*** Despite the rain please come out and cheer on your King's Warriors!!

KING'S WARRIORS HOST USL PRO LEAGE CHARLOTTE EAGLE FRIDAY

SOUTHEN WEST VIRGINIA TO TEST HIGH-CALIBER EAGLES IN EXHIBITION

(Beckley, West Virginia - Thursday, June 6) The Southern West Virginia King's Warriors put in their final preparations Thursday as they prepare to host the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer League's Pro Division, Friday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Carter Field at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex. 

The King's Warriors are one of three Premier  Complex Development League affiliates of the Eagles and the closest geographicaly.  The Eagles are also affiliated with the PDLs Southen Clifornia Seahorses and Mississippi Brilla.

The Eagles will come to Beckley Friday fresh off a hard-fought 2-2 draw to the Charleston Battery in Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday night. The Eagles are off to a solid start in 2013 as they invade Beckley with a 3-2-5 record, and sit tied for 7th place in the USL Pro Division's 13-team league. Charlotte also has games in hand on several teams above it in the standings.

Another highlight of this Eagles team has been their competitiveness the past two seasons in the US Open Cup. This season Charlotte knocked off Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders U23 team, which earned them a home game with MLS's Chicago Fire in Charlotte on May 29. The Eagles US Open Cup run came to an end in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Fire. Last season Charlotte went deep into the Open Cup, which included a win in Texas against MLS's FC Dallas. The Eagles Open Cup 2012 season ended with a close 2-1 loss to Chivas USA in California.

The Eagles are in their 21st season of play in the United Soccer Leagues, and have won two USL Pro League Division National Championships.

Meanwhile the King's Warriors are taking a week off from PDL play to host the Eagles after dropping their last two South Atlantic Division decisions. Next weekend Southern West Virginia will take to the road to play the SC United Bantams in South Carolina on Friday, June 14, and then head to Greensboro to play the Carolina Dynamo on Saturday, June 15.

Another highlight of this Eagles team has been their competitiveness the past two seasons in the US Open Cup. This season Charlotte knocked off Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders U23 team, which earned them a home game with MLS's Chicago Fire in Charlotte on May 29. The Eagles US Open Cup run came to an end in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Fire. Last season Charlotte went deep into the Open Cup, which included a win in Texas against MLS's FC Dallas. The Eagles Open Cup 2012 season ended with a close 2-1 loss to Chivas USA in California.

The Eagles are in their 21st season of play in the United Soccer Leagues, and have won two USL Pro League Division National Championships.

Meanwhile the King's Warriors are taking a week off from PDL play to host the Eagles after dropping their last two South Atlantic Division decisions. Next weekend Southern West Virginia will take to the road to play the SC United Bantams in South Carolina on Friday, June 14, and then head to Greensboro to play the Carolina Dynamo on Saturday, June 15.

FREE PRE-GAME SOCCER CLINIC: The King's Warriors and Charlotte Eagles players and coaches will team up together to host a soccer clinic Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. All soccer players who have a ticket to the King's Warriors / Eagles game may participate. Players are encouraged to bring their own t-shirts, shorts, cleats and shin guards.

NEXT HOME GAME:  The King's Warriors next home game will be Tuesday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. when Southern West Virginia will host the West Virginia Chaos at Carter Field at the YMCA's Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex.

KING'S WARRIORS TICKET INFO: Tickets for Friday's King's Warriors / Charlotte Eagles clash and for all King's Warriors home games at Carter Field at the YMCA's Paul Cline Memoria Youth Sports Complex in Beckley are  available by calling the team's office at (304) 466-9080, or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tickets will also be available at the gate.

KING'S WARRIORS HOST USL PRO LEAGUE CHARLOTTE EAGLES JUNE 7

(Beckley, West Virginia - Saturday, June 1) The Southern West Virginia King's Warriors are pleased to announce that the Charlotte Eagles of the

United Soccer League's Pro Division will be coming to Beckley. The King's Warriors and Eagles will square off for a "friendly exhibition" match on Friday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Carter Field at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex. 

The King's Warriors are one of three Premier Development League affiliates of the Eagles and the closest geographically. The Eagles are also affiliated with the PDL's Southern California Seahorses and the Mississippi Brilla.

The connections run long and deep between the King's Warriors and Charlotte Eagles. Dr. James Blume Jr., the founder and President of the King's Warriors ownership group, the Nehemiah Group, attended the first-ever Charlotte Eagles game in Charlotte in May of 1993. That year the Eagles were expansion members of the then United States Interregional Soccer League, which is now the United Soccer Leagues.

King's Warriors Special Consultant and Media Relations Director, Tim Donelli, was the Eagles first General Manager, serving the team from 1993-1997. Southern West Virginia's Head Coach Scott Reitnour was also a member of the Eagles organization in the 1990's. "As a longtime supporter of the Charlotte Eagles, I am thrilled that the Kings Warriors will be competing with and against Charlotte in a friendly on Friday, June 7," said Reitnour. "Tom Engstrom (longtime Eagles General Manager) and Mark Steffens (longtime Eagles head coach) are two huge influences on my coaching philosophy. In many ways, Tom is responsible for my initiation into the coaching ranks, as he gave me opportunities & responsibilities in the Charlotte Eagles organization at a very young age."

