Almost 6,000 people showed up at Lockhart Stadium this Wednesday despite the rain and conflicting U2 concert. It's all because our most hated rival came to town. FC Tampa Bay (aka Rowdies) came into South Florida in search of points and unfortunately they took one point with them.
The Strikers dominated this game with an incredible 24 shots of which only 6 were on goal. It was a game where the result should have been an overwhelming win by at least 4 goals but it's apparent we just can't score. Tampa on the other hand had only 2 shots on goal converting one of them. One thing the Strikers have been able to do is come from behind and tie their last few games. But the fans want wins especially at home!
Worth mentioning are all the supporters that rocked the stadium all night. If you listen in on the video you can hear the Strikers supporter tell the few Rowdies fans present that they can't hear them as well as other Tampa hate chants. The twelfth man was definitely present! Check out the video if you haven't already.
The supporters also had a JVB1 sign in honor of Strikers goalkeeping legend Jan van Beveren who passed away this past Sunday in Houston Texas. They also had a Tifo sporting the words "Kings of Florida" just so that the Rowdies are aware that they are the Strikers peons!
“We were just missing the final pass on a couple of chances,” said head coach Daryl Shore. “We were the aggressor tonight and it’s frustrating. Soccer is funny because you can have a team on their heels and one chance and you go down 1 - 0.”
You can read more about the game HERE Here are a few more pictures from the Tailgate, the game and screen shots from the video.
Tampa Road Trip In case you didn't know, the Strikers are headed up North to St. Petersburg to play the Rowdies on Monday July 4th at 6 pm. If you want to be part of the caravan we will depart out of Lockhart Stadium at 10AM sharp on Monday.
SFU has set up a 15 person van and there are still a couple of seats so if you want to tag along it will be $40 on Monday morning which includes the game ticket. Derek Reese even supplied us with a picture indicating where the Strikers Likers will be seated. Check it out! Click to enlarge.
As you can see we'll be sitting behind home plate, close to the Mob's section. So come on people, lets invade Tampa! Get in your cars or hop on the bus with us to support our Strikers! If you want to join us contact us ASAP or see you Monday morning at Lockhart Stadium. Let's Go Strikers!
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.
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.
