FASA names Jason Kilby new head coach of PDL side Fredericksburg Hotspur
Fredericksburg, Va. – The Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association has named Jason Kilby the new head coach of the Fredericksburg Hotspur, the club’s USL Premier Development League team.
Kilby, who is already FASA’s training director as well as head men’s soccer coach at the University of Mary Washington, inherits a squad currently sitting in second place in the PDL’s South Atlantic Division with a 5-2-2 record. With seven games left in the 2012 campaign, Hotspur are in the thick of the playoff race, just two points behind the division-leading Carolina Dynamo.
“I’m excited. It’s a new adventure for me,” said Kilby, a native of Culpeper, Va. who guided NCAA Division III power North Carolina Wesleyan to national prominence before joining UMW last year, in a press release.
“This team has top-level college and international players who are distinguishing themselves in a very strong league. I look forward to helping them develop their abilities and finish the season on a successful note.”
Kilby takes over from Grover Gibson, the Fredericksburg native who returned from a long professional playing career in Europe to join Hotspur as a player/coach earlier this year. A last-place finisher in its debut season a year ago, the team has enjoyed dramatic improvement in its second year of existence as a balanced roster of experienced international players and college stars has scored a division-leading 18 goals.
“We are very fortunate and excited to have Jason on board with Hotspur,” said FASA general manager Peter Cinalli. “He has not only played at a high level, but holds a U.S. Soccer Federation “A” License and has a wealth of coaching experience, including many years at the collegiate level. That’s invaluable for the organization and for the players in our PDL program.
“Their goal is to get to the next level. Jason has the knowledge to get them there.”
Kilby spent part of his own playing career in PDL, in addition to stints in other USL levels and England’s lower divisions, and he feels confident that the squad assembled by Gibson and the rest of the technical staff has more than enough quality to maintain its strong collective form and create opportunities for individual players to further their own career aspirations.
“Grover did an excellent job, bringing in top-notch players,” said Kilby. “At the end of the day, good players help make a good coach – you’ve got to have quality players to be successful. Most of the players that we have are top-level NCAA Division I and international players.
“I’m not planning to make big changes. I just want to keep things moving forward, get our college players prepared for the season this fall, and hopefully help the guys that have already finished their college eligibility go on to play in a professional league somewhere.”
Kilby will make his Hotspur head coaching debut this Friday, when Fredericksburg host I-95 rivals Real Maryland FC at UMW’s Battleground Athletic Complex at 6 p.m. in another important South Atlantic Division match. Real Maryland occupy third place, three points behind Hotspur, and have won their last three games by a combined margin of 10-1.
