The 1-0 L’Hospitalet Pioners will play host to the 0-1 Osos Rivas from Madrid at the Complex Esportiu L’Hospitalet Nord in L‘Hospitalet, Spain Saturday, January 18 as the Spanish League of American Football heads into its second weekend of play.
The Pioners needed a touchdown and a safety with less than four minutes left last week against the Gijon Mariners to come away with a 29-21 win. Osos Rivas fell in a tight game, losing 10-7 to the defending champion Badalona Dracs. Osos quarterback Kevin Burke threw a touchdown pass to Mario Flores in that game.
Pioners head coach Bart Iaccarino has aimed for a major improvement in the Barcelona-based club and has signed championship-winning quarterback Joey Bradley to lead it. Bradley’s credentials are impeccable. He won the Portuguese crown two years in a row with the Lisboa Devils and went to Poland where he quarterbacked the Gdynia Seahawks to the Polish final in 2017 and semifinal in 2018.
Along with Bradley, Iaccarino has also signed defensive back Jabri Guy (Augsburg U.) as well as defensive lineman Danilo del Prete and Austrian offensive lineman Manuel Schabel.
Osos head coach Jesus Sanchez has also added two Mexican players to his roster in addition to Burke, the Austrian and World Championship winning quarterback. Free safety Jorge Luís Juárez and lineman Juan Antonio Escobar. Other key additions include defensive back Jorge Juárez and defensive lineman Johnny Escobar, both from Mexico. Spanish wide receiver Mario Flores who played for both the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns and Hildesheim Invaders in the German Football League could be an impact player for coach Sanchez.