TriSoccerFan

TriSoccerFan Has Moved to a New Site!!!

2006-04-12T11:10:00.000-05:00

This blog has moved to www.trisoccerfan.com Please visit our new site. The archives will remain here if you need to search old articles but all new content will be posted on the new site. The RSS Feed has also been updated to reflect this change.

Final Tuneup

2006-04-10T18:51:00.000-05:00

The US Men's National Team worked out for about an hour on the main field at SAS Soccer Park on Monday afternoon ahead of their match with Jamaica Tuesday night. Only the last 15 minutes were open to the media and by that time the only action was some two-man drills for the attacking players. After practice, Ben Olsen could be seen icing his right thigh but it was unclear if he had sustained an injury significant enough to keep him out of action on Tuesday night. Pictures from the last 15 minutes of practice are available on my Flickr stream.

Arena Previews Jamaica Match and Looks Ahead to Germany

2006-04-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

At last night's practice at SAS Soccer Park here in Cary, Coach Bruce Arena spent a few minutes talking with the press about tomorrow night's match against Jamaica and what lies beyond. Listen to the press conference via mp3 audio (and try to ignore that crazy wind we've been having here).

Suit Up!

2006-04-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

Scrambling around at the last minute for something to wear to the Jamaica match on Tuesday night? There's not enough time to order something online now but I hear that Premier Soccer has just received a shipment of World Cup replica jerseys. They have both home and away kits plus training tops and t-shirts. In addion to the USA logowear, they also have World Cup replicas from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Cameroon, Czech Republic, France and Spain for those of you that support a second team.

US Men Arrive in Cary

2006-04-09T19:27:00.000-05:00

The US Men's National Team arrived in Cary on Sunday and underwent a light workout on Fields 2 & 3 at SAS Soccer Park. With most players having played less than 24 hours previously for their club sides, the brief workout consisted of little more than some slow jogging, light calisthenics, and a friendly game of soccer-tennis. Pablo Mastroeni and John O'Brien, both of who did not figure yesterday in their MLS team's matches, spent a little extra time running through some ball drills with Coach Glenn Myernick while a few of the more veteran players like Eddie Pope, Ben Olsen, and Frankie Hedjuk did little more than catch up on old times with friends. Landon Donovan and Chris Albright, who played a last game on the West Coast Saturday night had yet to join the team by practice time today. Everyone at practice seemed excited for Tony Meola on the ocassion of his 100th cap and folks were ribbing him a little about it. The most excitement of the day came when Clint Dempsey had a discussion with his opponents (two staff coaches) over the TRUE rules of soccer-tennis. Luckily, a punch-up was avoided (just kidding Clint!). Pictures from the practice are available on my Flickr stream. The team will practice again on Monday on the main field at SAS Soccer Park ahead of their match on Tuesday versus Jamaica.

Banner Painting

2006-04-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

A few of us got together today to paint some banners for the game on Tuesday. Here's a sample of what we're working on for the Sam's Army section...

A Long Way to Go for No Johnny O'

2006-04-09T08:35:00.000-05:00

Friday while I was over at SAS Soccer Park volunteering for the Rhinos game, Chris Economides got off the phone with the guys at DC United (where he was working on some of the details for the June 14th game) when he turns to me and says: "You want to go to the Chivas USA game tomorrow?" With the wife and kids out of town, who was I to pass up a 10 hour roundtrip roadtrip on a moment's notice to watch a 90 minute soccer match? After last week's display against RSL, I was actually eager to see Chivas USA play and the possibility of being in the stands to see John O'Brien play his first ever MLS game was enticing enough to get me to go. While Johnny didn't get off the bench (not a bad idea given the wet, baseball-scarred pitch), it was nice to see him wearing an MLS kit and I was impressed by the much improved Chivas. They gave DC a run for their money and probably will feel harshly done by on a couple of occasions. I was particularly impressed by the speed of Tim Regan in the back but was left scratching my head as to why a striker like Sacha Kjlestan was playing such a withdrawn midfield role (I suppose this will be O'Brien's position when he returns). One thing is for sure, Chivas USA is not going to be an easy 3 points for anyone this year. The good news is that the tickets Chris secured for us were not outside in the nasty rain and 40 degree weather but rather in a box with the DC United Reserves. So we managed to stay dry for the 5 hour drive home in the blinding rain and got to enjoy the game with Justin Moose, Stephen deRoux, Devon TcTavish, and a few other players whose names I didn't catch. The bad news is that my planned evening of sitting and watching 5 MLS matches on DirectKick was competely shot and now I have 7.5 hours of soccer on TiVo that I need to get through today!

Rochester-Atlanta Battle to Scoreless Draw

2006-04-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

The Rochester Rhinos wound down their pre-season training camp with a scoreless draw against fellow USL Division 1 opponent the Atlanta Silverbacks tonight at SAS Soccer Park. Rhinossoccer.com has a great game summary. I spent about 8 hours today volunteering as part of the Event Staff. I never really thought about how much effort went into putting together a soccer event for the public. I had always just sort of shown up 20 minutes before kickoff and enjoyed the fruits of others' hard work. Today gave me an appreciation of what really goes into pulling off a sporting event. (Plus, I'd always wanted one of those yellow T-Shirts that say Event Staff on them). I had a lot of fun and encourage others to give it a try. There will be plenty more opportunities to volunteer with Triangle Professional Soccer throughout the summer. Since I was working Event Staff, my pictures tonight are more documenting the event itself instead of the action on the field. Andy Mead was also shooting at the game and he's got a few action shots up over at YCJ.

Rhinos Bounce Back, Defeat Tarheels 3-1

2006-04-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

After dropping their first friendly of the spring season yesterday to Charleston, the Rochester Rhinos bounced back to beat the UNC Tarheels 3-1 in a friendly tonight at SAS Soccer Park. Yesterday's goal scorer Johnny Menyongar continued to impress as he fed Jonathan Bolaños who easily beat US U-20 National Team keeper Justin Hughes in the 7th minute. The Rhinos had the better part of the game for the first 15 minutes of play until last year's NCAA quarterfinalist Tarheels realized that they could play at the Rhinos tempo. UNC's midfield of Ben Hunter and Scott Campbell started to drive more and more play at the Rhinos young defense until in the 24th minute US U-20 National Team forward Corey Ashe split the defense on a through ball and chipped the onrushing Patrick Hannigan to level the score at 1-1. The rest of the first half was very evenly contested with most of the play bottled up in midfield. The Rhinos did manage to get forward a few times through Menyongar and several nice overlapping runs by Scott Palguta out of the left back position. Finally, just a minute before halftime the Rhinos went ahead for good when Menyongar notched his second assist of the night by feeding Matthew Delicâte who finished well past a stranded Hughes. Coach Calloway made plenty of substitutions at halftime while UNC continued primarily with their starting eleven. Fatigue began to show and a good portion of the second half was played in the Rhinos end. On about 60 minutes played, Charles Gbeke broke loose down the left side and fed a nice cross-box pass to Neil Dombrowski who just curled his shot wide of the right post. A quarter of an hour later, Gbeke beat the defense again and was denied on a wonderful diving challenge by Justin Hughes. Finally, with the referee checking his watch for fulltime, Rey Angel Martinez laid a gorgeous pass into the path of former Duke standout Danny Kramer who scored one last time against his rival Tarheels to bring the evening to a close. The Rhinos finish their spring training camp in Cary tomorrow night with a 7:30pm contest against the Atlanta Silverbacks. Pictures from tonight's game are available on my Flickr stream.

