Sports Editor

The Atlanta Silverbacks, Atlanta's newest

professional soccer team, will play an exhibition indoor soccer match

against a Metro Atlanta Coaches team on Saturday, Mar. 6 at the

Soccer Centre in Fayetteville.

The Silverbacks include Brazilian players Jacenir Silva

and Marcus Roberto; Silva played for Corinthians and the 1984

Brazilian Olympic team; Roberto played for Cristal of Peru.

Other players include Alex Markov, a Bulgarian World Cup team

member and Franz Joan Louis, one time captain of the Haitian

National Team. Adding a hometown flavor to the team is Adam

Boyer who played at Walton High School and Georgia State

University.

The Coaches team will include club and college coaches

from the metro Atlanta area, many of whom played professional

soccer. The team will include: Steve Mucillo, Brian Moore,

Blane Burnett, Brian Kohen and Kevin Dumas of the Lightning Club,

Greg Sheen and Todd Shullenberger of Tophat, Dave Smith and

Rocky Harmon of United, Campbell Chapman from GSA, Kerem

Daser of RYSA, Vince Dattillo from Macon, John Rootes from

Clayton State, Tom Melville of Mercer University and Grant Serafy of

Stratford Academy.

There will be a clinic for youth players from 6 p.m. until 6:45,

followed by the 7:30 kickoff. Admission is $5 in advance or $6 at

the gate; admission includes a free ticket to the Silverbacks

home opener Apr.17 against the Connecticut Wolves. For more

information, call the Silverbacks office at (404) 377-5575, the Soccer Centre

at (770) 460-8785 or visit the web site at www.fcysl.org/soccercentre/

The Atlanta Silverbacks also announced that they will host the

US Women's national team in a pre-World Cup match against Japan

on Sunday, May 2. The game will kick off at 2 p.m. at DeKalb

Memorial Stadium, marking the team's first return to Georgia since the

1996 Olympics. Atlanta is one of the nine venues chosen to host the

"NIKE Road to Pasadena" tour during the US Women's final preparations

for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. The World Cup begins in June.

"The Silverbacks are honored to host the US Women's team,"

says Atlanta Silverbacks General Manager Mike Balson. "It's a

wonderful opportunity for the female players of Georgia to be a part of

the build-up to the 1999 Cup Competition. Don't miss the chance to

come out and support our US team."

Tickets for the match will be $15 for Premier seats and $10 for

General Admission. Group ticket sales for 20 or more will begin Feb.

22 and individual tickets will be available on Mar. 8.

Tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster, the

Atlanta Silverbacks front office at (404) 377-5575 or the Atlanta

Silverbacks website at www.atlanta silverbacks.com.

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