DEARBORN – Expectations are high for the Dearborn Stars
soccer club of the Michigan Premier Soccer League this season, which kicked off
its 29th campaign with a banquet on Wednesday, April 20 at the Lebanese
American Heritage Club.

“I’m sure the team will be a great representative for
the city and the state,” said Dr. Nassib Fawaz, the founding president of
the Lebanese International Business Council, the team’s main sponsor for the
2011 season. “Our goal is to win the MiPSL this year and I know we can do
it.”

The Stars, who feature former pro players from overseas as
well as former college players and high school stars, will open the season on
Friday, May 13 at 9 p.m against the USC Lancers at the Oakland Yard field.

Their first home game will be at Fordson High School in
Dearborn at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 22 against Croatia SC. The team has been
practicing hard according to players, many of whom have had to make an
hour-long drive to the Total Performance sports complex in Wixom to hone their
skills indoors leading up to the beginning of the season.

Player/manager Mohamad Hijazi said that the team is looking
forward to playing returning head coach Abbas Abou Khodr along with new co-head
coach Bahaa Salem, who was a prominent leader for top Lebanese teams
previously.

“Salem likes putting a lot of pressure on the opponent,
so far he wants us to run, run, run so we can beat other teams when it comes to
our fitness level,” he said.

Hijazi has been with the Stars since he was a youth player
at age 8 or 9, he said. He likes the youthful energy of the team going into the
season after a strong preseason and is excited to see it all come together.

“The key for us will be to mesh as a team going forward
this year,” he said.

Fawaz said that he has talked with Dearborn officials about
potentially building an indoor field in the city at some point in the future,
adding that he and the team hope to eventually make Dearborn the soccer capital
of the state of Michigan because of the passion for the sport in the community.

Gerhard Mengel, the founder and president of the Michigan
Soccer Assocation, which oversees more than 13 leagues as well as over 96,000
kids who play soccer in the state, told the team to be excited to carry on its
storied traditions.

“You have a long history and you should all be very
proud of your long heritage,” he said.

The soccer club expects to launch its brand new website in
the next few days at the address www.dearbornstars.com according to Hijazi.
More info can also be found at www.mipsl.com.