Not the Way We Wanted it to End... and Some News About the Blog

Well, that was an ordeal.

Not much you can really say about this one. The Battery fell 3-1 to Orlando in extra time after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Say what you will about the match, but it was a valiant effort by the boys.
Here's the recap from the Battery and from a new blog called The Beautiful Game.
Now that we've entered the off season, the posts on this blog are going to get much less frequent, but hopefully i'll pick up the posting closer to the beginning of next season. Keep checking back as I'll be posting every once in a while hopefully.

Here's to another great year, Up the Battery!

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com. Also follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/scsoccerblog. 

Charleston's Road to the Cup

Hopefully we'll be hearing this chant ringing throughout Chucktown in a couple of months:

Well granted that the Battery's chances of winning this year's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup are a lot slimmer than that of two-time defending cup champion Seattle Sounders FC, but you never know. That's what makes this tournament so much fun.

I'll start off with a little bit of history.

A non-MLS side has not won the Cup since the Rochester Rhinos won it in 1999 over the Colorado Rapids. And since that match in 1999, only one non-MLS side has been to the final, and that's the Charleston Battery.

The Battery are arguably one of the USL clubs with the most storied career in the US Open Cup. The Battery have been to one final, where they finished off the tourny with a respectable 2-1 loss to DC United at RFK Stadium. Not including that final, the Battery have advanced to two semifinals (1999 and 2004). Charleston has made it to at least the Quarterfinals every year since 2007, so expectations should be high for the Battery.

The Battery have shown that they can be giant killers as well, knocking off an impressive 9 MLS teams in the 13 years since the MLS started entering the tournament in 1996.

In last year's edition of the annual tournament, the Battery advanced to the Quarterfinals after winning their first three matches of the tournament. They defeated USASA side CASL Elite, NASL club the Carolina Railhawks, and the Chicago Fire before going out to eventual runners-up, the Columbus Crew.

What are the Battery's chances like this year? Well just as good as any of the others.

Charleston will play Regals FC in the first round on June 14th at Blackbaud Stadium. This team comes from Southern Texas and is part of the Southern Premier Soccer League and the USASA. Assuming that the Battery defeat their USASA foe and that Orlando City takes care of ASC New Stars (Another South TX team), then the Battery will face City in a second round match up. So let's say that hypothetically the Battery win this match as well. Then the Battery would face one of the eight MLS teams that have qualified for the tournament. They are:

Chicago Fire

Columbus Crew

FC Dallas

Los Angeles Galaxy

New York Red Bulls

Real Salt Lake

Seattle Sounders FC

Sporting Kansas City

After that, well its hard to tell. The goal for the Battery should be to get to the Round of 16, at least. This will require two wins. Seems simple enough, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Honestly, a lot of the MLS teams just don't take this tournament seriously, and that's a sad thing. Luckily, this allows many of the teams in the lower divisions to take advantage of the MLS teams not playing their best players or simply not playing as hard as they can.

What's at stake? Well a bid in the CONCACAF Champions League, and the winner of that tournament gets a bid in the FIFA Club World Cup. It's far off, but the Battery have a chance to be the world champions. Okay well it's a long shot, actually the longest shot of all time, but we can dream can't we?

Good luck to all the teams participating in this year's tournament, let's hope for an interesting competition.

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Charleston Draws with Pitt, Loses to Rochester

This weekend the Battery had two matches in two nights away at Pittsburgh and Rochester. The Battery only earned one point through both of these matches. Both of the results were disappointing, but understandable.

The first match against Pittsburgh was played Friday night at Chartiers Valley Stadium. Only 624 fans showed up to watch the match, which was understandable because of the bad weather conditions.

The Battery would manage 12 shots with 3 being on goal, while Pittsburgh would take 7 and getting none on goal, making it an easy night for Battery keeper Keith Wiggans.

Dane Kelly and Levi Coleman played well together, with Kelly getting a couple of shots that he sent wide, but the offense was limited for both sides.

Charleston had to play almost half the match short-handed when Evan Taylor was shown a straight red in the 53rd for a reckless tackle on Shintaro Harada.

