US-Egypt Cancelled, and Torres to Chelsea?

Today was  very busy day in the soccer world. The US soccer match against Egypt was cancelled, and today it was announced that Liverpool's Fernando Torres is moving over to London to play for Chelsea. What madness.

First off the US-Egypt match. As soon as the news broke of the riots and revolting in Egypt, I assumed this game was cancelled, just because of the how close the game was. This, maybe wrongly, was my first thought. This would have been a great way for the US to up our ranking, with Egypt being ranked tenth in the world. Since it was a FIFA recognised date, the top US players would have played in this game, including players that are playing in Europe. The match was set to be played in Cairo on February 9th. The last time the US played Egypt was in the 2009 Confederations Cup, which the US won 3-0.

Apparently, as opposed to what I first thought, the option of switching the game to being played in the US was not an option that was explored to deeply. US Soccer president, Sunil Gulati, said about the game being cancelled, "We were excited about the opportunity to play against Egypt, but due to the current situation all parties agreed it was best to cancel the match. We appreciate the efforts of the Egyptian Football Association and the U.S. State Department as we worked through this situation." I'm definitely fine with not risking anything when the best US players would be showing up at this unstable environment.

Second bit of news, Fernando Torres signed with Chelsea today, after they payed Liverpool £50 million. This is an interesting move for Chelsea, considering they already have world class striker Didier Drogba. The current Chelsea formation is a 4-3-3 with Drogba up front, with Malouda and Anelka on the wings. I could easily see them changing to a 4-4-2, so they can put both Drogba and Torres up front.

Liverpool is planning on replacing Torres with Newcastle player, Andy Carrol. Signed for £35 million through 2016, Carrol will play in Torres' position and also wear his highly regarded number 9 jersey. They also signed Ajax and Uruguayan star Luis Suarez, which I like even better than the Carrol signing. He was signed for  £22.7 million. He is one of the best young forwards in the game today. Suarez scored an unbelievable 49 goals in 48 games played for his team Eredivisie.

Overall an interesting move that could end up really good, or really bad for Chelsea. Losing Torres will have a huge effect on Liverpool, but the Suarez and Carrol signings are great and should help Liverpool get back to their former status as one of the best clubs in the EPL.  And by the way, they're already burning the jersey's over at Anfield.

Comment in the comment section below, and if you have a question, or a suggestion for something you want me to look at, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Central SC Cobras Official Website Launced

The newest team of the United Soccer League's W-League, Central SC Cobras FC, has launched their official website. The website includes information on the staff, sponsors, as well as news on the team. Hopefully the women's club can be successful and advance the growth of soccer in South Carolina. The Cobras will represent women's soccer in South Carolina, which until the upcoming season, has been the only state on the east coast not represented in the W-League.

Here's their website:
http://centralsouthcarolinacobrasfc.com/

Make sure to check out their Facebook page also:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Central-SC-Cobras/128341960518197

Updates From the Past Week.

Alright. Slow week news wise, besides the unveiling of the USL Pro Playoff format so here's some updates on some players that any SC Soccer fan should care about:

• Ricardo Clark out for 4 Weeks- The former Furman player, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, fractured his cheekbone in a training session. He will undergo surgery.
• Oguchi Onyewu to FC Twente, Hurt in Cup Game- Onyewu is on loan to FC Twente from Milan. In a KNVB Cup win over PSV Eindhoven, the former Clemson defender sustained a back injury. The US International left in the 26th minute. 
• Clint Dempsey is On Fire- Dempsey, who played with Clark for Furman, has been a star lately for Fulham. He scored two goals against Stoke, and was the only real threat to score in the club's game against Liverpool on Tuesday.
• Brad Guzan Extends Loan- Brad Guzan, who formerly played at South Carolina, extended his loan from Aston Villa to Hull City for another month. Guzan is 2-1-1 at Hull City.
• Stuart Holden and Bolton Annihilated by Chelsea- Former Clemson player, Holden, has not scored in a while, and Bolton is suffering. They sit eleventh in the table and only eight points out of the relegation zone. They lost 4-0 to Chelsea on the 24th.

Just a quick recap of the weeks events. Any questions? E-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

USL Pro Playoff Format Set

Today on the USL website, the playoff format for the 2011 USL Pro was announced. As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the playoffs will consist of eight teams. Three teams from the American and National divisions will get spots in the playoffs, while two teams from the International Division will each get a spot. Here's what its going to look like:

The playoff system is odd to say the least. I'm not 100% why the International Division only got two spots in the tournament, but my best guess would be because of the distance these teams would have to travel form these games, or that the USL decided to focus on the teams that are on the mainland of the US (I know that LA is on the mainland, but you get the idea.) Also you couldn't have 3 teams from each, so apparently the International Division drew the short straw. Personally, I would have liked a six team playoff with the two teams with the most points left getting at large bids.

