficult one to attack with crosses. Danny turned 25 this past May and I would not be surprised to see him back in an MLS kit within the next few seasons.

Since signing with the Islanders full time, JT Noone has been a visible presence in the middle of the park. In 12 USL games this season he has logged more than 1,000 minutes, contributing two assists and orchestrating many more chances. His confidence on the ball provides excellent tempo to the game as he looks to make the right pass rather than just a pass. He also plays box-to-box and harasses would be attackers as often as he can be seen leading a counter-attack. Many fans were disappointed to not see JT in a Union kit this season as he was the last trailist left in camp, but his time with the Islanders has been both productive and positive.

A newer face for the Islanders is defender #18 Tyler Ruthven. Tyler got his first action of this USL campaign on Saturday night in the Islanders 3-2 defeat of Real Maryland. His goal off of an Islanders corner really opened up the game in the 17th minute and he saw 60 solid minutes of action before being subbed off. Tyler is one of the mid-season signings by the City Islanders and looks like a player to watch over the coming weeks.

Notes:

If you are in the capitol area, one for your notes is the coming exhibition with Philadelphia Union. Nowak’s men will face the Islanders on City Island Tuesday, July 27th at 7pm. Tickets are available through the team website. As always, check www.cityislanders.com for more info, game times, and features.

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The Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) visit City Island on Tuesday, June 15, in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup. The Italians are an amateur team that qualified through the preliminary stages and look to test their skills against the Islanders in this opening round clash. The game is scheduled for 7pm and all tickets have been reduced to $5 for the match.

Check the City Islanders website for a full match report from Friday’s contest, for information on the Open Cup game, or to get information on upcoming matches.

For more Islanders coverage, check in with Derek Meluzio’s Upper 90 blog. (Nick Zimmerman is doing a Q&A with Derek for this week – should be interesting)

Nick Zimmerman of the Philadelphia Union is rumored to be making a second short loan stint to the Islanders for Friday’s contest. Zimmerman provided the game-winner in his last visit to Harrisburg and they will look to his offensive spark once again to help find the back of the net. This is also likely a one game loan as Nowak looks to keep his team sharp over the World Cup break.

Loanee Andrew Hoxie played well up front for the Islanders showing off a quick first step and nimble feet for such a large frame. His creativity and determination were complimented well by Williams who was a frequent target for long-balls out of the back. The sheer tenacity and speed of 5’5” winger Vince Petrasso kept Charlotte’s defense on their heels and JT Noone and Jason Pelletier distributed well out of the middle. The Islanders put forth a solid performance for the home fans, though they could not seem to find the last pass or the timely finish as they created chance after chance throughout the game. Danny Cepero backed up the fluid attack with 3 key saves including a beautiful full-extension save to preserve the clean sheet just before half.

The Islanders seem to have found a rhythm to their game that was missing earlier in the season. Hopefully the confidence built from this successful home-stand will carry the team to results next weekend at Charleston (Jun. 4th) and at Charlotte (Jun. 5th). Harrisburg’s next game on City Island is Friday, June 11th against rivals Pittsburgh.

Read the full game summary at cityislanders.com.

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The team announced just before the game on Saturday that JT Noone has signed a season-long deal to play in Harrisburg. He will wear #15 throughout the season and looks likely to be a regular in the Islanders line-up. I will have more on that story, including implications for the Union, and a view toward the summer transfer window for Philadelphia early in the week.

Harrisburg, whose win last week was in regular season play, not in the U.S. Open Cup as previously reported, will be looking to maintain momentum but will have to do it without a lot of options. Talented midfielders Brian Ombiji, Nate Jafta, and recent signee JT Noone are all battling minor injuries and are questionable for the match. This begs the question as to whether Hoxie’s loan was a favor to Islanders Coach Bill Becher who may have been worried about playing shorthanded up front.

If you do plan on coming out, keep an eye to the sky as we might see thunderstorms in the second half. Pre-game, on the other hand, looks gorgeous – 70 and partly cloudy throughout the afternoon and early evening. Harrisburg’s Restaurant Row is but a short walk from the island and there are always fans at Molly Brannigans before kick-off; come on out for the full experience. Tickets are available, as always, through cityislanders.com or can be purchased at the box office.

My take on the signing is simply playing time. As an unsigned trialist, Noone could not play a regular season game for either the Union or the Islanders. Though it does not appear on the surface that the Union are busy in the transfer market, the hesitation to sign Noone likely has to do with the potential for incoming players and the desire not to put him on waivers later to make room. At the expiration of his 21-day contract, Noone will once again be an out-of-contract player and will not be subject to the MLS transfer window guidelines should the Union desire to sign him for depth or to compensate for potential injuries.

Sheanon Williams has been a bit of a question mark as far as former youth internationals go. After a sensational season with the University of North Carolina 2 years ago, Williams came out of college, skipped the MLS draft, and tried his luck in Europe. A few injuries and a few teams later, Sheanon finally looked prepared to re-enter the American soccer scene this season when it was rumored he had signed a contract with MLS and was training with champions Real Salt Lake. The former right back for the US U-20 team then elected not to enter MLS on a developmental contract and a weighted lottery. He was then cut by his previous team Miami FC (USL-1) and has found his way to Harrisburg. I am a proud City Islanders fan, but even I can admit that this signing is a bit out of character and also a bit of a coup.

How did this happen?

Answer: John Hackworth.

