ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Albuquerque Sol have announced that five players from the Colorado Rapids Youth Development system will join the team this summer.  The players, who are part of the Colorado Rapids Homegrown program, are all finishing their freshmen year in college and will join training camp in Albuquerque upon completion of their finals.

Albuquerque Sol FC head coach Chris Cartlidge is thrilled with the relationship and the five additions to the squad.

"The Colorado Rapids are committed to developing talented young players and helping them along a pathway to their first team," said Cartlidge. "These five guys are not only talented players, they are also young men committed to working towards a career in the game and understand the maturity and dedication it takes. They are the great additions to our roster.”

“We have spent a significant amount of time with the staff and administration of the Sol.  We feel that this is the best situation for these players to receive the training and competition needed to progress at this point in their careers,” said Brian Crookham, Sr. Director of Youth Development for the Colorado Rapids. “Albuquerque has always been a market that has supported soccer and we are excited about the opportunity to work closely with a first class organization like the Sol.”

Chris Gurule - University of New Mexico Thrust into the starting lineup due to injuries in middle of Conference USA play, Gurule finished the season with seven appearances, five of them as a starter. Gurule logged 435 minutes in his seven appearances, after having competed for the Colorado Rush of the USSF Developmental Academy prior to joining the Lobos.

Ricardo Perez - Creighton University Perez previously played for the Colorado Rapids Reserves, beginning in 2011 when he made his debut at age 15. The captain of the Rapids’ U-18 team in final his two seasons before arriving at Creighton, Perez was ranked the No. 19 player in the latest TopDrawerSoccer Boys IMG Academy 150 entering the 2013 season.

Bryan Windsor - Princeton University Windsor spent time in both the U.S. and Swiss youth national team systems, where he trained with the U15 U.S. National Team and with the U16 Swiss National Team. Windsor also trained with the youth team of the professional club Grasshoppers from Zurich, and has most recently been training and playing games with the Colorado Rapids Reserve team.

Alex Bramman - St. Marys University Bramman was one of just three players to start all 20 matches during the Gaels' season (along with his brother, Ben, and Bobby Conner), and earned honorable mention All-West Coast Conference honors. In addition he was named to WCC All-Freshman team after he led the team in scoring with 11 points and goals with five.

Ben Bramman - St Marys University Like his brother, Bramman started all 20 matches during the season, and led the Gaels in minutes (1,927). He recorded two assists on the season, one each against LIU Brooklyn and San Diego, and his assist against the Toreros was to his brother which tied the game in the 87th minute.

Season tickets for the Sol's inaugural season are also still available but seating is limited. Fans can purchase a basic package for just $89 that includes 7 PDL games and three friendly matches and an inter-squad scrimmage match on May 17th at St Pius X High School. Individual game tickets are $10 and are available online at www.abqsolfc.com.