The playoff form is good for the Battery. Coming off a championship season, keeping the team from last year could be tough. Having plenty of wiggle room on the table gives Charleston a chance to make the playoffs, where they could easily make something happen. Three out of Five teams from the Battery's American Division getting spots, should make it somewhat easy for the Battery to make the playoffs. And if not, we can definetly be competitive.

For more information on the USL Pro, check the USL's website at http://www.uslsoccer.com/. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at scsoccerblog@gmail.com

Battery Sign Nicki Patterson

On Friday, January 21st, the Charleston Battery signed midfielder Nicki Patterson. Patterson is of Scottish decent and played in Motherwell's youth academy before coming over to the United States. He came to play at UNLV, where he played for four years. He then played for Harrisburg City Islanders in the 2009 USL-1 season, and Real Maryland Monarchs in the 2010 USL-2 season. This makes the Battery's roster a little more clear, though there's still a lot of work to be done.

Head coach, Mike Anhaeuser, had this to say about Patterson, “Nicki is a solid pro who and player that fits in with the qualities we are looking for. He will bring experience to our squad in the midfield.”

Patterson played for Real Maryland Monarchs last year, making 19 appearances and scoring no goals. He also had a short stint with Scottish third division side, Clyde. Patterson scored 1 goal in 6 appearances. His best season for any club, by far was his 2007-2008 season, when he played for the Des Moines Menace. In 28 appearances he scored 15 goals.

Now if you're expecting Patterson to come on and score a huge amount of goals, you'll be highly disappointed. The main reason that the Battery signed him, is because of his experience. That is one thing you can expect from Patterson; an experienced midfielder who brings solid play to the midfield. Plus its never bad to have more depth at any position.

All together, a good sign for the Battery. One question remains; Will Patterson adjust well to playing his soccer in Charleston? Only time will tell.

Preview: US-Chile

The United States and Chile will face off at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles this Saturday, January 22nd. This is the wrap up for the January Camp for the USMNT, and is against a Chile squad that didn't advance out of the group stage in South Africa.

First off, probably the most important part of this game for the casual fan, is that it isn't on a major network (ESPN, FSC, etc.) The game is going to be broadcast on ESPN3.com and for those who are willing to listening to the game in Spanish (and get the channel for that matter) it will be on Telefutura. So this poses a bit of problem, but for the ones who are committed, its viewable. Also there's only been a bit over 9,000 tickets sold for this game. In a stadium that seats 27,000 it might end up looking like a ghost town, but hopefully we'll get a look at the future of the US team.

This will be an interesting match as the teams are not bringing out the veteran players. This is not a recognised FIFA date, which doesn't allow players such as Dempsey, Howard, etc. to play, due to commitments to their clubs, but the same will go for Chile. The US will bring out a lineup similar to the match against South Africa on 11/17/10 (without Guzan.)  Chile is bringing a team that is highly inexperienced, somewhat like what the US is bringing. Chile's team for this match has a couple of players from their World Cup team, including forward Esteban Parades. But for the most part, this is basically Chile's B-team. Chile is currently ranked 15th in the FIFA World Rankings.

Since Chile is also bringing their "second team", the US should be competitive, and there's no reason that they shouldn't pull out a win in the match. Nick Rimando will most likely get the nod for the start in goal. Juan Agudelo also should get the start up top for the US. Agudelo scored the only goal for the US in the match against South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge. He scored the goal at age 17, becoming the youngest player to score in a game for the senior team. But there is some talk of Teal Bunbury starting the game over Agudelo. Breakout possibilities are endless for the US team, with Brek Shea being my favorite for a man of the match like performance, for the sole reason of his hair. On a serious note he should play well. He was called up for the friendly with Colombia in October.

The match is set for a 7:00 p.m. PST, and 10:00 p.m. for us here on the East Coast. US Soccer has been posting videos of training on their Youtube page and the 18-man match day roster is set for release on Saturday.

More Revealed on the USL Pro Playoffs

Today an article was posted on the USL Pro's website, revealing a little more on the format of the playoffs for the upcoming season. The playoffs for the brand new league will consist of 8 teams. All of the details on the format have been decided, but has not been revealed yet.

