AC St. Louis, playing in the USSF Division 2 Pro League, announced the club has acquired Luis Gil in a loan agreement from Real Salt Lake for the remainder of the 2010 season. Gil, 16, is a member of the United States U-20 Men’s National team, and has previously been a member of the United States U-17 Men’s National team. Earlier this year Gil was drafted by Major League Soccer’s Kansas City Wizards, and then subsequently traded to Real Salt Lake.

Gil was named U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Athlete of the Year for 2009, becoming the second youngest player behind Freddy Adu to win the award. Previous winners of U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Athlete of the Year include such stars as Landon Donovan, DeMarcus Beasley, and Bobby Convey. Earlier this year Gil was drafted by Major League Soccer’s Kansas City Wizards, and then subsequently traded to Real Salt Lake.

“This is a tremendous acquisition for AC St. Louis,” stated General Manager Tim Owens. “We are very excited to be bringing one of the brightest young stars in the world here to St. Louis. We are dedicated to getting this team into the playoffs, and having Luis Gil join us is a big step in that direction.”

“We are anxious to have him join the team,” said Head Coach Dale Schilly. “I think our staff is uniquely positioned to work with a quality 16-year old such as Luis. He has a unique set of skills that are going to help him in the future, and now for us as a staff that has worked with talented young players throughout our careers we will be able to help him make his transition into the professional ranks.”

Gil most recently appeared for the United States with the U-18 Men’s National team on a two-week trip to South America this summer. Gil served as captain in a 2-2 draw against Chile that saw him score from a free kick and add an assist on the equalizing goal. Last year Gil was a member of the U.S. squad that traveled to Nigeria for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Gil was a regular even though he was the youngest member of the team, and he wore the prestigious #10 shirt during the tournament. In 2009 Luis Gil was capped 18 times as he tallied four goals and four assists for the United States.

Gil was born on November 14, 1993. He played club soccer in Southern California for Pateadores before joining the U.S. Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida for the spring semester of 2008.

Profile

http://bit.ly/GRAPEVINEsoccer-Gil

AC St. Louis is next in action on Saturday night, August 14 against the Portland Timbers. Tickets are still available. Call 1-888-STL-GOAL or visit www.ac-stlouis.com.

For only $5!! you get ->

1 Group Reserve Ticket ($10.00)
and
1 Hot Dog ($3.50)
and
1 Soda ($2.50)
$16.00 value!!!!
Today only go to “group portal link”

http://bit.ly/ACSTL-2010-DealOday

(password -> hotdog)