It's a Small Blogosphere, After All

2006-04-06T11:23:00.000-05:00

The blogosphere is an incredible place. While it allows me to communicate with thousands on a daily basis, it also gives me the chance to carry on one-on-one conversations with folks that I would never meet otherwise. During the course of my blogging, I've had all kinds of interesting feedback from readers ranging from the parents of players I've photographed to even the author of one of my favorite books! Most recently, I struck up a conversation with Steve Olsen who runs a blog very similar to TriSoccerFan which covers soccer in the Springfield, Missouri area. Steve brought my attention to one of his players, Autumn McEachern, who plays for the local Rolla Bulldogs and is headed to Buies Creek next year to play for Campbell (number 14 red in this video). She and her teammates recently made a trip to North Carolina for a few friendlies and visits to both the Duke and UNC campuses. I found it interesting to follow the roadtrip from both the coach's perspective as well as that of the girls. Here's an except from the girls' journal:

Tuesday This morning we left the hotel at 6:45 am to go watch the UNC Women’s Team train. For their training, the girls scrimmaged each other for two 20 minute halves. Something that surprised us was that there were boys on the roster for practicing purposes. These boys were put on the team to increase the speed and intensity of the play. There also were some US National Team players at the session. We saw Cindy Parlow and Cat Reddick. Kendell Fletcher accidentally kicked a ball into where we were sitting and gave one of my teammates a bloody nose. It was pretty funny and a great photo op with a National Team player!
After the practice the assistant coach, Bill Palladino showed us around the athletic part of campus. We got to see Finnley Field, the soccer building, and the actual field that the UNC women’s team plays on. Once we finished touring the campus, we walked through the pit and onto Franklin Street to do some shopping. Another famous face we saw was Tyler Hansbrough. Some of the girls tracked him down and got a picture with the basketball all-star! When we got to Franklin St. we split up into smaller groups and looked in all of the shops.

At about 2:00 pm we left UNC to visit their rival, Duke. At Duke we walked through the student center and did some more shopping. Then we went into the Duke Cathedral. After walking through the cathedral, we proceeded on to the Duke basketball stadium. We spent about 45 minutes there taking pictures, sitting on Duke’s bench, and walking around on the court. Duke also has botanical gardens on campus, so we walked over to the gardens to walk around and look at all the beautiful flowers. By this time most of us were tired of walking and very hungry, so we ended our day with dinner at Cracker Barrel and headed back to the hotel.

Sometimes we take for granted how much great soccer we have in the Triangle. I'm glad I don't have to make a 23 hour bus trip to watch the talent we have here on display every day!

Rhinos Drop 120 Minute Friendly to Battery 2-1

2006-04-05T17:47:00.000-05:00

The Rochester Rhinos and Charleston Battery squared off this afternoon at SAS Soccer Park in a 120 minute (4, 30 minute periods) friendly. The Battery got on the board first about 15 minutes in when the Rhinos keeper dropped a long ball which bounced high over his head. As he tried to bring it down he fumbled it right into the path of the Battery forward Ben Hollingsworth who did not waste the gift he was presented. The game was fairly even with neither team really getting many good looks at goal through 90 mintues. Although the Battery seemed to be the more organized side early, both coaches were experimenting with lots of different personnel and the game did not have a lot of flow. The Rhinos seemed to get stronger as the game wore on and just inside the 4th period, Rochester's Johnny Menyongar leveled the scored with a fine individual effort to beat the Battery keeper. With what looked to be a justly deserved draw for both sides winding down, Battery midfielder Ian Fuller caught Rhinos keeper Scott Vallow cheating off his line and buried a 40+ yard lob over the helpless keeper with only 2 minutes to play in the scrimmage. This was really the first time I've gotten to see the Rhinos play in a full speed game since they have been here in Cary. While it was obvious that it's still earlier pre-season, I did enjoy the match and look forward to the remaining games later this week. For me, I was most impressed with the pace and touch or Menyongar. I also noticed that much of Rhinos play went through Juninho who seemed to be the creative force in midfield from his spot on the left wing. Newcomers Danny Kramer (Duke) and Kenney Bertz (Maryland) both acquitted themselves well in their first USL-level match for the Rhinos. Kramer had several nice runs and was just denied a goal on a fine diving save from the Battery Keeper. Bertz looks like a real find for the Rhinos backline in desperate need of a steadying force due to offseason deparatures. He brought both physical play in the box as well as a knack for getting forward on set pieces. I think Rhinos fans will be very pleased with this new signing. Pictures from the game are available on my Flickr stream.

Meola to Earn Historic 100th Cap in Cary

2006-04-04T18:55:00.000-05:00

Tony Meola will get one historic last runout for the National Team when the USA takes on Jamaica here in Cary Tuesday night. With the World Cup goalkeeper roster slots firmly in the hands of Keller, Hahnemann, and Howard, US National Team coach Bruce Arena took the opportunity to tip his hat to the 1990 and 1994 World Cup starter Tony Meola who, with an appearance Tuesday, will record his 100th international cap. Meola started every minute of Italia '90 and USA '94 for the Nats, including the historic 2-1 win against Colombia in the Rose Bowl that helped propel the US to the second round in 1994. Meola is a 5-time MLS All-Star and recorded a clean sheet as the USA shutout England 2-0 in US Cup '93. US Soccer is planning a special ceremony at the game to honor Meola as he becomes the 9th American to reach the 100 international appearances plateau. Joining Meola on the roster are former Tarheels Eddie Pope and Kerry Zavagnin along with former NCSU standout Pablo Mastroeni. Also getting a call-up is John O'Brien who seems to be getting healthy at just the right time. The full roster includes:

Goalkeepers (2) – Tony Meola (New York Red Bulls), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders (5) – Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nick Garcia (Kansas City Wizards), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake)
Midfielders (7) – Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), John O’Brien (out of contract), Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)
Forwards (4) – Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)

A Few Tickets Now Available for USA v. Jamaica via TicketMaster

2006-04-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

It looks like US Soccer must have released a few tickets they were holding back because of right now (4/4/2006 5:35pm EST) there are a limited number of tickets available for the USA v. Jamaica game via the TicketMaster website. Good luck!

DC United to Return to Cary June 14th

2006-04-03T05:05:00.000-05:00

On this weekend's Kick This (listen now: streaming or mp3 download), Chris Economides, Managing Partner of Triangle Professional Soccer revealed that DC United will be returning to Cary for a friendly on June 14th. No opponent was announced so I guess we'll have to wait for the full details on that one. DC United returns to SAS Soccer Park where they defeated the Rochester Rhinos 3-2 last summer in a similar exhibition match. The entire Kick This episode is a great listen for both Cary and USL soccer fans. Tim Holt, VP of USL, is a guest along with Economides who both spend a lot of time talking about Cary soccer and the direction of USL. Holt goes on to say that the biggest thing to happen in USL in the last 3 months is NOT the signing of Romario, but the expansion to Cary and how thrilled the USL is about putting a team in our little soccer hotspot. In another nice morsel of info that will interest Triangle soccer fans, Economides suggested that the new team in Cary will have the "Carolina" name. The official club name is yet to be determined as part of their name the team contest. Chris also hints at a special USL event in Cary but stops short of actually confirming that it will be the USL All-Star Game as rumored earlier by Soccer Sam. He even takes time to give a shout out to our supporters club!

Photos: ACC Men Spring Soccer Championships - 4/2

2006-04-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Photos from today's ACC Men Spring Soccer Championships taken today at SAS Soccer Park. Games included UNC, Duke, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Belmont Abbey. Match results:

UNC 1, Duke 2
Wake Forest 2, Virginia Tech 0
Virginia Tech 1, Duke 0
UNC reserves 4, Belmont Abby 0
UNC 0, Wake Forest 0

No Foreign-Based Players for Jamaica Game In Cary

2006-04-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

During tonight's LA v. New England MLS match-up, US National Team manager Bruce Arena spent a few minutes in the booth chatting with Rob & Marcello. Although we knew April 11th wasn't an international match day, a few of us had held out hopes that a few international-based players such as Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann (who have now clinched both promotion to the Premier League and 1st place in the Coca-Cola Championship with Reading) would be called in. However, Arena confirmed during the interview that the squad for the Jamaica game would be entirely MLS-based. Arena stated that he has narrowed his roster to 35 players at this point competing for 23 roster spots. 18 will be called in for the game in Cary. The roster will be selected after this weekend's MLS games are complete and the pool's current injury status is assessed.

