The Croatian Eagles announced their 30-man roster for the inaugural season of the Great Lakes Premier League, which kicks off Sunday afternoon when the Eagles visit fellow Croatian club and longtime rival RWB Adria in Chicago.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at the recently renovated Kroc Center.
Manager Alex Toth's roster is an experienced group, with four current college players and an average age of 24.7 years. Forward Aaron Lauber (Franklin/UW) is the elder statesman at 36, while teammate Sean Tabbert (Wind Lake/Milwaukee Pius) is half Lauber's age.
At least five players have professional experience: Lauber played for the Milwaukee Rampage, defender Andrew Stone (Green Bay Preble/UW-Milwaukee) spent last season with Indy Eleven in the North American Soccer League, midfielder Andrew Wiedabach (Mequon Homestead/UW-Milwaukee) was with NASL club Minnesota United's reserve team last summer and Philip Suprise (Milwaukee Pius) and Connor Brehm (Racine St. Catherine's) played with Wiedabach on the Milwaukee Wave over the winter. Brehm also had a stint with pro clubs in Northern Ireland last summer.
The active college players are Tabbert, who was a freshman at NCAA Division II South Dakota School of Mines last fall, and the Marquette trio of forward Kelmend Islami (South Milwaukee), midfielder David Selvaggi and goalkeeper Brady Walsh.
The Croatians' roster also includes many of the players who have helped the team contend for titles in the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues Major Division and state, regional and national U.S. Adult Soccer Association competitions in recent years.
Toth will select an 18-man roster for gameday, and teams are allowed to make five substitutions in GLPL matches. The Eagles' home opener is May 23 against AFC Ann Arbor, with kickoff at 3 p.m. at Croatian Park in Franklin.
No. | Name | Pos. | Hometown | Previous Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Josh Rohde | GK | Waukesha | UW-Whitewater |
2 | Dusty Page | D | Germantown | Northern Illinois |
3 | Greg Jones | M | Milwaukee | UW-Oshkosh |
4 | Aaron Cranfill | D | New Berlin | UW-Milwaukee |
5 | Donnie Crego | D | Brookfield | Brookfield East HS |
6 | Aaron Schroeder | D | Milwaukee | Milwaukee Pius HS |
7 | Ilya Ksenidi | M-F | West Allis | UW-Green Bay |
8 | Joe Anderson | D | Racine | Wisconsin |
9 | Mike Narciso | D | Livingston, N.J. | Providence |
10 | Andrew Wiedabach | M-F | Mequon | UW-Milwaukee |
11 | Edison Crespo | F | Milwaukee | UW-Milwaukee |
12 | Tony Patterson | M-D | Menomonee Falls | UW-Green Bay |
13 | David Selvaggi | M | Elmhurst, Ill. | DePaul |
14 | Philip Suprise | F-M | Milwaukee | Quininnipac |
15 | Scott Raymonds | M | Brookfield | UW-Green Bay |
16 | Aaron Lauber | F | Franklin | Wisconsin |
17 | Andy Huftalin | F | Rockford, Ill. | Marquette |
18 | Connor Brehm | F | Racine | Bellarmine |
19 | Sean Tabbert | M | Wind Lake | Milwaukee Pius HS |
20 | Chris Kurth | D | Green Bay | UW-Oshkosh |
21 | Andrew Stone | D | Green Bay | UW-Milwaukee |
22 | Kelmend Islami | F-M | South Milwaukee | South Milwaukee HS |
23 | Brady Walsh | GK | Grayslake, Ill. | Warren Township HS |
24 | Gustavo Mena | M | Milwaukee | Milwaukee Hamilton HS |
25 | Nick Grbavac | M | Chicago | UW-Milwaukee |
26 | Austin Toth | D | Milwaukee | UW-Milwaukee |
27 | Luke Goodnetter | M | Brookfield | UW-Milwaukee |
28 | A.J. Patterson | M | Menomonee Falls | UW-Green Bay |
29 | Richard Rowell | M | Middleton | UW-Platteville |
30 | Bryce Boyd | G-F | Mequon | UW-Milwaukee |
Manager: Alex Toth
Tag(s): Home Amateur News WSL Croatian Eagles PLA Croatian Eagles