Reggae Boyz midfielders Shane Crawford of Village United and Omar Daley of Portmore United, have each signed two-year contracts with United States First Division soccer team, Charleston Battery, and are set to be in the team's starting line-up when the new season starts on April 29.

The signing of the two Reggae Boyz is expected to boost the team's chances of improving on their ninth place finish in last season's competition. Twelve teams participated.

Charleston Battery, the former team of Jamaicans Linval Dixon and Wolde Harris, finished on 32 points in the First Division last season behind winners Montreal Impact, winning nine of their 28 games, scoring 27 goals, while conceding 36.

Crawford and Daley are expected to bolster the team's defence line with Crawford also expected to play an important role in attack.

According to Village United's manager Geoffrey White, the players signed up two weeks ago and are expected to join pre-season training with the team, based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Crawford's signing comes after a successful first season in the United Soccer League (USL) in 2005 with Harrisburg City Islanders, where he played left back, figuring prominently in the team's performance by scoring several goals during the season and winning the player-of-the-week award for week seven.

At the end of the season he returned home to rejoin Village, and helped his National Premier League team to a top four position during which time his artistry as a dead-ball specialist came to the fore, as he regularly scored from spot kicks.

This, coupled with his all-round performance, earned him a recall to Jamaica's national squad last October where he carried that form in a match against Guatemala in Florida, scoring a brilliant curling free-kick in Jamaica's 2-1 victory over the Central American team.

In the meantime, the signing of Omar Daley means that the Portmore star player will extend his professional career to a second continent, having spent a few seasons with English Division One teams Reading, who gained promotion to the English premiership last Saturday, and Preston North End.
Daley, 25 years old in April, has been a regular member of the Reggae Boyz over the past few seasons.

Charleston Battery play their first match at home on April 29 against Virginia Beach Mariners before hosting Miami FC with former Reggae Boyz Onandi Lowe and Sean Fraser on May 7.

Charleston Battery last week hosted the third annual Carolina Challenge Cup (a pre-season tournament) at Blackbaud Stadium, featuring 2004 MLS Cup Champions DC United, with their 16 year-old soccer sensation Freddy Adu, Major League Soccer's MetroStars, among others.

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