Raleigh Elite US Open Cup Qualifying Schedule Set

2006-04-01T07:31:00.000-05:00

The Raleigh Elite have been handed a challenging US Open Cup Qualifying schedule that sees them play 3 qualifiers over the course of 4 days. The Elite open qualifying at home on May 6th vs. the Nashville Metros. Qualifying continues when they host the Augusta Fireball on May 24th before heading to Florida for back-to-back away matches. Raleigh's full qualifying schedule includes:

5/6 Raleigh Elite v. Nashville Metros
5/24 Raleigh Elite v. Augusta Fireball
5/26 Cocoa Expos v. Raleigh Elite
5/27 Palm Beach Pumas v. Raleigh Elite

The complete PDL qualifying schedule for all teams is available at the US Open Cup website.

CASL Set to Challenge for 2006 Champions Cup

2006-03-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

US Club Soccer is set to host the inaugural Champions Cup Club Championship Easter Weekend at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. CASL will compete in both the boys and girls competition -- one of only 3 clubs nationally to be represented in both competitions. The Champions Cup is an invitational tournament that allows some of the most competitive clubs in the country, at all age groups, the opportunity to compare their entire club against other top clubs. Participants are limited in 2006 to eight boys and eight girls’ clubs. A separate boys and girls’ Club Champion will be determined. Clubs will participate in U13, U15 and U17 age groups. CASL teams have won four US Club Soccer National Cup titles as well as a USYSA National Championship. Among CASL’s alumni are Logan Pause of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Chicago Fire; Caleb Norkus, a MLS DC United draft pick and Chilean 1st Division champion; Stephen Bickford, the 2004 NSCAA Boys High School Player of the Year and a member of the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team; and Casey Nogueira, a member of the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team. Other recent CASL members of the U.S. youth national team programs include Justin Hughes (U-20s), Michael Harrington (U-20s and U-17s), Ford Williams (U-20s and U-17s), Brett King (U-17s), Molly Baird (U-16s) and Ariel Harris (U-16s). Best of luck to our local club in this upcoming tournament!

Six Tarheels Among Women Called to Residency Camp

2006-03-30T16:10:00.000-05:00

2007 Women's World Cup Qualifying preparations get underway April 2nd when the US Women's National Team convenes a six month residency camp at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Among the roster of players called in for the camp are six Tarheel players -- goalkeeper Jenni Branam, defenders Lori Chalupny and Catherine Reddick Whitehill, midfielders Lindsay Tarpley and Kristine Lilly and forward Heather O'Reilly. As part of their preparation, the US Women's National Team will be meeting 2003 World Cup semifinalist Canada at SAS Soccer Park here in Cary on Sunday, July 30th at 1pm.

UNC Women Announce 2006 Signings

2006-03-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has formally announced the addition of nine prospective student-athletes who will join the 18-time national champion program for the fall semester 2006. Head coach Anson Dorrance's recruiting class includes eight individuals who signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to attend the University as well as one player who is a recruited non-scholarship player and who recently formally accepted admission to Carolina. Seven of the nine recruits announced to date are ranked among the Top 25 recruits in the nation by Soccer Buzz Magazine, including three in the Top 10. The class include Ali Hawkins (La Jolla Country Day, Encinitas, Calif.), Ashley Moore (Shenendehowa High School, Clifton Park, N.Y.), Caroline Boneparth (Lawrence Woodmere Academy, Lawrence, N.Y.), Casey Nogueira (Needham Broughton High School, Raleigh, N.C.), Kristi Eveland (Carroll High School, Southlake, Texas), Melissa Hayes (Cactus Shadows High School, Cave Creek, Ariz.), Nikki Washington (Spring Creek Academy, Mesquite, Texas), Tobin Heath (Ridge High School, Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Whitney Engen (Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.). Carolina's sole in-state recruit, Nogueira has led Broughton High School to one state championship and a runnerup finish in the past two seasons. A forward, she was chosen first-team All-State in 2004 and the most valuable player of the state high school championship game in 2005. Nogueira plays her club soccer for `87 CASL Spartan Elite and she has been a member of both the U.S. Women's Under-17 and Under-16 National Teams.

Please Update Your Feeds!

2006-03-30T11:16:00.000-05:00

TriSoccerFan is going to be going through some upgrades over the next couple of weeks. In order to minimize the impact to our readers, I would like to ask those of you that read in syndication to please update your RSS/ATOM feeds to reflect our new syndication address:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TriSoccerFan

The old Atom feed will continue to be available for a few weeks but please take a moment to redirect your Reader to the new address.

2006 US Open Cup Format Announced

2006-03-29T13:52:00.000-05:00

For the second consecutive year, a total of 42 teams – 26 professional and 16 amateur – will compete in the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when it kicks off in June.

The U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.

Qualifying is slated to be completed by May 29, with the pairings announcement expected later that week. The defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy enter the tournament on Aug. 2 in the fourth round. The semifinals will be played Sept. 6, with the final being played on Sept. 27. The Raleigh Elite will have a chance to qualify as one of eight Premier Development League teams who will participate. The top two teams from each PDL conference based on the results of four pre-designated league games will advance to the tournament. The second-place group finishers from the Eastern and Central Conferences will be drawn to play in the qualifying round against two USASA regional qualifiers. The remaining six will enter in the first round. The specific qualifying games on the Elite's 2006 Schedule have not yet been designated.

Rhinos Training Photos, Day 3

2006-03-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

Today at training, Calloway had them playing this insane game where half of the team lined up in one goal, the rest lined up in the other goal 20 yards away and either he or the two teams took turns trying to blast the ball through the wall from about 10 yards out. If the keeper didn't stop it, the players on the line were responsible. Crazy stuff... Pictures from today's practice are on my flickr stream.

2006 USL All-Star Game Coming to Cary?

2006-03-29T09:54:00.000-05:00

SoccerSam is reporting a rumor that the USL may be reviving its All-Star game to be played in Cary this summer. The USL All-Star game has been an infrequent occurence in years past so it's not known whether the format would be an "East v. West" style match or more along the lines of All-Stars vs. another pro team a la MLS in recent years. I know a lot of fans consider all-star games to be a waste of time and simply an injury risk where players don't really perform to their best potential, but in this particular case, I would love to see the USL All-Star game here in Cary. It would give us here a preview of what to expect from USL and introduce us to the talent around the league that we'll be seeing play here week in and week out come 2007.

Umbro Increases Ownership Stake in USL

2006-03-28T19:49:00.000-05:00

I'm a little slow in getting around to this news but thought it was worthwhile posting anyway. On March 16th United Soccer Leagues announced that majority shareholder UMBRO International Ltd has acquired an additional 30 percent share in ownership of USISL, Inc. (d/b/a USL).

The acquisition of the 30 percent previously held by Varsity Spirit brings UMBRO International’s share to 94 percent with the remaining six percent being held by founder and President Francisco Marcos. I guess professional soccer in this company is turning into a showdown between clothiers.

Founders Cup 2003 Rematch Set for SAS Soccer Park

2006-03-28T17:39:00.000-05:00

In the final season of WUSA the Atlanta Beat and the Washington Freedom battled for the Founders Cup Title, with Washington coming out on top with a dramatic 2-1 win in overtime. Although the Beat had an overall 6-3-1 record against Washington, the Freedom has held on to the title for the past three years. The Atlanta Silverbacks and the Washington Freedom SC will face off on June 29 at SAS Park in Cary, NC. Although it’s not a complete rematch of the 2003 Founders Cup match, many of the same players will play in the game as the battle for bragging rights continues. Both teams say they’re looking forward to the summer’s game. Washington Freedom SC Head Coach Jim Gabarrasaid , “The Washington Freedom SC are excited about returning to SAS Soccer Park for our match against the Atlanta Silverbacks. The quality of the facility and the opponent will provide a great event and bring back WUSA memories for us all."