The back line would stand strong for another 0-0 result, giving the Battery a much needed point on the road.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds:
Players: Hunter Gilstrap, Sterling Flunder, Kyle Veris (Chad Severs 71), Louie Rolko, Jason Kutney, Thabiso Khumalo (Niko Katic 45), Johnny Appiah, Shintaro Harada, Tommy Gray, Matt Fundy (Jeremy Deighton 80), Jason Yeisley
Shots(on goal): 7(0)
Saves: 3
Fouls: 10
Corner Kicks: 3
Offsides: 2
Cautions: Kutney 43, Katic 79

Charleston Battery:
Players: Keith Wiggans, Nigel Marples, Colin Falvey, John Wilson, Mike Zaher, Cole Peverley, Evan Taylor, Nicki Paterson, Stephen Armstrong, Levi Coleman (JC Mack 83), Dane Kelly (Kevin Jackson 79)
Shots: 12
Saves: 0
Fouls: 7
Corner Kicks: 7
Offsides: 1
Cautions: Peverley 51
Ejections: Taylor 53

On Saturday, the Battery would travel up I-79 to face the Rochester Rhinos at the beautiful Sahlen Stadium.

The match started off slowly, with each team getting a couple of shots, but no great scoring chances. Then in the 25th minute the Rhinos broke through.

Quavas Kirk made a run down the right and crossed the ball into Donatelli who volleyed it off the post. The ball would hit the back of a diving Keith Wiggans, and roll slowly into the net.

The Battery then had trouble gaining possession for the rest of the second half, and they would go in at halftime down 1-0.

Coming out of the locker rooms the Battery were doing well. The ball movement was much better and they had gotten some decent scoring chances, but they still couldn't break through.

Even when the Battery had used all their subs and only had two defenders left on the field, they couldn't put one in the back of the net, and the match would end in a victory for the Rhinos.

Man of the Matches: John Wilson
Wilson played great during both of the matches. He is the anchor of our back line, and still makes some of the best tackles you'll see in the USL. If the Battery didn't have Wilson, the back line wouldn't be very good. This is not just because of his skill, but also because of his experience.

Charleston went scoreless this weekend, and their scoreless streak is up to 315 minutes. The cure for the Battery is simple; put it in the back of the net. The back is playing well, and the Battery are just in a bit of a funk, that they need to shake.

The Battery play this Friday night against FC New York at 7:30 at Blackbaud Stadium. The game will be available on USL Live.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com. Also follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/scsoccerblog.

Charleston Falls to Richmond 2-1

Well they had to lose at some point.

Last night, the Charleston Battery lost their first match of the season 2-1 to the Richmond Kickers. The Battery stayed at 6 points (2-1-0) while the Kickers added three points to bring their total to 12 (4-0-0).

Here is the recap on the Battery's website.

So here is what I got out of the match (keep in mind that I only caught a bit of the game on the radio as I drove through Charleston):

• Nice to see Levi Coleman get on the board: After going scoreless in the first two matches Coleman finally scored for Charleston. He also hit the post on a header in the 5th minute. His goal came off a header in the 15th minute to give the Battery an early lead.
• Quality play from the Midfield continues: Now from what I heard from listening and reading the recap, it looks like the Midfield played solid again. The Battery are going to need to get some good play from the midfield while they wait on the forwards to get in the groove.
• No Andrew Dykstra: Andrew Dykstra injured his foot in training this week and looks to be out for around 3-4 weeks. Keith Wiggans got the start, and gave up two, but it looks like he did alright.
• Matthew Delicate held scoreless: One of the keys to a Charleston victory was to keep Matthew Delicate off the scoreboard, as he had scored in every match up to that point. He didn't score, but others stepped up for Richmond.

I think that Charleston is going to be alright. It would have been nice to get at least a point up at Richmond, but we easily could have seen the Battery lose by much more than one goal.

The biggest disappointment in this game was Charleston's failure to hold the early lead that they got off of Coleman's header. Hopefully that won't be a running theme.

