David Bascome was yesterday unveiled as the first signing by newly-formed US soccer team, Harrisburg City Islanders.

Bermudian midfielder Bascome, more commonly associated with indoor soccer and currently playing for the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), moves outdoor with the Pennsylvania side who will debut in the Professional Soccer League (PSL) in April.

The Islanders came into being in September, hot on the heels of the collapse of the city?s MISL side, the Harrisburg Heat. Bascome was a Heat stalwart until their demise when he moved to Baltimore. His name is etched into the Heat?s record books, having been the club?s all-time leader in games played (350), goals (374), points (912) and blocks (343).

Bascome (33) finished sixth in the MISL?s scoring charts in 2002-3 with 90 points, was second in total goals with 40 and led the league with 15 power-play goals. He has subsequently scored nine goals and amassed 15 points in his first 11 games with the Blast.

Speaking yesterday, Bascome said he was happy to be returning to Harrisburg.

?The biggest reason I?ve signed with the City Islanders is to keep the game in Harrisburg,? he said. ?It was hard to leave after I?d played here for so long and now I want to give something back and enjoy myself.

?There is a strong base of support for soccer here in Harrisburg and it?s good to expose the youth players in the area to professional players.?

The Professional Soccer League is a division of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and Harrisburg coach Bill Becher believes Bascome can be just as big a star here as he has been on the indoor circuit.

?David is the perfect type of player to build our team around,? said Becher, who played with Bascome for the Heat between 1991-99. ?He makes players around him better and his work ethic and professionalism are contagious. Fans in Harrisburg have seen David play indoors for many years, now they?ll be able to see that he is just as good an outdoor player.?

City Islanders president Eric Pettis described the Bermudian as ?world class?.

?At our introductory press conference in September we described the ideal City Islanders player as a hard-working, two-way player who displays a commitment to the team and the community,? he said. ?David Bascome is exactly that type of player. He is world class on the field and a class act off the field.?