1776 Making Waves in Free Agency

The Morristown 1776 AFC has announced the 11th-hour signings of four new players, the return of a Continental veteran, and the appointment of a caretaker manager.

On the eve of the 2011 season opening day, the Board of Directors made a swoop to strengthen the squad via free agency.  Joining the team are MCSSA veterans Chris Quinn and Jonathan Roman.  Roman played for several years in the league before his team disbanded and he took a personal hiatus.  However, he looks to return to the hallowed grounds of the MCSSA donning the maroon and white. 

Quinn, from the now-defunct Ballyowen FC, was a last-minute addition on the eve of the season, as his former side was forced to withdraw from the league.  A Morristown resident, Quinn is eager to suit up and represent his home side on and off the pitch.

The club also proudly announces the acquisition of the Wicks brothers, Matthias and Jacob.  This young attacking duo from Washington was brought to the attention of the board by squad member Rob Linepensel, and the club hopes the youth and creativity will add to an attack sorely lacking in depth.

Original Continental Juan Erazo is rumored to return to the fold once again, though there has been no official word from the Board.  Erazo brings a thundering shot and aerial presence when he's on the pitch, as well as a penchant for discipline.  Erazo has seen Red more times than any other player in club history, and only has a handful of appearances since the inaugural season.

The Club also announced that former player and last year's interim manager Aaron Hyndman has been re-signed to work in a Caretaker role.  Hyndman hopes to add guidance and make tactical suggestions and substitutions from the sidelines, as Player-Managers Russ Bauer, Ryan Vinton, and Dan Clayton are all anticipated to spend much of their time on the pitch.

"It gets difficult to keep track of who needs to get on the field, who should come off, who's playing where and so forth, when you're out there," said Bauer.  "Even when I'm subbed out, it's hard to keep track of the changes.  My brain is stuck in player mode.  I thought that Aaron brought some nice input last season, and we had a run of good form when he was controlling from the sidelines.  The results weren't there, but we were certainly playing better."

The Continentals are set to begin their season tonight at 9:00 PM as they face Pompton Lakes FC, last year's opening opponent.