Crystal Palace Baltimore of the new North American Soccer League (NASL) announced the signing of goalkeeperr and S&E client Chase Harrison. Harrison brings a combination of experience and potential to this key position.
Chase Harrison, 25 years old, played his college soccer at Virginia Tech from 2002 to 2005, appearing in 79 matches and maintaining an impressive 1.12 Goals Against Average. While with the Hokies, the 6' 3" netminder also played for the West Virginia Chaos of the Premier Development League.
In 2006, Harrison was taken by Real Salt Lake in the third round of the Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft. The native of Huntington, West Virginia, was loaned out to the Virginia Beach Mariners of the then USL First Division for most of the year, making two appearances before being waived by Salt Lake at the end of the season. In 2007 he joined the Rochester Rhinos, also of the USL First Division, making a total of 18 appearances. In July 2008, Harrison was traded to another USL-1 club, the Portland Timbers, where he played six games. He spent last season with the Harrisburg City Islanders of USL-2 notching 16 starts.
Co-Head Coach Jim Cherneski added: "As for Chase, we played against him last year when he was with Harrisburg and he put in some excellent performances. That was a big factor in us signing him. We're looking forward to him being a part of the club."
One of only 31 professional soccer clubs in the United States, Crystal Palace Baltimore was founded in 2006. The professional team is a member of the NASL conference in the new USSF D-2 Pro League and participates in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The club also runs a Professional Development Academy for young players at age levels U10 through U18. Crystal Palace Baltimore is the sister organization of 105-year old Crystal Palace Football Club in the United Kingdom. The London-based club was a founding member of the English Premier League and currently competes in the Coca Cola Football League Championship. More information can be found at www.palacebaltimore.com.