Soccer

Crystal Palace gets off on right foot with 3-0 start

Baltimore team tops Wilmington, 2-0

Crystal Palace FC USA was designed to be a farm program for Crystal Palace Football Club, a south London club that was founded in 1905. Several Crystal Palace FC USA players have trained with the parent club, including starting goalkeeper Brian Rowland, who played for UMBC.

Rowland finished with four saves on 12 shots last night. The match had several physical moments, and Wilmington was issued three yellow cards, compared with one for Crystal Palace.

"Today, I think we gave away a few more chances than we have in the other games," Rowland said. "It makes it easier in the back when we are scoring two or three goals. Wilmington is a difficult team to play against because they play a lot of long balls."

Marshall attributed some of the team's success to its ability to employ its players full-time, while some players on other USL second-division teams have other jobs. Players for Crystal Palace FC USA make between $1,000 and $4,000 per month, while other players in the division generally make between $700 to $1,500, team officials said.