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

Oh What a Night: Charleston 2-1 TFC

Earlier tonight, the Charleston Battery defeated Toronto FC 2-1 in the 2011 Carolina Challenge Cup. The Battery gained a victory in the Challenge Cup for the first time since 2006. The Battery came back from an early 1-0 deficit for a comeback victory.

The first goal of the game came in the14th minute, after the Battery's Nigel Marples got a hand ball in the box giving TFC a penalty. Toronto's Nathan Sturgis calmly stepped up and converted the penalty to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.

Charleston's Dane Kelly was arguably the man of the match. He caused consistent problems for TFC's back line, and in the 43rd minute, Kelly scored a cracker of a goal from the edge of the penalty area. As Kelly continued to cause problems, Toronto couldn't really find an answer at all. Mikael Yourassowsky was moved from left back to centre back for the second half, and fouled Kelly in the box giving Charleston a PK. Mike Zaher stepped up to take the penalty, and missed on his first attempt, but calmly put in the rebound over Toronto's Stefan Frei. Though they pushed forward for the remainder of the game, Toronto couldn't find an equalizer, and the Battery would go on to win by a final of 2-1.

This was a great game for the Battery. Obviously getting any points against an MLS team is a big accomplishment, but winning a match against one is just a great confidence boost. Kelly was the best player on the field, and could really be a great asset for the Battery this season. All in all, it was a great performance and our boys can go home with their heads held high, while Toronto is left trying to find themselves.

Toronto got their first goal in the Carolina Challenge Cup since the 2009 edition of the tournament, but they have to be asking themselves, "What's going on?" Their squad is not showing much promise, and honestly, I could see them finishing last in the MLS. They have some big questions to answer.

In the first game of the two-game session, DC defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0. DC's Blake Brettschneider scored the only goal of the match in the 10th minute, with a header off a Santino Quaranta free-kick. Chicago again had to play most of the match short-handed, when Diego Chaves got sent off in the 37th minute. Chicago apparently has a problem with getting players sent off.

DC Defeats Charleston 2-1, Fire Down TFC

In the opening set of games of the 8th edition of the annual Carolina Challenge Cup, was played Saturday night DC United defeated the Charleston Battery. Charleston went down early after Chris Pontius scored a goal in the 4th minute on after breaking on goal and with a clinical finish put it in the back of the net. In the 15th minute, the Battery got their equalizer when Brandon Massie was brought down in the penalty box. Stephen Armstrong was elected to take the penalty and putting in the bottom right to tie it up. United controlled most of the game and got a majority of the chances, and they finally got the eventual winner in the 71st minute after Josh Wolf assisted Joseph Ngwenya for a goal to put United up 2-1.

In the end, the boys put up a good fight. Honestly I didn't expect to win, but to score the opening goal of the season against an MLS side is a great accomplishment. We definitely got outplayed, and that was to be expected, but we should go away from this with their heads held up.

Before the DC and the Battery played, Chicago Fire SC played the Canadian side, Toronto FC. The only goal of the game was scored in the 6th minute by the Fire's Marco Papa, assisted by Davis Paul. The Fire's Logan Pause was sent off in the first half, forcing Chicago to play the rest of the game with 10 men. Pause is the Fire's captain.

This was a successful first night of the week long round-robin tournament. A great crowd was on hand to watch the two games, and hopefully the crowds will be just as good for the next couple of sets of games.

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.