Well its official, one of the most ever capped Charleston Battery players will be returning to Blackbaud Stadium. John "Johnny" Wilson will be returning to Charleston for another season. Oh how great it is. Though he probably won't be an everyday player, Wilson brings so much experience to a team that really needs it. Not to say we don't have some with Stephen Armstrong and Keith Wiggans, among others, but Wilson will bring experience to the defense. Plus he's good. Hard to forget that.
In other news, the CONCACAF Gold Cup draw will be on Tuesday, March 8th. Why is this important? Well, if you by chance read my first article, you know that one of the venues for the Gold Cup will be Charlotte, NC's Bank of America Stadium. I recommend reading that article, to fully understand the importance of the best international squads in the region coming to the area. But, the venue will likely see one of the 3 countries (USA, Mexico, Canada), one of the smaller, but still powerful soccer powers (Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama), and two smaller countries (Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, etc.). Hopefully the USMNT will play in Charlotte, as it would be a good chance for the US supporters in the Southeast to show how much they care about soccer.
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| Maybe we should get this guy to do the pregame festivities. |
And of course on the tail end of the return of Wilson, comes what we've been waiting for since last season ended; the Carolina Challenge Cup! I'm so ready to get this season started, and what better way to kick off the season than having MLS teams and their great supporters come to Charleston. Charleston starts the season by playing DC United tomorrow night at 7:15. Chicago Fire SC and Toronto FC will play at 5:00. It'll be an interesting tournament, and we'll get to see where we're at as a team. Come out to see some great soccer. The Regiment will be there before the game tailgating, and having just a general good time. So be sure to check that out. There will also be games on Wednesday, and a week from tomorrow on March 12th.
Added to the roster for the Carolina Challenge Cup are some of the preseason trialists from the Battery's preseason training. Three of them are from the College of Charleston; two defenders; Sean Flately and Sean Bateau, along with Kareem Yearwood, a forward. Two goalkeepers also will join Charleston. A former Chicago Fire keeper, Andrew Dykstra, and Pat Hannigan, who formerly played for Miami FC of the NASL.
I recommend checking out CharlestonBattery.com's Preview of the CCC, which has previews of all the teams. I will post a preview for the Battery's match with the Fire and Toronto FC, so make sure to check back for that.
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.
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