US Open Cup, Lamar Neagle, Charleston-Harrisburg Highlights, and More

Alright I've been silent for a while but here's a little bit of what's going on:

• Open Cup Pairings have been released. Looks like the Battery will get to face a USASA opponent in Regals FC. This team is from southern Texas and I know absolutely nothing about them; not that I would have known anything about any of the other teams, but I'll try to get as much information on them as possible. Looks like if we win that match, we'll face the ASC New Stars (another USASA team) and Orlando City. Our matches with City could end up being very, very, very important.
• Former Battery forward, Lamar Neagle, scored a cracker in the Sounders match at Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. If you didn't see the goal, here it is, plus a match recap with a short interview with Lamar. It starts around the 4 minute mark:

• Here are the highlights from Saturdays match with the Harrisburg City Islanders. I'll post a full video of the scrap with the Islanders later:



• The "More" part of the title of this article is this: I am just so ready to watch the USMNT play this summer. The friendly with Spain and then the Gold Cup will just be great.

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Battery Rally Again and Lamar Neagle

Alright the Battery came back once again to defeat Harrisburg 2-1. Recap tomorrow.
Lamar Neagle finally got on the board out in Seattle, check it out:

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Lamar Neagle Plays in Sounders Loss

Tonight the Seattle Sounders lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on a Juninho goal in the 57th minute. The goal was assisted by Landon Donovan. The Sounders had many subs throughout the course of the second half trying to get some fresh legs in and equalize. They were not successful. Former Charleston Battery player Lamar Neagle was subbed in for White O'brian in the 78th minute.

Neagle played well in the short time he had to prove himself. He got involved, getting a few touches, and was caught offside in the 86th minute. Neagle drew a free kick for the Sounders in added time. He was fouled by none other than David Beckham. This freekick was one of the last chances in the match for Seattle to equalize.

Neagle played alongside another former Battery player, Osvaldo Alonso. Alonso was with the Battery during the 2008 USL-1 season. He scored 7 goals in 31 appearances for Charleston. He has been with Seattle since the 2009 season.

Alonso took most of the corner kicks for the Sounders throughout the game. Osvaldo took one shot during the game, but it went off target.

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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.

 

Lamar Neagle Goal Video, Central SC Cobras Open Tryouts, and No NASL Teams in the Open Cup?

Okay so if everyone has settled down about this whole NASL-teams-not-in-the-US-Open-Cup thing, let me explain to you why: You can't create controversy and then expect to be rewarded for it.

Now I like the NASL, I like the teams, I like the fans, I like the friendly rivalry it creates with the USL, but you can't cause all of this controversy and expect the USSF to say, "Hey the NASL has been such a problem, but let's let them participate in the one thing we can hold over their heads to make them do what we want anyway." Now if you understood the message being conveyed in that run-on sentence, you should understand that the USSF is dealing with the NASL like they would a child. They're shaking their finger in the NASL's face and saying bad boy. You don't give your child a lollipop right after they have done something bad right? But it is the right thing to do. I'm not saying it best for the growth of soccer right now, but in the long term it will have been the right decision. If they had not punished the NASL, this could lead to the leagues having more power than the federation, which is definitely not a situation we want to find ourselves in.

In the NASL's defense, they did not punish the USL for the whole ordeal went on last year, but then again it wasn't as much of the leagues' faults as it was the teams that left the USL. And also the USSF did "provisionally sanction" the NASL for this season. For those that don't know about the controversy last year between the NASL and USL here's a summary from Wikipedia:

"The USL has issued several press releases questioning the legality of the teams choosing to break away, suggesting that litigation to protect its interests and those of the USL-1 teams from any breach of contract is imminent.^[19] The USL has also claimed that the NASL and the TOA ownership group "is tortuously [Sic] interfering with USL-1 team owners that are contractually obligated to participate in the 2010 season" and "has made several misleading statements in a variety of press releases to taint the reputation of USL and its long history of developing the sport of soccer in the United States and Canada".^[20]

The NASL disagrees with the USL assessment, and the USL has not filed suit against the new league as a whole. The USL sued three of the constituent teams (Crystal Palace Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Rochester) for breach of contract, claiming that the teams had committed to playing in USL in 2010.^[21][22] However on December 21, 2009 the suits were dropped in favor of binding arbitration.^[23]

In January 2010, after announcing that it would not sanction either the NASL or the USL First Division for 2010, the USSF announced that it would be running a second-tier league in 2010, putting the NASL on hold for at least a year. The USSF Division 2 Professional League includes teams from both the NASL and USL-1.

