Four years ago I came home from college for the weekend. I was expecting a normal weekend of hanging out with friends and family, however what I found was not what I would have ever expected. As I walked into our living room I noticed giant binders all over the coffee table, I questioned my parents as to what this was all about and my dad, very straightforward, stated, “We are buying a soccer team.” I will never forget that moment of confusion. We had no experience with soccer, other than my sister and I playing when we were little, like most kids do, and the only professional soccer game I had been to at that time was a Baltimore Blast game when I was in elementary school. We weren’t soccer people, we were American football fans, my sister played volleyball and I rode horses, nowhere in my memory had we ever even discussed soccer. To be honest, at that time I regarded the sport as a less intense game, boring because there was no need to wear pads or anything, they just ran around a lot, how hard could it be. Needless to say, today I have a very different opinion of the sport. So, we sat down at the coffee table and began to pour over rules and regulations of this new project, and how we could use it as a missions tool to spread God’s word in the community. At the end of the weekend, I was still confused over what exactly we were getting into, but I knew that dad would make it great. Over the next few months, every time I came home there was some new development in our progression, we had to move fast in order to put a team on the field for the 2012 season. Coaches were hired, plans were made, players were contacted, all in preparation for the inaugural season of the Ocala Stampede. With the help of friends, old and new, we prepared to launch what would grow to be one of the most successful USL PDL teams in the country.

I remember that first soccer game as a whirlwind. We had been passing out tickets for weeks, talking to people about what we were doing and trying to get some excitement building in the community. Finally the day came, we successfully put on an entire soccer match and with some experience under our belts, we felt confident we could pull this off. That first season was amazing for many reasons, we had a great team that fought for great results, players from around the world who came together for a great cause. We ended that season as the Southeastern Division Champions and were incredibly proud of the product we had made.

Each season has brought a new group of young men, eager to learn more about the game they love. Many players have returned to us for multiple years because when they are in Ocala, they are with family. Among this year’s group of men we have many players who have returned from previous seasons, Karamba Janneh played with the Stampede in 2012 and 2014and returned this year. Sam Duininck, Ben Knight, Courage Chirandu, Jack Bailey, and Ocala natives Jackie Kay and Jesse Wear have loyally returned for the third season. And of course, we cannot forget Stevie Walmsley and Lex Craggs who have played for the Stampede since that hectic first season. In addition to players, head coach Cheyne Roberts has led the Stampede for three seasons. The Stampede is our family. Each summer the families that run the Stampede come together and create a huge family that consists of not only us, but about 26young men as well. Each player is remembered years later for his hard work and dedication to the Stampede.

It is hard work and dedication that has brought us to this year, the fourth season. For the2015 season, once again, we have an amazing group of young men who love soccer and who have taken our missions work and run with it. This season has been a challenging one, many teams in our division have placed targets on our back as a team they want to beat as we have held the Division Champions title for 3 years, and many of the franchises have put together great teams. But sitting here, with two games left in the season, we have risen to the occasion.

The Stampede currently holds 21 points having played 12 of the 14 regular season games. With their win on Saturday (12th), FC Miami clinched a playoff spot as either the division champion or the runner up. We control our own destiny as we go into tonight’s game against Orlando City and Saturday’s (18th) game against FC Miami. In addition, SW Florida and IMG are still in the race each with 16 points, however both teams need to win out and get some help to earn a 2nd place finish. Watch for our twitter updates tonight starting at 7:30 at @ocalastampede and come out for the final home game of the season on Saturday the 18th at7:00 pm at the MCYFL fields against FC Miami. Go Stampede!

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Ocala.com

When the Ocala Stampede took the pitch for the first time in 2012 the hope from management, players and the team’s fanbase was to be competitive, put out an entertaining product and show gradual improvement.

At that point, it’s probably fair to say very few would have predicted Southeast Division championships in each of the team’s first three years in the USL Premier Development League. But that happened.

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2015 PDL Season Preview

Monday, April 27, 2015

The Southeast Division in the Premier Development League has a deeper field heading into 2015 with the additions of FC Miami City Champions and Palm Beach Suns F.C. The division now includes seven teams, including the Ocala Stampede, which is coming off an impressive 2014 with a 9-1-4 regular-season record.

