Seventy players turned out this weekend for the Dayton Dutch Lions’ PDL tryout at the DOC Stadium in West Carrollton, Ohio. Standouts from across the region were in attendance in addition to some familiar faces from Wright State University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Dayton.
“We expect a lot level-wise,” Dayton Dutch Lions FC Business Manager Jaap Elekan stated. “We have several guys, who were invited by the coach, that we are really looking to add to our roster. On the goalkeeping position we have some great guys coming out. A couple center backs, strikers so our roster is not filled yet. We are looking for a couple of diamonds to add to our team.”
The tryouts are just the beginning of preparations for the Dutch Lions, a team with very high expectations for the 2015 PDL season.
“We are here to win a championship,” Elekan added. “We run the organization as if we are in USL PRO: the standards, the travel, the top-notch field, top-level coaches. Our goal and expectation is to win the league. We expect the guys to be professional and you can see that today with the turnout. We ran a great organized tryout today.”
The morning sessions included warm-up and possession drills, small-sided games, and technique training. The afternoon sessions featured full 11 v 11 matches.
“Good turnout, more than what we expected,” DDLFC Youth Academy Manager and Assistant Coach Shane Smith concluded. “That’s a good problem to have. There are a few players we are keeping a closer eye on. We are about halfway there in filling out our roster; it’s about putting a solid team together. We begin training in May. There are lot of high expectations. We are excited for Patrick to come in and lead the charge.”
Dayton begins their PDL campaign against Forest City London on May 21st with a home match at DOC Stadium.
