Midday Thoughts: US Open Cup USL vs. Sounders

Well, well, well. The Richmond Kickers are the last USL Pro team left in the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After defeating the Dayton Dutch Lions, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the Columbus Crew, and Sporting KC, the Kickers will face the Chicago Fire for a chance to play the winner of Seattle/Dallas for the National Title.
So here is where I am torn.

For those of you who don't know, the Sounders are my favorite club, save the Battery. I have family out in Seattle, and have been to many Sounders games while visiting them so it seemed like a natural fit.

Hypothetically, we could have a Seattle Sounders-Richmond Kickers final. This would be my worst nightmare. Well maybe not the worst, but its up there.

Now I would always cheer for the USL against the MLS in every situation, except this. Sorry guys, but I despise the Kickers with a passion, and I love the Sounders (also with a passion). I'm all for an USL side winning the Open Cup, but I can't cheer for the Kickers, and I can't cheer against the Sounders.

Let's just wait and see what happens.

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Battery Rally Again to Defeat Harrisburg 2-1

Last night in front of 3,715 spectators at Blackbaud Stadium, the Charleston Battery rallied once again to defeat the Harrisburg City Islanders 2-1.

The Battery gave up another early goal in the 6th minute, when Jose Angulo headed in a David Schofield cross into the back of the net.

The Battery would stay off the board until the 60th minute, when it got interesting.

Dane Kelly chased down a ball in the box and collided with the Islanders goalkeeper Chase Harrison. The Battery were rewarded with a PK, but a scuffle ensued and two players were ejected. For the Islanders, Stephen Basso and Charleston's Dane Kelly were both sent off. Stephen Armstrong would step up and slot the equalizer in.

Nicki Paterson used a Seedy Bah assist to get the game winner in the 86th minute.

Coming back from early deficits is becoming a theme in the Battery's season, and it would make me nervous if they weren't winning.

The scrap that went on in the 60th minute was interesting to say the least. A rivalry is budding between these two teams, and it will be interesting to see what happens when the Battery travel up to play the Islanders on their home turf.

Man of the Match: Nicki Paterson
Paterson has really been rock-solid this whole year, and another good performance gets him the nod from me for Man of the Match. The goal, the passing, all quality.

Charleston's next match will be on Friday at FC New York, and then they will head on down to Harrisburg for a match on Saturday night. That will be interesting. Both matches can be heard on 1340 AM in Charleston and on the Battery's website.

Here are highlights from the match versus Richmond on Tuesday night:

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Battery End Scoring Drought, Hand Richmond First Loss

Well we can all take a breather now.

Tuesday night the Battery scored their first goal (plus another as a bonus) in 500+ minutes to defeat the undefeated Richmond Kickers. The Kicker's goal came from Matthew Delicate, while the Battery's pair came from Dane Kelly and Jon (apparently now JD?) Gruenwald.

I'm going defer this recap, and post the Battery's, and No Quarter's.

Man of the Match: JD Gruenwald
This is a tough decision, but I'll have to go with Gruenwald simply because he scored the goal that gave Charleston the win. Honorable mention definitely goes to Dane Kelly for finally putting the Battery on the board, as well as Nicki Paterson for setting up Gruenwald on the second goal.

Sorry to have such a poor recap here. I was going to release this with some highlights, but USL Live isn't putting the Battery's matches in the archives very quickly. As soon as that comes out I'll have some though.

The Battery will face the Harrisburg City Islanders this Saturday in a home fixture at Blackbaud Stadium. The match will kick at 7:30 PM and will be broadcast on USL Live.

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Charleston-Wilmington Recap and Charleston-Richmond Preview

Wilmington Defeats Charleston
The Battery headed up to Wilmington yesterday, and had to come home with a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Hammerheads. This loss drops Charleston to 5th place in the American Division with only 11 points in 9 matches.

