2012 Premier Development League Schedule Released
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Feb 19, 2012, 0 Comments
Courtesy Vanessa Guajardo,
Heat Opens Up Regular Season on the Road
Laredo, TX: The United Soccer Leagues (USL) officially released the 2012 Premier Development League (PDL) schedule and divisional alignments today and the Laredo Heat Soccer Club opens and closes their regular season on the road.
The Heat will be celebrating their 8th season in the PDL in 2012, having made the playoffs in every year of their existence and having played in four league championship games during that time, winning the title in 2007 and just last year, losing 1 – 0 to the Kitsap (Washington) Pumas in an exciting final that saw a laser by the Heat’s Greg Mulamba, that would have tied the game, ricochet of the left goal post in compensation time.
Laredo will open their 2012 march for the division title, playoff run and PDL Championship on Saturday, May 12th versus the expansion Texas Dutch Lions in Houston. The Texas Dutch Lions are based in The Woodlands in north Houston and are actually the development side for the Dayton (Ohio) Dutch Lions of the USL Pro Division.
The following weekend, the Heat will have their home opener versus their border rival and fellow 2011 Mid-South Division playoff qualifier, the El Paso Patriots on Friday, May 18th. Kick-off is set for 8:00 PM at the beautiful Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex which will once again serve as the home field for the Heat in 2012.
The eight home and eight away PDL regular season will allow Laredo to host all the Mid-South Division teams at least once this season and play away at their home fields at least once as well. Along with the Heat, the other Mid-South Division clubs this season include the Austin Aztex, the El Paso Patriots, the New Orleans Jesters, the Texas (Houston) Dutch Lions and the West Texas (Midland) Sockers.
“After coming so close to winning the PDL Championship last season, we cannot wait to open up our 2012 campaign in May and with our pre-season training opening up in just a few weeks, our coaching staff, including new Head Coach Fernando Hernandez, is itching to get on the pitch”, said Heat General Manager J.J. Vela.
“Do we feel as if we left some unfinished business on the table last season, absolutely, we were built for the long run in 2011 and unfortunately, we did not get it done”, added Vela.
Vela concluded, “Hernandez is well aware of our expectations for this season of not only returning to the PDL Championship but winning it. It would not be like us if we did not have those lofty goals at the start of every season but for 2012, the bar has been raised and to be honest, nothing less can be acceptable to the organization”.
2012 Laredo Heat SC Regular Season Schedule
Home Games in BOLD, Kick-Off at 8:00 PM, Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex
Saturday, May 12, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ Texas (Houston) Dutch Lions
Friday, May 18, 2012 El Paso Patriots @ Laredo Heat SC
Saturday, May 26, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ Texas (Houston) Dutch Lions
Thursday, June 7, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ West Texas (Midland) Sockers
Saturday, June 9, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ Austin Aztex
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Texas (Houston) Dutch Lions @ Laredo Heat SC
Friday, June 15, 2012 El Paso Patriots @ Laredo Heat SC
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Austin Aztex @ Laredo Heat SC
Friday, June 22, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ Austin Aztex
Sunday, June 24, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ New Orleans Jesters
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Austin Aztex @ Laredo Heat SC
Thursday, June 28, 2012 West Texas (Midland) Sockers @ Laredo Heat SC
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 New Orleans Jesters @ Laredo Heat SC
Friday, July 6, 2012 New Orleans Jesters @ Laredo Heat SC
Thursday, July 12, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ West Texas (Midland) Sockers
Saturday, July 14, 2012 Laredo Heat SC @ El Paso Patriots
About the PDL
The top developmental men’s league in North American, the PDL features 73 teams in 2012 within four conferences across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away, and provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. In addition to league play, PDL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions. The PDL has proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world.
