Saturday, August 18, 2007
Charlotte Eagles @ Richmond Kickers – 7:00 pm ET
The Kickers have become a USL-2 powerhouse mainly due to the quality injection of talent often produced by their PDL squad the Richmond Kickers Future. The Eagles - the New England Revolution of the USL-2 - look to make it 2 out of 4 as their last Championship win came in 2005 sandwiched between 2 losses in the final - 2004 and 2006. To get to the final they have to dethrone the defending champs and make sure that Jacob Coggins is productive as he was in the regular season.
Prediction: Richmond 2, Charlotte 1 - the Kicker defense is too strong for Coggins and the Eagles two-man attack (Dusty Swinehart); whereas the Kickers counter through the efficiency of Mike Burke and former DC draft pick and Hoya Ricky Schramm.
Harrisburg City Islanders @ Cleveland City Stars – 7:00 pm ET
The Islanders beat the South Jersey Barons and D.C. United to push themselves far in the US Open Cup. They then used that confidence to secure themselves a semi-final spot in USL-2 as they take on expansion squad Cleveland. The Stars are no Real Salt Lake, however, as they their expansion year saw them post a 10-1-9 record. Yep, that's one loss.
Prediction: Cleveland 1, Harrisburg 0 - Adam Moffat and Nigel Codrington help dismantle a somewhat inconsistent Islander squad led by the tough Mo Odour and former SJ Baron Brian Devlin.
Here are USL Soccer's PREVIEWS.
FINAL will be played Saturday, August 25th at a location determined by a bid process.
Showing posts with label USL-2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USL-2. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
A Lite Day
European Championship Qualifying Must-Sees
Saturday, March 24th
Portugal vs. Belgium
Greece vs. Turkey
Ireland vs. Wales
Czech Republic vs. Germany
Spain vs. Denmark
Netherlands vs. Romania
International Friendly Must-Sees
Saturday, March 24th
Brazil vs. Chile
Sunday, March 25th
United States vs. Ecuador
Mexico vs. Paraguay
News:
PDL
The South Jersey Barons (previous Team Spotlight of the Week) and General Manager Neil Holloway have taken one step closer to being a premier force in the PDL. On the field, they already are, but off the field, there is much left to be desired. That, it seems, could change with the appointment of Mike Pellegrino as Barons head coach. This allows GM Holloway to focus on his duties in the front office. They look to expand their marketing in the South Jersey area and push their attendance figures above their previous average of approximately 450. Holloway had formerly been GM, Head Coach, and a midfielder for the Barons squad. In that time, they have made quite an impression on the Eastern Conference. Could one move make all the difference?
PDL squad Chicago Fire Premier have hired Larry Sutherland, a former Chicago Power player, as their head coach for the 2007 season. The former coach, Mike Matkovitch, has been plucked by Toronto FC to serve as an assistant coach.
USL-1
The Charleston Battery have unveiled new jerseys and signed a sponsorship deal with Saturn. I'd buy it. Simple but it gets the job done.
The Seattle Sounders will play Chivas USA on June 2nd, 7:00 PM at Qwest Field in Seattle.
In other news:
Fred, the Lyon version, has been handed a 3-game ban from UEFA for his elbow on Christian Chivu of AS Roma. This is funny mainly because it is normally the Romanian defender Chivu that gets the bans. Here is the elbow that did Fred in. Courtesy of YouTube.
Lille and Manchester United were both fined by UEFA due to their blowout earlier in the Champions League. Lille, the supposed victim, was fined 62,000 euros and Man Utd about 6,000. We can tell who UEFA thought was the victim. The quarrel? It was about a free kick taken apparently too early by Ryan Giggs of Man Utd. It wouldn't have been a problem had he not scored the lone goal of the game. Several Lille players though about walking off the pitch in protest. UEFA threw out a Lille appeal. No word on whether or not Lille will appeal the fine.
Here's the source of the problem. In this clip, again from YouTube, you can see Giggsy's goal and the ensuing protest.
Saturday, March 24th
Portugal vs. Belgium
Greece vs. Turkey
Ireland vs. Wales
Czech Republic vs. Germany
Spain vs. Denmark
Netherlands vs. Romania
International Friendly Must-Sees
Saturday, March 24th
Brazil vs. Chile
Sunday, March 25th
United States vs. Ecuador
Mexico vs. Paraguay
News:
PDL
The South Jersey Barons (previous Team Spotlight of the Week) and General Manager Neil Holloway have taken one step closer to being a premier force in the PDL. On the field, they already are, but off the field, there is much left to be desired. That, it seems, could change with the appointment of Mike Pellegrino as Barons head coach. This allows GM Holloway to focus on his duties in the front office. They look to expand their marketing in the South Jersey area and push their attendance figures above their previous average of approximately 450. Holloway had formerly been GM, Head Coach, and a midfielder for the Barons squad. In that time, they have made quite an impression on the Eastern Conference. Could one move make all the difference?