The Atlanta Silverbacks launched the W-League team last year and the line-up currently boasts seven former WUSA players, including Canadian National Team members Sharolta Nonen (Beat) and Christine Latham (San Diego Spirit), along with former WUSA stars Nel Fettig (Carolina Courage), Mel Wilson (Beat), Leslie Gaston (Beat), Tara Minnax (Beat), Nikki Lamb (Beat) and Julie Augustyniak (Beat).

These players, and the rest of the team, will take on the Freedom SC’s stellar line-up which also combines former WUSA stars with rising collegiate standouts. The Freedom SC line up includes: Nicci Wright (Freedom), Lori Lindsey (Freedom), Casey Zimney (Freedom), Emily Janss (New York Power), Joanna Lohman (US U-21 National Team), Kimmie Francis (Maryland), and Mallory Mahar (Maryland). Triangle Professional Soccer will host the highly anticipated match-up between the Silverbacks and the Freedom SC. Chris Economides, Managing Partner of Triangle Professional Soccer, commented on the event, “Triangle Professional Soccer is very excited to host the game between the Washington Freedom SC and the Atlanta Silverbacks. Considering the previous success of the Carolina Courage here at this state-of-the-art venue, the women’s soccer fans of the Triangle are sure to want to come to SAS Soccer Park and support these great athletes.”

Rhinos Kick Off Spring Practice

2006-03-27T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Rochester Rhinos could not have picked a nicer day (59 and sunny) to kick off Spring practice here in Cary. The Rhinos will be running two-a-day sessions at 10am and 3pm through April 4th at SAS Soccer Park on Fields 2 & 3. Pictures from today's practice are available on my flickr stream. The practices will followed up by a series of exhibitions as follows:

4/5 2pm - vs. Charleston Battery (free)
4/6 6pm - vs. UNC Tarheels (free)
4/7 7:30pm - vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (ticket info)

Spring practice will conclude on April 8th before the Rhinos head home for Rochester.

New US Soccer President Sunil Gulati Talks About the Future of the Game

2006-03-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

I recently took a survey at USSoccer.com about their website and the one thing that I just raved about in their opinion poll was their new All Access Video and Podcast features on their site. As a soccer fan starved for information by the mainstream media, these features provide a veritable buffet of news about all aspects of US Soccer. In particular, access to the post-match press conferences in their entirety rather than just hearing a few quotes picked out in various articles is a fantastic feature. One recent podcast that I would recommend to everyone interested in the future of US Soccer, both at the international as well as youth level, is the recent Q&A that new US Soccer President Sunil Gulati did with the press ahead of the USA v. Germany match. Gulati talks about the state of the game, the state of the federation, Arena's contribution over the last 8 years, the future for a women's professional league, reaching out to untapped soccer playing communities, and where he hopes to take US Soccer under his leadership. All told, it's about a 40 minute, fascinating window into the mind of the top soccer executive in this country.

It's Fantasy Soccer Time Again

2006-03-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

It's time to put together your fantasy MLS team! I'd like to invite all TSF readers to join the Triangle Soccer Fanatics division over at Major Fantasy Soccer League. There are plenty of fantasy games out there (MLSNet, Yahoo, etc.) but I particulary like MFLS.com as it is a game by fans, for fans. Sign up and draft your team by 3pm EST on April 1st!

Invitation to MLS Opening Weekend Match Watching Party in Cary

2006-03-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

Triangle Soccer Fanatics would like to invite you to join other soccer fans in the Triangle area for our MLS Opening Weekend Match Watching Party. On Sunday, April 2nd from 5pm - 9:30pm we'll be gathering at the Fox and Hound Pub & Grille in Cary to watch as the second decade of Major League Soccer kicks off with 3 matches -- DC United v. Red Bull New York (5pm), Chivas USA v. Real Salt Lake (7pm), and Houston Dynamo v. Colorado Rapids (7:30pm). Everyone in attendance will be eligible to win great door prizes provided by our partners. Premier Soccer will be giving away an official FIFA World Cup match ball. Triangle Professional Soccer is offering two tickets to the Rochester Rhinos v. Atlanta Silverbacks match in Cary on April 7th and the Fox and Hound has donated a 20-person buffet party for one lucky winner! TSF members receive 50% off of appetizers at the Fox and Hound and everyone can take advantage of their Sunday night drink specials -- $10 buckets of Coors Light longnecks and $2.50 pints of Blue Moon. The Fox and Hound is located at 111 Shannon Oaks Circle in Cary and welcomes all ages. Please RSVP your intention to join us via our website. Anyone who RSVPs through Saturday, April 1st will TRIPLE their chances of winning the door prizes! For full party details, for driving directions to the Fox and Hound, and to RSVP, please visit our website at http://www.trisoccerfan.com/mls_20060402.html Cheer! Chant! Drum! Sing! Support! W. Jarrett Campbell Founder, Triangle Soccer Fanatics www.trisoccerfan.com

Schweitzer denies links to new USL team

2006-03-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Soccer Sam talked to recently retired Rochester Rhino and fomer NCSU standout Scott Schweitzer on today's Kick This radio show (listen now). Schweitzer is starting a new career as a director of coaching at Next Level Academy here in Morrisville and lots of folks are speculating that Scott will end up working in some capacity for our new USL team. Soccer Sam grills Scott on the possibility at about the 20:30 mark of the show, but Schweitzer claims that his focus right now is coaching kids and says that nothing is "in the works" with the new team, for the time being.

Reading are in the Premiership!!!

2006-03-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

Americans Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann can look forward to road trips to such historic footballing grounds St. James' Park, Old Trafford, and Anfield next season. For the first time in their 135 year history, Reading FC 1871 has been promoted to the English topflight. Reading's remarkable season sees them promoted with fully 6 games remaining in the season. Having lost only 2 matches all season, the Royals have amassed a jaw dropping 92 points in just 40 games played. During the run, Bobby Convey has added 7 goals and sits atop the Actim Index as the statistically best player in the Coca-Cola Championship. Hahnemann, who himself is 6th in the Actim Index, has posted a club-record 21 clean sheets over the course of Reading's magical season. The good news for us here in the States is that we'll be able to watch Bobby and Marcus play more frequently on TV next year. The even better news is that with club business put to rest for the season, it is probable that Convey and Hahnemann will be available for the USA v. Jamaica game in Cary!

Rhinos Combine in Full Swing

2006-03-24T16:52:00.000-05:00

The Rhinos Combine is in full swing over at SAS Soccer Park. There's some pictures from a scrimmage on day 2 over on my Flickr stream.

Baby Ass Flag South arrives in Cary

2006-03-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

Baby Ass Flag South, a 20' x 30' American flag which will serve as a backup to the North Jersey Brigade's flags, arrives in Cary after being purchased via the generous donations of TriSoccerFan readers, BigSoccer.com and NC-Soccer.net members, and a donation from Triangle Professional Soccer. The flag will make its debut at the USA v. Jamaica game in Cary on April 11th.

ACC Women's Spring Tournament - April 1st

2006-03-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

Here's the schedule for the ACC Women's Spring Tournament. The games will be played Saturday, April 1st on Fields 4 and 5 at SAS Soccer Park in Cary. The event will raise money via donations for the 2006 Kicks Against Breast Cancer Campaign.

