Wednesday February 13, 2008
Atlanta, GA—The Atlanta Silverbacks named midfielder Scott Buete Most Valuable Player for the 2007 season—the most successful in franchise history.

“Week in, week out, Scott was our most consistent performer,” said Silverbacks head coach Jason Smith. “He is an incredibly hard worker. There wasn’t a single game all season I can say I was disappointed in his performance.”

Buete, in his second season with the Silverbacks, appeared 35 times in all competitions, logging 3,074 minutes and tallying two goals and one assist. He was named to the USL1 weekly Best 11 in week 20.

Smith cited a Buete’s gritty performance over an injury-riddled stretch in the middle of the season as instrumental in keeping the team in playoff contention.

“Scott’s hard work helped us get through a difficult stretch,” Smith said. “He held things together in the middle with some young players around him until we could get some of the regulars back.”

The Silverbacks finished the season 15-10-11 in all competitions, 12-9-7 in league play, and advanced to the ULS1 championship game for the first time in franchise history, falling to the Seattle Sounders 4-0 at Seattle.

In 2006 Buete made 25 appearances for the Silverback, tallying three goals and three assists, logging 2,074 minutes, earning Best 11 honors twice. Before joining the Silverbacks, Buete spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with Chicago Fire (MLS), making 21 appearances, eight in 2005 and 13 in 2004. A four-year starter for the University of Maryland, Buete was Chicago’s first round SuperDraft pick (ninth overall) in 2004. At Maryland Buete was a key figure in the Terrapins two NCAA Final Four appearances, 2002 ACC Tournament championship, and was named First Team All-American in 2003.

“It’s quite an honor,” said Buete. “We all worked incredibly hard last season. With all of the injuries we had, it’s a testament to the entire team to get as far as we did.”

Scott Buete #2
Position: Midfielder
Born: July 23, 1980
Nationality: USA
Hometown: Bowie, Maryland
Seasons with Silverbacks: 2006, 2007
Previous Club: Chicago Fire (2004-2005), MLS
College: University of Maryland (1999-2003)

Silverbacks MVPs
2007 Scott Buete
2006 Matthew Bobo
2005 Fabian Dawkins
2004 Alex Pineda-Chacon
2003 Alan Woods
2002 Velko Iotov
2001 Jason Annichero
2000 Iggy Moleka
1999 Bo Oshoniyi