DAYTON, OH - The following three USL Pro team assets are the re-signings of defender Bret Jones, midfielder Eric Kissinger and attacking midfielder Martin Sramek.
The 31-year old Bret Jones is known for his acceleration, heading and determination to win a duel. He will defend the Lions for the third year in a row. He has performed 19 times for the USL Pro team in 2011 and played 12 games for the PDL team in 2010. Jones has played over eighty pro games in his career, and played for, among others, the Columbus Crew Reserves and Cincinnati Kings.
Head Coach Ivar van Dinteren is happy with the re-signing of Jones; "I'm very happy that Bret will join the team again this year. I was searching for an experienced and hard working player, and Bret is the one. I hope Jones will be an example for the young players. His mentality is a great asset to the orange team, and I am confident that he will bring the same motivation as he did the last two seasons."
Martin Sramek was ready to make his debut for the Lions in 2011 but luck wasn't on his side as he tore his ACL in the first pre-season friendly. After an intensive recovery, Sramek returned to Dayton in November to become Youth Coach for the Dutch Lions FC. Martin Sramek can't wait to get on the pitch. The midfielder has played for Sparta, Dukla and Motorlet Prague (Czech Republic).
"Sramek deserves to make his debut for the Lions, since he worked very hard to recover for 9 months. He is a great person, on and off the field, and I hope he can reach the level he had when he played in the Czech Republic."
Midfielder Eric Kissinger has been with the Dayton Dutch Lions FC from the start. The 25-year old Kissinger, coming from the Dayton area, has been a Youth Coach and Dayton Dutch Lions pro player since he made his debut in the PDL in 2010.
Van Dinteren is more than happy to have Kissinger on his squad again; "Kiss is an ideal player for a coach. His work rate and positive energy motivates all team mates at all times. Above that, Eric fought his way into the first eleven and rewarded himself by writing down 4 goals in the USL Pro 2011. Kiss is not only appreciated as a player, but as a person as well. I am confident he will increase his level of playing again this season."