Time	Field 4	Field 5
09:00am	UNC v Va Tech (Game A)	Boston College v Clemson (Game B)
10:00am	Winner A & B (Game E)	Loser A & B (Game G)
11:00am	UVA v NCSU (Game C)	Duke v Wake (Game D)
12:00pm	Winner C & D (Game F)	Loser C & D (Game H)
01:00pm	Winner E & F	Loser E & F
01:00pm	Winner G & H	Loser G & H

US Women to Play in Cary this July

2006-03-21T19:00:00.000-05:00

Update: We can now confirm the game will be July 30th at 1pm vs. Canada. Triangle Professional Soccer and US Soccer have called a joint press conference for 3:15pm tomorrow (halftime of the USA v. Germany men's game) to announce an event that will be held at SAS Soccer Park in July, 2006." Considering that the press advisory states that US Women's National Team players Heather O'Reilly and Cat Whitehill will be in attendance at the press conference and that a tenative date of August 6th for a US Women's Team game has been reserved on the SAS Soccer Park calendar for a while now, it seems logical that this press conference will move that tenative match date up a week or two into July. A quick check of ESPN2's long-range TV listings does in fact show three US Women's National Team games in July against unnamed opponents:

7/15 6pm EST
7/23 4pm EST
7/30 1pm EST

Considering that the first two start times look like West Coast match times, I'm betting that the Cary date is July 30th. I guess we'll know for sure tomorrow. The US Women's team will be returning to SAS Soccer Park where they last played in October 2002 when they bested both Australia and Italy by identical 4-0 scorelines in the first round of the Nike Cup.

ACC Men's Spring Tournament Schedule

2006-03-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

According to the latest UNC Spring Schedule (which adds a game against Irish University Select on March 28th), here is the schedule for the ACC Men's Spring Tournament on April 2nd:

10:30 Duke vs UNC
11:50 NC State vs Wake Forest
1:00 UNC II v. Belmont Abbey
1:10 Duke vs. Va Tech
2:30 UNC vs. Wake Forest
3:50 NC State vs. Va Tech

It is my understanding that this tournament will be played on Fields 4 & 5 at SAS Soccer Park and admission will be free. I will try to confirm that before the weekend of the games.

US Soccer to Host Coaching Clinic in Cary April 10-11

2006-03-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Symposium to Feature U.S. MNT Coaches Discussing Preparations for 2006 FIFA World Cup; “A” Licensed Coaches Earn Two CEUs U.S. Soccer’s Coaching Department will hold a Coaching Symposium on April 10-11 in conjunction with the U.S. Men’s National Team game against Jamaica at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. “A” licensed coaches will earn two Continuing Education Units for attending the two-day symposium.

Speakers at the symposium include U.S. Soccer Staff Coach Juan Carlos Michia, as well as U.S. MNT assistant coaches Phil Wheddon, Glenn Myernick and Pierre Barrieu.

Cost for the symposium is $70 and includes a ticket to the game. Space at the symposium is limited and coaches are strongly encouraged to apply early. For coaches attending from out of town, a special rate of $85 per night has been secured at the Holiday Inn in Cary. Coaches must mention the coaching symposium to get the reduced rate. Full details and registration form are available at the US Soccer website.

Tentative Symposium Schedule* Monday, April 10, 2006 1:15 p.m. Registration

2 p.m. Juan Carlos Michia, U.S. Soccer National Staff Coach Chris Little, Director of Coaching for NC Youth Soccer U.S. Under-14 to Under-17 National Teams

3 p.m. Glenn Myernick, U.S. MNT Assistant Coach Preparation for 2006 FIFA World Cup

4 p.m. Bruce Arena, U.S. MNT Manager Attend a MNT Training Session

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 9:30 a.m. Phil Wheddon, U.S. MNT Goalkeeper Coach MNT goalkeepers’ preparation for 2006 FIFA World Cup

10:30 a.m. Pierre Barrieu, U.S. MNT Strength and Conditioning Coach MNT players’ physical preparation for 2006 FIFA World Cup

11:30 a.m. Elmar Bolowich, North Carolina Head coach Players going from college to the U.S Under-20 Men’s National Team

*Schedule subject to change

Schweitzer retires from Rhinos, Is Cary USL in his future?

2006-03-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Rochester Rhinos defensemen Scott Schweitzer has announced today that he is retiring from professional soccer. Schweitzer, a former NC State and Carolina Dynamo player, returns to the Raleigh-Durham area where he will serve as a director at Next Level Academy, a youth soccer academy here in the Triangle. "I did some coaching in the offseason," said Schweitzer. "It's something I've always enjoyed doing. It's more of a foot skills and developmental academy than tactical. It's a way for me to give back to the game that has given so much to me. It was a hard decision for me to retire, but it was something I had to do for the security of my future." Scott has previously been on staff at Apex's First Touch Academy and his wife Kristin has been developing a new KinderKixx program for U6s at Dream Sports Academy in Apex. While Schweitzer is really just kicking off his new coaching career, there is plenty of reason to speculate that Scott may be in line for a position with Triangle Professional Soccer. Schweitzer said he would consider working in some capacity with the new United Soccer Leagues First Division franchise being run by former Rhinos general manager Chris Economides scheduled to start play in 2007. Given his long-standing relationship with TPS Managing Partner Economides, his proven on-field leadership ability, his ties to the local area, and his desire coach, it's not a far stretch to imagine that Schweitzer may be positioning himself to be the first head coach of the new USL team here in the Triangle. In fact, Scott was present at the press conference back in January to announce the expansion franchise in Cary. "Is he someone I'd consider (as head coach)? Absolutely. Have I offered him anything? No," Economides said.

Schweitzer, a native of Rahway, New Jersey, has been a member of the Rhinos for seven seasons from 1998-2003 and 2005. He ranks second all-time in games played (171) and seventh in assists (12). He appeared in 172 regular season games, 29 playoff games and 16 U.S. Open Cup games for the Rhinos in his seven seasons in Rochester. Schweitzer started in 170 of the 172 regular season games.

Schweitzer spent the 2004 season with the Syracuse Salty Dogs, starting in all 16 games in which he appeared. He anchored the Syracuse defense for former Salty Dog's Head Coach and current Rhinos Head Coach Laurie Calloway.

A graduate of North Carolina State University where he was a two-time All-American, Schweitzer helped the Wolfpack advance to the NCAA Final Four in 1991 and Final Eight in 1992 and 1993. He was also named the 1992 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Schweitzer's professional career began with the Carolina Dynamo of the USISL Select League (Division 3) in 1996. In 1997, Carolina moved into the USISL A-League where Schweitzer was named to the All-A League First Team, while playing in 17 games for the Dynamo.

Overbeck, Venturini, Kluegel, Lassister on Hall of Fame Ballot

2006-03-15T18:04:00.000-05:00

Former Tar Heel and Carolina Courage star, Duke assistant coach Carla Overbeck , her fellow Carolina alums Tisha Venturini-Hoch and Jena Kluegel, and former Athens Drive High graduate, NCSU standout, and U.S. MNT player Roy Lassiter are among 10 former U.S. Men’s National Team, Women’s National Team and MLS veterans that have been added to the ballot of players eligible for induction into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006. Lassister was named state 4-A Player of the Year as senior for scoring a state-record 47 goals and leading Athens High to the state championship. In his senior year at NC State, Lassister netted 22 goals for the Wolfpack. I Lassister scored 88 goals in MLS, a record until Duke's Jason Kreis surpassed that mark in 2004, and added 4 goals for the US National team while earning 30 caps. Overbeck, Kluegel and Venturini-Hoch were all first-team All-Americas during their careers at Carolina as well as being veterans of the U.S. Women's National Team. North Carolina posted a phenomenal 95-match unbeaten streak (89-0-6) during Overbeck's collegiate career. At the National Team level, Overbeck was an instrumental player for the U.S. in winning the 1991 Women’s World Cup in China. She captained the 1995 U.S. World Cup squad that advanced to the semifinals and also served as captain of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team that won the gold medal.

In 1998, Overbeck competed on the gold-medal-winning Goodwill Games squad. She again captained Team USA to the 1999 World Cup championship and to a silver medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Overbeck joined the coaching staff at Duke University in 1992.

