Mississippi Brilla FC 2009 Season Review Letter to the Fans
Dear Mississippi Brilla FC Fans,
The 2009 season will go down as one of the most successful and memorable seasons in the short history of our organization. The 2009 team finished with a regular season record of 9-1-6 and was the regular season Southeast Division Champions. 2009 also saw the team qualify for the US Open Cup and make our first playoff appearance. We hosted the Southeast Division Championship where we lost a thriller in overtime to the Bradenton Academics 3-2.
Along with the team's success, we also had several individuals honored for their play. Debola Ogunseye was honored as one of the best 11 players in the PDL as he was named an All-League team forward. Debola was also a finalist for PDL Player of the Year. Joining Debola on the PDL All-Conference team was defender Dwyane Demmin. This was Dwyane's third award as he has made the All-Conference team each of the last three seasons.
Statistically we also had several players honored. Goalkeeper Josh Pantazelos led the PDL in shutouts with 8. Also joining Pantazelos in the top 10 of some of the PDL stats were Debola Ogunseye in points and goals, Anteneh Lemma in assists, and Willie Hunt and David Lilly as minutes played leaders.
The summer also was very successful off the field in 2009. We were able to operate 15 camps throughout Mississippi and the southeast during the summer developing many great relationships and having a lasting impact on hundreds of kids. PDL game attendance was almost 1,000 for the third year in a row, with a franchise record crowd for our playoff game of 1,802. The players were able to connect with the community through clinics, outreach programs, sponsors and the local schools.
There were a lot of new sponsors and fans that supported us this season, and we hope for a great partnership moving forward. We feel like we have some of the best fans in the PDL. Thanks for all the great support. Without that support, we could not put such a great product on the field. We hope you are excited about the future of this organization and where we are headed.
What does the future hold? What will 2010 look like? Well, the coaching staff has already started evaluating and recruiting players for next season. As an organization, we are hoping to retain several of the players for the 2010 season, and we are currently working to make that a reality. It is our goal to continue to put a good, entertaining team in front of the fans each year. Building on the success of the 2009 season is a priority for the organization, and it is our goal to bring a PDL Championship to Mississippi. We hope that you will continue to support us in 2010. Please visit msbrillafc.org throughout the off-season for updates and announcements. Thanks for all of your support in 2009. We hope you will support us and make 2010 even better!
