Why Soccer is Going in the Right Direction in the United States

Well as I've been watching Fox Soccer Channel's coverage of the FA Cup, I came to thinking: The United States format of soccer is actually similar to England's. Obviously, the clubs in England have a chance to play for many trophies a year, (FA Cup, Carling Cup, UEFA Champions League, etc.) but the US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League has been making the United States soccer more European, year after year.

Now, I have talked about how we need to Americanize soccer, but in this situation, I'll make an exception, because we need to have multiple pieces of hardware to play for every year. That's what I think makes soccer so great in Europe, you always have something to play for. Whether it is to escape relegation, win a cup, or win the UEFA Champions League, the teams in England are always playing hard. Its also exciting for the clubs, hardcore fans, and casual watchers when a small club from the Football Leagues draw a mastodon like Chelsea or Manchester United.

You can see the similarities when the USL clubs draw the MLS sides in the US Open Cup. Though it is always exciting to see two MLS teams duke it out for the trophy, it's always nice to see a USL squad play an MLS team in a "David vs. Goliath" type scenario. We saw this in 2008 when the Charleston Battery played DC United in a rendition of the Coffee Pot Cup and the US Open Cup championship game. Though the Battery didn't win the match (they lost 2-1) they put up a good fight, and it was good for the fans to see their team compete for a big cup.

This extra excitement that is found in soccer is not found in the other professional sports in America. In the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL you play for one championship every year. You also see teams in the later stages of the season not play hard, because they are out of contention to win anything. Now while this can happen in soccer in some situations, when you are playing for 3 or 4 trophies every year, you can keep it exciting, and keep more clubs afloat.

What I want to see in the future, is a relegation system. It is far off, but the relegation system could work in the United States once the USL and MLS develop a little further. Undoubtedly the MLS has gotten good attendance figures, but if the USL can get each club up to 10,000-15,000 average attendance, then there is a good chance that the relegation system used in England, could work here. Just imagine, "MLS in Charleston" it just sounds good.

To finish this long rambling off, let me say this: English Soccer fans can't talk down to the MLS for attendance, quality of play, or coverage of the sport in the United States, because seriously the MLS has been around for 13 years. I would like to see the English soccer attendance numbers from 1901.

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.

Dempsey Shoots, He Scores!

On Tuesday, Clint Dempsey scored his 7th goal in Premier League play for Fulham, along with one in cup play. Here's a compilation of those goals and also some USMNT goals from this year.

New Posting Schedule

Well with school starting back, and the news coming in slowly, oh ever so slowly, SC Soccer Blogs posts will be a little less frequent. Still keep expecting updates on soccer in South Carolina, former players, Charleston Battery, and much more. Thanks for understanding.
-Andy

Guzan Gets First Win for Hull City

Well that didn't take long. After a 1-0 loss to Leicester City on January 1st, Brad Guzan and Hull City got a road win at Portsmouth 3-2. The Tigers now sit at 15th in the table of the Championship and six points off of the playoff to gain promotion to the Premier League.

Hull City struck first in the 21st minute with a converted penalty from Jimmy Bullard. Portsmouth equalized in the 57th minute from a penalty by Liam Lawrence. Then two of Hull City's subs, Matt Fryatt scored on a break away goal in the 69th minute, followed by a Nick Barnby goal in the 72nd minute. Portsmouth would get a goal back off a Greg Halford header, but Pompey couldn't equalize in the final minutes.

Guzan played a solid game with many saves and brilliant distribution that would gain Hull City multiple advantages and in one case a free kick. Maybe the most important save of the match was in stoppage time when a Joel Ward shot was denied by the American International. Hull City's next match is on Saturday January 8 against Wigan in FA Cup play.

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.

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.