AMSTERDAM – Former Indiana University ace Brian Ackley is set to ink a two-year deal with Czech top-flighters FK Pribram on Thursday, MLSsoccer.com has learned.
The 24-year-old North Carolina native, who played mostly in midfield with the Hoosiers, will be counted on by manager Roman NádvornÃk to bolster the suburban Prague club's strike stable.
"What we've talked about is, yes, I will absolutely be able to compete for a starting position and playing forward," Ackley told MLSsoccer.com by phone from the Czech Republic. "They play a 4-4-2 and they see me as more of a target forward."
After spending some time with New Zealand league outfits Auckland City and Team Wellington last season, Ackley began a trial trail at Polish top division club Arka Gdynia last month that eventually led him to Pribram.
"I was in New Zealand and had an opportunity to go to Poland, went there and it didn't really work out," he offered. "I went to Holland and was training with Sparta Rotterdam. From there, I got a trial here."
Pribram – 11-time Czech champs and 1967 European Cup semifinalists once known as Dukla Prague – are currently the lowest-scoring side in the Gambrinus Liga with just 11 goals in 17 games.
"They've been having some troubles scoring goals," said Ackley, who led the Big 10 tourney champs in scoring as a sophomore in 2006. "They are looking for me to come in and have a big impact."
The Americans is eager to test himself against the rough-and-tumble defenses of a league known for exporting big strikers.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic right now," stated Ackley. "Every place I've been is a different style of soccer, from New Zealand to Poland to Holland to here. Here it is definitely a fast, physical style of soccer. I'm very excited to get started and I'm feeling confident in myself. I'm ready to get in some games and see how I fare."
The Gambrinus Liga has begun its extended midseason hibernation, with Pribram 12th, three points above the relegation zone. Ackley will join up with his teammates for midseason camp in January, with the club set to resume its league slate by hosting fifth-place Mladá Boleslav on Feb. 26.
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