Wilmington dominated the first 30 minutes or so, getting 3 corners and putting 2 shots on goal. They broke through in the 27th minute when Luke Mulholland knocked it in the back of the net off a pass from Andriy Budnyy.

Charleston would get a couple of chances, but they were few and far between. The best chance of the half came when JC Mack took a shot from outside of the eighteen that would sail just wide. This gave Wilmington the slight advantage at the half.

The Battery would put pressure on Wilmington in the second half, and thought they had equalized in the 72nd minute when Nicki Paterson volleyed a ball in from close range, off a scramble from a long throw in. After looking at the replay on USL Live, it is definitely not offsides. Paterson was even with one of the Wilmington players, and behind another. If you're interested in watching it yourself, go to the archived game on USL Live and the disallowed goal is around the 1:33 mark.

After John Wilson was sent off for a reckless tackle, the Battery's hopes were dashed. Wilmington would add two goals in the 85th and 90th minutes. The first was scored by Luke Mulholland and the second came from Jack Avisyan.

Goals will come, goals will come.

PS: Great showing by both the Wilmington fans, and the Regiment which made a bus trip up to Legion Stadium and the presence in the stadium was felt.

Scoring Summary	Goal (Assist)	Minute
Wilmington Hammerheads	Mulholland (Budnyy)	27
Wilmington Hammerheads	Mulholland	85
Wilmington Hammerheads	Aviyson	90
Team Summary	Wilmington Hammerheads
Players Brock Duckworth, Tom Parrat (Jack Aviyson 78), Gareth Evans, Ivan Beccera, Ryan Riley, Luke Mulholland (Wolfe Tanner 86), Paul Nicholson, Manny Guzman (Tom Taylor 70), Alex Grendi, Andriy Budnyy (Andres Curro 72), Chris Banks (Jyler Noviello 81) Players Not Used - Kyle Polack, Chris Murray SHOTS: 8 (Mulholland 5); SAVES: 2 (Duckworth 2); FOULS: 5; CORNER KICKS: 5; OFFSIDES: 0; PENALTY KICKS: (NONE); CAUTIONS: Parrat 45; EJECTIONS: (NONE)
Team Summary	Charleston Battery
Players Keith Wiggans, Colin Falvey, John Wilson, Nigel Marples, Mark Wiltse, Evan Taylor, Cole Peverley (Zach Prince 59), Nicki Paterson, JC Mack (Stephen Armstrong 71), Diego Walsh (Alex Caskey 81), Brandon Massie (Seedy Bah 74) Players Not Used - Jon Gruenewald, Sean Flatley, Kevin Jackson SHOTS: 5 (Massie 3); SAVES: 3 (Wiggans 3); FOULS: 7 (Taylor 2); CORNER KICKS: 3; OFFSIDES: 2; PENALTY KICKS: (NONE); CAUTIONS: Wilson 28, Marples 38, Taylor 55; EJECTIONS: Wilson 78

Charleston-Richmond Preview:
The Battery will again try to break their scoreless streak, this time at home against the Richmond Kickers.
Richmond Kickers:
This Season: The Kickers are still undefeated through seven matches, and have earned 19 points, which is good enough for 2nd place in the American Division. The second place standing is a little misleading, considering that league-leading Orlando City has played nine games to Richmond's seven.
Who's Playing Big: Matthew Delicate is still playing big, and is second in the league in goals. Other contributors such as Shaka Bangura and David Bulow (Each has 3 goals) have been contributing as well.
Who Need's to Step Up: Let me be blunt. This a well-oiled machine, and is they have the best side in the league. Goals come easy, defending comes even easier, we should be seeing Richmond go very far this year.
What to Expect:
Once again, it is looking like the old 4-4-2:

Wiggans

Marples Falvey Flatley Wiltse

Paterson Walsh Taylor Armstrong

Bah Mack

With Dykstra still out, Wiggans will get another start between the pipes.