Richmond Kickers:
Ronnie Pascale, Luke Vercollone, William Yomby, Henry Kalungi, Sascha Gorres, Gerson Dos Santos (Bobby Foglesong 61'), Michael Callahan (Dave Hertel 88'), Ryan Heins (Nozomi Hiroyama 46'), Edson Elcock (Shaka Bangura 88'), Stanley Nyazamba (David Bulow 46') Matthew Delicate

Goals- Bulow 63' (Callahan), Bangura 90'(Hertel)

Bookings- Nyazamba 45', Callahan 78'
Charleston Battery:
Keith Wiggans, Nigel Marples, John Wilson, Colin Falvey, Mike Zaher, Kevin Jackson (Zach Prince 61'), Cole Peverly, Evan Taylor (Alex Caskey 70'), Nicki Paterson, Dane Kelly (JC Mack 76'), Levi Coleman (Seedy Bah 56')

Goal- Coleman 15' (Peverly)

Bookings- Paterson 74', Caskey 88'
If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Preview: Charleston Battery-Richmond Kickers

This Saturday, the Charleston Battery will face the league leading Richmond Kickers. Last week, Charleston defeated the Dayton Dutch Lions 2-1, while Richmond defeated Rochester 1-0. Here's what to expect:

Richmond Kickers:
This Season: The Kickers won their first 3 matches to put themselves at the top of the USL Pro table with 9 points. The Kickers three wins haven't been jokes either. They've defeated Orlando City 2-0, Pittsburgh 2-1, and Rochester 1-0. That is one of the toughest stretches they could face all season, and having Charleston come to town will only add to the difficulty.
Who's Playing Big: The Kickers have been lead by Matthew Delicate who has scored a goal in every match for the Kickers this year, and is making a case for USL Pro Player of the Year. The whole back line has been playing great as well. They've only given up 1 goal in their three matches.
Who Needs to Step Up: Honestly the whole Richmond squad is playing up to standard. If Delicate keeps scoring goals at the pace he is, and the back holds up well, we should see Richmond challenging for the USL Pro Championship.

What to Expect:
Charleston, as last they did last week, will come out in a 4-4-2. Here's my Starting XI:

Dykstra

Marples Wilson Zaher Falvey 

Mack Peverley Paterson Armstrong

Coleman Bah

Despite the awful goal he gave up last week, we should see Dykstra in goal again. Wiggans might not get a lot of playing time this year, because Dykstra has been playing well besides a couple of moments.

The back shouldn't change as all, and this 4 is  playing very well. Marples, Wilson, and Zaher all played solidly last week, and should be returning to the starting eleven. Falvey played great, and got forward enough so to get a crucial goal.

In the midfield we should see our strongest line up yet. Armstrong should return to the field after having last week off, and Peverley and Mack should also get starts after solid performances last week. Paterson should get the start as well, as I think he has had two straight good performances, including  his man of the match performance last week.

Up front we should see Levi Coleman for the 3rd time, but hopefully they'll let him play a little more. He should be getting at least 80 minutes a match, if not the full 90. I think that we should see Seedy Bah get another chance after last week. He didn't really get a chance to show off his speed and ability to connect with long balls because of last week's terrible conditions up in Dayton.

Richmond should come out in 4-4-2. Here is a possible line up:

Pascale

William Kalungi Gorres Vercollone

Nyazamba Callahan Dos Santos Heins

Delicate Elcock

Richmond is a solid team. The back is solid, the midfield is solid, the front is solid, this is just a good team. Charleston will have trouble picking apart the back line of Richmond, but the main key to the game will be to keep control of Delicate. He's Richmond's biggest scorer so far, and if the Battery can stop him along with Elcock, they will have a chance of coming away from this match with some points.

For more information on Richmond  and their roster, check this.

These two teams are most likely the best in the league. If both teams play up to their potential, we should be seeing one of the best games of the year here.

This game will not be on USL Live, but it will be on the radio on 1340 AM in the Charleston area, or on the Battery's website.

