Soccer Saturday came and went in a blink of an eye. It started off at the Strikers tailgate at Lockhart Stadium and ended at The Fox & Hound Pub as I saw the USA get beat by Mexico... It was a tough loss. I'm sure everyone else has covered that subject so I'll just leave it at that. As I mentioned, the tailgate at Lockhart was perhaps the highlight of the day. We basically set up a tent city with a number of full bars of just about any drink you could desire (Except almost everything was the cheap stuff). Food was everywhere, from Strikers cupcakes to Sushi!
We even had a celebrity sighting as Rosario Dawson was seen sporting a Fort Lauderdale Strikers jersey! (See picture) The game was set to begin but before anyone entered the stadium one of our Newcastle Striker Likers came out with a bagpipe!
The fans banged their drums, stomped their feet and yelled their heads off but it was the Puerto Rico Islanders who would score first. The large group of Islanders fans that came out to the Mecca cheered as Jonathan Fana came towards the Strikers Fans to taunt us. But the Strikers pressed on and began to dominate. Soon after the Strikers score off of a Martin Nunez header which originated from a Christian Arrieta cross.
"It's good for him to give us a spark. He's been trying hard in practice and he's wanted to get onto the field. It's good for his confidence for him to do well and I believe he did well when he came in," said head coach Daryl Shore.
MagicJack MagicJack continues to feel the loss of their main squad due to World Cup duty as they fall to the Philadelphia Independence 3-1. The team was further hurt by the waiver of Rebecca Moros and Meghan Schnur last week. But the team added Middfielder and U.S. national team player Megan Rapinoe. Read more HERE Also of note is the start of the Women's World Cup which already started. Be sure to see the USA play vs North Korea tomorrow at 12pm
Jan van Beveren Striker goalkeeping legend Jan van Beveren passed away this past Sunday in Houston Texas. Van Beveren played for teams such as Sparta Rotterdam, PSV Eindhoven, the Dallas Sidekicks and the Strikers from 1980–1983 where he played 110 games. Jan also played numerous times for the Dutch National Team during the late 1960s and 1970s.
Miami Ultras Alive Everybodys favorite fan led show continues tonight at 10 pm as Miami Ultras President Pieter Brown and sidekick Uncle Ed tackle another week of South Florida Soccer. This time join us as we say good bye to Strikers PR guru Ignacio "Benedict Arnold" Rodriguez who will be leaving to his new position with the Puerto Rico Islanders. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miamiultras/2011/06/28/miami-ultras-alive-12 Full coverage of the Grenade Bomb scare on Miami Ultras Alive tonight. Check out the video from the Sun Sentinel:
UPDATE 6/28/11 Miami Ultras Alive Roast of Ignacio Rodriguez : The Roast of soon to be former Strikers PR Director Ignacio "Benedict Arnold" Rodriguez. With guests Big O from 640 AM, Gol Tv's Juan Arango, Ralph's MOB President Steve Holler and many more. Listen to it here:
Gold Cup in Miami was a success as over 18,000 people showed up to watch the beautiful game. FIU stadium was packed and the ambiance was spectacular. Every seat was a good one and it felt as if you could reach out and touch the players due to the proximity of the field to the stands. It's a great stadium to watch soccer and I dare say the only thing that I didn't like was that the ball made a few weird bounces due to the plastic turf. Hopefully, one day, they will put a proper pitch. The games started off with a vibrant Jamaica versus Guatemala. Which saw the Reggae Boys defeat the 'Chapines' by 2-0. Followed by Honduras against Grenada which saw the Grenadines start off with an early goal only to be destroyed by Honduras with a final score of 7-1. Read more HERE If South Florida fans wanted to send a message to Major League Soccer it was sent on Friday night and the message is: This area can and will support quality soccer. Let's hope the 'Don" gets the message and an investor steps up.
Strikers Win! The Fort Lauderdale Strikers continue to win in the NASL as they defeated the NSC Minnesota Stars by 3-0. The Strikers form has been impressive as of late and they had a stellar game by substitute Brian Shriver who had a brace.
“We were struggling in the first half defensively, and we weren't doing well with the chances we had. Once the first goal came, we knew the confidence would be there to add more,” said head coach Daryl Shore about the first half. “After they started throwing numbers forward, the defense buckled down and took pride in the shutout. I'm proud to see the effort they put forth to hold the score to where it was.”
