[ ON SALE: 2016 season ticket packages ]
FC Buffalo head coach Brendan Murphy is happy to announce the commitment of 22 players to this summer’s chase for the 2016 National Premier Soccer League crown.
Included in this group are a great deal of All-Conference honorees, including a conference offensive player of the year. Also returning to the fold are FCB’s all-time appearance leader and our reigning 2015 NPSL Best XI defender.
Here’s Coach Murphy:
“It has been an exhaustive recruiting process this year which started back in August. I am extremely grateful for the efforts of Coach Roach throughout this journey. We have done more research and spoke to more players and coaches this year than we have in our first three years combined.
“This amount of effort has been instrumental in procuring the level and quality of commitments that we are announcing today.
“We have put together a balanced roster complete with attacking players who will get the fans excited, staunch defenders who will anchor our backline all year. We have size and strength along with skill and tactical understanding in the midfield and a couple of veterans to help maintain our continuity.
“I would like to welcome all of these players to Buffalo and to our roster. It will be competitive as always, but I am ecstatic about the attitude and mentality of this group more than anything else.
“Thanks to the owners for all of their support to make this possible.
“Now let’s get to work.”
Monday’s “signings” contain the bulk of our 2016 roster, but FCB is in discussions with several schools and players — local, national and international — with more players to come this week and next.
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“I’m just really excited to work with the group that we have assembled,” said FC Buffalo assistant coach Bob Roach, a critical part of the recruitment process.
“This year, we scouted and signed players from all over the country. These players are talented and hard-working and will be dedicated to getting the team into the playoffs. We have added a ton of quality that will make our club one to be reckoned with this summer. The quality is undeniable. The depth is better than we’ve ever had. And our passion to achieve success, ‘For Our City,’ is unwavering.”
FC Buffalo co-owner Scott Frauenhofer expressed optimism with the signings and gratitude for the work done by his staff.
“We’re really excited about the guys who have committed to spend their summer here in Buffalo,” Frauenhofer said. “We’re proud of the local guys who want to play at the highest level in their hometown, and we’re encouraged by the out-of-town guys who are coming to us seeking the best possible experience to put themselves in the position to achieve the next stage of their soccer careers.
“The recruitment process was long, the list of players and coaches we’ve spoken to is longer, and I feel we’ve put ourselves in a great spot to contend for a national championship.”
[ ON SALE: 2016 season ticket packages ]
An alphabetical Wolves’ welcome to…
Barrett, Isaiah (Binghamton University / Wilson, N.Y.)
– Redshirt-freshman started 19 games for Bearcats in 2014
Beshaw, Josh (St. Bonaventure University / Lockport, N.Y.)
– Returnee played 9 games for Bonnies in injury-shortened 2015 for coach Kwame Oduro.
Brady, Troy (Grand Island HS / Grand Island, N.Y.)
— 2015 Western New York High School Player of the Year under coach Frank Butcher.
Casey, Steven (Niagara University / Williamsville, N.Y.)
– Third-year Blitzer missed 2015 at NU through injury
Cotroneo, Frank (Empire United Development Academy/ Grand Island, N.Y.)
— Academy right back committed to Villanova University in 2016.
Crawford, Andrew (Rider University / Williamsville, N.Y.)
— Strong fullback had injury-shortened freshman year under Charlie Inverso.
Dilts, Austin (St. Lawrence University / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
— Appeared in 18 games as a freshman at Brendan Murphy’s alma mater.
Fisher, Jack (Saint Peter’s University / Leeds, England)
— Center back scored two goals, assist for Peacocks in 2015
Guscott, Romario (LIU Brooklyn / Kingston, Jamaica)
— 2015 Northeast Conference All-Rookie forward scored 7 goals for coach TJ Kostecky.
Jeffs, Nick (University of Louisville / Ottawa, Canada)
— Went 3-2-1 as a sophomore, shutting out rivals Kentucky
McGrath, Ian (Evansville University / New Lenox, Illinois)
— 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Team Honorable Mention, and you might want to mark coach Marshall Ray’s midfielder from distance…
Hey @TopDrawerSoccer check out this wonder strike from our own Ian McGrath! #goaloftheweek https://t.co/z4xfis9xVZ
— UE Men’s Soccer (@UEAthleticsMSOC) August 21, 2015
McFayden, Kendell (Medaille College / Buffalo, N.Y.)
– Dual threat was named NPSL Best XI for his work at center back
Noel, Ben (University of New Hampshire / Williamsville, N.Y.)
— Freshman appeared in nine matches on team with FCB alum Ben Ramin.
Paredes, Brian (LIU Brooklyn / Queens, N.Y.)
— Versatile soph. has 28 appearances in 2 seasons.
O’Grady, Jamie (Hartwick College / Falkirk, Scotland)
— 2015 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year scored 11 goals in 2015, which meant 11 of these awesome heel-clicking celebrations in honor of his dad.
The @SunBelt MSOC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year Jamie O’Grady makes it 2-0 @HartwickMSoccer in the final. pic.twitter.com/B9NbBZS6Y8
— Sun Belt Conference (@SunBelt) November 15, 2015
Sabtow, Hassan (Riverside HS / Buffalo, N.Y.)
— Perennial All-WNY honoree trains with Blackwatch
Suitor, Ross (St. Lawrence University / Youngstown, N.Y.)
— Returnee defender played 22 games with 2 assists as sophomore at SLU (right)
Toland, Kieran (St. Bonaventure University / Paisley, Scotland)
— Sophomore has 32 games with 3 goals and 2 assists in Olean
Traut, Keith (University of Albany / College Point, N.Y.)
— First Team All-America East defender has 37 consecutive starts for Trevor Gorman.
Vega, Andres (St. Francis University / Managua, Nicaragua)
— Coach Paulo Neto’s dynamic winger has five goals and three assists in two seasons.
Walter, Chris (Hartwick College / Buffalo, N.Y.)
– FCB’s all-time appearance leader (44) returns for sixth year.
Winkel, Bayley (Robert Morris University / Whitby, Canada)
— Drexel transfer was a member of Canada’s U-17 national team pool
[ ON SALE: 2016 season ticket packages ]
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How awesome for E-man!!!!! How proud you must be McGrath Family!!!!!