Since this game is not going to be live on video, I won't be able to write as good of a recap as I have been. So I'll give you all a recap after the match, but it won't be as in depth.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com

Highlights of the Charleston-Dayton Match

Here are the highlights I put together for last night's match against Dayton. Sorry about the poor and choppy quality, it was the best I could do.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Preview: Charleston Battery-Dayton Dutch Lions

Last Saturday, the Charleston Battery won their 2011 USL Pro season opener 1-0 against the Charlotte Eagles. This Saturday they will begin a three-game road trip with a fixture with the Dayton Dutch Lions, who are playing their first game of the season. Here's what to expect:

Dayton Dutch Lions:
Last Year: In 2010, the Lions played their first season in the Great Lakes Division of the USL's Premier Development League. They finished 3rd in their division, missing the PDL playoffs. They were knocked out in the 1st round of the US Open Cup.
Who's Back: Since they are moving from the PDL (which is an amateur league) to the USL Pro, they couldn't bring all of the players from last year's team back for the 2011 season. They did keep a few, among these were Julius Wille, who was part of the FC Twente youth system, and Brett Jones who played formerly played for the Cincinatti Kings.
Who's New: The Lions obviously had to pick up a lot of player's for this season, and they were fairly successful in bringing some talent in. The back line looks solid, as they brought in the 2010 PDL Defender of the Year, Joe Tait, into Dayton. As well as Bahamian defender Happy Hall and Evan Schwartz, who was highly touted by many MLS teams, including Toronto FC. They picked up forward Kolby LaCrone, who looks to be a promising young prospect.

What to Expect:
The Battery will, again, come out in a 4-4-2. The Starting XI will probably look something like this:

Dykstra

Marples Wilson Zaher Dugoni

Prince Peverly Paterson Armstrong

Coleman Kelly

We should see Dykstra in goal this Saturday. He played fair against Charlotte, but got caught way off his line once, but luckily John Wilson was their to save the day (and Dykstra's starting job).

The back line should stay the same as last week. Marples and Zaher both had solid performances in the back and both got forward well. Wilson was the man of the match last week. He showed that he really hasn't lost a step, and honestly if we didn't have him to anchor our back, we'd be very shaky. Dugoni played well in his debut for the Battery, showing he could defend crosses well, and I see him starting again today. Colin Falvey is back for this match, I could see him coming in for Dugoni later in the game, but it wouldn't surprise me if he got the start.

Not many changes to the midfield. The only change I have from last week is Nicki Paterson for Kevin Jackson. Jackson just didn't play effectively enough for me, and Paterson had some great diagonal balls into the box late in the game. Armstrong, Prince, and Peverly all played well enough to get spots in the starting XI.

I was really pleased with Coleman's performance last Saturday. He kept the ball well, and showed that he could use his physical presence to make himself space. Kelly played well, creating some pressure throughout the game and showing off his speed, but seemed to have bad stretches occasionally where he couldn't keep the ball. A little more help coming from behind him, instead of the wings could help him a lot.

For Dayton, it looks like some variation of 4-4-2, possibly a diamond:

Leerdam

Copier Tait Hall Schwartz

Jones

Magill         Wille

Van der Pluijm

Davis IV Lacrone

We're looking at a fairly young team hear. The back line looks good, but inexperienced. The midfield should be strong with Wille and Magill working the ball forward. The diamond 4-4-2 will naturally open up the passing triangles for these young players to work it forward to Lacrone and Davis IV.

For more information on Dayton and their roster, check out this link.

Bottom line: Charleston could easily win this game. Playing your first road game of the season is always a learning experience, but with a young Dayton team (plus this being their opener), we could easily out-match and out-class them.

You can watch the game live on USLLive.com. The kick off is set for 7:30 this Saturday, April the 16th.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Carolina Challenge Cup Review

Well it is all over. The largely anticipated Carolina Challenge Cup is over. DC United is the Champion, the attendance and coverage of the tournament was great, and many a memory were made. Here are some notes from the tournament:

• DC is Back: Now we shouldn't get to excited, as last year they won the CCC and then preceded to finish dead last in the MLS. Davies goal against Toronto was solid, and DC is looking like as deep and complete of a team as ever.
• What's up with all the Red Cards?: Chicago had 3, Charleston had 2, Toronto had 1. Are the refs getting card happy? Maybe not, but Stephen Armstrong getting sent off in the final game against the Fire, was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament for me.
• No Extraordinary Performances: Some players did well, but when you get right down to goalscoring, every goal in the tournament was scored by a different player. When you look at the tournament in years past we've usually seen usually one, sometimes two players have an out-of-this-world performance. Last year we saw DC's Jaime Moreno score 5 goals in the tournament. The thing about these tournaments, is that nobody really gets enough consistent playing time to score a huge amount of goals.

