Press Release

(February 18, 2008--Silver Spring, Maryland--For immediate release)

REAL MARYLAND FC, a professional soccer team that will be playing at the Maryland SoccerPlex as a member of the United Soccer League, announced today that it has signed several additional international players and that the team opened spring training camp last week.

The team has an international flavor, including two talented members of El Salvador’s national team, Ronald Cerritos and Denis Alas, as well as a number of other players who have played professionally in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.  Cerritos joined the team late last week, shortly after scoring three goals as the national team of El Salvador trounced Anguilla’s national team 12-0 in the first elimination game of the CONCACAF, a major international soccer tournament and a 2010 World Cup qualifier.

“I’m very happy and the same time excited to officially begin training with this new team and also to become familiar with the field of play and style of my new teammates. Our community has a lot of faith and hope in this group of players and our fans can count on a team that is experienced and ready to play to win,” commented Cerritos.  

Joining Cerritos and Alas will be Nilson Perez, from Colombia, who played last season in the First Division of his native Colombia goals; Perez has been a member of five championship teams, and is expected to receive a lot of playing time for the Monarchs. Goalkeepers Christian Montero (Colombia) and Emilio Zelaya (El Salvador) are expected to fight it out for the starting spot.

Of the nineteen players under contract, most have played professionally before joining REAL MARYLAND FC. Several others, including Philippe Bissohong, Jose Maldonado, Stephen Tupy and Daryl Ferguson, formerly played college soccer in the United States. Ferguson is also a member of the national team of Barbados.

“From day one, we’ve had a great week” said Coach Silvino Gonzalo, “the players are looking very good, working hard, and are very motivated. They have a great attitude. They can’t wait for the season to start.”

For the next several weeks, the team will be conducting four to five practices per week, most of them at the Soccer Plex facility located in Germantown. Several exhibition games, or “friendly matches” as they are known in the soccer community, are scheduled before the season opener on April 20, when the Monarchs take on the Pioneers from Western Massachusetts.  

For information as to how to go about purchasing tickets or viewing the entire 2008 schedule, the website for the team can be found at realmaryland.us.