The newcomers join 47 players who were on the ballot in 2005, when Marcelo Balboa, John Harkes and NC State's Tab Ramos were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Besides the trio of former MNT stars, leading vote getters on the ballot included MNT veterans Thomas Dooley and Hugo Perez, who is in his last year of eligibility.

Two players are inducted into the Hall of Fame each year, provided they receive the most votes and are named on at least 50 percent of the ballots cast. A third candidate may be elected if that candidate is named on 80 percent of the ballots cast.

Sam's Army Banner Painting Party - April 9th

2006-03-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

Triangle Soccer Fanatics invites you to join us for a banner painting party in preparation for the USA v. Jamaica game.

We'll get together Sunday afternoon, April 9th at 2pm at Jarrett's house in Cary (email for directions). TSF will provide the materials, paints, and refreshments -- you provide the creativity!

We'll be using the the handy Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Two-Pole Banners from our friends in Section 8 Chicago to turn SAS Soccer Park red on April 11th and show our support for the Nats!

Fund Raiser to buy a new "Baby Ass" Flag for Sam's Army

2006-03-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: We did it! $310 dollars raised in 36 hours! The flag has been purchased! Additional donations are welcome and will be put into a fund for flag shipping between games and maintenance/cleaning. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EFFORT!!! It appears that the 20' x 30' flag affectionately known as "The Baby Ass" flag by Sam's Army (as opposed to it's big brother the Big Ass Flag) has seen better days and may very well be on its last legs. One Sam's Army supporter has even spent $200 of his own money to get the Baby Ass flag cleaned and ready to go to Germany. In order to preserve the flag, it is best not to use it until Germany so this means that the Baby Ass flag will not be available for the games in Cary, Nashville, Cleveland, or Hartford. I have found a line on a used alternative for only $300 (a really, really good price on a flag this size). I am hoping that all of Sam's Army will come together and donate $5 (or more) a piece to go to purchasing a new 20' x 30' flag for the supporters. The money raised will go directly to buying the flag and shipping it between Cary-->Nashville-->Cleveland-->Hartford. After those four games, the flag will be maintained by Triangle Soccer Fanatics and will be available for use by supporters at any US National Team event. To make a $5 donation to the fund drive via PayPal, click on the "Add to Cart" button below. If we could just get 20 people that are attending each of the games in Cary, Nashville, Cleveland, and Hartford to donate $5 a piece, we'd have more than enough to buy the flag and ship it between the sites. Note: If you'd like to give more than $5, just change the quantity at checkout to reflect the number of $5 donations you'd like to make! Thank you for your support of Sam's Army and the US National Team!

Rhinos Combine Schedule

2006-03-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

For those hoping to check out some of the Rhinos combine here in Cary, here's the schedule:

Wednesday, March 22nd	Registration	1:00 p.m. - midnight
	Dinner	6:00 p.m
	Orientation	7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 23rd	Breakfast	6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.
	Meeting	7:15 a.m.
	Practice	8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
	Lunch	11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
	Rest	12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
	Game 1	1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
	Meeting	3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
	Dinner	6:00 p.m.
	Game 2	9:15 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.
Friday, March 24th	Schedule same as March 23rd
Saturday, March 25th	Breakfast	6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.
	Meeting	7:15 a.m.
	Game 1	8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
	Game 2	9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
	Lunch	12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
	Meeting	1:00 p.m.
	Combine ends	2:00 p.m.

I expect that all of the activity will be taking place down on Fields 2 & 3.

Triangle Soccer Fanatics Logowear Now Available!

2006-03-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

Max Campbell, member #0001 of the Triangle Soccer Fanatics, is shown at right sporting the new line of logowear available from TSF. We've been able to setup our own store with the help of CafePress so anyone interested in TSF merchandise can pick from a wide array of apparel and assorted other items bearing the TSF logo. You can choose from unisex shirts and sweats as well as women and child specific designs. My favorite is either the ringer T or the baseball jersey. There's even a shirt for your dog, if you're one of those kind of people! I'm very pleased with the quality of the shirts that I've ordered so far and the prices are reasonable for custom-designed apparel. Order by March 14th using the coupon code "March4" and you'll save $4 off an order of $40 or more. Click here to browse or order.

SAS Soccer Park to Get 2nd Stadium Field?

2006-03-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

With the new USL team coming to Cary and a busy 2006 schedule in the works at SAS Soccer Park, I'm hearing a rumor that the Town of Cary is considering adding permanent bleachers to Field 2 in order to make a second, smaller stadium field behind the existing main field. This smaller stadium field would benefit folks like the Raleigh Elite PDL team who could still take advantage of the world class pitches (Fields 1, 2, & 3 are all 120 x 75 yards and immaculately well kept) without the overhead of having to rent the entire main stadium. In addition to the added benefit of making the facility more accessible for smaller events, it would also preserve the pitch on Field 1 for the benefit of the USL team and other larger events hosted at the park. No word yet on when a decision might be made or when the new facility would be ready for use but the PDL season kicks off play on May 6th so they better get crackin' if they are serious about this for 2006.

Fighting Camel Called to U20 Camp

2006-03-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

Sonny Guadarrama of Campbell University has been called into the US U20 training camp. This is the first camp coach Thomas Roengen has assembled of the players who will contest the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championships which will be held in Canada (roadtrip anyone?) During his first collegiate season at Campell, Guadarrama rated second among the nation’s freshmen in points per game (1.68). Overall, he ranked 16th nationally in points per game (1.68) and 18th in goals per game (0.68) among all Division I players. He was a unanimous choice as Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year by the league’s head coaches, and also gained second-team Freshman All-America recognition from College Soccer News. Along with his older brother Willy, who finished the year as the national leader in goals (1.05) and points (2.3) per game, Guadarrama helped the Fighting Camels to the nation’s number-13 team ranking in scoring, averaging 2.15 goals per game. Campbell also posted its best year in nearly a decade with a 13-6-1 record, including a 7-1-0 mark to win the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title. The FIFA Youth Championship has traditionally served as a stepping stone for up and coming professionals and internationals. Here are just a few of the recognizable names from the last USA U20 squad: Bobby Convey, Freddy Adu, Zak Whitbread, Justin Mapp, Chad Marshall, Eddie Johnson, Richardo Clark, Santino Quaranta, and Clint Dempsey.

Duke Women Announce Signings

2006-03-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

Duke University women’s soccer head coach Robbie Church announced the addition of five commitments for the 2006 campaign on Friday. KayAnne Gummersall of Wilmette, Ill., Jane Alukonis of Cocoa Beach, Fla., Sara Murphy of Mendham, N.J., CJ Ludemann of Holtsville, N.Y. and Elizabeth Redmond of Morristown, N.J., will all attend Duke University in the fall and play soccer. The class has been tabbed the third-best in the nation by Soccer Buzz, which marks the highest ranking for a recruiting class in Duke school history under Church. Not surprisingly, UNC's unannounced 2006 signing class is currently rated first by Soccer Buzz.

Stars & Stripes Forever

2006-03-10T17:14:00.000-05:00

Speaking of the cool things you can buy on Ebay, here's the flag TSF just bought for our supporters club. Keep in mind this is the smaller of the two flags we'll have at the USA v. Jamaica game!

USA v. Jamaica Tickets on Ebay

2006-03-10T01:22:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure selling tickets over face value is illegal in North Carolina, but that aside, there are some tickets available for the USA v. Jamaica game on Ebay.

Sam's Army Tailgate and Post-Match Party Details for USA v. Jamaica

2006-03-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

Pre- and Post-game party information for Sam's Army has now been updated at the Triangle Soccer Fanatics website. We hope you all will join us for the party, even if you're not standing with us in Section 207 on game night.

McCarty Shoots, He Scores!

