Since his arrival at the Wilmington Hammerheads in 1998, it’s unlikely Coach David Irving has seen an offseason quite like the one the club just underwent.
There’s a new ownership group led by businessman George Altirs. There are upgraded offices, a new club crest, and a new general manager to work with in Jason Arnold. There is also the club’s new partnership with Toronto FC, which had its own transformative offseason.
“We need to get started,” Irving said. “It’s been a long offseason, a lot of changes, but it’s an exciting season. Obviously, with the relationship with Toronto, getting players from them changes the whole complexion of the Wilmington Hammerheads.
“Getting four or five players from Toronto helps us considerably, and we’ll be more competitive than we ever have been in the past.”
The theme of competition is one that has appeared frequently this offseason, with 10 MLS teams now partnering with USL PRO teams as the partnership between the two leagues continues to grow. Toronto FC coach Ryan Nelsen is enthusiastic about the partnership and the fact that his players will be competing in an elevated environment compared to the MLS Reserve League.
“That’s really important, when there’s something on the line,” Nelsen said. “You can play games, you can get minutes and that, but when there’s a few thousand watching, and there’s three points, and jobs are on the line, Dave wants to win and Wilmington wants to be successful, and there’s pressure.”
After the Hammerheads narrowly missed out on the playoffs a season ago, a return to contention in both the regular season and the playoffs is the priority at Legion Stadium. The side will be without some key cogs from recent years including Gareth Evans, now with the OKC Energy FC.
The return of players such as Cody Arnoux, Paul Nicholson and Mickael Oliveira, however, should provide a good backbone for Irving to build his squad around. The Hammerheads also recently received three of their loanees from Toronto, with midfielder Daniel Lovitz returning to the state where he starred for Elon University and the PDL’s Carolina Dynamo.
Also joining Irving’s squad are a pair of Homegrown Signings, with goalkeeper Quillan Roberts and midfielder Manny Aparicio both bringing youth international experience with them to Wilmington.
“You have new expectations and you just want to get back at it,” Irving said. “I’m a soccer coach and it’s been a long offseason, so let’s get up and back in the saddle and let’s get working and looking forward to April 5 when we play Harrisburg at home.”
