CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Former Bradley Soccer All-American Gavin Glinton scored the game's tying goal in the 89th minute Friday, helping delay his return to Major League Soccer, which now will have to wait at least one more week after Charleston won its first-round United Soccer Leagues First Division playoff series with Puerto Rico over the weekend.
In a two-game, aggregate scoring playoff system, Charleston advanced to the semifinals with a 3-goals-to-2 advantage versus Puerto Rico. In Friday's series opener in Charleston, Glinton scored his 13th goal of the season in the 89th minute to pull the Battery into a 2-2 tie. Charleston advanced to the semifinals with a 1-0 victory Sunday in Bayoman, P.R. The Battery will face Rochester Friday and Sunday in a two-game semifinal series. Vancouver and Montreal will meet in the other semifinal series.
Glinton starred for the Braves from 1998 through 2001, becoming the first four-time All-American in Bradley Athletics and Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer history while setting the school and league career scoring records. A second-round pick by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft, Glinton played two injury-shortened seasons in MLS for the Galaxy and Dallas.
Ankle injuries forced him out of action midway through the 2003 season and he eventually returned to Peoria as an assistant coach for the Braves during the 2004 and 2005 seasons while rehabbing his injuries. Following a tryout in Europe Glinton signed with the Battery this spring and finished as the fifth-leading scorer in the First Division, earning second-team all-league honors. In addition, he played for his native Turks & Caicos in the 2006 Digicel Caribbean Cup, scoring three goals in three pool-play games and leading his native country to its first-ever international soccer victory.
This past Friday, Glinton re-signed with Major League Soccer and was selected by the Galaxy, who immediately loaned him back to Charleston until the completion of the team's First Division playoff run. That playoff commitment will prevent Glinton from making his Galaxy return Saturday at Chicago, but the former Brave could possibly suit up for L.A. four days later when the Galaxy and Fire hook up again Sept. 27 in the championship game of the 2006 U.S. Open Cup at Toyota Park in suburban Chicago.