In the end this was a successful year for the Carolina Challenge Cup. I hope to see the tournament return next year, and I don't see any reason why it won't. The Battery's organization has shown that it can bring MLS to this tournament and get good attendance numbers, while they're at it.

Sorry that I didn't write a recap of the Charleston-Chicago match, I've been out of town since Thursday and didn't have enough time to write it.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com

Let's Not Forget About Toronto

On Wednesday night, the Battery will face Canada's Toronto FC in the second set of games in the 8th annual Carolina Challenge Cup. In the first set of games on Saturday night, Toronto went down to a 10-man Chicago Fire SC 1-0, and the Battery also lost, to DC United, 2-1. Here's what to expect on Wednesday night:

Toronto is the MLS' constant underachievers. They are the only team (excluding last year's new expansion Philidelphia Union, and the two new teams, Portland and Vancouver) that haven't made the playoffs. Despite great fans, good attendance, and a great stadium, Toronto just can't seem to get over the hump. Last year they finished 5th in the Eastern Division and 11th overall in the MLS. In last year's edition of the CCC they failed to win a game or even score a goal.

Toronto will most likely come out in a 4-4-2, as they did against the Fire on Saturday. Swiss International Stefan Frei will most likely start in goal for TFC. He played the full 90 against Chicago. The backline will probably consist of some combination of Dan Gargan, Nana Attakora, Mikael Yourassowsky, Matt Stinson, Andrew Ornoch, and Ashione Morgan. In the midfield look for Nathan Sturgis, Javier Martina, and Nick Labrocca. Up front will probably be Maicon Santos and Joao Plata. This is all speculation of course.

Toronto got 4 yellow cards in Saturday match against Chicago. Plata, Labrocca, Soolsma, and Yourassowksy, all were cautioned in that match. This could be considered Tornto being less talented, but I think that they just got straight out played, and frustration obviously could have been a factor.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog.@gmail.com

Neagle Signs with Seattle, Charleston Battery Day, and More

Today Lamar Neagle signed with Seattle Sounders FC of the MLS. Neagle was on the Charleston Battery for last year's USL-2 Championship. He scored 12 goals in 19 appearances for the Battery last season, which is the most in a season for his career. He was the top scorer for Charleston last year. Neagle was impressive in the Sounder's preseason camps. Neagle scored 1 goal in a match against Real Salt Lake.

"This is where I want to be," said Neagle. "From the start, I knew I needed more games to get better, and now I'm ready to make a difference. The biggest difference is my confidence and feeling comfortable on the field, and confidence comes from playing games and playing well."

This is a huge step for Lamar. Moving from football in Finland, and the USL-2 to the MLS is great forward progress, and a move up after a couple of years is not out of the question, if he does well (He's only 23). He has payed his dues, and he deserves this chance to show what he's got. It will be tough for him to get consistent playing time, with Fredy Montero and Blaise Nkufo playing forward for Seattle, but we'll see what happens. There was no doubt in my mind that he wouldn't make the roster, but I was also hoping to see him in black and yellow this summer.

Berkeley County, South Carolina, has officially named March 5th Charleston Battery Day. This day will be held because of the Battery's commitment to success on the field, as well as in the community. I think this is just a great idea, and good publicity for the Battery.