Charleston's back is leaking oil, and will be much different from matches past. Wilson is out because of the straight red he received on Saturday. Zaher and Dugoni did not make the trip to Wilmington on Saturday, so they are both out. So Marples and Falvey stay on, while Flatley and Wiltse get rare starts.

The midfield is ailing as well. Peverley has been called up by the New Zealand National Team (We're very proud!), so he won't be available. New addition Diego Walsh played well Saturday, and should get the start along with Paterson, Taylor, and Armstrong.

Levi Coleman and Dane Kelly did not make the trip to Wilmington, so, barring a pair of surprise returns, we won't be seeing either of them. Looks like we'll see Seedy Bah and the versatile JC Mack will slide into those positions.

This may very well be Charleston's toughest match of the year. They're up against the best team in the league and have 6 players out. Hopefully they can find a point some how, but it's not looking to good.

The match will be broadcast on USL Live, and the Charleston Battery's twitter will be giving constant updates as well.

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USL Derby's: Are There Any True Rivalries in the League?

I've been wanting to write this piece for awhile, but with the Portland Timbers-Seattle Sounders match this previous Saturday, it seemed like the perfect time.
Let's start with a fact: Rivalries are crucial to all sports.

Major League Baseball has the Yankees and the Red Sox, the NBA has the Celtics and the Lakers, college football has Michigan-Ohio State, and the list goes on and on. But in soccer, there is something special.


The derby (pronounced darby) is something that is unique to soccer, and is exhibited in leagues all around the world. Barcelona-Real Madrid, Manchester United-Manchester City, Celtic-Rangers, I could name them all day, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.

What I'm trying to get at here is; Are there any real derby's in the USL? And the answer is a challenge.
You may be wondering, "Why the USL? What about the MLS? There are plenty of clubs that have a hatred for each other in the top league."

Well a couple of reasons. First off, its the league I cover, so I know the more about it than a lot of other leagues, and also the USL has been around longer than the MLS, so they've had more time for the rivalries to develop.

Plus their are only two real rivalries in the MLS, the Rocky Mountain Cup between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids, and the Cascadia Cup which involves the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps.
The latter laid its ground in the NASL in the 70's and 80's, but developed in the USL in the late 90's and early 2000's. So its obvious that the USL can support rivalries, and that they aren't always friendly.
Right now the rivalries are a little more laid back, and are a lot more likely to be discussed between the sides over a couple of drinks in the parking lot before the match than in previous years. But inside the stadium and within the various forms of internet taunting we still see some bad blood between a couple of teams.

The Battery are involved in the Southern Derby, which currently also includes the Charlotte Eagles and Wilmington Hammerheads. Other teams that have participated in the past are; the Raleigh Express, Atlanta Silverbacks, and the Carolina Railhawks. This derby was completely fan-started and fan-based. Here's an article on No Quarter about it.

Most of the others are pretty obvious, but not really official. You have the North Carolina Derby between the Eagles and the Hammerheads, and a brand new one up in Pennsylvania that's contested between the Harrisburg City Islanders and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Another rivalry/derby of note, is the most historic USL rivalry of all time. The Richmond Kickers and the Charleston Battery have played each other 42 times dating back to 1993. It couldn't be any closer, as both teams hold the same record (19-19-4) in this rivalry. They will face one more time this season to decide who will take the edge.

Luckily for the fans in Chucktown, we have a few matches to look forward to every year that can be considered "derby's" or "rivalries." They may not be what they have over in Europe, but its our own little slice of what the rest of the world gets to enjoy.

(Sorry about the formatting issues if there are any, Blogger seems to be having some technical difficulties.)

