19 Jan Albion PROS Roster Continue to Shape Up for 2017
The Albion PROS have committed José Merlo, David Luquen and Ricky Mckenzie for 2017.
Last year, the PROS defense was one of the most reliable ones in the league, conceiving only 7 goals in the entire season. One of the reasons for that was right back José Merlo. The home-grown ALBION SC player has been with the club for almost a decade, and was an integral part of the back 4 in Head Coach Ziggy Korytoski´s line-up. He returns, like many other players, because of the Albion Professional culture. “From the coaching and front office staff, to the fans and the community, there is nothing comparable in this league.” The former University of San Diego player has big goals for next year: “The ultimate goal is winning the National Championship and being part of moving up the Professional ladder with this team. The team has the talent for doing so, with the inaugural season only being the tip of the iceberg.”
Side-to-side with Merlo will be Center Back Ricky Mckenzie. The Honduran native was battling injuries last season which were holding him back. He now is completely healthy and ready to show his full potential: “Being a PROS player has been an amazing experience for me, helping me to grow as a player, and as a person. That´s one of the best things about Albion: they help you grow in so many different ways.” Mckenzie is now a full-blown San Diegan: “The commitment to stay in San Diego and with Albion was a no-brainer. My family and I love it here.”
The solid defense builds the foundation for success, and to add additional fire-power to the offense, the PROS have committed Right Wing David Luquen. One of last year´s top scorers has already proven he is ready to take on responsibility for last year, scoring from the penalty spot against the Xolos in December. “The whole organization demonstrates professionalism. It motivates me to not only be a better player, but a better person.” The 25-year-old is convinced last year´s success was just the beginning: “Last year we set the standard, and I am confident that this year we will come back even stronger individually and collectively to win the national championship.”
“The quality of players returning this season has provided us with a great foundation to begin the season. I think it is a tribute to the culture we were able to create last year during our inaugural campaign. There is something much bigger growing here in the San Diego community, and we are excited to be at the forefront of the movement. With David, José and Ricky now committed for 2017, we have three model players that represent what we as the Albion PROS stand for.” – said Head Coach Ziggy Korytoski.
CEO/ Executive Director, Noah Gins sees things coming together: “We are working through the roster finalization and are getting close, we have some very quality players we are looking to sign in the coming weeks and our roster should be close to ready for our February 11th Pre Season Opener.”