Also, alongside the Carolina Challenge Cup this coming weekend, there will be the Carolina Challenge Academy Cup. Academy teams of Chicago Fire and DC United will be participating in this tournament, along with the Battery's academy, South Carolina United, and North Meck SC USSF Academy. The tournament will be two round robin tournaments in the U16 and U18 age divisions. They will be played on Saturday at Blackbaud Stadium. The South Carolina United teams will don the Battery's uniforms, strengthening the link between South Carolina youth soccer and the Battery. SC United Executive Director Clark Brisson had this to say about the tournament:

“We are excited about the opportunity to host MLS Academy teams and North Meck in conjunction with the Carolina Challenge Cup. Special thanks to the Charleston Battery for their support and efforts in bringing USSF Academy teams to Charleston. We wish all coaches and teams the best of luck and hope they enjoy visiting Charleston.”

All of the games in this tournament, including the championship match, are free of admission. So come on down to Blackbaud Stadium to check out these young players.

 

Charleston Battery: US Open Cup, Charlie Davies Visiting Charleston, and More

Besides the upcoming USL Pro season, the Battery have the Carolina Challenge Cup in early March, a pair of mid-season matches against local colleges in mid-March, and now the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup to play.

Today it was announced that the Battery's first round match in the US Open Cup will be against a team that qualifies for the tournament from the  USASA (United States Adult Soccer Association). The Battery will play at home on June 14th against one of these teams. The tournament will consist of 40 teams; 8 from the MLS (6 automatic bids, and 2 for the winners of a 10 team playoff), the 11 U.S. based USL Pro teams, 9 from the PDL, and 12 from the USASA. Seattle Sounders FC will be the returning champs and are going for their 3rd straight US Open Cup championship.

The Battery have had success in the US Open Cup (see the 2008 tournament), as well as against MLS teams. Last year the Battery got to the quarterfinals, with wins over the USASA's Capital Area Soccer League Elite (CASL Elite), the USSF D2's Carolina Railhawks (who happen to share a stadium), and the MLS' Chicago Fire on PK's, before losing to the Columbus Crew. The two games against the CASL Elite and Carolina Railhawks were played at Blackbaud Stadium while the two games against Major League Soccer teams were played away.

The US Open Cup is my favorite part about soccer in the United States, due to its similarity to the FA Cup, and I'm excited as always to the see the Battery playing in this great tournament. Hopefully we'll see good first and second round match-ups so we can face an MLS side in the round of 16 like last year. The Carolina Challenge Cup could give us a look to future matches in the US Open Cup. Toronto FC can't play in the US Open Cup because, well they're a Canadian team. DC United and Chicago Fire are not automatic qualifiers for the Cup, but are playing for 2 of the berths, and with the addition of Charlie Davies, DC should have no problem qualifying.

Speaking of Charlie Davies, we're gonna be seeing him in the Carolina Challenge Cup! A couple of days ago it became official that Davies will be playing for United next year. I can't begin to explain how excited I am about DC signing Davies. Though having USMNT players playing against the best over in Europe is great, it's also nice to be able to see them play here in the US, and when they're coming to Charleston, that quadruples the excitement.

On the women's side, the Central SC Cobras have been very busy. This Saturday, the Cobras will be holding an open tryout from 9:00-4:00 at North Springs Park in Columbia. Good luck to all that will be trying out, and hopefully in a while they'll be competing for a W-League championship. They also have been releasing videos on a YouTube page called OPP2434. Make sure to check that out as well as this page where they are selling shirts, and keep giving support to the Cobras as they make the transition into the W-League.

Also check out this article on The Shin Guardian. The article talks about the possibility of an MLS expansion team in the Southeast.

If you have any questions or if you need to contact me, you can e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Good Article on No Quarter About the Battery's 2011 Roster

Over at No Quarter, Mikey posted an article about the Battery's roster for the upcoming USL Pro season. It covers who is currently on the roster along with an update on the status of the NASL. Check it out:
http://give-em-no-quarter.blogspot.com/2011/02/rosterso-far.html

I agree with most of what's said here. Make sure to check back here, No Quarter, the Battery's website, and theRegiment's  facebook. If you have any questions, or if you need to get in contact with me, 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

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

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.

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

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.

USL Pro: 15 Teams So Far, What Will Be the 16th?

