Harrisburg City Islanders

Harrisburg City Islanders
Full name Harrisburg City Islanders
Nickname(s) City Islanders, City, Isles
Founded September 24, 2003 (2003-09-24)
Stadium Metro Bank Park
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Ground Capacity 6,187
Owner Eric Pettis
Head Coach Bill Becher
League USL
2015 8th, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: DNQ
Website Club home page

The Harrisburg City Islanders are an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the United Soccer League, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

The team had played its home games at Skyline Sports Complex, located on Harrisburg's City Island since 2004. The 2016 season will be played at neighboring Metro Bank Park. The team's colors are tropical blue, navy blue, and white. Their current head coach is Bill Becher who has been with the club since its formation.

The City Islanders also field a team in the USL’s Super-20 League, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age, operated by the United Soccer Leagues.

On March 1, 2010, the City Islanders entered into an agreement to become the official USL affiliate of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union. After five years of cooperation, it was announced on August 19, 2015 that the affiliation would dissolve at the conclusion of the 2015 season as the Union would develop their own USL team, Bethlehem Steel FC, in the Lehigh Valley starting in 2016.[1]

It was announced on January 26, 2016 that the City Islanders would play their home matches at Metro Bank Park which neighbors the Skyline Sports Complex on City Island. The stadium will be joint use with the Harrisburg Senators of the EL.

History

USL

The City Islanders were powerful contenders in the second division, finishing fifth in their inaugural season and qualifying for the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The City Islanders improved on this showing in their second year, as they finished third in the league with a 12–3–5 record, but were eliminated from the playoffs by the eventual champions, the Charlotte Eagles. In 2005, Bill Becher was named USL-2 Coach of the Year, while Chad Severs was named Rookie of the Year before moving on to the Rochester Raging Rhinos. In 2006, the club failed to reach the playoffs, but in 2007, the Islanders won the USL Second Division Championship, defeating the Richmond Kickers on penalty kicks. The City Islanders qualified for the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 but were unable to duplicate their championship form. Danny Cepero played for Harrisburg on loan from the New York Red Bulls in 2008, and upon returning to New York, became the first goalkeeper in Major League Soccer history to score from open play. In 2009, Ty Shipalane became the second City Islander to win Rookie of the Year and became the first City Islander to jump directly to Major League Soccer after signing with D.C. United at the conclusion of the season. After missing the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history in 2010, Harrisburg won the USL Pro National Division title to again advance to the USL Pro final, falling to the regular-season champion Orlando City on penalty kicks.

U.S. Open Cup

The City Islanders also compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where they developed a reputation as "giant killers" for defeating several teams from Major League Soccer. Harrisburg boasts an overall record of 12–5–3 in the competition, including a perfect 5–0 mark against teams from the Premier Development League and 4–4–1 record against MLS clubs. The City Islanders first competed in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2007, defeating two amateur squads before upsetting D.C. United 1–0 to reach the quarterfinals. They subsequently lost to the New England Revolution 1–2, but in 2009 exacted revenge by beating the Revolution 2–1 before losing to D.C. United 1–2 in the quarterfinals. The City Islanders repeated the feat in 2010, knocking off Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls 1–0 in the round of 16 and claiming a cash prize for advancing furthest of any USL-PRO team in the tournament. The City Islanders again dispatched the New England Revolution in the 2012 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, prevailing on penalty kicks after a 3–3 draw in the round of 32. Harrisburg next defeated the Red Bulls 3–1 to advance to the quarterfinals, where they lost to the Philadelphia Union by a 5–2 scoreline. In 2012, the City Islanders again won the cash prize for advancing further than any USL-PRO team in the tournament by virtue of a tie-breaker.

Friendlies

The City Islanders have hosted several exhibition matches, or friendlies, against international and top-flight competition. A partnership with D.C. United of Major League Soccer created the "Clash of the Capitals," annual matches between the two capital cities held in 2005–06. In the inaugural edition of the competition in 2005, D.C. United won 1–0 in front of over 4,000 fans at the Skyline Sports Complex. The following year's matchup was staged at Cumberland Valley High School, where 5,133 fans turned out to witness Freddy Adu and United prevail 2–1. That same year included the City Islanders' first international exhibition, as the club defeated Jamaica's Village United F.C. 5–1 at Hersheypark Stadium.

