By MICHAEL BOYLAN

Sports Editor

The Atlanta Silverbacks, Atlanta's newest professional soccer team, will play an exhibition indoor soccer match against a Metro Atlanta Coaches team on Saturday, Mar. 6 at the Soccer Centre in Fayetteville.

The Silverbacks include Brazilian players Jacenir Silva and Marcus Roberto; Silva played for Corinthians and the 1984 Brazilian Olympic team; Roberto played for Cristal of Peru. Other players include Alex Markov, a Bulgarian World Cup team member and Franz Joan Louis, one time captain of the Haitian National Team. Adding a hometown flavor to the team is Adam Boyer who played at Walton High School and Georgia State University.

The Coaches team will include club and college coaches from the metro Atlanta area, many of whom played professional soccer. The team will include: Steve Mucillo, Brian Moore, Blane Burnett, Brian Kohen and Kevin Dumas of the Lightning Club, Greg Sheen and Todd Shullenberger of Tophat, Dave Smith and Rocky Harmon of United, Campbell Chapman from GSA, Kerem Daser of RYSA, Vince Dattillo from Macon, John Rootes from Clayton State, Tom Melville of Mercer University and Grant Serafy of Stratford Academy.

There will be a clinic for youth players from 6 p.m. until 6:45, followed by the 7:30 kickoff. Admission is $5 in advance or $6 at the gate; admission includes a free ticket to the Silverbacks home opener Apr.17 against the Connecticut Wolves. For more information, call the Silverbacks office at (404) 377-5575, the Soccer Centre at (770) 460-8785 or visit the web site at www.fcysl.org/soccercentre/

The Atlanta Silverbacks also announced that they will host the US Women's national team in a pre-World Cup match against Japan on Sunday, May 2. The game will kick off at 2 p.m. at DeKalb Memorial Stadium, marking the team's first return to Georgia since the 1996 Olympics. Atlanta is one of the nine venues chosen to host the "NIKE Road to Pasadena" tour during the US Women's final preparations for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. The World Cup begins in June.

"The Silverbacks are honored to host the US Women's team," says Atlanta Silverbacks General Manager Mike Balson. "It's a wonderful opportunity for the female players of Georgia to be a part of the build-up to the 1999 Cup Competition. Don't miss the chance to come out and support our US team."

Tickets for the match will be $15 for Premier seats and $10 for General Admission. Group ticket sales for 20 or more will begin Feb. 22 and individual tickets will be available on Mar. 8.

Tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster, the Atlanta Silverbacks front office at (404) 377-5575 or the Atlanta Silverbacks website at www.atlanta silverbacks.com.

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