Fifteen teams have been announced for the future sixteen team league, the USL Pro. The league consists of four teams in the Caribbean, three in the Carolinas, five teams in the Northeast, and one team in Florida, Ohio, and California. The United Socer Leagues have said that they want to bring the league to 16 teams. So which team will it be?  In my opinion, there are three major competitors for the last team; Mayagüez FC, Fort Lauderdale, and San Antonio. I'll cover all three.

Mayagüez FC is a club that is located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 2004 an seems like an experienced club with many youth teams. It is currently part of Puerto Rico Soccer League and formerly the Liga Nacional de Futbol de Puerto Rico. They would most likely be in a "Caribbean Division" along with Barracuda FC, Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, and Sevilla FC Puerto Rico. This would be a good fit geographically as it is close to all of the other four Caribbean clubs. This is a club with some history and would be helping the USL spread its wings farther out in the Caribbean.

The second possible expansion is a club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Fort Lauderdale has quite a history with soccer. It had a successful North American Soccer League club, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, that lasted from 1977 until the league suspended its operations in 1984. The city also had a revival of the Strikers in 1988 in the American Soccer League and won a championship in 1989, until it folded in 1994. Then the third version of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers was brought back a year later in the United States International Soccer League (the predecessor to the USL). The teams all had successful campaigns, but the inconsistencies with the leagues can be a little misleading. I think a team in Fort Lauderdale would work well. With a potential rivalry with Orlando City S.C. and a strong population of people from soccer loving nations, a fourth revival of the Strikers could be the most successful yet.

The third potential candidate is San Antonio. San Antonio has a huge hispanic population which would give them a good chance. A battle will go on for the first franchise in San Antonio which has huge potential for a successful soccer franchise. Which begs the question; Will the MLS come calling? It would seem a solid candidate for at least a USL team, but I think that San Antonio could have a successful MLS franchise with natural rivalries with Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas. But as for a USL franchise, it would be a great hand into the west for the USL Pro which currently only has one team west of Ohio.

The United Soccer Leagues have made many smart decisions since the founding of the organization in 1986 as the SWISL, and the expansion to the USL Pro is a great move. I like the idea of having one big league instead of multiple smaller leagues, and it will be more interesting for the fans. Though it may be far off, a merge with the MLS to make a relegation system would be nice. But that would require the advancement of the USL into a league with teams that can compete on a consistent basis with MLS franchises; on the basis of teams and fan support. But even a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and expansion is that first step.

Former Furman Star Clint Dempsey Tearing Up the EPL

Former Furman University standout Clint Dempsey is becoming a strong force for his English Premier League side, Fulham. Dempsey is quickly turning into a fan favorite and star for the English club, and is on the way to setting his own personal record of goals in a season for Fulham (9).

Dempsey played three seasons for the Furman Paladins and started in 61 of 62 games. He scored 17 goals in all of his appearances. He played alongside his United States National team teammate, Ricardo Clark in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. This could be considered one of the greatest college soccer teams in the history of the state of South Carolina, taking into account it had two future national team players. The two have combined for 21 goals for the USMNT.

Fulham is on the brink of relegation, and Dempsey is trying to lead them through their eighth season in the top level of English football and on to their ninth. Fulham is currently 17th in the Premier league, and therefore safe from relegation for now. The club has held this streak of eight consecutive seasons in the Premier League since the 2001-2002 season, and hopes to carry this out for many years to come. Fulham gained top flight status for the first time since 1968 in 2001. Dempsey has scored 6 goals in 17 appearances for Fulham this season, which is first on the team. Not only is he leading in goals, but he is third on the team in assists with 2.

It would be not only devastating for the club to be dropped Football League Championship, but for U.S. soccer itself. Clint Dempsey is one of the top players in U.S. soccer, and to keep form we need to have our top players playing against the best players in the entire world, in one of the top leagues in the world. Let's face it, playing against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United is better than playing Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers, and Cardiff City.

With other United States players, like Stuart Holden, Tim Howard, Jonathan Spector, and Dempsey's teammate Eddie Johnson playing in the English Premier League, the U.S. can only improve. You know what they say, to be the best, you have to beat the best.