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State pro notes: Bennett II returns to U.S., joins Swope Park Rangers

02/17/2017, 8:30pm CST
By ERIC ANDERSON
Louis Bennett II

Last summer, Louis Bennett II (Shorewood/Marquette) trained with Sporting Kansas City and the Swope Park Rangers, the Major League Soccer club's reserve team.

The midfielder ended up signing with Anorthosis Famagusta FC in Cyprus in August, opting to forego his senior season with the Golden Eagles.

But the 21-year-old Bennett is headed back to Missouri, as the Swope Park Rangers announced his signing for the 2017 USL season on Friday.

“Louis is a player we had last year on trial," Rangers coach Nikola Popovic said in a news release. "We already scouted him and saw that he was a very good player. He can give us a lot of energy and a lot of passing quality for our model."

Bennett scored nine goals and added 14 assists in 55 appearances (53 starts) during his college career, when he played under his father of the same name. He earned All-Big East Conference honors all three years, making the All-Rookie team in 2013, the first team as a sophomore in 2014 and the second team in 2015.

"I'm very excited to join a club and organization that upholds a wonderful professional identity," Bennett said in the news release. "Furthermore, I'm ready to help win games for the club and its fans."

At Anorthosis, Bennett made the bench for seven league matches, but didn't make any league appearances with the first team. Anorthosis (8-7-8) is sixth out of 14 teams in the First Division, Cyprus' top tier.

  • Goalkeeper Charlie Lyon (Marquette) signed with USL club Orange County SC on Wednesday. The 24-year-old spent two seasons with Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders after being selected by the team in the 2015 SuperDraft, and made 41 appearances for the club's reserve team, Sounders 2, in USL play. Lyon posted a 1.95 goals-against average and one shutout last season and recorded four clean sheets in 2015. "Charlie is a strong, young goalkeeper who has both league experience and vast potential," Orange County coach Logan Pause said in a news release. "His character fits well with our organization and team." On Twitter: @Charlie_Lyon_
  • Keeper Matt Pyzdrowski (Marquette) and Helsingborgs IF open their season Saturday with a Swedish Cup match. Helsingborgs, which was relegated from the top-tier Allsvenskan to the Superettan for this year, is in Group 6 in the third round of the competition with IF Brommapojkarna, Djurgården and Degerfors IF. The group winner advances to the quarterfinals March 11 or 12. On Twitter: @MattPyzdrowski
  • Striker Andrew Stadler (Wauwatosa West), who has played in Sweden since 2011, is a free agent after his contract with Allsvenskan club Östersunds FK ended last fall. The 29-year-old Stadler had three goals and three assists in 21 appearances (10 starts) last season, and wrote via Twitter direct message that he hopes to sign with a Swedish club within the next few weeks. On Twitter: @AndrewStadler

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