Long Branch, N.J. (Wednesday, January 4, 2012) – The New Jersey Wildcats formally announced today a key acquisition for their upcoming USL W-League campaign, which is slated to kick off this May. The team is pleased to proclaim that Portuguese National Team player Lissette Brandao has officially declared her intentions of patrolling the field for the Wildcats this season and being one of the teams tri-captains.
"By the way the team is coming together, we look to be a serious contender for the W-League Championship this season 2012,” Brandao stated. “We were a small notch away from coming away with a win against Atlanta last season in the playoffs (the eventual W-League Champions, Wildcats lost 2-3) and the personel that NJ Wildcats has signed to date looks to put us in a position to get to the Final 4 this year!"
"Lissette is a great leader that leads by example of hard work, committment, and dedication to the team and the program. That is why I named her as our third captain for the 2012 season. I wasn’t sure if Lissette was going to be playing abroad in 2012 but she made it clear that when she plays abroad she will be back for Wildcats in the summer of 2012 which I am extremely excited about and happy to have a major piece of the puzzle back in 2012 as we strive for the W-League Championship!" stated NJ Wildcats Head Coach Kevin McDermott.
Prior to joining the Wildcats in 2005, Brandao began her W-League career in 2004 for the New Jersey Lady Stallions, collecting four goals and an assist in her rookie campaign. She is a graduate of Rutgers University, where she was a four-year starter and also wore the captain band for the Scarlet Knights. While playing high school soccer at Union Catholic High School, the Rahway native led her team to three Union County titles and a sectional crown in 1999. She was a three-time All-State selection and also won a State Cup championship with her club team, the Wyckoff Torpedoes. She earned her first caps with the Portuguese National Team three years ago at the Algarve Cup.
“It was an unbelievable feeling the first time I stepped onto the international stage and heard the Portuguese National Anthem,” she recollected. “It instantly gave me an adrenalin rush.”
Brandao also owns and runs a training company called Brandao Soccer that does soccer training, summer camps, and winter clinics. She has winter clinics coming up this winter of 2011. If you would like to meet her, train with her, and learn from her go to her website
www.BrandaoSoccer.com.
The New Jersey Wildcats played their debut season in the W-League in 1996 and have competed every season since. Under the guidance of then-head coach Charlie Naimo, the Wildcats compiled a 41-1 regular season record from 2004-06, winning regular season titles in 2004 and 2006 while taking the W-League championship in 2005. Following the 2005 season, the Wildcats were named the USL Franchise of the Year, and Naimo won the W-League Coach of the Year award in 2006.
The USL W-League played its inaugural season in 1995, and it is recognized as the premiere development league for female players in North America. The schedule is set to open in May and commence in August.