Ocala and SW Florida Adrenaline took the top two slots in the division last year to move into the conference championship phase, and the Stampede advanced the furthest with a spot in the PDL Semifinals.

FC Miami City Champions: FC Miami will look forward to its first PDL season, with home games played at the Florida International University Soccer Stadium. Wagneau Eloi, a former Red Star FC striker and one-time coach of Haiti’s national team, will be in charge of FC Miami’s first campaign as the players start their #PathtoPro. Among the players set to feature this season are veteran French player Sidney Govou, who will provide leadership to a side set to include plenty of local talent.

Floridians F.C.: In late January, Floridians F.C. brought in a new head coach – Buenos Aires native Fernando Valenzuela. He will look to turn things around from last season, when Floridians F.C. finished at the bottom of the Southeast table at 2-7-5 while averaging one goal per game. One standout Floridians F.C. can rely on heavily is Deniz Bozkurt, who recently completed his senior season with Florida Atlantic University. There, he led the team with three assists and also chipped in two goals in 2014. Floridians F.C. will enjoy a three-game homestand to open the new season at Central Broward Regional Park.

IMG Academy Bradenton: For the third time in a four-year stretch, IMG Academy took a respectable third place in the Southeast this past season. While that kept IMG at the top half of the table, it also kept the club outside of the postseason, which has eluded the team since its 2009 run to the national semifinals. Among those set to feature is Creighton goalkeeper Connor Sparrow, who returns to the side after making 22 starts for the Bluejays last fall while recording a 0.49 goals against average and 11 shutouts. IMG Academy gets a later start to its season this year with four straight home games, starting May 20 against Palm Beach Suns F.C.

Ocala Stampede: Three-time defending Southeast Division champion Ocala Stampede continues to impress in the region. Ocala is coming off a 9-1-4 regular-season run and a trip to the national semifinals in 2014. The Stampede’s run came to a close with a 2-1 loss to the Kitsap Pumas in the semifinals on Aug. 1. Ocala’s #PathtoPro success is already evident in a short time frame. Ilija Ilic, who represented Ocala in 2014, is now with the USL’s Louisville City FC. Alex Clay is currently a member of the USL’s New York Red Bulls II. 2014 All-Conference selection Ben Knight and midfield standout Lewis Hilton both return, however, as the club looks for a fourth consecutive division title.

Orlando City U-23s: The Orlando City U-23s missed out on the postseason for a second straight year, but some returnees should prove to be vital in helping the club improve on its fifth-place showing a year ago. Forward Lucas Diniz returns to the attack, and he also made some headlines scoring the winning penalty kick in a 12-11 shootout victory against the USL’s Charleston Battery at the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Also returning to this year’s squad is midfielder Andrew Brody, who recently completed his sophomore season at Louisville, tallying three goals and four assists. Orlando City goes on the road to face Floridians F.C. on May 16 and holds its home opener one week later against FC Miami on May 23 at the Seminole Soccer Complex.

Palm Beach Suns F.C.: Newly-formed Palm Beach Suns F.C., under the guidance of Coach Edson Leivinha, will make its PDL debut against Floridians F.C. on May 9. The side is set to include veteran goalkeeper Thomas Hunter, who last played for the Atlanta Silverbacks, is set to provide a veteran presence in goal as Palm Beach gears up for its first season in Boca Raton.

SW Florida Adrenaline: In just its second season in the PDL, SW Florida Adrenaline made a statement with a second-place showing in the Southeast Division in 2014. SW Florida went 7-2-5 in the regular season while boasting the division’s top defense, allowing only one goal per game. Naples residents David Butzke and Owen McCorkle return to the Adrenaline as outside backs. This year’s side should have some scoring punch, as well, starting with Ecuadoran striker Jorge Chedraui, who scored 53 goals in two seasons with Club Sport Emelec in the first division in Ecuador. He has also represented Ecuador’s U-18 national team. SW Florida hosts its first four games of the 2015 PDL season, starting May 9 against FC Miami.

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