WATERLOO - Waterloo Region's new entry in the Canadian Soccer League's first division will kick off its season on Sunday against the Windsor Stars.
SC Waterloo Region will take on the Stars at Wilfrid Laurier University's University Stadium starting at 7 p.m.
The club competed as KW United FC in the league's second division last season after being denied entry to the first division due to stadium restrictions. The league previously demanded that all first division teams must have seating capacity for at least 1,000 people.
Stan Adamson, director of media and public relations for the Canadian Soccer League, said the minimum seating capacity was recently reduced, allowing SC Waterloo Region entry to the league's first division for the 2012 season.
"(Capacity) has been lowered now, so as long as a ground has at least 500 seats as a beginning with some plan to expand that in the near future, in arrangement with the league, that's fine," Adamson said.
SC Waterloo Region will play most of its home matches at University Stadium, which easily meets the seating capacity minimum. However, due to scheduling conflicts the team will be forced to play several games at St. David's Catholic Secondary School and Centennial Stadium, which just barely meet the new limitations.
Coaching SC Waterloo Region will be Lazo Dzepina, a former professional soccer player who competed for various teams in Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and the Netherlands.
After finishing his playing career with the Hamilton Thunder in 2005, Dzepina went on to coach the Brantford Galaxy to the 2010 Canadian Soccer League championship in their inaugural season.
"For us it will be a goal and a success to make the playoffs," Dzepina said through an interpreter.
The club, co-owned by Dzepina, president Tony Kocis and manager Vojislav Brisevac, has called upon eight professional international players from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Azerbaijan to help it compete in the first division. KW United FC finished fourth in the second division west conference last year, with six wins, six losses and seven draws.
"We've done tryouts here and I do not feel there are enough experienced players locally," Dzepina said.
Professional players earn a minimum of $1,000 per month in the Canadian Soccer League, while amateur players do not receive compensation.
The league recently increased the maximum number of international players to 15, which allowed Dzepina and his management staff to seek professional grade talent elsewhere.
"It's opening it up for the teams that want to strengthen their squads and play very competitively," Adamson said. "At the same time they are encouraged to, and they do of course, try out young players and take on young players who will fit in as well."
Also joining the SC Waterloo Region roster will be 2010 Brantford Galaxy members Drazen Vukovic and Haris Fazlagic.
Vukovic, 30, played a trial game for Toronto FC against the Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League in 2010. According to Dzepina, if it were not for a knee injury suffered in the match, Vukovic would have likely been signed to Toronto FC.
Fazlagic, 25, was picked up by SC Waterloo Region for his scoring prowess. In the 2010 championship game against Hamilton Croatia, Fazlagic scored twice to lead Brantford to the title with a 3-0 victory.
Niagara United and Kingston FC are also new entries in the first division this year, bringing the number of teams in the league to 16, the most since it started in 1926. Adamson says the expansion will allow for a higher level of Canadian soccer both in the league and at the international level.
"There are a lot of very good youth players . . . but they just don't have the level of competition to step into locally. It's not every kid that wants to go to Europe," Adamson said. "If Canada has more teams at this level, we think that it is going to help accelerate the development of youth players, which means Canada is going to have more players to choose from."
Tickets to SC Waterloo Region's home games are $10 and can be purchased at the gate.
rmccracken@therecord.com