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USL Pro: Week 4 Observations

Once again here's my review of the on-goings in the USL Pro last week:

• Kickers Stay Undefeated: In Richmond's first road match of the season, they faced the Dayton Dutch Lions at Miami Valley South Stadium. And they won it convincingly, 6-0. What a result. This team is hot, and there's a reason why; They're the best team. The Kickers are getting quality play from everywhere, and the Kickers will easily cruise to the American Division title if they keep this form.
• Battery Gain 4 Points in Two Matches: Charleston played two matches this weekend, one on Friday and one on Saturday. The first match was a 2-1 victory against the Charlotte Eagles in a match played in Rock Hill. The second was a home match for the Battery against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Battery out shot the 'Hounds 17-6, but couldn't find the back of the net and the match ended in a scoreless draw.
• Wilmington Continue Hot Streak: The Hammerheads have opened the season with two straight wins, and this 3-1 result against Pittsburgh can only boost their confidence. Late goals from Paul Nicholson and Alex Grendi put the Hammerheads over the Riverhounds, and gave Wilmington their second win of their young season. We will see what they are really made of when they travel to Richmond next week.
• FC New York Score First Goal, But Can't Hold Off City: New York got their first goal from Owen Morrison in the 54th minute of their home opener. But the capacity crowd would go home unhappy with New York losing on two Orlando City goals.
• News for Both Lions: On the Orlando City side, we have City signing two new players, forward Dennis Chin and former College of Charleston player Justin Fojo. Over in Dayton, the Dutch Lions have announced a benefit match for the Connor Senn Memorial Fund, where they will play the Ohio State University. The match will be played in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, which is where the Ohio State soccer and lacrosse teams play.
• Blues Drop Home Opener to 'Cudas: Antigua Barracuda FC spoiled the Blues' party on Sunday when they sent LA home with a loss in their first ever home match. Stefan Smith would get the only goal in the match to bring his scoring total for the year up to 3.

Biggest Surprise: Richmond dismantiling Dayton
Now the result of the match wasn't surprising (as most people would agree that Richmond was the favorite), but for Richmond to lay the smack down on Dayton this bad is surprising. The goals came from Nyazamba, Heins,  Bulow, Bangura, with Matthew Delicate also adding two goals to his season tally. This was the biggest defeat for any team in the league this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Blues lose their home opener
The LA Blues have been playing great all season, and even had a win at Antigua Barracuda, but they couldn't find the net even once during their home opener. I fully expected the Blues to come out and play with the same quality they have been playing on their trip in the Caribbean, but apparently that was not the case.
Player of the Week: Matthew Delicate
Delicate continues to put balls in the back of the net. Delicate has scored a league leading 4 goals in his 5 games with the Kickers this season and a two-goal performance against Dayton last weekend can only help his case for USL Pro Player of the Year.

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USL Pro: Week 3 Observations

The USL Pro concluded their 4th week of play on Saturday. Bullet time:

• Richmond Defeats Battery: In a match with two candidates for the best team in the USL Pro, we had Charleston fall to Richmond 2-1. Charleston gained an early lead on a Levi Coleman header, but eventually the Kickers got the victory after goals from two subs, David Bulow and Shaka Bangura. Here's a video of Richmond's two goals.
• From Roberto Clemente Stadium to... Roberto Clemente Stadium?: This week we had the odd situation of the LA Blues playing two teams from Puerto Rico, in one stadium. Both Puerto Rico United and River Plate Puerto Rico are playing their home games in Roberto Clemente Stadium (a baseball stadium). The stadium is in Carolina, Puerto Rico and holds 12,500. The real home of these teams are a good ways away from Roberto Clemente Stadium, which causes the attendances to be, well awful. Puerto Rico United's home is in Aguada, around a 2 hour drive from Roberto Clemente, while River Plate's home is in Fajardo a 45 minute drive from their home stadium. Hopefully this problem with the Puerto Rican teams will be fixed in the next couple of months.
• FC New York and Charlotte both get their first points: Two teams that look to be bottom dwellers in this year's USL Pro both got their first point of the season, when they drew 0-0 at Charlotte Christian Stadium. Both teams desperately needed at least a point in this match, and in that sense they both succeeded, but obviously scoring is going to have to come if they want to find success. Neither team has scored a goal yet.
• Barracuda FC gets first win of the season: Stefan Smith, an Antigua native, helped the Barracudas to their first win of the season, by scoring two goals in a 3-2 victory over Sevilla FC Puerto Rico. A great story for the only Antiguan team in the USL Pro. Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was "jubilant" for the teams first ever win in league play.
• Rhinos Back on Track: Rochester won their first game of the season Saturday, 3-2 against the Dayton Dutch Lions. Goals from Alfonso Motagalvan, JC Banks, and Anthony Hamilton gave the Rhinos the win on another rainy night at Miami Valley South Stadium. Hopefully this doesn't become a trend, as the turf makes playing at Dayton on a rainy night quite a challenge.