Boston.com reported recently that Sheanon’s move to Harrisburg was facilitated by the Union’s assistant coach and the former director of the IMG Bradenton Academy and coach of the US U-20 and U-17 teams. Wow. I’m liking this affiliation more and more. That is technically as much we know. And if that were all, it would still be an impressive signing and more functionality than has been seen from many of the affiliations that MLS teams have made in recent years. However, this case provides an interesting place from which to explore.

Anybody want to guess how many youth internationals have played for the City Islanders since the team was founded in 2004? My semi-exhaustive research provided me with 1 other – much loved Islander Mo Odour (Ghana U-17).

Anybody want to guess how many youth internationals the Islanders have signed this season? 5.

Coincidence? Doubt it.

An Islanders roster from years past would traditionally feature players from regional colleges (Penn St., Lehigh, American, Lock Haven, Shippensburg), local high schools (Middletown HS, Red Land HS, Mechanicsburg HS), or players signed away from other teams in the professional PDL ranks or the USL. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, but the hometown team definitely had a hometown flavor. The core of the team this year still has this local flair, but the Islanders clearly have a new influence in the personnel department. I would argue that influence is Union assistant John Hackworth.

Hackworth’s extensive youth international coaching resume, might have something to do with the newest signings for the Islanders this season:

• Anthony Di Biase (age 21), Canadian U-20
• Dominic Oppong (age 24), Canadian U-20
• Tishan Hanley (age 19), Nevis and St. Kitts U-17, U-20
• Sheanon Williams (age 20), United States U-20
• Vince Petrasso* (age 20), Canadian U-20

*Still pending approval from USL league offices

Both the youth of players being signed and the pedigree these players carry raise eyebrows. All 5 signees are from CONCACAF affiliated nations where Hackworth did most of his coaching and scouting, and all fit the time frame that Coach Hackworth would have seen them line up on the field.

Did Hack go out and recruit these guys? Maybe. There is also the possibiliy that players view Harrisburg as a way to get looks from Nowak and Hack and so weren’t steered there but rather self-selected and attended the open tryouts. Both would be an amazing trend.

The counter example one would raise is former Union right back David Myrie. The story on Myrie, who was picked up in the expansion draft having never played a game in the MLS, is that Coach Hackworth had good scouting reports on him from his Costa Rican youth international days. You can certainly make an argument that Hack’s experience did not prove to be useful there. There were certainly other useful pieces the Union could have taken from the Chicago Fire or other teams, but it furthers the point nonetheless.  The Union have acted on Hackworth’s youth international experience, and the Islanders have now as well. One is left to wonder whether we are only hearing about the high-profile cases.

With the affiliation in place between Harrisburg, Reading, and Philadelphia, I am certainly interested to see how things continue to progress. Though they weren’t drafted and they haven’t entered the arena as loudly trumpeted, Philadelphia  fans would do well to keep an eye on these young prospects developing in Harrisburg. There might be future Union players among them.

The Harrisburg City Islanders travel to Richmond tonight to open their USL-2 season against the Kickers – they will do so in the company of 3 short-term loanees. The Union have lent out M/D Toni Stahl, M Shea Salinas, and M/F JT Noone for the game this evening. What is unclear at this time is the contract status of JT Noone. The undrafted free agent has been training with the Union throughout the preseason and they do have sufficient space to sign him, though it has not yet happened or been made official. Noone, however, has taken to signing autographs at Union games and is using#17 next to his signature – a number which is occupied on the Islanders roster, but ‘open’ on the Union roster. We are keeping a close eye on this story and will come back with any details we can on the performance of Stahl, Salinas, and Noone tonight, and also and wrap-up details on Noone’s contract situation.

Islanders News

In addition to the loanees, the Islanders have reinforced their squad with 3 young signings. The Islanders have signed U-20 internationals Sheannon Williams (U.S.) and Tishan Hanley (Nevis and St. Kitts), as well as former NYU, Red Bull, and Wilmington Hammerheads midfielder Jeritt Thayer.  Add in the previous signings of Canadian U-20 internationals Dominic Oppong and Anthony Di Biase, and it appears as though the Islanders have taken a slightly different approach to the season. There is a definite emphasis on youth development within the squad and certainly with these signings, and fans of both the Islanders and Union must wonder how the relationship of the two teams will continue to blossom. We know that Coach Hackworth played at least some role in Williams coming to the Islanders; one wonders if scouting reports or directives from Hackworth or Nowak played a role in any of these other signings.

Date – Opponent – Time – Location
Wed, March 17 – Saint Francis University – 8:00 – Millersville University
Tues, March 23 – Bucknell University – 7:00 – Millersville University
Thurs, March 25 – Crystal Palace Baltimore – 7:00 – Millersville University
Sun, March 28 – Towson University – 2:00 – Richard Montgomery HS
Tues, March 30 – Penn State University – 7:00 – Jeffrey Field, PSU
Thurs, April 1 – UMBC – 7:00 – Millersville University
Thurs, April 8 – Temple University – 4:00 – Temple Ambler Soccer Field

While the roster of the Islanders is still being sorted out, the Isles have signed Nate Jafta, a college and PDL teammate of much-loved Islander Tiyi Shipalane, now of D.C. United. Nate, a 26-year-old South African, is a creative, attacking midfielder with flair with 15 goals and 35 assists to his credit in his PDL career. He was selected 3 times to the all-league team in the PDL as a four year player for the Michigan Bucks.

Interested in more? Try the team website here: www.cityislanders.com