I am not so sure about what we have learned so far. Having 8 teams has its advantages and disadvantages. When you have half of any league getting into the postseason, you can get into some peculiar positions. For example, you can have teams that don't really deserve to be in the playoffs, in the playoffs. Losing records, and teams getting in and then getting annihilated by a higher team can happen, though this is less common in a proffesional league, where many of the teams are at the same level.

But all the problems set aside, the main reason that I would like to have an 8 team playoff is that it gets a little more exciting. It can let a middle of the table team get in and get a little more fan support, and more recognition. And of course more support means more money, and more money means a better team. And if we have all of these high level teams that can afford better players, the league will be better overall.

Though we don't know all of the information about this new playoff system, the announcement is expected by the end of the week. It will be revealed on the USL's website, and expect analysis right after announcement right here. Any comments or questions? You can reach me at my e-mail at scsoccerblog@gmail.com.

Stephen Armstrong Highlight Video

A quick little highlight video I made of the Battery's Stephen Armstrong. Its on my youtube channel; USABattery. You can check my channel for highlights of the Battery.

At A Glance: Battery 2011 USL Pro Schedule

Today on the USL Pro website, the schedule for the 2011 USL Pro season was announced. The league has surprisingly stayed at 15 teams, instead of becoming a 16 team league. The 16th team not meeting standards for the 2011 USL season, is the most likely reason. The league will be divided into three five-team divisions, based on their geographic location. The the three divisions are the; American, National, and International. They look like this:

This is the most logical way they could have divided the three divisions, and I would rather have three 5-team divisions, than four 4-team divisions. The main reason being that one way or another one division is going to have to go play LA and with all the Carribean teams playing them, LA's road trips could be a lot less costly.

But on to what really matters here: The Battery. Each team plays 24 game regular season, with 12 home matches and 12 away matches. Here's the Battery's schedule, followed by my thoughts:

Saturday, April 9 Charlotte Eagles 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 16 @ Dayton Dutch Lions 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 23 @ Richmond Kickers 6:30 PM
Friday, April 29 @ Charlotte Eagles 7:00 PM
Saturday, April 30 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 7:30 PM
Friday, May 6 @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 7 @ Rochester Rhinos 7:00 PM
Friday, May 13 FC New York 7:30 PM

Saturday, May 21 @ Wilmington Hammerheads 7:30

Tuesday, May 24 Richmond Kickers 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 28 Harrisburg City Islanders 7:30 PM

Friday, June 3 @ FC New York 7:30 PM

Saturday, June 4 @ Harrisburg City Islanders 7:00 PM
Thursday, June 9 @ Sevilla FC Puerto Rico
Saturday, June 11 @ Puerto Rico United 8:30 PM
Friday, June 17 Dayton Dutch Lions 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 25 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 7:30 PM
Friday, July 1 Puerto Rico United 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 9 Orlando City 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 14 Wilmington Hammerheads 7:30

Saturday, July 23 @ Dayton Dutch Lions 7:30 PM

Saturday, July 30 Rochester Rhinos 7:30 PM

Saturday, August 6 @ Orlando City 7:35 PM

Friday, August 12 Charlotte Eagles 7:30 PM

Luckily we get to open the season at home, unlike the last three years. Going on the road for the first game is really just an inconvenience. Though last year we opened at Charlotte, which is an easy drive for the Battery fans, not only in Charleston, but for those in the Upstate. Opening on the road is tough, but this year will have the home fans to hopefully lead us to a successful beginning to the season.

Then, as we'll see many times this season, the Battery go on a long road trip. The first of these is in the second half of April, when we travel to Dayton on the 16th, Richmond on the 23rd, and Charlotte on the 29th. Having a road trip this early is challenging, but hopefully the Battery will be able to stay in the top part of the standings early. This is also an advantage. By getting our long road trips done early in the season, means that we have many more home games than away in the second part of the season.

After the game on the 29th in Charlotte, the Battery come back the next day and play at home against Pittsburgh. This starts off a two game series against the Riverhounds on April 30th and and May 6th. Pittsburgh was a USL-2 playoff team last year. They lost in the first round of the playoffs against Richmond.

Then its off to Rochester to play the Rochester Rhinos at Marina Auto Stadium. After playing them for 13 seasons we didn't get to face the Rhinos last year (as we were in the USL-2 and they were in the USSF D2 Pro League.) Last year, the Rhinos won the regular season title for the USL divsion of the USSF D2 Pro League.

