The Atlanta Silverbacks will begin training camp this Saturday in Atlanta, and the club isn’t wasting any time when it comes to testing their squad in a series of preseason games.
The Silverbacks announced a five-game preseason schedule on Thursday, consisting of all home games. The club will compete against three college teams, one amateur team, and one fellow professional team, as they welcome the Charlotte Eagles to Atlanta Silverbacks Park on March 30. Here is the full 2013 preseason schedule:
- Thursday, March 7, 4 p.m. vs. University of North Georgia (NCAA Division II)
- Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m. vs. Georgia State University (NCAA Division I)
- Saturday, March 12, 2 p.m. vs. University of Alabama-Birmingham (NCAA Division I)
- Sunday, March 24, 4 p.m. vs. Nashville FC (Amateur)
- Saturday, March 30, 4 p.m. vs. Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO)
All preseason games will be played at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
Silverbacks players will begin arriving to Atlanta on Thursday, and after visiting with team physicians on Friday, they will have their first training session on Saturday morning. Silverbacks Head Coach Brian Haynes will hit the ground running following that first training session, with the team set to practice Sunday-Wednesday before heading into their first preseason game against Georgia Gwinnett College on Thursday.
The club currently has 17 players under contract who will report to preseason this week, and 15 of those players return after playing with the team last season. The Silverbacks will look to sign several more players in the coming weeks, with about 10 non-roster invitees set to come in on trial for preseason.
The current roster includes six players who recently spent time training with MLS clubs in the offseason, and one player, midfielder Richie Menjivar, who has already appeared in four senior national team matches in 2013. Menjivar represents El Salvador at the international level, and recently featured for his national team in CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying against the likes of Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, and Panama.
This article was provided by the team.