Biggest Surprise: Puerto Rico United earns a draw at Orlando City.
This was the biggest surprise result, as Puerto Rico United still looks to be a bit of a mess, and hasn't won a match all year. You can increase the amount of surprise when you consider that United played the last 10 minutes or so with only 10 men. This one ended 2-2 with goals for City coming both from Max Griffin, and the two for United coming from Eduardo Silva and Christian Turizo. On a side note, Orlando continues to draw crowds of 7,000+. Good work.
Biggest Disappointment: Charlotte and FC New York Draw at 0-0
I expected Charlotte and FC New York both to at least put up a bit of a fight, but it looked like this was for the most part a snooze-fest. We have two teams that look to finish at the bottom of the table, and neither team can get a goal. Depending on how you look at it, it could be disappointing or what you expected, but for me it seems like we could have at least had a couple of balls put into the back of the net.
Player of the Week: Stefan Smith-Antigua Barracuda FC
Stefan Smith scored two goals in Barracuda FC's first league win in their history, earning him player of the week honors in my opinion. Smith scored two goals in the 19th and the 21st minute, giving the Barracuda's the lead after going down 1-0 early. It would have been easy for Antigua to fold up like a cheap tent, but Smith helped them keep steady and make the comeback.

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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'
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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.

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USL Pro: Week 3 Observations

After missing last week, I'm back for another edition of my weekly look at the results of the USL Pro's matches.

This weekend we had a huge slate of matches that started on Friday night with two matches, Rochester @ Richmond, and LA @ Sevilla FC.

Richmond defeated Rochester on Friday with another goal from Matthew Delicate. Delicate is making an early case for the USL Pro Player of the Year, as this is his 3rd goal in three games. The big surprise for Rochester would come on Sunday afternoon, but we'll get to that a little later.

The expansion LA Blues shocked the league when they went down to Sevilla FC and just demolished the hosts 3-0. This was a shock as many (including myself) had the Blues finishing in the lower half of the league.

On Saturday, the day was highlighted by torrential rains all across the east coast, postponing two games (Harrisburg @ Pittsburgh and Rochester @ Wilmington). Harrisburg and Pittsburgh are yet to reschedule this match, while Rochester and Wilmington would play on Sunday afternoon.

The two games that were played were Orlando City @ Charlotte and Charleston @ Dayton.

Orlando City traveled up to Charlotte to face the Eagles, who were playing their home opener. Orlando City showed that they are for real, and defeated Charlotte on a goal from Rob Valentino. Orlando City is making a strong case for a playoff spot.

Charleston headed up to Dayton, and defeated the Lions in their home opener 2-1. Here's a full recap.

On Sunday, we had the make up match between Wilmington and Rochester, as well as the Blues second game at Barracuda FC.

Wilmington gained their first points of the season in a 1-0 victory on a Luke Mulholland goal in the second half. This was the Rhinos second straight loss in 3 days.

The LA Blues gained their second win on Sunday night, on 2 set piece goals, against Antigua Barracuda FC. This was Barracuda FC's first game of the year, so it is no time for hitting the panic button.

