Article from May 19, 2000

BANDITS’ COACHES SAY EXPECTATIONS UNKNOWN FOR 2000 SEASON

(Lexington, Ky.)- As college players continue to trickle into practice this week, the only thing Bluegrass Bandits’ soccer coaches Ansu Sirleaf, Rob Miller, and Tim Turney are certain about is that the first few weeks of the 2000 season will be "a work in progress."

Coach Miller, who has led the Cumberland College men’s soccer team to two Mid-South Conference titles during his five seasons at the helm, said, "The first two to three weeks will be at best experimental. We could get killed right out of the gate, or a team could outplay us and we might get a lucky goal and win. Win, lose, or draw, though, I want us to play well and start to find a style of play."

What kind of style does Coach Miller like to preach? Well, the Cumberland coach said, "I tend to lean toward a good possession and attacking style, but I do like an organized defense. I like my defenders to be involved in the offense."

The Bandits are expected to have two more practices this week and a possible scrimmage before the home opener against the Alabama Saints at Lexington Catholic High School on Saturday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m.

Sirleaf will be in the unusual role of being a player-coach for the Bandits, but the 29-year-old from Liberia in West Africa said he is looking forward to the challenge. Sirleaf is certainly accustomed to success on the collegiate level. He was part of a National Championship at Lindsey Wilson College in 1995 and was a team captain for the Bandits last season.

The Bandits are loaded with successful area players, including Nick McDevitt, who was part of a state championship at Louisville Trinity and a National Championship at Indiana University. Two Marshall University players have also been practicing with the team, including P.L. Dunbar graduate Chris Donovan and former Lexington Catholic player Buddy Schneider. Donovan was a first-team All-State selection and Regional Tournament MVP for the Bulldogs, while Schneider was also a Regional MVP, as well as a two-time All-State player for the Knights.

Additionally, Coach Miller also has former St. Xavier player, Cameron Payne, who now plays at the University of Louisville, as well as Jonathan McKinney from Franklin County High School. Payne won a state title at St. X, while McKinney was an all-Region tournament selection and team MVP with the Flyers.

Two goalkeepers have been working out with the team, including one of Coach Miller’s own Cumberland College players, Derek Orf. The Cumberland junior is a three-time first-team All Mid-South Conference player and an honorable mention All-American last season. Another keeper, Shawn Pinkston, is from Clarksville, Indiana, and now lives in Frankfort. Pinkston played college ball at Berea College and has professional experience with the Eastern Shore Sharks of the USL’s D3 League.

Soccer is indeed a global game, and the Bandits will have several international players on the squad, providing a good blend of soccer talent and skills. Some of the international players practicing with the team include Canada’s Moises Drumond (Bryan College), and four players from Trinidad. Three of those play for Coach Miller at Cumberland, including Keita Placide, Kirt Spencer, and Nigel Roberts, while Wendell Collymore plays at Florida International University.

A few of the newest additions to the Bandits workouts just this week are Jason Bell from the University of Kentucky and Louisville Eastern High School. Bell has been a Mid-American Conference all-tournament selection and was a Kentucky All-State player in 1995 and 1996.

Additionally, the club welcomed Jeff Gentner, who played at Paducah Tilghman High School, Marshall University, and Reinhardt Junior College, and Kentucky Wesleyan’s Brett Gibson, who played high school soccer for Madisonville-North Hopkins. Gentner was also an NJCAA Region 17 All-tournament selection.

Just arriving from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh are All-American Scott Deopere, Billy Wick, and Chris Kloth. All three are juniors for Oshkosh and should provide some veteran leadership to a relatively young squad. Some other late arrivals include Transylvania's James Halfhill and Sean Quigley, former UK player Sean Mondelli, and Centre College's Tanner Wann.

The United Soccer Leagues is the largest system of national soccer leagues in the United States today. Founded in 1986, USL has 127 teams in five leagues competing in the year 2000. The leagues provide a pipeline for male players to advance as high as Major League Soccer, which showcases some of the greatest soccer players in the world.

The highest of the United Soccer Leagues is A-League, or Division II professional. Just below A-League is the D3 League, or Division III Pro League, followed by the Premier Development League, where the Bluegrass Bandits reside, and finally the Super Y-League, or National Youth Leagues. USL also has a National Women’s League, which in the past has produced several candidates for the U.S. National Team.

The Bluegrass Bandits joined USL in 1994 and went 10-8 in the Premier Development League. Following a split of the league, the Bandits became a D3 professional club in 1995 and finished 9-11. In 1996, the Lexington-based squad had its most successful USL season, when the Bandits returned to the PDL and won the Central Conference’s Northern Division. After a 10-6 record in 1997 and a brief absence in 1998, the Bandits returned to the league on a provisional basis last year and finished with a 3-3 record.

For the 2000 season, the Bandits will play 18 regular season games, with nine home games set to be played at Lexington Catholic High School. The Lexington squad resides in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference.

CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF PDL
Great Lakes Division
Dayton Gems
Indiana Invaders
Kalamazoo Kingdom
Lexington Bluegrass Bandits
Mid Michigan Bucks
West Michigan Explosion

Heartland Division
Chicago Sockers
Des Moines Menace
Rockford Raptors
Thunder Bay Chill
Twin Cities Tornado
Wisconsin Rebels

Going into the opener, Coach Miller and the Bandits will know very little about the Alabama Saints, which will be a provisional squad in the Premier Development League this year, following a brief absence in 1999. The Saints were 7-9 in 1998.