In 2009, the City Islanders played Crystal Palace F.C. of the Football League Championship, England's second division, at Lancaster's Clipper Magazine Stadium. A crowd of 5,099 witnessed the match, a 3–1 Crystal Palace win that included goals by Palace stars Darren Ambrose, Neil Danns, and Freddie Sears. Brandon Swartzendruber scored the lone goal for the City Islanders.

Annual Friendly with Philadelphia

As part of their affiliation, the City Islanders host annual friendly matches against the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. As of the 2014 season, the Islanders have only won one match against their top flight affiliate.

In 2010, the teams played to a 1–1 draw, with Danny Mwanga giving the Union a lead in the 30th minute before an own goal allowed Harrisburg to equalize a minute later. J.T. Noone appeared for both clubs in the match, playing the first half for the City Islanders before switching jerseys and completing the second half for Philadelphia.

The Union prevailed in the 2011 edition by a 5–3 scoreline.[2] The City Islanders carried a 2–0 lead into halftime behind goals by Nelson Becerra and Andrew Welker, but heavy substitutions allowed the Union to demonstrate their superior depth, and they scored five times in thirty minutes before Jose Angulo pegged one back.

With both teams fielding numerous reserves, the City Islanders won the 2012 rematch, which was played at Hersheypark Stadium. Jorge Perlaza and Kai Herdling scored for the Union, while a brace by Garret Pettis and goal by Yann Ekra carried the USL-PRO outfit to the 3–2 victory.[3]

With the affiliation dissolving during the 2015 season, the final friendly between the two teams as affiliates took place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in front of a record crowd of 6,546 attendees. The Union won the match 3–1.

The table below summarizes the results of the annual contests between the Islanders and Union.

Colors and badge

The team's colors are tropical blue, navy blue, and white. The logo can also be adorned with a gold star above it, representing the USL Championship the team won in 2007.

Stadium

The Harrisburg City Islanders compete at Metro Bank Park on City Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The stadium has a capacity of 6,187 spectators. The City Islanders also compete at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania which serves as an alternate home ground during the 2016 season.[4]

Stadium Expansion/Upgrade

As of 2015, the parent company of the Harrisburg City Islanders, the Harrisburg Capital Soccer, Inc. have begun applying for grant funding to facilitate upgrades to the existing complex. The proposed upgrades are anticipated to include increasing capacity to 5,000 seats, dedicated VIP areas, entrance plaza, upgraded concessions, restrooms, indoor locker rooms, state-of-the-art broadcasting booth, and a new scoreboard. New seating is intended to be an upgrade from existing bleachers with a mix of individual bucket seats, ten luxury suites, a VIP deck with seating, and bleacher seats with back supports.[5]

Relocation to Metro Bank Park

The 2016 season marks the City Islanders transition from Skyline Sports Complex to Metro Bank Park on City Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The transition was a result of the collaboration with the current tenants, the Harrisburg Senators, and to keep pace with the standards being implemented by the USL.[4] The team will also share home matches with Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as an effort to expand the Islanders fanbase throughout south central Pennsylvania.[4]

Supporter Groups

The Harrisburg City Islanders have two of their own supporters groups, the City Island Hecklers (CI Hecklers) founded by "The Heckler", and the Sons of the Susquehanna (SOS) founded by Tyler A. Knupp. The CI Hecklers often position themselves behind one goal, while the Sons of the Susquehanna position themselves behind the other goal.[6][7][8] In addition to these two, members of the Sons of Ben (supporters of the Philadelphia Union) also provide support.

The "SOS" attend the City Islanders vs Union friendly at Hersheypark Stadium

Broadcasting and Media Coverage

Most City Islanders home matches are broadcast live on Invica, with tape delay feeds on ABC 27 Weather Channel, Comcast channel 245 and Verizon Fios channel 462. Additionally, many road games are broadcast through USLLive. Michael Bullock covers the team for the Patriot-News, while Derek Meluzio provides commentary and videos from his Upper 90 blog. The column Confessions of a Soccer Nobody appears regularly in the Sports 'Burger, offering additional coverage and insight.

As of the 2014 season, USL began regularly broadcasting all league matches on the USL YouTube channel. Home match broadcasting is provided live by Inivca where Play-by-play announcing covered by Chad Edwards with color commentary by Larry Julius.

