The Dearborn Stars welcomed the new season at a gathering at the Lebanese American Heritage Club this week. PHOTO: Tariq Abdal Wahid

DEARBORN

The Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) will again sponsor the team of former international stars as they continue to endear themselves to fans.

Team captain Mouine Salamy talked about the team's prospects for 2009.

"Hopefully we'll do well this year, we have a lot of new, young players with a lot of talent," he said.

Salamy welcomes the challenge of playing against the new team in town, the Michigan Sporting AC Eagles.

"There's plenty of soccer to go around in this city and plenty of good players in Dearborn," he said.

"It's going to be fun playing against guys you've known for so long."

Salamy thanked the LAHC for their support and urged fans to watch the team's first game on Saturday, May 9 at the Dearborn Community Center (Civic Center) Field against Carpathia.

For more information on the Stars, visit their "Dearborn Stars Soccer Club" page on facebook.com or go to lahc.org.

The Michigan Sporting AC Eagles play home games at Fordson High School.

DEARBORN — Soccer has always been a favorite sport in Dearborn, and the new Michigan Sporting Athletic Club Eagles soccer team hopes to put down roots in its first season of play in the Michigan Premier Soccer League.

The club, whose primary sponsor is the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn, had its first game on May 3, a 2-0 win over SC Bosnia at Fordson High School.

The team joins the Dearborn Stars as the second MPSL soccer club in the area. Eagles President and player Mo Hijazi has big plans for the team.

"We have a lot of weight behind the project," he said. "One of the goals of the team is to focus on starting youth clubs in Dearborn in the near future."

Hijazi, a former college player at Eastern Michigan, also said free youth camps are being planned for the summer. The Eagles eventually want to sign up kids to leagues who are serious about soccer and possible college careers.

Hijazi thanked Bint Jebail Operating Director Hassan Beydoun for the support and added that the goal of the team is to be a respected part of the community.

For more information, visit www.michigansporting.com. The next game is Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at Fordson against Oakland Yard.