Reading United A.C.

Reading United A.C. is an American soccer team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

The club plays its home games at Don Thomas Stadium on the campus of Exeter Township Senior High School, where they have played since 2005. The club's colors are white, charcoal black, gold, and navy blue. United also fields a team in the USL’s Super-20 League, a league for players seventeen to twenty years of age under the United Soccer Leagues umbrella.

Prior to the 2010 season, the team was known as the Reading Rage. On December 21, 2009, the Rage organization announced its agreement with Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union to become their official minor league affiliate, and re-branded as Reading United A.C. with immediate effect.^[1]

History

On January 13, 2011, Reading United saw four former players, including three from the 2010 roster, drafted at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft in Baltimore, Maryland. C. J. Sapong was selected 10th overall by Sporting Kansas City, followed by Corey Hertzog who was selected 13th overall by New York Red Bulls. Levi Houapeu was selected in the third round by Philadelphia Union with the 41st pick overall. Former Reading Rage player, Zarek Valentin, was selected 4th overall by Chivas USA.

Name, colors, and badge

The primary colors of Reading United A.C. are charcoal black, gold, and navy blue. The black and gold derive from Reading's civic seal and to the colors of the Germania Liederkranz, one of the area's original soccer clubs. Navy and gold represent the traditional state colors of Pennsylvania.

The logo for Reading United A.C. includes a stylized train that alludes to the famous Reading Railroad, which was one of the first railroads in the United States. The train depiction contains a soccer ball encircled by thirteen stars, each representing one of the original Thirteen Colonies. The shamrocks are a tribute to an Irishman named Paul "Archie" Moylan, the Reading Rage's former team captain, general manager, and coach, who died of cancer in 2001. The shield's contour is formed like a keystone, a symbol used officially by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania alluding to its colonial designation as the "Keystone State."

"United" is a common soccer appellation used in the British Isles and represents its relationship to the Philadelphia Union. The initials A.C. stand for "Athletic Club", which indicates the team's goal of expanding its business to incorporate other sports and fitness programs.^[2]

Players

Current roster

As of June 10, 2011.^[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable former players

• See also: All-time Reading United roster

This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.

Year-by-year

Honors

• USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions 2010
• USL PDL Mid Atlantic Division Champions 2010
• USL PDL Regular Season Champions 2009
• USL PDL Mid Atlantic Division Champions 2009
• USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions 2008
• USL PDL Mid Atlantic Division Champion 2008
• USISL D-3 Pro League Mid Atlantic Division Champion 1997

Head coaches

• Eric Puls (2001–2002)
• Derek Broadley (2005–2007)
• Brendan Burke (2008–present)

Stadia

• Stadium at Fleetwood High School; Fleetwood, Pennsylvania (2003)
• Stadium at Albright College; Reading, Pennsylvania (2004)
• Don Thomas Stadium at Exeter Township Senior High School; Reading, Pennsylvania (2005–present)
• Stadium at Oley Valley High School; Oley Valley, Pennsylvania 1 game (2011)

Average attendance

Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.

• 2005: 349
• 2006: 275
• 2007: 241
• 2008: 233
• 2009: 345
• 2010: 278

References

External links

• Official Site
• Official PDL site