Biggest Surprise: LA Blues winning their first 2 games
Los Angeles was looking at a brand new team, with brand new players, and in a brand new league. But they have taken the International Division over in their matches this week. Defeating two of the better Caribbean teams is no easy task. Especially when playing away for both matches.
Biggest Disappointment: Rochester Rhinos losing their first 2 games
Rochester was looking to win the National Division this year, but now their fans might have a little doubt. To lose their first two games without scoring a single goal is a cause for some concern. Now the first one wasn't a bad loss (Richmond looks to be one of the hottest teams in the league), but the loss to Wilmington isn't a good sign.
Player of the Week: Walter Gaitan-Los Angeles Blues
No questions here. Gaitan had 3 goals in his two matches with the Blues. His first goal came against Sevilla FC on Friday night in stoppage time, while his next two would come in their match with Antigua Barracuda FC. The first came off a free kick, while the second came from the penalty spot. LA needed to find someone who could consistently put the ball in the back of the net early this season, and I think they've found their man.

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USL Pro Week 2: What to Watch For

After a successful opening weekend of the inaugural USL Pro season, the second set of games is set to kick off this weekend. Bullet time:

• Can Richmond continue their early success?: I would think so. Richmond dominated a solid Orlando City side last Saturday, and their attack is looking dangerous. Last week's USL Pro Player of the Week, Mike Callahan, returns to the line up for Richmond after an admirable effort last week. They will host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Saturday, April 9th at City Stadium.
• Will FC New York be successful this year?: An expansion franchise's first season is usually rough, even harder when you start from scratch. FC New York's debut will be down in the Citrus Bowl, when they play Orlando City SC this Saturday. New York is bringing a young team to the pitch this year, but have some experience in captain Paul Shaw, who played for many years over in England. City is looking to rebound off a loss to Richmond.
• Can Puerto Rico United find chemistry early in the season?: We'll see what happens, but United is my choice for last in the International Division. Their whole team looks to be a mess, and especially so in the midfield. They will host Sevilla FC Puerto Rico, who played River Plate Puerto Rico level last weekend. Sevilla looks to have a team that could compete for an International Division Championship.
• Will Charleston open up the season with a win?: Come back to the blog tomorrow for my preview and thoughts of the game.

Luckily, 3 of the 4 games this weekend will be broadcasted live on USLLive.com. The only exception to this will be Richmond vs. Pittsburgh.

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USL Pro: Week 1 Observations

Well we have finished the first round of games for this brand new, USL Pro season. Yesterday we saw the Richmond Kickers take on Orlando City SC, and River Plate Puerto Rico play Sevilla FC Puerto Rico.

In the first game of the day, Richmond defeated Orlando City 2-0 in front of 1,650 spectators at City Stadium. The first goal came when Ryan Heins earned a penalty in the 39th minute. Stanley Nyazamba stepped up for Richmond and slotted it home. This would give Richmond a 1-0 lead at the half.

Richmond would dominate the chances in the second half, and the Kickers added to their tally in the 83rd minute, when Matt Delicate scored off a cross Sascha Görres. Richmond would walk off the pitch with their first win of the young season.

At 8:00 PM EST, River Plate hosted Sevilla FC in the first International game of the season, and this game proved to be the more exciting of the two. Sevilla opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, when Ryan Massoud connected with a cross from Erik Hort, which would send Sevilla in to the locker rooms with a half-time lead.

River Plate came out of the half swinging, and scored on a give-and-go between Peter Villegas and Matias Arce, with Villegas finishing to the left for an equalizer. Sevilla would take the lead in the 71st minute, when Nick Cardenas connected on another corner from Erik Hort.

The lead wouldn't last long, as Yaikel Perez headed in a cross from Julio Maya to tie the game at 2-2.

This would be the final score, as both teams would earn their first points of the season.

