Thunder Soccer Club is anticipating a successful season for the MD Pride in the WPSL in 2010. After hiring a new Head Coach and G.M. for 2009, the Pride are expecting to jump up the standings this summer. Returning as Head Coach is Steve Knapman, a native of Blackpool, England. After his first year in charge, Knapman is eager to start the 2010 campaign. “My first season with the Pride had many positives, but did not create the sort of results we are aiming to achieve. Now, for 2010, we are excited to get underway and build on the basis of the team that competed in 2009. I feel as though we have the talent, combined with some hard work and little luck, to be successful in 2010. We aim to compete for a playoff sport in the Eastern Region, and with some luck finish out our season at the Final Four in Dallas.”
Said G.M. Tony Corbett, who is also Director of Coaching for Thunder Soccer Club “Our first year in charge in 2009 was great leap forward and my aim for 2010 is to reach out more to the community. We hope to continue reaching out to our base of soccer players in the area in order to grow our Pride following. Of course, on the field we have set certain goals for the upcoming season, but as an organization we are looking towards long term growth within the community by fostering relationships with all of the local youth clubs and teams. 2010 is going to be an exciting and groundbreaking year for the MD Pride.”
Growth will be the theme for the Pride in 2010. Growing as a team with title aspirations, as an organization growing the fan base, and as a league growing new teams and new rivalries. Pride fans should relish the looming interstate rivalry with the new Chesapeake Charge, competing for the first time in the WPSL in 2010. This new rivalry should attract new and existing Pride fans to some highly charged derby matches this summer which should offer some great soccer and fun for the whole family.
Finally, the Pride are pleased to announce the addition of a new Assistant G.M. Josh Bonnin, a MD native and former NCAA college player at Virginia Tech will be joining the Pride team. Working alongside G.M. Tony Corbett and Head Coach Steve Knapman, Josh will be responsible for the day to day operations and marketing for 2010. He can be reached at Joshua.Bonnin@gmail.com.
The "Maryland Pride" was originally formed in 1994 and was a founding member of the W-League (USL), winning the National Championship in 1996. The ownership and management of the team transferred to Thunder Soccer Club in 2008 and for more information please visit http://www.mdpridesoccer.com or contact their G.M. Tony Corbett by e-mail at tclondon@comcast.net. Thunder SC of Howard County has been serving Central Maryland since 1991 and for more information, please visit their official website at http://www.thundersoccerclub.org.
The WPSL is a 50-plus team national women’s soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women’s soccer leagues in the world. The WPSL’s mission is to provide the highest level of women’s soccer while simultaneously providing affordable, quality family entertainment and positive role models for our youth. For more information, visit our official website at http://www.wpsl.info, phone us at 1-800-854-0913 or contact us via email at media@wpsl.info.
