Dayton, April 19, 2018 - Dayton Dutch Lions FC's USL PDL roster is bolstered by three new faces: JJ Williams from the University of Kentucky, Jacob Moore from Oakland University and Josh Burton from Findlay University. All three of these young men are versatile offensive players who give DDL FC multiple attacking options. They can play all four of the forward positions.
Head Coach Dan Griest shares, "I am so pleased that JJ, Jacob and Josh will be with us this summer. They all are proven goal scorers and we believe they will do a great job in putting the ball in the back of the net. JJ is a big, strong athletic target forward who also is quick enough to move out on the wing. I see Jacob playing on the flank and really pushing the attack from the outside coming in. Josh is growing into his own at Findlay with 12 goals this past season and has a nose for the goal. These guys will give Great Lakes backlines a lot of trouble."
JJ Williams, a 6'3'' 190 pound forward, led UK in goals scored and has tremendous history of finishing scoring opportunites. His 65 goals and 20 assists his senior year in high school led to him being named the 2016 Alabama Player of the Year and a 21-0 record. He represented the United States Olympic Development Program in tours to Costa Rica and Italy as well as being the driving force behind three Alabama State Cup championships with his Vestavia Hills club. He has played in 33 matches at UK in his first two seasons. He is very technical, agile and quick for a player his size.
Jacob Moore had a very successful Junior College career at East Central College before joining Oakland University in 2017. He was a two-time All Conference, All-Region and 2nd Team NJCAA All-American leaving the ECC as the career assist leader and third in goals. At South Boone County high school, he was a four-time All-State selection and twice named Missouri Offensive Player of the year. He started 15 of 17 matches for Oakland University this past fall. He is a crafty skilled winger who can provide balls in from the flank or cut in to create scoring chances for himself.
Josh Burton was named First Team All-Midwest and All-GMA Conference for Findlay last year. He has started 32 of the 34 matches for the Oilers. He led the team in scoring with 12 goals coming off a school record 96 shots. He is from Carharrack, England where he had a successful career at Richard Lander high school.
"To add this level of talent into our offensive attack is exciting. We struggled to score goals the past two years and Coach Griest has made it a priority to bring in players who will fix this issue. All three of these guys have a history of scoring goals and a lot of them. I look forward to seeing them on the pitch," said DDL FC General Manager Ric Campbell.
The Dayton Dutch Lions FC compete in USL Premier Development League. It is considered the proven development leader in North American soccer’s evolving tiered structure, the PDL features 72 teams within four conferences throughout the United States and Canada, including 10 teams affiliated with USL or Major League Soccer clubs. The PDL has proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world, with 70 percent of all MLS draftees having PDL experience.
The Dayton Dutch Lions look forward to an exciting 2018 season and look for your support. You can stay current on all the DDL FC happenings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Season tickets to all home games at DOC Stadium are available. You can purchase them by calling the Dutch Lions ticket office at 937-530-2123. Full schedule available here.