It hadn’t been a good year for Daryl Shore. When his Fort Lauderdale dropped to 2-7-2 and dropped with a thud to the botton of the North American Soccer League standing, he became the former coach of the Strikers.
That was before the NASL spring portion of the season. When the fall half of the schedule begins in August, the Strikers will have a new boss.
Gunter Kronsteiner has been hired as the new sports director and head coach. He comes to South Florida from Austria where he has a long playing and coaching record with some of the top clubs in the country.
His playing career as a professional player began in 1979. Tha[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]t continued with several top Austrian clubs until he beame the player/coach at Rapid Lienz in 1984.
As the sports director for Austria Vienna, Kkronsteiner oversaw Joachim Low, before Low was hired by Jurgen Klinsmann to be his assistant coach of the German National Team in 2004.
Kronsteiner then took over Austria Vienna as the head coch and led that team to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in 2005.
“His experience and connections to some of the top clubs and plaeyers n Europe are invaluable to both the Strikers and Traffic Sports as we ontinue to grow in the market and beyond,” said Aaron Davidson, President, Traffic Sports USA.
“We are thrilled to add Kronsteiner to the Traffic and Srikers family.
In the interim between seasons, Kronsteiner has been evaluating the talent on the Strikers. He will not be able to assume full coaching duties untilapproval of his U.S. visa.
In the meantime, the Strikers have been trained under interim coach Ricardo Lopes, who will remain with the team through the end of the season.
The Strikers, who finished the first half of the season with a 2-2-8 record with eight points, scored only 10 goals in the ? spring games. Lowest in the NASL.
The eight points was six behind FC Edmonton and Minnesota United FC, who were tied for ?th place.
The Strikers also had a turnstile in goal, with Lional Brown. Cody Laurendi, Matt Glaeser and Jeff Antinella getting games. Antinella, who played in four games on loan from Real Salt Lake of MLS, had a 1.25 goals allowed average, allowing five goals.
The Clearwater native, who ws the NASL’s top goalkeeper a year ago with Tampa Bay, is back with Real Salt Lake and starting with Nick Rimando with the U.S. MNT and Josh Saunders out with a torn ACL.
So the Strikers were in need of an everyday goalkeeper, and that need may be filled by a loan of Richard Sanchez, 19, from FC Dallas.
Sanchez was born in the U.S. of Mexican parents and helped Mexico win the 1011 FIFA U-7 World Cup defeating Uruguay 2-0 in front of 105,000 people in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
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