Pro soccer: West Texas United Sockers announce more signings, exhibition games

The West Texas United Sockers added even more local flavor Wednesday.

The team announced eight new players on its roster, and four have ties to the Permian Basin: Defender Oswaldo Valdivia, a 2002 Permian gradate; midfielder Francisco Hernandez, a 2007 Midland High graduate; and Michael Abalos and Chris Hawkins, both 2006 Midland High graduates.

They join four local players, including Odessa High alumni Joe Munoz and Hiram Brito, who signed in January.

"I think it'll be a lot of fun," Hernandez said, "A lot of family can come out and see us come out to play. A lot of us are old friends and can once again play together like we used to."

Also joining the team: Giber Becerra, a midfielder who will serve as a player-assistant; goalkeeper Raymond Craddock, goalkeepers coach at Eastern New Mexico University and a former all-Southwest Soccer Conference goalkeeper at ENMU; defender Joel Rios, who played for Sockers head coach Jesus Enriquez twice, most recently with Indios USA in 2007; and defender Kris Sumter, a former St. Mary's University standout who played last year for the Arizona Sahuaros.

Most of the players were signed to one-year contracts - all unpaid - head coach Jesus Enriquez said.

Valdivia, who was a first-team all-district selection his senior year with the Panthers, played in two seasons of second-division soccer in Mexico after graduating.

He said he was glad to be back on a field near home.

"We never had this league here before and now we can have games here and I can't wait to start," Valdivia said.

The Sockers begin their first season in the United Soccer Leagues' Premier Development League with an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. April 10 at Grande Communications Stadium against the Arizona Sahuaros, one of four exhibition games.

Sockers assistant general manager Jeff Von Holle said the team will have a "good chunk" of its players available during the exhibition season because some are currently out of town or in college (Abalos, currently a sophomore midfielder at Incarnate Word, will be absent).

 The Sockers open the regular season at the El Paso Patriots at 8:30 p.m. May 2 and should have most of its players by then, Von Holle said. The home opener is 7:30 p.m. May 8 against Austin.

Enriquez spearheaded a five-month search for players, mostly in Odessa and Midland. When he found one he liked, he spent a about a month evaluating his skills and makeup.

Enriquez said he aimed for a team that had a mixture of young players and those with experience in the USL Premier League.

"They're all very good soccer players," Enriquez said. "They all just need the experience of playing on a professional league. They're going to get it here."

Von Holle said he expects at least two more players to sign next week, though it could be as many as "five, six or seven." The maximum players allowed on the roster are 26, though only 18 can dress, he said. The roster should be finalized in late April.