Controversy has continued to surround both the NASL and the USL through the 2010 temporary USSF D-2 Pro League season and in the lead up a 2011 compromise on Tier 2 and Tier 3 soccer in the United States, as the leagues have fought for the loyalty of various clubs. Most recently, USL's Puerto Rico Islanders joined NASL, while a founding member of the NASL, the Rochester Rhinos, returned to the USL in October."

Well now that my rant is over, on to some news:

In one of my posts a couple of days ago, I mentioned that former Charleston Battery player, Lamar Neagle, scored a goal in a scrimmage with Real Salt Lake. Here's a recap of the match, and the goal that Lamar scored is included.

Today Central SC Cobras FC held open tryouts, and also announced that their first practice will be held on March 1st, and that more open tryouts are to come. After all of the open tryouts, a list of players who have accepted roster spots will be announced.

Sorry about the rant today guys, but what do you think about the NASL not being allowed to play in the Open Cup? Leave a comment in the comment section below.

If you need to contact me, you can by e-mailing me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.

Lamar Neagle Playing in Preseason Matches for Seattle Sounders FC

Former Battery player Lamar Neagle, who played on last year's USL Second Division Championship team, is training with Seattle Sounders FC for the upcoming Major League Soccer season. He has been with the Sounders for the entirety of their training camp this year in Arizona.

In a game against Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, Lamar Neagle got the Sounders on their way to a 3-3 draw. In the 3rd minute, Lamar picked off a lazy pass and put it past the keeper and to the far post. Fredy Montero was subbed in for Lamar in the second half.

On Thursday Neagle also got playing time in a match against the Columbus Crew.Yesterday, Neagle got in and played for the entire second half. He was put in for Alvaro Fernandez in the 46th minute. If Lamar does make the first team, he will be playing with former Charleston defender Osvaldo Alonso.

Overall I'm happy for Lamar, though I would have liked to see him playing at the 'Baud this season. Neagle along with Heinemann and others will be hard to replace.

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

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.

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.

Top Ten South Carolina Soccer Stories of 2010: 6-4

Yesterday we reviewed  the 10-7 soccer stories in South Carolina this year. Here is 6-4:

• 6: Columbia Gets a Women's Team: This year Columbia, South Carolina got a USL W-League franchise in the Central SC Cobras. The Cobras are set to start play in 2011. The official announcement is expected to come in February. The team has already had some tryouts and hopefully this team will be a great addition to the  growth of the game in South Carolina.
• 5: Lamar Neagle Comes to the Battery and Leads the Team: In 2009 Lamar Neagle played for the MLS side, Seattle Sounders FC, came to Charleston for the 2010 USL Second Division season. He lead the Battery with 14 goals in 24 appearances. Neagle also won the Scoring Champion and Goal Scoring Champion for the USL Second Division. He was named to USL All-League First Team and was the USL-2 MVP. He became an integral part of the Battery's USL Second Divison Championship. But we'll get to that later.
• 4: Carolina Challenge Cup Returns to Charleston: In 2010 the seventh edition of the annual Carolina Challenge Cup returned to Blackbaud Stadium, bringing in three Major League Soccer Sides. This year the tournament was highlighted by 2009 MLS champions, Real Salt Lake, coming to Charleston. They came along with Charleston's MLS rival, DC United, and Canadian side, Toronto FC. The tournament was a success with the average attendance being 4,326 spectators per match. DC United took home the title.