ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
The New York Centaurs of the American Professional Soccer League called former Radford University forward Ian Spooner on Tuesday morning and left a message for him to call them.
``It's a little too late,'' Spooner said.
Spooner, the only two-time player of the year in the Big South Conference, has reached a verbal agreement to return to the Roanoke RiverDawgs of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL). Spooner and RiverDawgs director of player personnel Phil Benne confirmed the agreement Tuesday.
``It's good to get him back,'' Benne said. ``To get someone drafted by the `A League' and keep him is fantastic. He'll be our man up front.''
Spooner scored 10 goals and had two assists last summer as a RiverDawg. Last season, as a senior forward at Radford, the Oxford, England native was second in the nation with 20 goals and nine assists. He also scored seven goals in seven consecutive games.
The Centaurs drafted Spooner in the sixth round (44th overall pick) of the APSL's December amateur draft. The APSL was the top American professional league before the advent of Major League Soccer.
While playing for New York would have offered a chance for him to earn money, he would have had to make it through a tryout. ``It wasn't a certainty that I was going to be on the team,'' he said.
That, and the chance for him to stay nearby and finish his coursework, led Spooner to stay with the RiverDawgs. ``The fact they pushed for me to sign ... I'd rather be with a team that really wants me rather than a team where I don't know where I stand,'' Spooner said.
As part of his agreement, Spooner, who is finished with his college eligibility, will be compensated for his work at the RiverDawgs' soccer camps as well as other incentives. ``It's an all-around better deal,'' he said. ``Considerably more so than last year.''
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