PDL squad Chicago Fire Premier have hired Larry Sutherland, a former Chicago Power player, as their head coach for the 2007 season. The former coach, Mike Matkovitch, has been plucked by Toronto FC to serve as an assistant coach.
USL-1
The Charleston Battery have unveiled new jerseys and signed a sponsorship deal with Saturn. I'd buy it. Simple but it gets the job done.
The Seattle Sounders will play Chivas USA on June 2nd, 7:00 PM at Qwest Field in Seattle.
In other news:
Fred, the Lyon version, has been handed a 3-game ban from UEFA for his elbow on Christian Chivu of AS Roma. This is funny mainly because it is normally the Romanian defender Chivu that gets the bans. Here is the elbow that did Fred in. Courtesy of YouTube.
Lille and Manchester United were both fined by UEFA due to their blowout earlier in the Champions League. Lille, the supposed victim, was fined 62,000 euros and Man Utd about 6,000. We can tell who UEFA thought was the victim. The quarrel? It was about a free kick taken apparently too early by Ryan Giggs of Man Utd. It wouldn't have been a problem had he not scored the lone goal of the game. Several Lille players though about walking off the pitch in protest. UEFA threw out a Lille appeal. No word on whether or not Lille will appeal the fine.
Here's the source of the problem. In this clip, again from YouTube, you can see Giggsy's goal and the ensuing protest.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Team America Spotlight of the Week (#4)
Staying within the USL, Division 2:
League: USL Division 2
Location: Richmond, VA
Coach: Leigh Cowlishaw
Website: www.richmondkickers.com
Stadium: University of Richmond Stadium (cap 9,000)
Avg Attendance: 2,262
Notable Wins:
1995 USISL Premier League Champions
1995 U.S. Open Cup Champions
2002 USL-1 Division Runner-Ups
2005 USL-1 Division Runner-Ups
2006 USL-2 Regular Season Champions
2006 USL-2 Divison Champions
Notable Players:
Robert Ssjjemba - Ugandan forward who previously played for D.C. United appearing mostly for the reserve team, USL Division 2 MVP
Mike Burke - third on the Kickers' all-time points list with 75
Ronnie Pascale - USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year last season with a 0.99 GAA
Kevin Knight - the most tenured member of the Kickers' roster going on his 8th year with Richmond, will serve as Captain this upcoming season
Nowaf Jaman - new signing for 2007 from the Cincinnati Kings, USL-2 Rookie of the Year last season, a striker notching 4 goals and 8 assists in his first year
Notable Former Players:
Brain Carroll - stint consisted of 8 games on loan with the Kickers in 2003
Bryan Namoff - also spent much of his time on loan with Richmond, but not that much
Dwayne DeRosario - returned from playing in Germany for FSV Zwickau to score 17 goals in 35 Richmond appearances makes DeRo a legend at yet another club, Dwayne was here from 1999-2000 before heading to San Jose and then Houston
Richie Williams - 5'5" midfield demon started with Kickers and end with them in 2004 before he took his Red Bulls post; capped 20 times by the US National team
David Testo - had 28 caps with Richmond, notching 6 goals before moving onto the Columbus Crew
Brian Kamler - played for Richmond in its inaugural years before being drafted by D.C. United at the beginning of MLS in 1996
Clyde Simms - presently starting center mid for D.C. United after a full year in 2004 with the Kickers; at Richmond, appeared in 28 games scoring 3 goals before being signed as a discovery player
Rob Ukrop - his number was recently retired by the Kickers, MVP of the memorable 1995 season in which Richmond won the then named USISL and Open Cup championship
Blurb:
Founded in 1993, the Kickers have survived the contraction and expansion fever of late 20th century American soccer. In 2006, the Kickers decided to move from USL-1 to USL-2 on their own terms claiming cost-saving measures to preserve the integrity of the franchise. Despite the self-imposed "demotion" and in the midst of the USL turbulence, they have carved a rather fine history of soccer accolades. We should not forget to mention the rich crop of "alums" that the Kickers have helped produce. A big reason for that is their feeder squad, the Richmond Kickers Future. The Kickers senior team in turn acts as a pseudo-feeder team to D.C United. It is a career path shared by current D.C. roster members Bryan Namoff, Clyde Simms, and Brian Carroll and former members Jeff Causey, Richie Williams, and Brian Kamler. A lot of their success can also be attributed to their head coach Leigh Cowlishaw, a former University of Richmond and Richmond Kicker player who helped the hometown team win the 1995 USISL Championship and the U.S. Open Cup. He appeared 94 times for the Kickers, tallying 19 goals and 11 assists. As talked about before, the Richmond Kickers Future develops and fosters young talent for the Kickers senior team. Players like Malcolm Cephas, Cristian Neagu, Stephen Shirley (now with the Kansas City Wizards), and most importantly, Dominic Oduro (FC Dallas striker hopeful) all played several years with an increasingly solid Future squad. Altogether, the club is starting gain a real rabid following (with two supporter clubs: the Corner Kicks and the Side Kicks) and with annual friendlies against D.C. United it looks to get back to USL-1 status sooner rather than later. The Kickers open their 2007 USL Division 2 championship defense on April 21st against the Cincinnati Kings.
