The Harrisburg City Islanders of Harrisburg, PA announced the signing of former Mississippi Brilla FC forward Phillip Buffington to join the 2009 squad. Phillip will begin his USL professional career as a City Islander. Scouted by the coaches at the USL combine, Buffington brings an impressive resume into his rookie season. In two seasons with Brilla, Buffington scored 12 goals, leading the club in that category in 2008.

Prior to his PDL success, Buffington excelled at Mississippi College. A three-time All-Conference First Team and All-Region Second team pick, Buffington set a school record and tied the conference’s all-time mark by scoring 54 goals over three seasons. He will look to transfer his past scoring success into goals to Harrisburg.

Mississippi Brilla FC head coach, Dave Dixon, said of Buffington, "Phillip is an explosive player that can create a goal out of nothing. He's got great pace along with an incredibly strong shot. He was a player we identified early on as someone who definitely has what it takes to make it to the next level."

Mississippi Brilla FC General Manager, Rusty Bryant echoed Dixon's comments, "Buff is a good player and we are pleased to see him get the opportunity to further his soccer career. While we will miss him on our team, we couldn't be more thrilled to see him sign with a professional club. Obviously that's one of the reasons that we exist: To develop players and give them opportunities like this."

The Harrisburg City Islanders will start their regular season on Saturday, April 18 on the road against Richmond Kickers.