Wednesday, January 19, 2011

First Big Win of the Season for Greensboro

Late Tuesday night Greensboro FC took down Clay Cougars FC 3-2 to go 3-0-1 in their first 4 games. Chris Fields, manager of the Vipers said "Cougars is always a tough game, and we are very happy with any points we get when we play them, especially on the road." The Cougars finished last season ranked 6th in the table standings, one spot and one point ahead of where Greensboro finished. Greensboro management has stated that they want to continue the trend of improving every season, and beating Cougars is a big step in the right direction. Greensboro United has another road date with league newcomer Real United FC tomorrow.

Cougars vs. Greensboro Game Recap

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Greensboro Adds 4 New Faces, and 1 Old One

Greensboro FC wrapped up the transfer period saturday with the addition of 5 players. Olindo Loria, a 21 year old Italian midfielder was one of the first to sign. The young middie adds depth to Greensboro's midfield rotation, and shows potential to be a future starter. Next, the Vipers added Valerio Langella, a versatile 20 year old Italian Forward/Midfielder. Langella will come off the bench at the forward spot, and could see increased playing time if Greensboro manager Chris Fields decides to go with the 4-3-3 approach rather than the 4-4-2 he has used the last 4 seasons. The third player added to Greensboro's roster was Jorge Masana, a 21 year old Argentinian defender. The 5 year deal worth 70,000 per season is Masana's first contract. Masana will also come off the bench for the near future, but like Langella and Loria, will be needed for depth and could see playing time in the future. Kealan Shields was the fourth player aquired by Greensboro. Shields, a 21 year old Irish middie, has already played for several seasons and is a seasoned veteran who can also play some forward. He notched 5 goals while playing in 37 games last season for American club Ball Bags FC. Lastly, Greensboro succssfully negotiated with longtime Viper Porter Stookey. Stookey, a 28 year old American midfielder, spent his last 3 seasons coming off the bench and making spot starts for the Vipers, and with the loss of middie Shawn Deacons, should see more playing time this season. Stookey's contract is for the next 4 seasons, and worth 325,000 per season. Along with keepers Veldon and Cherubin, the Vipers additions are 8 strong. Each addition will help the team in their own way this year and in future years, and will be valuable pieces to the Vipers puzzle.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Veldon resigns, Deacons stint as a Viper comes to an end

Early Saturday morning Greensboro FC officials announced that they had come to terms with long time keeper Janiel Veldon. Veldon had left the club to test free agency, but after considering all his options decided it would be best to return to Greensboro. Veldon spent the last 4 years between the Vipers crossbars, where he notched a club record in total career saves. Veldon did cash in considerably with his new contract, a deal totaling over 1.5 million all headed Veldon's way. Even though the price was steep, both Greensboro and Veldon are happy that the marriage could continue "I want to retire a Viper," Veldon stated.
The news about former Viper Shawn Deacons is not so good. The 27 year old middie is the newest member of another Vipers club, the FC Arizona Green Snakes. Deacons landed a 5 year deal paying him over a million per year, a considerable increase from his last contract with Greensboro, which only netted him 330,000 over 4 years. Greensboro officials had been in the free agent bidding war for Deacons, but decided the stakes had gone to high and backed off. In his 4 seasons at Greensboro Deacons notched 14 goals.

Cherubin to Greensboro

For now Greensboro FC has a new starting keeper, Paolo Cherubin. The 21 year old was transfered today from the Dallas Dragons to Greensboro FC for a fee of 43000 dollars. As of now Cherubin is Greensboro's starting keeper, but the Vipers have made it no secret that they are negotiating with longtime fan favorite and recent free agent Janiel Veldon. If Veldon re-joins Greensboro Cherubin will be back to 2nd string. This said, Cherubin is still an important addition, and will see solid playing time in the coming seasons.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Season 15 Just Around the Corner

Greensboro fans, its almost that time of year again. Just 8 weeks before season 15 kicks off in West Virginia against Gaming West Virginia. But before that, the FC Greensboro coaching staff and GM have many tough decisions to make. The free agent market is slim at best this year according to many scouts, and several of the most saught after players are former Vipers, such as former Vipers keeper Janiel Veldon, who spent the last 4 years between the Vipers crossbars. The club needs to fill the hole left by Veldon's absense, and are looking to re-negotiate a new contract with Veldon, as well as some other options. Another former Viper who is currently unemployed is skilled midfielder Shawn Deacons. The 27 year old American spent the last 4 years maning the Viper midfield, after being picked up for a bargain in the free agent market. Deacons and Veldon now both seek more money then their previous contracts, and have already recieved multiple offers from teams other than the Vipers. In other pre-season news, Greensboro FC management turned down multiple transfer offers for star defender Aaronjames "AJ" Sequeba. The 21 year old is one of the most talented defenders in the world, and the sky is the limit for this strong American who notched 9 and 10 goals in the last 2 seasons. Greensboro has improved in the table standing each of its first 3 years as a orginization, and looks to continue this trend in season 15. The Vipers finished Season 14 ranked 7th in the table standings, a 2 spot jump from season 13's 9th place finish. When asked about the prospects of finishing 6th or better, Head Manager Fields stated that the team would have to come up big in free agent signings, train hard, play with confidence, and of course have a few good breaks. If these things happen it could be an entertaining season to be a Viper fan.

Greensboro FC News kicks off

Welcome to Greenbsoro FC News, your official source for all things Greensboro Vipers soccer. We will cover many things, including, but not limited to: match results, player news, league news, stats, awards, season wrap ups, signings, transfer market, and even league rumors. Visit daily, get involved, and most of all GO GREENSBORO!