Read more about the game HERE Be sure to check back for video highlights later today. The Strikers go on the road this coming Saturday June 18 as they face the Montreal Impact at Saputo stadium. Game time is set for 2:30 pm Watch it live on www.strikers.com
MagicJack wins WPS side MagicJack gets a road win this weekend as they visited the Atlanta Beat. MagicJack was short on many players due to the Women's World Cup set to start soon but the reserves proved to be enough to get the job done! MagicJack came in with an early goal by Ella Masar. Christen Press scored right before the half to give MagicJack a 2-1 lead and Johanna Rasmussen sealed the deal in the second half. Read more about the game HERE Be sure to follow MagicJack on Facebook
Miami Ultras Alive Be sure to check out the latest version of Miami Ultras Alive tonight Monday at 10 pm as El Presidente Pieter Brown and Uncle Ed cover everything and anything with regards to South Florida soccer. Topics that will be covered will be Gold Cup, Strikers, NASL, WPS, MagicJack, MLS and more. Call in (323) 927-1455 and join in on our live chat room as our special guest tonight will be Fort Lauderdale Strikers President Tim Robbie. Be sure to tune in and tell your friends! Go here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miamiultras/2011/06/14/miami-ultras-alive-10
A busy soccer weekend just passed and it's leading into more football goodness all week with the start of the Gold Cup. But first off, some of the American Outlaws decided to meet up at Fox & Hound close to Lockhart Stadium stadium to watch the USA vs Spain game. this was a painful game to watch as the American's were schooled by a much better Spanish side. The 4-0 defeat to a second string Spain was a reality check but considering we were also without a full roster gives me a little hope for the Gold Cup. With a group including Canada, Panama and Guadeloupe, I'm confident we will advance. Gold Cup Talk about Gold Cup, get out there and support soccer in South Florida! This Friday is your chance to support soccer in our area as we will have a doubleheader between Jamaica and Guatemala at 7pm followed by Grenada versus Honduras at 9 pm at FIU Stadium in Miami. Tickets are still available by going HERE Strikers We had an exciting game at Lockhart Stadium this weekend as the Strikers battled the Carribean champions, The Puerto Rico Islanders. It was an exciting match up for sure!
“After going into halftime up a goal, we didn’t do the things we needed to do to keep the lead. However, we showed great composure coming from behind and winning the game. The crowd was outstanding and contributed to our comeback,” said Strikers Head Coach Daryl Shore.
Miami Ultras Alive Last night Pieter Brown and Uncle Ed had the 9th version of Miami Ultras Alive with special guest Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward Abe Thompson. It was great to see Abe back in form and scoring during the game this past weekend and even better hearing his views on the game and inside the locker room. If you missed the show listen in to the podcast and the myriad of subjects we cover from the WPS, MagicJack who lost versus the Boston Breakers to talk of MLS Expansion to Miami and my appearance on Radio Caracol 1260 AM last week. Listen to it:
Julio Caballero, VP of the Miami Ultras has formed a group called La Academia which is exclusively dedicated to bringing Major League Soccer back to South Florida. They also organize MLS watch party's and will soon lead a pilgrimage of South Florida soccer fans to invade an MLS game to support our bid for MLS in Miami. (Site and information will come out soon, so stay tuned!)
It seems MLS to Miami is only a matter of time. Julio was able to speak to South Florida's best hope for top flight first division soccer, Brightstar CEO and owner of Bolivia's most popular team, Bolivar, Mr. Marcelo Claure.
La Academia Q & A with Marcelo Claure We want to thank Marcelo Claure for taking time out of his busy schedule to respond to the questions posted by La Academia about a potential MLS franchise bid to bring a team to South Florida.
(MC) Before answering questions, I just wanted to say I really like the new name of the fan club – La Academia. My team in Bolivia, Bolivar, is also known as La Academia so the name had an immediate impact on me.
(LA) Success in MLS is now associated with a strong connection between fans and their team, if you were to bid for a franchise, how do you plan to foster that connection?
(MC) Julio and La Academia, as we continue working to bring MLS to South Florida, we will build connections with fans through Q&As like this, organized soccer viewing events, and many other grassroots efforts. We will absolutely want to work with La Academia on these efforts.
(LA) If you move forward with a bid, would you consider using the Miami Fusion FC name or would you prefer a team with a new identity?
(MC) Depending on what the ultimate ownership looks like, we would evaluate the Miami Fusion FC name as well as other options. We want a name that the local fans can completely embrace and own.