2006-03-09T19:20:00.000-05:00

FC Dallas lost their final game in Norway to Stabæk of Norway 2-1 on a somewhat dubious penalty and a late goal in the 89th minute. Rookie midfielder and former UNC Tarheel Dax McCarty got the hoops on the score sheet in the 5th minute of the game when he recovered a loose ball just inside the box and blasted at the back post. Stabæk scored the equalizer on a slightly dubious penalty in the 66th minute on a minor shirt pull by rookie right back Justin Moore. Alain da Costa converted the spot kick for Stabæk. Mike Kjolo scored the late game winner on a shot partially screened from Dario Sala's view.

MLS Opening Weekend Viewing Party

2006-03-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

Celebrate the kick off of MLS's 2nd decade and register for a chance to win an MLS Match Ball courtesy of Premier Soccer or a pair of tickets to the Rochester vs. Atlanta game courtesy of Triangle Professional Soccer!

The first weekend in April may be NCAA Final Four time for some sports fans, but for Soccer Fanatics, it's MLS Opening Weekend. We'll be heading over to the Fox and Hound after spending the day taking in the ACC Men's Spring Championships over at SAS Soccer Park.

Join us from 5pm on Sunday, April 2nd to check out these great matches on opening weekend:*

5pm - DC United v. Red Bull New York
7pm - Chivas USA v. Real Salt Lake
7:30pm - Houston Dynamo v. Colorado Rapids

Triangle Soccer Fanatics members are eligible for 50% off appetizers at the Fox and Hound and everyone is eligible for great drink specials!

And speaking of ACC soccer, check out these former Triangle area collegiate players whose MLS teams will be in action on April 2nd!

Jamie Watson (UNC - RSL)
Eddie Pope (UNC - RSL)
Jason Kreis (Duke - RSL)
Cary Talley (UNC - RSL)
Matt Crawford (UNC - Colorado)
Pablo Mastroeni (NCSU - Colorado)
Aaron King (NCSU - Colorado)
Eddie Robinson (UNC - Houston)
Marcus Storey (UNC - Houston)
David Stokes (UNC - DC United)

Premier Soccer, the Triangle's only local, dedicated soccer store, will be giving away an official MLS Match Ball to celebrate the kickoff of the second decde of MLS. Everyone in attendance may register for the door prize and you must be present for the drawing at 7pm to win!

In addtion, Triangle Professional Soccer has donated a pair of tickets for the the Rochester vs. Atlanta game on Friday, April 7th which will also be given away in the same drawing.

*Please note: MLS has not yet released its official PPV broadcast schedule so please check back here a few days before the viewing party to verify the exact viewing schedule.

Jamaica sees USA friendly as warmup to their real competition

2006-03-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

According to today's Jamaica Observer, the Reggae Boyz plan to use the April 11th friendly against the USA "as a preparatory match for the Jamaican team leading up to the June 3 friendly International against England." Coach Wendell Downswell has promised that the team will have a "good mix of foreign-based and local-based players. The JFF is exploring all possibilities of having the best players made available to for the April 11 game," he added. Hopefully this means we'll see some quality competition for our boys and not just a domestic Jamaican side. Of course, the article also states the stadium seats around 10,000 people so I'm not quite sure of the veracity of the claims in the press release this article is drawn from. Considering that Jamaica has never beaten the USA in 16 attempts, perhaps they should consider this a little more than a tuneup.

2007 Discounted USL Season Tickets Now On Sale for Triangle Soccer Fanatics

2006-03-08T18:03:00.000-05:00

Triangle Soccer Fanatics has reserved a block of 100 seats together in Section 204 behind the South goal at SAS Soccer Park for the 2007 USL Season.

All tickets in this section can be bought directly from TSF and members in good-standing will receive significant discounts on both season tickets and individual tickets when bought in advance of match day.

It is our intention that our block in Section 204 will be treated as a General Admission section but if you have special requests (e.g., wheelchair accessible seating) we should be able to accomodate your request.

When purchased before October 1, 2006, TSF members may purchase 2007 USL Season Tickets normally priced at $140 at a discounted rate of $125.

Please visit our website to purchase 2007 season tickets online.

Discount Rhinos v. Silverbacks Tickets for Triangle Soccer Fanatics

2006-03-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

Triangle Soccer Fanatics is pleased to offer discounted tickets to the our members for the Rochester Rhinos v. Atlanta Silverbacks match on Friday, April 7th at 7:30pm at SAS Soccer Park. Regularly priced $10 General Admission tickets will be available for $8 to TSF members when purchased in advance of the game. Tickets are now available for purchase online via our website.

U.S. Men's National Team vs. Jamaica Sold Out, Rochester Rhinos to Host Atlanta

2006-03-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

Triangle Professional Soccer press release March 7, 2006 (CARY, NC)… Chris Economides, Managing Partner and General Manager of the new United Soccer League First Division expansion team to be based in Cary, announced today that SAS Soccer Park will be the location for a pre-season exhibition match between the Rochester Raging Rhinos and the Atlanta Silverbacks. This game will come following a 10-day combine and training camp that the Rochester Rhinos will be holding at SAS Soccer Park in advance of their 2006 season. The game will be held at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 7^th. The U.S Men’s National Team vs. Jamaica match to be played at SAS Soccer Park on April 11^th sold out in 90 minutes and many fans missed the opportunity to purchase tickets. This is a chance for those fans, as well as those that were fortunate enough to get National Team tickets, to see high-level, professional soccer.

“The Rhinos organization could not be happier to come back to SAS Soccer Park for this training camp and exhibition game” said Laurie Calloway, Head Coach of the Rochester Rhinos. “We had such a good experience last year when we came down to play D.C. United in the Cary Cup and we want to continue our relationship with the great fans of the Cary and Triangle area.”

Tickets will be going on sale for this event beginning March, 15, 2006 at the offices of Triangle Professional Soccer at 101 Soccer Park Dr., Cary, NC 27511. You can also call TPS at (919) 859-5425. Fans can also purchase them through Ticketmaster at (919) 834-4000, www.ticketmaster.com or at all Cary and Raleigh Ticketmaster outlets (including Hechts, FYE, and Publix Stores). All club seats (seat backs on the West side of the stadium) are $15 and are reserved seats. All other seats are General Admission and are $10 for adults and $7 for kids who wear their team jerseys to the game.

On January 26, 2006, Triangle Professional Soccer announced they would bring a United Soccer League First Division expansion team to Cary to play in SAS Soccer Park starting in April, 2007. The USL First Division is currently comprised of 12 teams from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Season tickets are currently available and can be purchased at the offices of Triangle Professional Soccer or by calling (919) 859-5425.

For general questions about the game or ticket information, visit www.carolinaprosoccer.com, email info@carolinaprosoccer.com, or call (919) 859-KICK (5425).

Duke's Moros and Lipsher Get the Call

2006-03-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Duke University women’s soccer players Rebecca Moros and Allison Lipsher each have been invited to train with United States National Teams, which will take place in March and April. Moros, a rising senior from Larchmont, N.Y., has been invited to train with the U.S. Under-21 National Team from March 19-26 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The 5-5 midfielder was a Soccer Buzz Honorable Mention All-America, Soccer Buzz first team All-Region and All-ACC first team selection this past season. Moros is coming off a year where she notched four goals, four assists and 12 points with the two biggest goals coming against No. 1 ranked North Carolina on Oct. 9 in Chapel Hill, N.C., as the Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels, 2-1. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Lipsher has been invited to train with the U.S. Under-20 National Team from April 2-9 in Portland, Ore. In goal for the Blue Devils, Lipsher has been stellar over her first two years with 17 shutouts and a 0.88 goals against average. As a sophomore, she was a Soccer Buzz and NSCAA second team All-Region selection, while totaling a career-high nine shutouts and a 0.59 goals against average.

