Cosmos B captain Danny Szetela is expected to play in the CSL until the NPSL launches its pro league. (Photo courtesy of the Cosmos)
It’s official.
Cosmos B captain and midfielder Danny Szetela has joined Cedar Stars for at least the Cosmopolitan Soccer League fall season, and perhaps beyond.
Szetela’s signing was announced by Cedar Stars Wednesday.
“With the love of soccer in my heart and wanting to continue to play, I want to thank Cedars Stars – a club growing and producing young players – for the opportunity to continue doing what I love the most,” Szetela said.
A Clifton, N.J. native, Szetela was a key component of Cosmos B, which won its conference this past National Premier Soccer League season.
“Danny is going to be with us I think until there is an NPSL Pro season,” Cedar Stars president and owner Oliver Papraniku told FrontRowSoccer.com after Cedar Stars captured the Rapaglia Cup Sunday. “He loves the group. He knows a lot of our players. He’s obviously from Jersey, we play in Jersey. So, it’s going to be a great combination. We’re going to try to do our best to lure him to us because he’s an incredible player.”
Cedar Stars new head coach Austin Friel, the mastermind of the Lansdowne Bhoys’ Cosmopolitan Soccer League championship sides, welcomed the former Major League Soccer player to his club.
“Very excited to have @DSzetela14 join Cedar Stars Academy in @CosmoLeague this fall,” he said on Twitter. “Great addition to a very talented squad. @CSABronx.”
Added Papraniku added in a press release: “The addition of Danny to our midfield will solidify our team and his chemistry with Bledi Bardic will equate to quite a few more goals for our team. His presence and experience at the pro level will help our younger players.”
Bardic, who led Cosmos B in scoring, signed with Cedar Stars for three months.
Cedar Stars plays its home matches on the campus at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J. and features a number of top players, including a strong core of players from the FC Motown team that reached the NPSL final this summer. Midfielder Matt Nigro, who won the Golden Ball as the NPSL’s MVP for his influential rolewith FC Motown midfield and forward Chris Katona, also from FC Motown and who led the CSL in goal-scoring last season (26 goals), are on the roster.