After facing the Rhinos, we face the brand new franchise FC New York at home (I'll get to them a little later), followed by a trip to North Carolina to play the Wilmington Hammerheads. After playing 5 straight seasons in the USL Second Division, the Hammerheads had to cease operations for the 2010 USL-2 Season. Keep in mind this was a season after they won the USL-2 regular season title in 2009.

Then we come back home for two straight home matches. The first is against the Richmond Kickers, which the Battery faced in the USL-2 championship match last year. The Battery came out to be victorious in that match, but that gave the Battery a one game advantage in a series that dates back to 1993. After the Kickers, we play the Harrisburg City Islanders for the first time of the season. The Islanders played with Charleston in the 2010 USL Second Division season.

After the two game home stand, the Battery go on a four game road trip. The first match is at FC New York, which I touched on a bit already in this article, but here's the real lowdown: I think FC New York can be one of the most successful USL franchises. Lets think about this logically. We have a team that plays in Hempstead, New York (a Latino and immigrant heavy area of New York,) in a city that wants a soccer team in the actual city (the team will play at Hofstra University.) The New York Cosmos, which is one of the most likely 20th team in the MLS, is still 2-3 years off. So this is a chance for FC New York to get some real recognition in the city, for the simple reason of nobody wanting to travel to New Jersey to watch New York Red Bull play. Then the Battery go to the Harrisburg City Islanders. The Islanders are located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

After the first two games of this road trip being in the Northeast, we then go down to Puerto Rico to play our only two matches at one of the International Division teams stadiums. We first play at Sevilla FC Puerto Rico, followed by a match up with Puerto Rico United. Ah the memories in the Puerto Rico...

After our four game road trip, we get a very long home stand. This will consist of five games spanning from June 17th to July 14th. Here's how it will go: Dayton on June 17th, Pittsburgh on June 25th, Puerto Rico United on July 1st, Orlando City on July 9th, and we'll wrap up the home stand with Wilmington on July 14th. This will be good for the Battery, as a long home stand could give us a spark towards winning the regular season, or getting into the playoffs, depending on our situation.

With only four games left on the schedule, we have an away fixture with the Dayton Dutch Lions. Dayton was founded just in 2009 and this will be their first season of soccer. The team is supported by the Dutch team FC Twente, out of the Eredivisie. Then we play the Rochester Rhinos at home in our last match in July, on the 30th.

This will be followed by a trip to Orlando City SC. Well I'm torn on this team, as I'm glad to see another USL Pro team in the Southeast, but they also moved from Austin, Texas where they were the Austin Aztex. This was such a blow to Austin, and Texas soccer as a whole. Plus, the only reason they brought the team to Orlando, is so they could get an MLS team. Phil Rawlins said he wants to have Major League Soccer in Orlando  "within 3-5 years." I mean don't get me wrong, I want a MLS team in the Southeast, but taking a successful USL franchise and moving it for just that reason seems harsh to those fans in Austin. And to add to that, what will happen to this club if they do get a MLS club in 3 years? Will it disintegrate? Lots of mystery down their in Orlando. Plus they took Ian Fuller from the Battery.

Just like the 2010 season, Charleston will play the Charlotte Eagles at home in the last game of the season. Last year, the Battery clinched the regular season in that final game of the season. So again the Battery get to come home to end the season, and hopefully we'll be celebrating another regular season title.

The playoff system for the USL Pro has not been announced yet. But here's what I think a possible 6 team playoff would look like:

I think having 6 out of the 15 teams in the playoffs. This gives each division winner a playoff spot, with the team with the most points/best record playing one of the two "At Large's." It also allows the second place team from each division to get a spot, or possibly just the three teams with the most points/best record.

So just about wraps it up. More information on the USL Pro's schedule and the announcement of the playoffs can be found on the USL Pro's website. Be on the look out for my season preview and much more in the coming months. If you have any questions you can email me at scsoccerblog@gmail.com

USMNT Coming to Tennessee

Today it was announced on ussoccer.com that the United States Men's National Team will be playing a double header in March. The first game is on March 26th in the New Meadowlands Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey against two-time world champion Argentina. Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and is to be broadcast on ESPN2 and Univision. The second game in March is to be played three days later on the 29th at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee against Paraguay. The game is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and will also be broadcast on ESPN2 and Univision. This will continue the stretch of friendlies the USMNT is playing in the early parts of 2011; along with matchups with Chile on January (to be played in LA) and Egypt on February (to be played in Cairo.)