Here are some of my observations from this pair of games:

• Richmond Leading the League: Well technically anyway. The Kickers came out and put it on Orlando City, and really just dominated the game. Richmond had 15 shots to Orlando's 5, and had 6 corners, to Orlando's 1. It really was a dominating performance by Richmond. Now we'll see how this game effects the standings at the end of the year, but head-to-head, it looks like Richmond's the better team.
• International Division Could be a Close Race: Now that's a lot to take away from a 2-2 draw, but the sides looked to be even on the day. If you read my preview of the International Division, you'll see that I had Sevilla finishing 3rd and River Plate finishing in 1st. We'll see how Barracuda FC play, but we could see a very tight race in the International Division.
• USL Live Successful Debut: The River Plate-Sevilla FC game was the first game to be broadcast live on USLLive.com. I'm happy to see this being successful, and hopefully we can see this carried on to the seasons ahead.

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

USL Pro Preview: Wrap-up

In the last three days, I have given you all, my thoughts on how the teams in the USL Pro will finish in their divisions. Here's a recap of how I had them finishing.

International:

1. River Plate Puerto Rico

2. Antigua Barracuda FC

3. Sevilla FC Puerto Rico

4. Los Angeles Blues

5. Puerto Rico United

National:

1. Rochester Rhinos

2. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

3. Harrisburg City Islanders

4. Dayton Dutch Lions

5. FC New York

American:

1. Charleston Battery

2. Richmond Kickers

3. Orlando City SC

4. Charlotte Eagles

5. Wilmington Hammerheads

The American Division is easily the toughest, with the National and International being about equal for second place, but if forced, I would have to give the edge to the National Division.

The full league table, will determine who gets home field advantage in the Semi-finals and Finals of the playoffs. This is because in the First Round, home field is determined by how the teams finish in their division (Excluding the 2 vs. 2 match up, see below). Here's how I think the full league table will end up:

League:

1. Charleston Battery

2. Rochester Rhinos

3. Richmond Kickers

4. River Plate Puerto Rico

5. Orlando City SC

6. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

7. Antigua Barracuda FC

8. Harrisburg City Islanders

9. Sevilla FC Puerto Rico

10. Charlotte Eagles

11. Dayton Dutch Lions

12. Wilmington Hammerheads

13. Los Angeles Blues

14. Puerto Rico United

15. FC New York

If you have been keeping up with the USL Pro, then you know the playoff format, but if not here is a recap.

As you can see it is pretty obvious where the teams will fall in the playoff system if they finish how I predicted, but here is the playoffs set up, along with my predictions, round by round.

First Round (Winners in bold, Home team on left):

River Plate Puerto Rico vs. Antigua Barracuda FC

Rochester Rhinos vs. Harrisburg City Islanders

Charleston Battery vs. Orlando City SC

Richmond Kickers vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

The first round should be all chalk, with the exception of my one upset to watch for; Pittsburgh over Richmond. Seed wise this wouldn't be, but Richmond would be playing at home and probably finish higher in the League Table, so I consider it an upset. The one that I won't predict, but I'll mention is Orlando over Charleston. Orlando has a team that could to go deep in the playoffs.

Semi-Finals (Winners in bold, Home team on left):

Charleston Battery vs. River Plate Puerto Rico

Rochester Rhinos vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds

And the chalk keeps coming. Charleston handles the International champs, while Rochester takes care of business up in New York. The rematch of the USL Second Division Championship game is not meant to be, and the Championship will be played between the Rhinos and the Battery at Blackbaud Stadium

Finals (Winners in bold, Home team on left):

Charleston Battery vs. Rochester Rhinos

This one was a tough decision. Obviously I'm a little bias towards the Battery, but I really do think that they are the best team. Charleston has the depth, experience, and even the youth to build a championship team this season. Charleston celebrates a second consecutive championship, while Rochester will have to wait another year for their first trophy since 2001.

I will be making as many posts as possible this USL Pro season, with my thoughts and predictions, as well as previews for most Charleston Battery games and recaps of as many of those games as I can.

