Chicago Fire News Release  - www.chicagofirepremier.com

Thursday, December 18, 2008

CHICAGO, IL – Two Chicago Fire USL Premier Development League players have been called into the U.S. Under-20 National Team training camp that began Monday, December 15 in Sunrise, Florida. Midfielder Michael Stephens (UCLA/Naperville, IL) and Forward Peri Marosevic (Michigan/Rockford, IL) have been members of the PDL team for two seasons, beginning in 2007. The camp, led by U.S. Under-20 Head Coach Thomas Rongen, runs through Monday, December 22.

Stephens recently was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year in addition to being named a First Team NSCAA All-Region player. Marosevic was also a First Team NSCAA All-Region Player and a unanimous First Team Big Ten All-Conference selection. The pair join a list of other Fire PDL honorees, which include defender Chris Schuler (Creighton/Aurora, IL), a Second Team All-American and Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, midfielder Brad Ring (Indiana/Rockford, IL) a Third Team All-American and First Team Big Ten All-Conference, defender Mark Blades (Northwestern/Lakewood, OH) a Third Team All-American Selection and Robert Younger (Illinois-Chicago/Hull, England), who was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and a Second Team All-Region selection.

Stephens, Blades and Younger were also key members of the Fire Super-20 North American Championship team in 2008. Blades and Younger shared League MVP honors and Stephens was a member of the All-League Team for the Fire.

U.S. Soccer Press Release [+]

These honors culminate a fine collegiate season for the Fire PDL and Super-20 players as 36 of the Fire’s 2008 players participated in the NCAA Division I tournament for nine different schools. Other honorees for the Fire on their respective All-Region team’s were Tim Ream (SLU/St. Louis, MO), Eric Gehrig (Loyola/Scherville, IN), Brandon Barklage (SLU/St. Louis, MO), Matt Eliason (Northwestern/Lombard, IL) and Frank Patano (Butler/Franklin Park, IL).

Other Fire players that were honored as All-Conference players were Andy Adlard (Indiana/Hartland, WI), Drew Ratner (Northwestern/Dallas, TX), Taylor Waspi (Wisconsin/Deer Park, IL), Misha Rosenthal (Northwestern/Miami, FL), Braden Fleak (Wright St./Sunbury, OH) and Chris Cutshaw (Bradley/Carmel, IN). In addition, Nestor Hernandez (Lewis/Chicago, IL) was named a 1st team All-American for NCAA Division II and JD Binger (Belvidere, IL) was named a 1st team All-American for NCAA Division III champions Messiah College.