This past Saturday marked the return of MLS Futbolito to South Florida. This year the Miami Ultras signed up to play in the tournament for the first time. Uncle Ed, your humble bloggererer was signed on as the Coach. Here are my notes and comments of my debut as coach.
1.- The coach was the last to show up. Incredible, considering I live only a few minutes away from Kendall Soccer Park. I could tell the players were annoyed. From the first moment I realized we had no chemistry. This was going to be ugly!
The Players:
Kyle "Train wreck" Kaly Position: Goalkeeper, even though we were not supposed to have a goalkeeper. He cost us a penalty for crossing the line! Voted Ballsiest player on the team (Read on, you'll find out why). Pros: none Cons: Drinks, smokes, smoked more, burps... you get the picture.
The Reese's pieces bros: Derek "Peanut" Reese and Zach"Chocolate" Reese Position: Right or left wingers. Can't tell which is which, so I just say "Reese!" They both answer... I say "Take a wing". (They think I'm talking about chicken wings). Pros: Both fast as lightning Cons: Can't tell which is which. One is better than the other but I can't tell which one.
David "The Judge" Ito Position: Sweeper The "Judge" laid down the law, immediately establishing his dominance and authority over all. Pros: Tall... that's about it. If only he had his gavel (the little hammer judges use for you laymen folk). Cons: Can't score if his life depended on it!
Jorge "The 561" Marquez Position: Wide Receiver The "Cinco Seis Uno" looked as if he was on vacation out there, he made Palm Beach county proud. Pros: Played great for about 1 minute. A good sleeper. Cons: Played 1 minute and was tired.
Mr. Colombia Alan 'G' Position: Outfielder and Shortstop Highest scorer on the team, started off slow but soon picked up momentum. Pros: Did whatever he wanted. Cons: Did whatever he wanted.
Mr. Mitch "Ultra Cool" Rivera Position: Full back He was our benefactor, organizer and main Futbolito nut. Pros: A good leader. Cons: Can't play for crap!
Uncle Ed Position: Coach First time coach. Did what he could with a rag tag team of imbeciles! Pros: Had a great assistant Cons: Didn't know what the hell he was doing!
Burrito Position: Assistant coach Burrito didn't want to leave his dog house. Considered 10 am too early to get up. Was a no show and missed every game. Pros: A great Blogging Dog Cons: Likes to chew on things and hump them.
2.-No practice does not make perfect. We never got together for even a second of practice and it showed. I asked the players to do a couple of warm ups. They all ignored me. Alan "G" decided to run laps on his own and almost missed the kick off. Not good, not good.
3.- Game #1 Miami Ultras vs Soccer Locker I figured any team with the word Soccer in it is not good. Ultras Starting line up had "561" at Forward, The Reese's Pieces Chocolate and Peanut at Mid and Mr. Colombia at D. The logic behind the formation? None. I figured they were the youngest of the bunch or most in shape. Result: Disaster. 10-0 in favor of Soccer Locker. The enemy was clearly a well seasoned team. They triangulated us to death and made us look like fools. Even the ref was cracking jokes. We had maybe 3 shots all off target in game #1.
4.- The men gathered under Tent "Ultras" for a much needed rest. They hydrated, ate donuts (Sent to us by our fellow Ultra and connoisseur Justin "Jellyfish" Yarborough) and smoked cigarettes. To pass the time. Quality players these... True athletes!
5.- MLS player Omar Salgado of the Vancouver Whitecaps came by the tent "Ultras" to say hola. We took pictures with him and even offered him a donut, which he declined. We almost convinced him to play on the Ultras team for our next game but evil MLS people were around and said he couldn't. We tried to bribe them but they didn't want our money. Apparently it wasn't enough.
6.- Game #2 Miami Ultras vs The Has Beens When I heard the name I knew we had a chance! One of their players was in his 50's so things were looking good! This Time Uncle Ed had learned his mistake and shuffled the players around. At Forward it was "561" Mid had Mr. Colombia and Zach "Chocolate" Reese with "Judge" Ito providing rear coverage. The results were almost immediate. But sadly our troops faltered in the end once again falling, this time to the "Has beens" 7-5. A late heroic save by "Train wreck" will almost certainly mean he will never procreate as he blocked a sure goal with his manhood. Ballsiest play of the tournament! (Pun totally intended)
7.- The players retreated back under the tent for one last rest before the final game. The standings were even though and we had a remote chance of advancing if we could pull off a win. Our men were determined to make the playoffs, we would not be denied!
