Battery-Railhawks Draw, Davies is Back, and the USMNT is Serious

Yesterday the Battery traveled up to Cary, North Carolina for a preseason friendly, at Wakemed Soccer Park against the NASL's Carolina Railhawks.

The game would end in a 0-0 draw. Neither team threatened very much, and the Railhawks would "dominate" (well as you could in this game anyway) the possession in the offensive third. The lack of attacking is typical in these preseason games, and I would take this result with a grain of salt.

Last night Charlie Davies made his debut for DC United against the Columbus Crew, in a game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Davies would enter in the 56th minute, as a sub in the second half for Joseph Ngwenya. In the 63rd minute he would get his chance to make this debut one to remember.

Chris Pontius was pulled down in the box, and Davies would step up to take this PK for United. He buried it to the bottom right.  He wasn't done. Not by a long shot.

In the 77th minute Davies collected a long ball and ran past the Columbus keeper to put his total for the day up to two.

In an emotional post game interview, Davies said:

"This has been like a storybook tonight. I don’t think you could write this stuff. You can’t make this up, and once the whistle blew I was so relieved that we had won. I looked at the fans and that’s when the emotion hit me. I thought to myself, look at the support, look at how much people wanted me to succeed. To score two goals on my debut after a year and a half out, it’s honestly amazing. I knew I was ready, and I knew that I wanted the opportunity, but it feels great to seize the moment. To survive the [car] accident and still be able to play soccer, it seems like there is a reason why it happened and this goes to show that with faith and belief that you can achieve the impossible. Tonight it feels like I achieved the impossible."

This was Davies first game for a first team squad since the car accident that he was in, in 2009.

It is rumored that the United States Men's Team will be playing a scrimmage against world champions, Spain in Foxboro, Massachusetts on June 4th, 2011.

This match would be the last game before the CONCACAF Gold Cup that the United States is hosting in the summer of 2011.

If this match is played, it will be the last in a line up of tough teams that the US has faced since the World Cup. Some of the highlights are Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay.

The US is really getting serious in these friendlies. We haven't been seeing too many match ups against the top teams in the world for the United States, and this line up of teams coming to the US, could get more people interested in the team, and get them more media coverage. When you play teams that are this well recognized, there are no negatives.

The USMNT will be playing Argentina on March 26th at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, and Paraguay on the 29th at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee.

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

Charleston Battery: Two New Signings, Charleston 2-0 Clemson

Just prior to the Charleston Batttery's scrimmage with the Clemson Tigers, two new signings were officially announced. Two Jamaicans, Dane Kelly and Evan Taylor, signed with the Battery after good trials and performances in the Carolina Challenge Cup.

Dane Kelly is coming to the Battery from Tivoli Gardens FC in the Jamaican National Premier League. This is the top flight of Jamaican football. Kelly was the leading scorer of the JNPL last year with 15 goals. Kelly is a forward who has shown his ability to score the ball for the Battery. On Wednesday night Kelly played for Charleston against Toronto FC, scoring a goal and drawing a penalty that would win the game.

Midfielder Evan Taylor, another Jamaican, joins Charleston from another JNPL team, Reno FC. He played in 76 matches for Reno and scored 6 goals. He has also made 11 appearances for the Jamaican Senior National Team, as well as 8 for the U20. He scored no goals in all 19 of those appearances. Taylor also played for the Battery in the CCC, where he proved his worth to the team.

Kelly is one of the players I am most excited to see this season. He has a creative touch and flair, with excellent finishing. He has shown that he can play with MLS competition, so he is a great addition for the Battery. He also deepens the Battery's position with the least depth, forward.

Taylor is a nice addition to the Battery's roster as well. Adding to the midfield was something that Charleston needed to deepen as well.

Both of these players are young, fresh talents that will hopefully be effective for the Battery. And one of the players is already making an effect.

In the Battery's first preseason match of the season, (excluding the CCC) Charleston defeated a Clemson University at Blackbaud Stadium. The final score was 2-0 to the Battery. The first goal came in the first half by Seedy Bah to put the Battery up 1-0. The second came from none other than Dane Kelly. The goal was scored in the second half.

The Battery's next preseason match is against the Carolina Railhawks. This is an away match for the Battery and will be played this coming Saturday, March 19th.

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