The scheduling of these two games couldn't be better, because it falls on an international fixture date. This will allow all three teams the ability have all of their main players, if they should choose to use them. Look for the chants of "We want Messi" to break out at the Chile game. (We're looking at you American Outlaws.)

This is huge that they are letting a game be played in the Southeast. As I talked about in one of my earlier posts, any USMNT games that are played in the Southeast are chances for the soccer fans down here in the South to show our passion for the beautiful game. With 69,000+ seats to fill for this match, we have our hands full. But hopefully, we can have a good showing and give the MLS reason to expand to the Southeast. There's no question that we deserve a team. Maybe not the 20th team, but when the league expands even further to 21+ teams.

US Soccer has posted commercials for each game on their youtube account:

US-Argentina

US-Paraguay

Why Soccer is Going in the Right Direction in the United States

Well as I've been watching Fox Soccer Channel's coverage of the FA Cup, I came to thinking: The United States format of soccer is actually similar to England's. Obviously, the clubs in England have a chance to play for many trophies a year, (FA Cup, Carling Cup, UEFA Champions League, etc.) but the US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League has been making the United States soccer more European, year after year.

Now, I have talked about how we need to Americanize soccer, but in this situation, I'll make an exception, because we need to have multiple pieces of hardware to play for every year. That's what I think makes soccer so great in Europe, you always have something to play for. Whether it is to escape relegation, win a cup, or win the UEFA Champions League, the teams in England are always playing hard. Its also exciting for the clubs, hardcore fans, and casual watchers when a small club from the Football Leagues draw a mastodon like Chelsea or Manchester United.

You can see the similarities when the USL clubs draw the MLS sides in the US Open Cup. Though it is always exciting to see two MLS teams duke it out for the trophy, it's always nice to see a USL squad play an MLS team in a "David vs. Goliath" type scenario. We saw this in 2008 when the Charleston Battery played DC United in a rendition of the Coffee Pot Cup and the US Open Cup championship game. Though the Battery didn't win the match (they lost 2-1) they put up a good fight, and it was good for the fans to see their team compete for a big cup.

This extra excitement that is found in soccer is not found in the other professional sports in America. In the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL you play for one championship every year. You also see teams in the later stages of the season not play hard, because they are out of contention to win anything. Now while this can happen in soccer in some situations, when you are playing for 3 or 4 trophies every year, you can keep it exciting, and keep more clubs afloat.

What I want to see in the future, is a relegation system. It is far off, but the relegation system could work in the United States once the USL and MLS develop a little further. Undoubtedly the MLS has gotten good attendance figures, but if the USL can get each club up to 10,000-15,000 average attendance, then there is a good chance that the relegation system used in England, could work here. Just imagine, "MLS in Charleston" it just sounds good.

To finish this long rambling off, let me say this: English Soccer fans can't talk down to the MLS for attendance, quality of play, or coverage of the sport in the United States, because seriously the MLS has been around for 13 years. I would like to see the English soccer attendance numbers from 1901.

Charleston Battery 2011 Roster: What We Know So Far

There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the Charleston Battery's roster for the upcoming USL Pro season. The 2010 USL Second Division Champs are looking to add another trophy to their case, with five of the defunct six team USL-2 playing in the USL Pro. With many great players like forward Lamar Neagle and keeper Tim Melia on last year's team, who will return? Well it's hard to say since the roster has not been updated on the Battery's website since the USL-2 championship game, but here's what we know:

• No Johnny Wilson: After the USL Second Division Championship game, Wilson announced his retirement after seven seasons with the Battery. His effort on our defense will be missed.
• No Ian Fuller: On the Orlando City S.C. website, Ian Fuller is listed. Sad to see who I think deserved the MVP in the championship game (Sorry Tom!) leave the Battery and play in our league. Fuller scored the eventual game winning goal, and headed away what looked to be goal towards the end of the game.
• No Tom Heinemann: On January 6th Heinemann signed with Major League Soccer side, Columbus Crew. Hopefully this can get him the recognition he deserves. Its a good move for Tom, he's definitely taking a step in the right direction, but I'll be sad to not see him at the 'Baud next year, when we're trying to win another championship.
• No Lamar Neagle: Well this is not official yet, but its pretty much assumed that Lamar will not return to the Battery. The worst part about being in a smaller league is that the players who are extraordinary often get called up to a larger club. Obviously he played in Finland, and Europe is nice, but I have a feeling that Lamar might want to go back close to his hometown of Tacoma, and with his old club.