"Additionally, I am thrilled for our players who will have an opportunity to gain exposure to the next level by competing against a USL Pro Division team," continued Reitnour. "The symbiotic relationship the Kings Warriors enjoy with the Charlotte Eagles is healthy for both organizations. We are proud of our affiliation with the Charlotte Eagles, and look forward to partnering with them in a spirited competition on Friday, June 7. Both the Kings Warriors and the Charlotte Eagles share the same core values. Both teams strive to honor God and to love and serve people through the vehicle of soccer. I strongly urge the supporters of both teams to join us at Carter Field at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex on Friday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. for what will prove to be an awesome night of soccer, fellowship and friendship!"

Ticket prices for the King's Warriors / Eagles match on June 7 match at Carter Field at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex in Beckley will be the same as regular-season prices.

The Charlotte Eagles, a men's professional soccer team in Charlotte, North Carolina, plays in the USL PRO League of the United Soccer Leagues (USL).  With over 200 wins, seven National Final appearances and two USL-2 National Championships since 1993, the Eagles are one of the United Soccer Leagues' most storied and respected franchises. Lead by Hall of Fame Executive GM, Tom Engstrom and Hall of Fame Head Coach Mark Steffens, the Charlotte Eagles are also Charlotte's most successful professional franchise. Success on the field though, is not the most important mark to the Eagles. The team remains most of all dedicated to providing role models to inspire and give hope to those in their local, and global communities who have none. Owned by Missionary Athletes International, the Charlotte Eagles continue to strive for excellence on and off the field.

Eagles General Manager Tom Engstrom commented on the June 7 "friendly exhibition match"  between the King's Warriors and the Eagles. "The Charlotte Eagles are real excited to play against the Southern West Virginia King's Warriors," he said. "Every practice and every game is important for our players as they strive to get better and compete for playing time within our team. I have known Scott Reitnour for a long time and coached together with him in the Charlotte Eagles camp program.  We have tremendous respect for Scott and the manner in which he runs his team. Dr. Blume attended the first Eagles game ever in 1993 so are glad to be able to come up to his home and play a game 20 years later.  The Eagles will be available to interact and talk with any and all fans after the game."

After missing the playoffs in 2012 in the last game against long time rivals, the Hammerheads, the Eagles look forward to a successful 21st season in Charlotte.  2013 will be a very exciting year in the USL PRO, with an extremely high level of soccer as legendary rivalries compete for the Championship.

The night was calm, the weather was cool, but the match on the pitch was intense on Saturday night for the King’s Warriors Orange vs. Black inter-squad scrimmage. Having a week off gave the team a chance to scrimmage against each other to stay fit for their upcoming match against the Charlotte Eagles on June 7th. Players live in two houses in Hinton, West Virginia the black team lives in the “Palace” and the orange team lives in the “Taj”.  Both houses compete to keep each other sharp but also to show head coach Scott Reitnour that they deserve to play during league matches, “What we want here is players competing but loving each other.” Coach Reitnour shared with the team. And compete they did! Zari Prescod opened the scoring for the orange team with a long range shot that slipped through the defense and past the keeper. It was an excellent goal to get the night started. Not long after that, Deybi Mejia-Acevedo put the orange up 2-0 with an outstanding give and go with striker Billy Forbes. The black team struggled to find its rhythm early, but Austin Miller playing left wing for the black team scored two great goals to end the first half and even the score at 2-2. Dundas Clark sent in a nice through pass to Miller who took the ball down the center of the field and finished strong to cut the lead in half at 2-1. Then Miller put on the after burners to out run opponents and beat the keeper 1-on-1 to tie the game at 2-2. Coach Reitnour broke down the first half this way: “The orange team moved the ball well in the center of the field and got the ball to their strikers. The black team found space later in the half and had great ball distribution from the back.” Both teams took a short break and looked forward to the second half.

Joe Jackson was the hero off the bench for the orange team as he scored two quick goals early in the second half to put the orange out front 4-2.  The first goal Jackson showed great control in the box and finished strong and the second Jackson received a through pass from Billy Forbes and beat the keeper one-on-one. Jackson attributed his return to outstanding form to playing with local children at a scrimmage game the night before. “We missed a reserve match early this season but getting out there with those kids and having fun helped me relax and play better”, Jackson said.  Both sides played strongly in the second half with lots of physical play. Neither team wanted to give an edge to the other. Mejia-Acevedo put on the finishing touches for the orange with his second goal of the night by beating both the keeper and a defender one-on-one to post the final tally of the game. The final score was 5-2 in favor of the orange squad. “We battled and worked really hard and we came together” Ricky Angelicola player-coach of the winning squad said. “It was a good result of the Taj (orange team). The Palace (black team) worked hard and did well, hats off to them.”  Jorge Martinez player-coach of the black team shared his thoughts after the game, “Something that stood out to me was the work ethic. We didn’t have any subs and yet we never gave up. We showed a lot of heart. (The orange team) deserved the win. They were well rested and ready to play. Both teams played hard”. The boys will take the coming week to prepare for their match against the Charlotte Eagles of the USL Pro Division on Friday, June 7th.  The game will be played at the Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex in Beckley.