Pontiac, MI (June 12, 2009) - The Michigan Bucks will look to get back to their winning ways on Saturday night when they host the Cleveland Internationals for the only time this season at Ultimate Soccer Arenas (7:30 kickoff). The Bucks (4-2-1. 13 points) will be rebounding from their loss last Sunday at Kalamazoo in hopes of stringing together several wins to get back on top of the United Soccer League’s (USL) Premier Development League Great Lakes Division.
The two losses halfway through the 2009 campaign are more than the defending PDL regular season champs had all of last year, and Bucks head coach Dan Fitzgerald knows the team has little room for error the rest of the way.
“At the start of the season, we figured it would take a record of 12-2-2 to win the division out right and probably 11 wins to make the playoffs in this extremely difficult division,” said Fitzgerald. “With two losses and a tie in the first seven matches, we know we have to win games to keep control of our playoff destiny. Our struggles so far this season have mostly been on the offensive side of the ball, where one of the highest scoring teams in the league year in and year out is searching for an offensive sparkplug. “We have some great talent all over the park but we just have not found the right chemistry to finish the three goals a game that we are accustomed to scoring. We need to find that combination, and we need to do it Saturday against a rejuvenated Cleveland side.”
The Cleveland Internationals are coming off their best season in team history in 2008, where they made the playoffs for the first time. They have struggled early in the season, but most of that is due to significant injuries that kept many of their potential starters out of the lineup until this past week. Although the Internationals come into town with a record of 1-4-1 (4 points), Fitzgerald is quick to point out that this may be the best team in the PDL with a losing record to date.
“Cleveland has a slew of Akron players and some other highly touted college players from around the country. If their full side is healthy, they will compete as the top team in this division. We are going to have to get our offense going on Saturday to get the needed three points.”
Fitzgerald did not address the defensive side of the ball, which was suspect last week, other than to say, “We identified the problem, we made the adjustments and I don’t believe you will see a defensive performance from our team like that ever again.”
Tickets for Saturday night’s match are $10 Adults and $6 Youth (under 16). Children 5 and under are always free to Bucks home games. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster or at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas. For more information, please visit the Bucks web site at www.buckssoccer.com.
BUCKS SUMMER SOCCER CAMPS FILLING UP FAST
With limited availability for each of the two Michigan Bucks Summer Soccer Camps at Ultimate Soccer Arenas, both sessions are beginning to fill up. The Bucks camps will be conducted by current Bucks professional and college players, who will provide some of the most unique individual training for boys and girls ages 8-15. Tuition for the week long camp is $199 for the first child in a family, with any additional children in the same family paying only $169 (15% discount). Both camps run from Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM-2:30 PM and include lunch served by the World Cup Grill at Ultimate Soccer Arenas.
Each camper will receive a Bucks camp t-shirt, certificate of completion and two FREE tickets to the Bucks final home game of the season against the Chicago Fire Premier on July 11. The first camp runs from July 6-10 and the second camp is from August 3-7. Those registering for the August camp prior to July 11 will receive the tickets to the Bucks/Fire match.
Campers can register at all Bucks home games, at Ultimate Soccer Arenas or on line at the Bucks web site www.buckssoccer.com. If you have any questions or concerns about your children and our camp policies, please call the Bucks office at 248-334-7460.