8.- Game #3 Miami Ultras vs ???? The coach took charge one last time. The team was ready and as we took the pitch I had no doubt we would come out victorious! And we did just that! We won the game 3-0! It was a convincing win. There was no doubt we had this one in the bag from the very first minute! Yes! We won! Due to default, since the other team didn't show... We were awarded the 3-0 win. 9.- We decided to play a scrimmage amongst ourselves. The coach came out of retirement and played to show off a few moves here and there. Later inquires on game results determined we almost made the final! The second place team had only won 1 game and beat us only by gol differential.
10.- Next year the Ultras will destroy the opposition. Uncle Ed will come out of retirement and Burrito will be the first canine coach of MLS Futbolito! Check out the video of the games. Shout out to Jane "Poopsykins" Shpiner who filmed it:
Be sure to listen to Miami Ultras Alive #7 for more information about MLS Futbolito, the Strikers, MagicJack and to listen to guests the Bourough Boys who discussed the Cosmos, MLS and the NASL.
UPDATE: Ultras Interview Omar Salgado of the Vancouver Whitecaps. He wants to come and play in Miami and also laughs at the Ultras performance in MLS Futbolito (Thanks to Alan for the clip).
Here is a video of Omar Salgado on Republica Deportiva (In Spanish) with Fernando Fiore.
MLS Futbolito is here in Miami and it starts this Sunday May 22. Come out and check out this great 4 vs 4 tournament! It's at Kendall Soccer Park located at 8011 SW 127th Ave Miami, FL 33183. This event will have many sponsor booths, activities and you will also be able to be part of Univision's Republica Deportiva TV show. Last year I was able to participate in the celebrity match representing the Miami Ultras. Check out the picture below.
If you didn't sign up for a team you can always come out and support the Miami Ultras soccer supporters group as we will have a team in the tournament. To honor our current NASL team The Fort Lauderdale Strikers we have decided to wear red and gold.
For those curious, the Ultras line up will have the following players: Kyle "Train wreck" Kaly prime candidate to get red carded. The Reece's pieces bros: Derek "Chocolate" Reese and Zach "Peanut" Reese Jorge "representing the 561" Marquez David "The Judge" Ito Mr. Colombia Alan 'G' and our benefactor organizer and main Futbolito nut Mr. Mitch "Ultra Cool" Rivera Coach will be yours trully Uncle Ed Assistant coach will be Burrito (If they allow pets)
Strikers vs Silverbacks Watch Party The Strikers will visit the Atlanta Silverhawks for the second time this season in hope of also getting their second victory against them. The united South Florida soccer supporters (South Florida United) are hosting a watch party at The Fox and Hound located at 4812 North Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, FL 33334-3929 (954) 491-8869 The game starts at 7:30 pm but fans will be there earlier. You can also see the game streaming live by going to www.strikers.com We hope to see everyone out there! Go Strikers!
MagicJack vs Western NY Flash In case you didn't know it the MagicJack website is up and running! Just in time for their WPS match versus the Flash which will be televised this Sunday at 7:30 PM live on Fox Soccer. The two best teams in the league will finally meet to see who will remain unbeaten! Follow the team on Facebook for the latest information and you can also check them ot on their YouTube page.
Our good friend and Miami Ultras member Brian Corey has started a new MLS Meetup group with the intention of catching big MLS games and tonight happens to be one of those days as Real Salt Lake will attempt to be the first MLS team to win a Champions League Final. Come join us at Mickey Byrnes tonight, Wednesday at 10 PM. Please come join us and join this awesome group: http://www.meetup.com/Miami-Major-League-Soccer-MLS-Fan-Club/ .
Talk about MLS... I've never won anything before so when I received an envelope in the mail the other day I was surprised I had won a Major league Soccer T-Shirt. Here is how I won it:
Hey Ed, Thanks for pledging to watch Tuesday night's opening match of the MLS season. I'm happy to report that you were one of the first 2,000 fans to take the pledge, so your free t-shirt is on its way! Russ Findlay Chief Marketing Officer Major League Soccer
MLS asked the winners to post a picture of yourself with the T-Shirt on so I decided to wear the T-Shirt to a Strikers game and sent it in. MLS put the picture up on their facebook page! Check it out below:
The push for MLS to Miami continues and it is being talked about in Bigsoccer and other forums not to mention blogs and other media. Following are videos of recent mentions of MLS Miami, both in Spanish. This one is from ESPN's Jorge Ramos y su banda. They even mention the Miami Ultras.
