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22

Mar, 2017

DiBisceglie Signs Pro Contract With Philadelphia Atoms

PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 22, 2017) - On Tuesday night, Jersey United alumnus, Tim DiBisceglie signed a one-year professional contract to play for thePhiladelphia Atoms. The announcement was made at the team’s training facility in Pitman, New Jersey on Wednesday.

The Mine Hill, New Jersey native developed his skills under Martin Brown andJersey United for seven years. After JU, Tim played four seasons at theUniversity of Scranton, where he scored 27 points in 73 career games from 2013to 2016. The final year with the Scranton Royals did not come without some anxiety. DiBisceglie gambled by passing on a professional two-year contract last summer in the Czech Republic. He trained and started for MFK Vitkoviceduring their pre-season, but was determined to play his final season with theRoyals. "It was hard to pass on a very generous offer overseas." saysDiBisceglie. "I really want to thank the owners at Vitkovice for believing in me. But after the preseason in the Czech Republic, I knew I couldn't break my promise to play all four years with my Scranton coaches and teammates."

It appears for now that the risky move may have paid off. DiBisceglie was namedAll-Conference, and with fellow JU alum, Jonathan Roberts, the JU pair helped the Royals win the 2016 Landmark Championship. They both played in the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament this past fall, and nowDiBisceglie still gets to play professionally. Tim added, "It's not all about the money, and I wanted to finish what I had started in Scranton."

He also played as a semi-professional with the Electric City Shock for the last two years. "I don't think I'd be with Philadelphia today without the experiences I was lucky to have with the Royals and the Shock."

The Philadelphia Atoms are a new expansion team in the American Soccer League for the 2017 season, but oddly enough, they are also one of the oldest teams, playing in the original North American Soccer League from 1973 to 1976. Their existence was highlighted by an NASL Championship over Dallas in 1973. As many older NASL teams are successfully rebooting with the increase professional soccer opportunities in America, DiBisceglie hopes that the Atoms do the same."The New York Cosmos, Seattle, Portland, Tampa Bay, they're all back from the old NASL days and now, so is Philadelphia".

"I'm just really excited that the staff of the Atoms has given me the chance to realize my dream of becoming a professional soccer player" continued DiBisceglie. "I'm honored that Mr. Driver, Coach Gunn, and Coach Steinberg have given me this contract. My mom and her brothers were Atoms fans when they were kids, so I can't wait to play for the team my family used to root for. I guess they'll be rooting for them again."

The Atoms may have more fans from DiBisceglie's most recent team. "The coaching staff at the University of Scranton is happy for Tim. He's had a very solid and impactful career as a member of the Royals soccer program,"Scranton head coach Matt Pivirotto said about his former player. "We look forward to seeing him move onto the next step in his career! We wish him the best of luck!”

The Philadelphia Atoms kick off their season with a historic reboot onSaturday, April 1st with a game versus Massachusetts United FC at ArcadiaUniversity, the Atoms' home field. They'll play a 20-game season which offers an interesting derby match against the Philadelphia Fury on April 22nd. TheAtoms will finish their ASL debut season in November, then the team will travel to Europe for international friendly matches before the years' end.

Tickets for all Philadelphia Atoms games can be purchased at the team's website, http://philadelphiaatomssc.com/or by calling 973-647-5601.

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JERSEY UNITED SOCCER CLUB

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22

Mar, 2017

DiBisceglie Signs Pro Contract With Philadelphia Atoms

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