NH Phantoms Prepare for New Season

Phantoms One of Two New England Teams Left in PDL

March 30, 2009

The New Hampshire Phantoms are busy preparing for their 14th season in the United Soccer Leagues.

It will be their second season in the PDL division, where player development is the focus of the competing clubs.

The club will make the campus of Southern New Hampshire University its home for the 2009 season. The home opener against the New Jersey Rangers is set for May 2. The Phantoms will then begin a stretch of four road games before returning home May 22 to face the Ocean City Barons. The club also has a home-and-home series against the Rhode Island Stingrays, New England's other entrant in the USL's PDL division.

The Stingrays finished 2-9-5 last year and play their home games at Pierce Memorial Stadium in East Providence. The Cape Cod Crusaders and Vermont Voltage, staples of New England soccer for years, both folded over the offseason and will not be in the league this year. The Crusaders, a Mass. Priemer Soccer venture, moved their operation to Maine where they will launch a Portland Super-Y team.

In 2008, the Phantoms went undefeated through the first six games, just missing out on a berth in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by one point before injuries took their toll on the relatively small squad.

The Phantoms have built a strong base in recent years developing a core of talent through their youth program. Of the players currently on the PDL team, 10 played for the Phantoms’ youth teams. The Phantoms will be looking for another strong start with this group of young but experienced players.

“The early part of the season will be tough for our squad with all the road games but it should give us a chance to bond as a group,” said head coach Jim DeDeus. “I am looking forward to seeing this year’s squad in action and it is very satisfying to see so many products from our youth system stepping up to the senior squad.”

The team will play a 20-game schedule, including 16 league games and four non-league games against 2010 expansion teams.

2009 schedule:

Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m., vs. New Jersey Rangers

Saturday, May 9, 7:30, at Long Island Rough Riders

Sunday, May 10, 4, at Newark Ironbound Express

Saturday, May 16, 5:30, at Westchester Flames

Sunday, May 17, 5, at Brooklyn Knights

Friday, May 22, 7:30, vs. Ocean City Barons

Saturday, May 30, 7:30, vs. Ottawa Fury

Saturday, June 6, 7:30, vs. Westchester Flames

Saturday, June 13, 7, at New Jersey Rangers

Tuesday, June 16, 6, at Ottawa Fury