This video is from an MLS game transmitted on Galavision, one of the Univision channels. They constantly mention MLS Miami in their broadcasts.
Do you want to help bring MLS to South Florida? Then join, follow or visit these sites:
First off we begin with South Florida United's road trip to Atlanta in support of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In case you didn't know, South Florida United is the umbrella group for all South Florida Soccer supporters groups in our area. So far 5 groups are part of the effort to unify everyone who loves the beautiful game. If you have a supporters group join SFU! Members of the Miami Ultras and Flight 19 took it upon themselves to organize this first road trip of the season, which also happens to be the first visit of any visiting supporters group to Atlanta. The Strikers supporters left last night and will enjoy their stay in the greater Atlanta area vising a few cool tourist sites and meeting up with the Atlanta Silverbacks supporters group Westside 109.
Following are pictures of the trip so far.
You can see more pictures and info about the trip by trending on twitter #SFUWorldTour or follow the following SFU members: @pabony
@Flight_19 The Atlanta Silverbacks will play the Fort Lauderdale Strikers Saturday at 7:30 PM. You can watch the game online by visiting www.strikers.com
MagicJack WPS team MagicJack starts off their season this Saturday, as they challenge the Boston Breakers in Boca Raton. MagicJack was set to start their season last week but a thunderstorm canceled the game. Regrettably very little has been released from the team, notably the website is not even up yet... But what we do know is that MagicJack has a great team that should, at least in my opinion fight for the championship. The team will be playing in Boca Raton on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. Following is the full home schedule:
Home Schedule Sat April 23 Boston Breakers 7:00 PM Sun May 1 Philadelphia Independence 4:00 PM Sun May 8 Atlanta Beat 4:00 PM Sat May 28 Atlanta Beat 7:00 PM Wed July 27 Sky Blue FC (NJ) 7:00 PM Sat July 30 Boston Breakers 7:00 PM Wed Aug 3 Sky Blue FC (NJ) 7:00 PM Wed Aug 10 Western New York Flash 7:00 PM Sun Aug 14 Philadelphia Independence 4:00 PM
For ticket information visit The FAU womens soccer website or CALL 1-866-FAU OWLS or 1-866-328-6957
We start our weekly review of everything soccer in South Florida, with our also weekly Blog Talk Radio show called Miami Ultras Alive hosted by Pieter Brown and yours truly, Uncle Ed. The show has now been extended to one hour and will be moved starting next Monday to 10 pm. This will happen every week until you get tired of us. We will cover any subject from MLS, WPS, NASL, the U.S. national team and anything you, the listeners, want to talk about relating to the beautiful game. You can listen to yesterdays show below while you read the rest of this blog. Be sure to leave your comments and tell us if you think we suck or if you have an idea to improve the show.
WPS - MagicJack One of the first things we spoke about on the show was South Florida's new Women's Professional Soccer team called MagicJack. The team was set to start it's season this past weekend when they visited the Philadelphia Independence but the game was postponed due to a thunderstorm. MagicJack will now play its season opener at 7:00 pm this Saturday April 23 at FAU Soccer Field in Boca Raton versus the Boston Breakers. Not very much is known about MagicJack. For some reason details about the team has been limited, but fear not, their website seems to be under construction so that is a good sign... I think.
What we do know is that the teams roster is full of U.S. national team players. On paper, MagicJack's roster is impressive. With players like Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx, Lindsay Tarpley, Goalkeeper Hope Solo (Who is suspended for comments made on twitter last season) and Australian Lisa De Vanna just to name a few. For more information visit MagicJack NASL - Strikers www.strikers.com has highlights of their April 16th game against NSC Minnesota Stars.
Following is a fan video that depicts the final moments of the game from the supporters section. It gives you a feel of what it was like to be at the game.
MLS - Watch Party South Florida United invites all soccer fans to join them for the CCL finals at Mickey Byrnes in Hollywood this Wednesday @10pm when Real Salt Lake takes on Mexicam side Monterrey in the first of two games seried to determine the Champion of Central and North America.
The following day there will be another viewing party at Mickey Byrnes, hosted by MLS Miami Bid members, it's Thursday at 8pm between DC United vs. NY Red Bulls.
You want MLS to return? Support our efforts in bringing MLS to South Florida. Follow our MLS Miami Bid. You can help by spreading the word. Email your friends and send them the information below.
