Mashriqi, Merchant To Play in Premier Developmental League

3/29/06 -- Freshmen men's soccer standouts Mohammed Mashriqi (Flushing, N.Y.) and Josh Merchant (New Orleans, La.) have signed on to play with the Bakersfield Brigade in the Premier Development League this summer, the club announced Monday.

Merchant was a second team All-Northeast Conference selection in his first season as a Blackbird. The left-footed midfielder tallied three goals and four assists to rank third on the squad in points.

Mashriqi, after joining the squad midway through the season, starred at center midfield and ended with a pair of goals and assists in 10 matches.

“Mashriqi and Merchant are two of my best, if not the best two, players on my team,” LIU coach T.J. Kostecky said. "Their playing history, along with their past experience playing against some of today’s top professional players will definitely contribute to their future success as Brigade PDL players."

The top U23 men’s amateur league in North America lives in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the development ground for elite players. The 2006 campaign features a 59-team format within four conferences, consisting of 16 regular season matches, 8 home and 8 away. For more information on the PDL, visit their website at http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/