Again these are just bits and pieces, more will be revealed when the Carolina Challenge Cup and various preseason matches get a little closer. Some might be revealed at The Regiment's meeting in February, where Charleston Head Coach, Mike Anhaueser, and Club President, Andrew Bell, tentatively are set to meet and answer questions. For more on this check out The Regiment's Facebook page, and Mikey's blog, No Quarter.

Dempsey Shoots, He Scores!

On Tuesday, Clint Dempsey scored his 7th goal in Premier League play for Fulham, along with one in cup play. Here's a compilation of those goals and also some USMNT goals from this year.

New Posting Schedule

Well with school starting back, and the news coming in slowly, oh ever so slowly, SC Soccer Blogs posts will be a little less frequent. Still keep expecting updates on soccer in South Carolina, former players, Charleston Battery, and much more. Thanks for understanding.
-Andy

Guzan Gets First Win for Hull City

Well that didn't take long. After a 1-0 loss to Leicester City on January 1st, Brad Guzan and Hull City got a road win at Portsmouth 3-2. The Tigers now sit at 15th in the table of the Championship and six points off of the playoff to gain promotion to the Premier League.

Hull City struck first in the 21st minute with a converted penalty from Jimmy Bullard. Portsmouth equalized in the 57th minute from a penalty by Liam Lawrence. Then two of Hull City's subs, Matt Fryatt scored on a break away goal in the 69th minute, followed by a Nick Barnby goal in the 72nd minute. Portsmouth would get a goal back off a Greg Halford header, but Pompey couldn't equalize in the final minutes.

Guzan played a solid game with many saves and brilliant distribution that would gain Hull City multiple advantages and in one case a free kick. Maybe the most important save of the match was in stoppage time when a Joel Ward shot was denied by the American International. Hull City's next match is on Saturday January 8 against Wigan in FA Cup play.

Charleston Battery: Five Players Abroad

Winning the USL Second Division championship in 2010 gave the Battery and its players a lot of recognition, not only in the United States, but overseas. Many of the Battery's players are playing for other teams in this off season. Here are just a few:

• Lamar Neagle: Played for IFK Mariehamn in the top flight of soccer in Finland, Veikkausliiga. He scored 2 goals in league play for Mariehamn, which finished 12th in the table in the fourteen team league.
• Colin Falvey: Falvey has been playing in the ASB Premier League in New Zealand during the summer in New Zealand which falls in the months of December-February. He plays for Youngheart Manawatu which currently sits last in the eight team league.
• Amaury Nunes: Is currently playing in the top flight of soccer in India, the I-League, for Churchill Brothers SC. They won the I-League in the 2008-2009 season. The team currently sits in third place in the fourteen team league. Nunes also had a short stint with KSV Hessen Kassel in the fourth division of German soccer.
• Tom Heinemann: Played for the Carolina Railhawks in the USSF D2 Pro League. Heinemann scored 6 goals in seven appearances for the Railhawks.
• Ian Fuller: Played for the Austin Aztex F.C. who played in the USSF D2 Pro League, the team will play in the USL Pro next year and Fuller will be with the team that is now Orlando City S.C.

It is uncertain how many of these five great players we can have back in the 2010. Its just to hard to keep such a great group of players together. The roster for next year could be considerably changed from last year's squad, or we could be seeing a lot of the same. It is pretty up in the air right now, but you can be sure that SC Soccer Blog will have updates on the roster for you as soon as they are announced.

Guzan on His Way to Hull City

Former University of South Carolina goalkeeper, Brad Guzan, is heading to Football League Championship side, Hull City. He goes to Hull City on a one-month loan deal from the English Premier League's, Aston Villa. It is definitely an improvement from his position in Aston Villa even though he is moving down a division. In 2009, Guzan lost his starting position to fellow American, Brad Friedel. The 2010 season has not gone much better for him; He hasn't started all year. Aston Villa is on the brink of relegation, but apparently a change in keeper is not needed. Guzan will probably be starting today against Leicester City.

With Guzan, Hull continues its theme of bringing in keepers on loan. Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone had been starting at Hull, but a thigh injury has put him out for a month, causing the need for Guzan. Last year Guzan's United States Men's National Team teammate Jozy Altidore played for Hull, but the team was relegated to the Championship. The main problem last year was a weak defense, which seems to be carrying over to this year. They are currently 16th in the 24 team league.

I think this is a great move for Guzan. Though the team is near the bottom of the League Championship, Guzan could make a big change and get noticed. Truthfully, Guzan can do miles better than Hull City, but he has to make an impact where he can. For now the impact needs to be made on the Tigers so they can escape relegation into League 1.