Here is an article on one of the craziest games I have ever seen in person: the final result of this Open Cup match was Ocean City Barons 8, Richmond Kickers 4. Check it out here.
2007 Season Signings
Tell me what you think about the Team America Spotlight of the Week at BonnWM3@hotmail.com. Have suggestions on next week's Spotlight, let me know
League: USL Division 2
Location: Richmond, VA
Coach: Leigh Cowlishaw
Website: www.richmondkickers.com
Stadium: University of Richmond Stadium (cap 9,000)
Avg Attendance: 2,262
Notable Wins:
1995 USISL Premier League Champions
1995 U.S. Open Cup Champions
2002 USL-1 Division Runner-Ups
2005 USL-1 Division Runner-Ups
2006 USL-2 Regular Season Champions
2006 USL-2 Divison Champions
Notable Players:
Robert Ssjjemba - Ugandan forward who previously played for D.C. United appearing mostly for the reserve team, USL Division 2 MVP
Mike Burke - third on the Kickers' all-time points list with 75
Ronnie Pascale - USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year last season with a 0.99 GAA
Kevin Knight - the most tenured member of the Kickers' roster going on his 8th year with Richmond, will serve as Captain this upcoming season
Nowaf Jaman - new signing for 2007 from the Cincinnati Kings, USL-2 Rookie of the Year last season, a striker notching 4 goals and 8 assists in his first year
Notable Former Players:
Brain Carroll - stint consisted of 8 games on loan with the Kickers in 2003
Bryan Namoff - also spent much of his time on loan with Richmond, but not that much
Dwayne DeRosario - returned from playing in Germany for FSV Zwickau to score 17 goals in 35 Richmond appearances makes DeRo a legend at yet another club, Dwayne was here from 1999-2000 before heading to San Jose and then Houston
Richie Williams - 5'5" midfield demon started with Kickers and end with them in 2004 before he took his Red Bulls post; capped 20 times by the US National team
David Testo - had 28 caps with Richmond, notching 6 goals before moving onto the Columbus Crew
Brian Kamler - played for Richmond in its inaugural years before being drafted by D.C. United at the beginning of MLS in 1996
Clyde Simms - presently starting center mid for D.C. United after a full year in 2004 with the Kickers; at Richmond, appeared in 28 games scoring 3 goals before being signed as a discovery player
Rob Ukrop - his number was recently retired by the Kickers, MVP of the memorable 1995 season in which Richmond won the then named USISL and Open Cup championship
Blurb:
Founded in 1993, the Kickers have survived the contraction and expansion fever of late 20th century American soccer. In 2006, the Kickers decided to move from USL-1 to USL-2 on their own terms claiming cost-saving measures to preserve the integrity of the franchise. Despite the self-imposed "demotion" and in the midst of the USL turbulence, they have carved a rather fine history of soccer accolades. We should not forget to mention the rich crop of "alums" that the Kickers have helped produce. A big reason for that is their feeder squad, the Richmond Kickers Future. The Kickers senior team in turn acts as a pseudo-feeder team to D.C United. It is a career path shared by current D.C. roster members Bryan Namoff, Clyde Simms, and Brian Carroll and former members Jeff Causey, Richie Williams, and Brian Kamler. A lot of their success can also be attributed to their head coach Leigh Cowlishaw, a former University of Richmond and Richmond Kicker player who helped the hometown team win the 1995 USISL Championship and the U.S. Open Cup. He appeared 94 times for the Kickers, tallying 19 goals and 11 assists. As talked about before, the Richmond Kickers Future develops and fosters young talent for the Kickers senior team. Players like Malcolm Cephas, Cristian Neagu, Stephen Shirley (now with the Kansas City Wizards), and most importantly, Dominic Oduro (FC Dallas striker hopeful) all played several years with an increasingly solid Future squad. Altogether, the club is starting gain a real rabid following (with two supporter clubs: the Corner Kicks and the Side Kicks) and with annual friendlies against D.C. United it looks to get back to USL-1 status sooner rather than later. The Kickers open their 2007 USL Division 2 championship defense on April 21st against the Cincinnati Kings.
