BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (September 29, 2007) - Nolan Hemmer etched his name in the record books this afternoon when he scored the first-ever goal in U.S. Soccer Development Academy history, nodding home a corner kick in the 30th minute to deliver the Atlanta Fire U-16's a 1-0 victory against hosts Birmingham United U-16's at Rathmell Sports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The match commenced the inaugural season of the Development Academy, which will see 122 teams compete in over 1,800 matches during nine months of conference play.

Next weekend, U.S. Soccer hosts the first Academy Fall Showcase from Oct. 6-8 at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif. Thirty-six teams from 18 elite clubs will join two U.S. Youth National Teams in the three-day event, which includes teams at the U-15/16 and U-17/18 age groups. The premier match takes place the evening of Saturday, Oct. 6, when the U.S. Youth National Team takes on the Chivas USA U-18 Academy Team on the Mooch Myernick Field at The Home Depot Center. A full schedule of matches will be available later this week.

-- U.S. Soccer Development Academy Game Report --

Match-up: Birmingham United U-16’s vs. Atlanta Fire U-16’s
Date: September 29, 2007
Competition: U.S. Soccer Development Academy - Southeast Conference
Venue: Rathmell Sports Park – Birmingham, Ala.
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET

Scoring Summary: 
                1   2    F
BIR         0   0   0
ATL        1   0   1

Scoring:
ATL – Nolan Hemmer 30th minute

Lineups:
BIR: Simon Basilico, William Bibb, Christoffer Bolvig (David Jackson, 61), Kerry Bowden (Ian Martin, 53), Nathan Diehl (Michael Ciamarra, 31), Cory Gonzalez, Norris Howze, Cory Johnston, Joseph Levinson (Nicolas Piola, 55), Alexander Reddy, Daniel Wolfe (Dillon O'Hare, 50)
Subs not used: William Massey
Head Coach: Eric Dade

ATL: Lucas Ade (Christopher Jeanfreau, 67), Kris Alonzo, Eric Carrion (Taylor Krek, 63), Sawyer Hemmer, Nolan Hemmer, Brian Interiano (Andrew Jones, 52), Alec Kronitz, Peter Kurowski, Nicholas Lane (Caleb Thomas, 48), Daniel Schwartz, Noah Ta (Jimmy Goldberg, 31; Ryan King, 55)
Head Coach: Massoud Roushandel

Misconduct Summary:
BIR – Dillon O’Hare (caution) 69th minute
ATL – Alec Kronitz (caution) 78.

Officials:
Referee: Stephen Zinder
1st Asst.: Justin Brown
2nd Asst.: Miguel Caballero