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

USL Pro Preview: American Division

The first year of the USL Pro will definitely be an interesting one. With the 15 team league being divided into 3 divisions, I will cover each one separately in the lead up to the first game on Saturday, April 2nd. The final division we will look at is the American Division:

The American Division looks to be the best out of the three divisions in this year's USL Pro. The division is based in the Southeast, and contains 3 teams in the Carolinas, 1 in Florida, and 1 in Virginia. Here is how I think they will finish:

5. Wilmington Hammerheads: After a season off where it looked like the team would dissolve, the Hammerheads are back and ready to get back out on the pitch. They've already won the biggest battle, but can they come back with a full head of steam into the USL Pro? I think not. The Hammerheads lost most of the players from their 2009 USL-2 Regular Season Champion Team, and are basically starting over. Two players that are returning from that 2009 team are Chris Murray and Jyler Noviello. Murray was one of the brightest young stars for the Hammerheads in both 2008 and 2009. Noviello had 8 goals and 5 assists in 33 appearances for Wilmington in 2008 and 2009. Their main hope on attack seems to be Andriy Budnyi, who played well for the Carolina Railhawks in the 2010 season. The defense is fairly young, and goalkeeper Kyle Polak will have a huge task in keeping the goals out.

4. Charlotte Eagles: Last season, Charlotte finished 4 in the 6 team USL Second Division, 7 points out of the playoffs. Charlotte returns a lot of their team from last year's squad, in fact all 11 starters are returning. The depth was hurt a little, but that may not be a problem for the Eagles. Their two main losses were midfielders Chris Klotz and Chris Lemons. Former PDL Goalkeeper of the Year, Eric Reed will be in goal for Charlotte, and should put on good performances, assuming that the backline can stand strong in the toughest division of the USL Pro. Charlotte will have to see Orlando City fall out if they plan on making the playoffs, but this is unlikely.

3. Orlando City SC: Orlando comes into the league after making a move from Austin, Texas, where they were the Austin Aztex. They finished 2nd in the USL division of the USSF D2 Pro League. They brought many of the players from that team down to Florida, but Eddie Johnson, who scored 14 goals last season, moved on up to the Portland Timbers of the MLS. Jamie Watson and Maxwell Griffin will lead Orlando's attack, and scored a combined 20 goals last season. Or 10 each. The team is experienced, former Battery player Ian Fuller will be one of the leaders of the young team. One player that I'm excited to see is Devorn Jorsling, who has scored 13 goals in 24 games for the Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team, including a hat trick against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

2. Richmond Kickers: Last year, the Kickers fell to Charleston in the USL Second Division Championship game. Richmond comes into this season looking for revenge, and didn't lose a starter from last year's runner up squad. The Kickers bring Nozomi Hiroyama to the squad this year. Hiroyama is the most experienced player on the squad, and even played 2 games for the Japanese National Team in 2001. Last year he played for the Japanese club, Thespa Kusatsu, scoring 3 goals in 73 appearances. They added Ryan Heins, who scored 5 goals for the Rochester Rhinos last year. Goalkeeper and Captain Ronnie Pascale returns to the Kickers for a 12th season. He has made 242 appearances in his career for Richmond, and will be the biggest leader on the team.

1. Charleston Battery: Now I may be a little bias, but I think that Charleston is the strongest team in the Division and one of the strongest in the league. Charleston won the USL Second Division Championship last year, over the Richmond Kickers. The Battery lost a lot of keys to that team, including forwards Tom Heinemann and Lamar Neagle, who both moved on to the MLS. Stephen Armstrong returns for the Battery for a 6th season, will be the captain of the team, and will take on assistant coaching duties as well as his playing duties. They add young promising players such as Dane Kelly and JC Mack, and I can easily see the Battery not only winning the American Division, but the whole league. The Battery have a good head coach in Mike Anhaeuser, giving them all the attributes to make a playoff run.

Tomorrow, I'll be doing a wrap up of the USL Pro, including my playoff predictions and how I think the league table will end up.

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