Sponsorship

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2007–2014 Adidas Capital Blue Cross
Snickers
2015–present Capital Blue Cross
Select Physical Therapy

Players and staff

Current roster

No. Position Player Nation
1 Goalkeeper Noble, NickNick Noble      United States
4 Midfielder McCord, KyleKyle McCord      United States
5 Defender Johnson, ShaneShane Johnson      United States
8 Midfielder Barril, JoséJosé Barril      Spain
9 Forward Pettis, GarretGarret Pettis      United States
10 Midfielder Plumhoff, JasonJason Plumhoff      United States
12 Forward Jankouskas, BrettBrett Jankouskas      United States
14 Midfielder DiPrima, DannyDanny DiPrima      United States
15 Midfielder Donatelli, TonyTony Donatelli      United States
19 Midfielder Benbow, CardelCardel Benbow      Jamaica
21 Midfielder Erick, Erick      Brazil
22 Forward Foster, CraigCraig Foster      Jamaica
27 Goalkeeper Renfro, KyleKyle Renfro      United States
32 Defender Dyer, ShaquilleShaquille Dyer (on loan from Arnett Gardens FC)     Jamaica
63 Defender Leverock, DanteDante Leverock      Bermuda

Updated as of August 31, 2015.[9]

Current staff

Position Staff Nation
Head Coach/General Manager1Bill BecherUnited States United States
Assistant CoachSteve WiddowsonUnited States United States
Assistant CoachDenis ClarkeRepublic of Ireland Ireland
Club PresidentRoy MehlUnited States United States
Academy CoordinatorDave KernUnited States United States
Academy CoordinatorMolly GilroyUnited States United States

Referenced from HCI coaching staff[9] and front office.[10]
1Bill Becher appointed General Manager in February 2016.[11]

Notable former players

Head coaches

Head coach Bill Becher has managed the club since its founding in 2003. Games played include all League, Cup, and playoff contests, and the win percentage is calculated from the total of games.

Coach From To Record
G W D L Win %
United States Bill Becher 2004 present 275 120 74 81 43.64
Total 275 120 74 81 43.64

Honors

Individual Achievements

The following detail individual achievements earn by City Islander players over the club's history.[12]

2005

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Record

Year-by-year

Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Avg. Attendance Leading Goal Scorer
2004 3 USL Pro Soccer League 2nd, Atlantic Quarterfinals Did not qualify 1,510 United States Matt Tanzini (6)
2005 3 USL Second Division 3rd Semifinals Did not qualify 1,604 United States Chad Severs (13)
2006 3 USL Second Division 7th Did not qualify Did not qualify 1,781 United States Jamel Mitchell (6)
2007 3 USL Second Division 3rd Champions Quarterfinals 1,724 Kenya Mo Oduor (6)
2008 3 USL Second Division 5th Quarterfinals 2nd Round 1,684 United States Ryan Heins (7)
2009 3 USL Second Division 3rd Semifinals Quarterfinals 1,857 United States Chad Severs (9)
2010 3 USL Second Division 5th Did not qualify Quarterfinals 1,666 United States Jason Hotchkin (5)
2011 3 USL Pro 2nd, National Finals 2nd Round 1,404 Colombia Jose Angulo (9)
2012 3 USL Pro 6th Quarterfinals Quarterfinals 1,452 Zimbabwe Luckymore Mkosana (7)
2013 3 USL Pro 4th Quarterfinals 2nd Round 1,456 Zimbabwe Luckymore Mkosana (13)
2014 3 USL Pro 8th Finals 4th Round 1,941 United States Morgan Langley (6)
United States Jimmy McLaughlin (6)
United States Robbie Derschang (6)
2015 3 USL 8th, Eastern Did not qualify 3rd Round 2,430 United States Jason Plumhoff (10)

Referenced from Harrisburg City Islanders club history.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Harrisburg City Islanders and Philadelphia Union Agree to Dissolve Five-Year Exclusive Partnership".
  2. ↑ "Recap: Union net five in second half, top Islanders 5–3". Philadelphia Union.
  3. ↑ "Recap: Islanders edge Union 3–2 in annual friendly". Philadelphia Union.
  4. 1 2 3 http://cityislanders.com/club-news/city-islanders-relocate-to-metro-bank-park/
  5. ↑ "Harrisburg City Islanders Take Next Step In New Stadium Project".
  6. ↑ CI Hecklers
  7. ↑ Sons of the Susquehanna
  8. ↑ Q&A With the Sons of the Susquehanna
  9. 1 2 "Harrisburg City Islanders".
  10. ↑ "Front Office".
  11. ↑ http://cityislanders.com/club-news/bill-becher-adds-gm-title-to-head-coaching-duties/
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "History".

External links

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