The Carolina RailHawks announced on Friday that England-born midfielder Matt Watson has re-joined the club on a multi-year contract. Watson played an instrumental role with the RailHawks in its early stages, helping the team capture one USSF D-2 Conference title and one NASL regular season title.
“We are delighted to add Matt to our roster. He has played in MLS for a number of years and has done very well,” said RailHawks Head Coach Colin Clarke. “Matt will be a great help to this team going forward.”
The vibrant midfielder first joined the RailHawks ahead of the 2008 season. In 2009, Watson helped the RailHawks to a club-best second-place finish in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) standings. Between 2008 and 2009, Watson appeared in 44 regular season matches, scored three goals, and recorded five assists.
During his third season as a RailHawks player, Watson helped the team capture the NASL Conference title in the United States Soccer Federation Division-2 Professional League (USSF D-2), starting 18 of 26 matches, and scoring two goals.
During the inaugural season of newly-formed North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2011, Watson started all 24 of his regular-season appearances, as the team captured the NASL regular season title after finishing first in the standings. Watson scored three goals and recorded two assists that year.
Watson then joined former RailHawks Head Coach Martin Rennie in Vancouver as a member of Whitecaps FC ahead of the 2012 MLS season. The Englishman would eventually clock over 2,300 minutes in 37 matches with the Canadian side before transferring to Chicago Fire in 2014. Watson started 22 of 27 matches in which he appeared for the Fire that season, earning over 2,000 minutes of play and scoring one goal. During the 2015 season, he made 13 appearances for the Fire, eight of which were starts.
Prior to joining the RailHawks, Watson played for the Richmond Kickers in 2006 and helped the team win the USL-2 regular season and championship titles. The following year, the midfielder was named to the USL-2 All-League First Team after helping the Kickers to a second-straight regular season title. He was also a part of the Kickers’ run to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinals in 2007.
Not satisfied with only playing the sport outdoors, Watson simultaneously played indoor soccer professionally during the offseason. He was the third selection in the 2006 MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) Draft and would eventually win two MISL championship titles with Baltimore Blast during his five seasons with the team.
Before becoming a professional soccer player, Watson played two seasons of NCAA Division I soccer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), and was named America East Conference Midfielder of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while he earned spots on the All-America East Conference First Team and Rookie Team. Watson made 34 appearances for the Retrievers, scored five goals, and recorded 16 assists.
“I'm delighted to be back with the RailHawks,” said Watson. “I had a great experience with the club the first time around and I'm excited to continue and expand on that journey.”
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattwatson8.
An on sale date for 2016 individual game tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. RailHawks 2016 Ticket Packages are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the RailHawks Box Office at 919-459-8144 or e-mailing Tickets@CarolinaRailHawks.com. For more information on Season Tickets and Flex Plans, visit www.CarolinaRailHawks.com.
Keep up with all RailHawks news by following them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Carolina RailHawks announced on Friday that England-born midfielder Matt Watson has re-joined the club on a multi-year contract. Watson played an instrumental role with the RailHawks in its early stages, helping the team capture one USSF D-2 Conference title and one NASL regular season title.
“We are delighted to add Matt to our roster. He has played in MLS for a number of years and has done very well,” said RailHawks Head Coach Colin Clarke. “Matt will be a great help to this team going forward.”
The vibrant midfielder first joined the RailHawks ahead of the 2008 season. In 2009, Watson helped the RailHawks to a club-best second-place finish in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) standings. Between 2008 and 2009, Watson appeared in 44 regular season matches, scored three goals, and recorded five assists.
During his third season as a RailHawks player, Watson helped the team capture the NASL Conference title in the United States Soccer Federation Division-2 Professional League (USSF D-2), starting 18 of 26 matches, and scoring two goals.
During the inaugural season of newly-formed North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2011, Watson started all 24 of his regular-season appearances, as the team captured the NASL regular season title after finishing first in the standings. Watson scored three goals and recorded two assists that year.
Watson then joined former RailHawks Head Coach Martin Rennie in Vancouver as a member of Whitecaps FC ahead of the 2012 MLS season. The Englishman would eventually clock over 2,300 minutes in 37 matches with the Canadian side before transferring to Chicago Fire in 2014. Watson started 22 of 27 matches in which he appeared for the Fire that season, earning over 2,000 minutes of play and scoring one goal. During the 2015 season, he made 13 appearances for the Fire, eight of which were starts.
Prior to joining the RailHawks, Watson played for the Richmond Kickers in 2006 and helped the team win the USL-2 regular season and championship titles. The following year, the midfielder was named to the USL-2 All-League First Team after helping the Kickers to a second-straight regular season title. He was also a part of the Kickers’ run to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinals in 2007.
Not satisfied with only playing the sport outdoors, Watson simultaneously played indoor soccer professionally during the offseason. He was the third selection in the 2006 MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) Draft and would eventually win two MISL championship titles with Baltimore Blast during his five seasons with the team.
Before becoming a professional soccer player, Watson played two seasons of NCAA Division I soccer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), and was named America East Conference Midfielder of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while he earned spots on the All-America East Conference First Team and Rookie Team. Watson made 34 appearances for the Retrievers, scored five goals, and recorded 16 assists.
“I’m delighted to be back with the RailHawks,” said Watson. “I had a great experience with the club the first time around and I’m excited to continue and expand on that journey.”
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattwatson8.
An on sale date for 2016 individual game tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. RailHawks 2016 Ticket Packages are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the RailHawks Box Office at 919-459-8144 or e-mailing Tickets@CarolinaRailHawks.com. For more information on Season Tickets and Flex Plans, visit www.CarolinaRailHawks.com.
Keep up with all RailHawks news by following them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