Here is an article on one of the craziest games I have ever seen in person: the final result of this Open Cup match was Ocean City Barons 8, Richmond Kickers 4. Check it out here.
2007 Season Signings
Tell me what you think about the Team America Spotlight of the Week at BonnWM3@hotmail.com. Have suggestions on next week's Spotlight, let me know
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Team America Spotlight of the Week (#3)
On to USL-2 this week...the spotlight belongs to:
League: USL Division 2
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Coach: Bill Becher
Website: www.cityislanders.com
Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex (cap 4,000)
Avg Attendance: 1,781
Notable Wins: 2005 USL-2 Semifinals
2nd Place 2005 USL-2 Regular Season
Notable Players:
Chad Severs - A Vineland, NJ product who scored 13 goals last year for the Islanders.
Sumed Ibrahim - This Ghanain midfielder was taken 20th in the 2004 MLS Superdraft by the Chicago Fire. Released eventually to play with the MISL's Baltimore Blast.
Shane Crawford - anchored their midfield last year; known for his Jamaican national team caps (4 to be exact)
Mo Odour - appeared for the Kenyan U-20 team
Blurb:
This team based in the heart of Pennsylvania has only been in existence since 2004. It's existence coincided with the disbanding of the Harrisburg Heat, however the rich semi-professional teams in the area allowed the Islanders to thrive (Hershey Bears, Harrisburg Senators). The City Islanders are exactly what the name spells out as their field (city-owned) is actually located on an island. Already it has finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in USL Division 2. Their worst year in the league was this past year as they went 8-9-3 and finished 7th. Harrisburg's 2007 preseason will see them take on Bucknell University, St. Francis (PA) University, Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2), and NCAA Division 1 stalwarts Lehigh University. Their talent is mostly found from all the universities they play preseason friendlies against. Fittingly, the City Islanders consist of above 60% Central Pennsylvania boys. They seem to have a small connection with D.C. United as they seem to have an annual match-up against the boys in black. Their real connections seem to be with the development of youth players as their academy boasts a whopping 400 players (rather big for a USL-2 team) and agreements with some 55 different teams. According to GM Joe Sierko, the on-field goals for Harrisburg this year involve a USL-2 Championshp and the title as the USL-2 team to progress the farthest in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Tell me what you think about the Team America Spotlight of the Week at BonnWM3@hotmail.com. Have suggestions on next week's Spotlight, let me know
League: USL Division 2
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Coach: Bill Becher
Website: www.cityislanders.com
Stadium: Skyline Sports Complex (cap 4,000)
Avg Attendance: 1,781
Notable Wins: 2005 USL-2 Semifinals
2nd Place 2005 USL-2 Regular Season
Notable Players:
Chad Severs - A Vineland, NJ product who scored 13 goals last year for the Islanders.
Sumed Ibrahim - This Ghanain midfielder was taken 20th in the 2004 MLS Superdraft by the Chicago Fire. Released eventually to play with the MISL's Baltimore Blast.
Shane Crawford - anchored their midfield last year; known for his Jamaican national team caps (4 to be exact)
Mo Odour - appeared for the Kenyan U-20 team
Blurb:
This team based in the heart of Pennsylvania has only been in existence since 2004. It's existence coincided with the disbanding of the Harrisburg Heat, however the rich semi-professional teams in the area allowed the Islanders to thrive (Hershey Bears, Harrisburg Senators). The City Islanders are exactly what the name spells out as their field (city-owned) is actually located on an island. Already it has finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in USL Division 2. Their worst year in the league was this past year as they went 8-9-3 and finished 7th. Harrisburg's 2007 preseason will see them take on Bucknell University, St. Francis (PA) University, Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2), and NCAA Division 1 stalwarts Lehigh University. Their talent is mostly found from all the universities they play preseason friendlies against. Fittingly, the City Islanders consist of above 60% Central Pennsylvania boys. They seem to have a small connection with D.C. United as they seem to have an annual match-up against the boys in black. Their real connections seem to be with the development of youth players as their academy boasts a whopping 400 players (rather big for a USL-2 team) and agreements with some 55 different teams. According to GM Joe Sierko, the on-field goals for Harrisburg this year involve a USL-2 Championshp and the title as the USL-2 team to progress the farthest in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Tell me what you think about the Team America Spotlight of the Week at BonnWM3@hotmail.com. Have suggestions on next week's Spotlight, let me know
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