Sam's Army Ticket Update for USA v. Jamaica

2006-03-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: As of 6:45pm EST on Monday, March 6, the game is completely sold out. There are no remaining Sam's Army tickets or general sale tickets available. I just talked to the folks at the Fed about the Sam's Army ticket sale. I know a lot of you have been very impatiently waiting for more information in light of the fact that the game practically sold out in 24 hours so here's the latest:

Due to demand, the entire Sam's Army section was moved to Section 207 which can accomodate about twice the original allocation we had (and they're better seats in my opinion)
Credit cards will be charged in the next few days so look for primary confirmation through your credit card company later this week
The Fed has promised to send an email confirmation to everyone that included an email address in their order.
Approximately 100 tickets still remain after the current orders have been tallied so get your orders in NOW if you haven't already sent one in.

The Madness of King George

2006-03-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Max's soccer season starts in a few weeks and I was out at the Dream Camps coach's meeting today for orientation and the coaches clinic. We got a real treat at the clinic as NCSU head coach George Tarantani and his assistant Oronde Ash lead the U5-U7 session at the clinic. I know a lot of folks have varying opinions on Tarantani but their is no denying the guy has put together an impressive resume at NCSU over the last 20 years -- incuding launching the career of Tab Ramos all the way to the US Soccer Hall of Fame and putting 2 players in the World Cup and 5 on the US National Team during his tenure. It was pretty interesting to see George working with 6 year olds instead of All-Americans. There's no denying that Tarantini is a charismatic and dynamic coach and the kids took to him immediately. As he put the kids through some drills, he shared with the coaches some philosophical thoughts about youth soccer and coaching kids:

Nowhere in the world is a child's life so regimented as it is here in the States. He encouraged coaches to allow the kids to basically run amuck and enjoy themselves building their love of the game.
Every activity should have a purpose for the kids. Running a drill for the sake of drilling doesn't make any sense to a child. Every excercise should have a goal, no matter how trivial or silly.
Constantly challenge the kids to make new decisions and try things they are uncomfortable with as their conquering these challenges builds the confidence necessary for them to blossom as players.

If you ever get a chance to go to a Tarantini-led coaches clinic, don't miss it!

Timber Jim

2006-03-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

Now that we've officially formed a supporters club here in the Triangle, I thought it might be a good idea to find out a little bit more about our competition. Here's a great video of the Legendary Timber Jim as he leads the Timbers Army Section 107 at PGE Park in Portland as the Timbers took on the Minnesota Thunder on August 5, 2005. This is what Section 204 at SAS Soccer Park needs to be like next season!

Jon Stewart's World Cup Prediction

2006-03-03T18:17:00.000-05:00

As we mentioned earlier on this blog, Jon Stewart was a soccer standout at William & Mary when he was in college. Ahead of his hosting the Oscars this week, Jon sat down with Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch for a Q&A where he revealed such insightful details such as what he and Freddy Adu share in common, how the USA will fall to Afghanistan in the final game of the World Cup, and what addictive substance soccer is most like (Nutella!). Visit SI.com for the full interview, but here are my favorite bits:

SI: How much of yourself do you see in Freddy Adu?

Stewart: Well, when I first started hosting The Daily Show at 14, people thought I was older. Not true. I've just aged a lot since it started.

SI: You played against U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena when he coached at Virginia. Did he ever say anything to you on the pitch?

Stewart: "Thank you for lowering your team's ability and allowing our team to trounce you year after year."
SI: What will happen in the World Cup? Stewart: The U.S., coming out of the Group of Death, ties Ghana and the Czech Republic and beats Italy 1-0. We go into the quarterfinals where we face Brazil, but due to a terrible and ironic twist, the Brazilians get dysentery from the food in Germany and the U.S. wins in a shootout on a goal by Kasey Keller. Now we're in the semis where we play the host country, Germany. But in an amazing display of respect for America's status in the world, Germany decides to lay down its boots, allowing the States in a walkover to get to the finals. At this point we face Afghanistan, who got in with one of those Michelle Wie sponsor exemptions. They defeat the United States because they are on horseback. And that is turned into a movie that Pelé likes better than Victory. SI: In this same space Chris Rock said, "Hockey is like heroin. Only drug addicts do heroin. Hockey is kind of the same way. Only hockey fans watch hockey." Is soccer at all like heroin? Stewart: No, soccer is crystal meth. It's very addictive, but really messes up your teeth. I guess I've never viewed soccer as some sort of controlled substance. To me, it's probably more like Nutella. The rest of the world clearly loves it and puts it on almost everything, but here in America we're like, "I don't know, man, it tastes like almonds."
SI: Tell us about your goal against Connecticut, which helped William & Mary gain the school's second appearance in the NCAA men's soccer tournament?

Stewart: It was a gloomy day, partly cloudy. The temperature was 47 degrees. No one gave the fighting young Rebels from William & Mary a chance... It was a typical garbage goal, and like many of the goals I scored, was based on attitude. Even Pelé would agree I was not playing the beautiful game. I was playing the annoying game. I was the Ken Linseman of the game. But if I remember correctly, Scott Bell, who was from Canada and a much more prolific goal scorer than I was, drilled a beautiful 25-foot volley that knuckled and somehow confused our opponents' goalkeeper. I believe the ball bounced in my direction and somebody pushed my face into it and it ended up in the net.

Going, Going, Almost Gone...

2006-03-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

Tickets for the USA v. Jamaica match went on sale at 10am Friday morning. As of 11:30am Saturday, only general admission / standing room tickets remain available via Ticketmaster

$125 on-field seats - gone
$60 midfield clubs seat - gone
$45 midfield east sideline club - gone
$30 sidelines - gone
$20 endlines - gone
$20 general admission / standing room - still available

Updated: 3/4 11:30am

Free Parking for USA v. Jamaica (well sort of)

2006-03-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

I know a lot of folks have complained about parking and traffic problems at SAS Soccer Park on the night of a big event. The good news is that the Town of Cary is considering cutting a second entranceway into SAS Soccer Park in time for the 2007 season (possibly through to Cary Town Blvd). But that won't help you get into the USA game on April 11th any faster. However, I do have a bit of good news (along with some bad news). In order to keep traffic flowing into the parking area on game night, US Soccer decided to include the price of parking in the match tickets. This means you won't have to stop in a queue and pay a parking lot attendant an additional 10 bucks to park (what they charged in Columbus for the Mexico game). The bad news is that if you were planning to carpool with someone to the game, you are not getting away with skipping out on paying for parking since you'll already have been docked by US Soccer. Of course, the best thing for you to do is show up way early for our tailgate party and you won't have to worry about traffic at all!

Special Supporters Rates at Hampton Inn Raleigh/Cary/I40

2006-03-01T19:51:00.000-05:00

Triangle Soccer Fanatics is pleased to announce that we've been able to negotiate special rates on a limited number of rooms at the Hampton Inn near SAS Soccer Park for out-of-town supporters visiting the Triangle this season. While the rates aren't huge discounts, they will save you enough to perhaps buy a few extra drinks at our post-match parties! Full information on how to book these special rates is available at the TSF website.

Danny Kramer Sits Down with Soccer Sam

2006-03-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

When Rochester Rhinos back up Goalkeeper Dusty Hudock wanted to return home to Charleston, SC, the Rhinos gave him his wish. The trade netted the Rhinos the 5^th overall pick in the 2006 USL 1^st Division Collegiate Draft. The Rhinos used that pick to acquire Duke's F/MF Danny Kramer. Recently, Danny sat down with SoccerSam.com to talk about his soccer career to date and his hopes for his new career in Rochester. In the interview he talks about playing soccer here in the Triangle:

SS.com: Is Duke's men's soccer team as hated by opposing teams as the men's basketball team?

DK: Not as much as the basketball team, but teams definitely don't like us and always come out real hard when they play us. No matter who it is, they come out like it is a war.

SS.com: What was the bigger rival - North Carolina or NC State?

DK: UNC definitely

SS.com: How did you grow as a soccer player at Duke?

DK: I definitely enhanced my skill level at Duke. My touch improved dramatically over the four years and my ability to use both feet helped me play all over the field and made me harder to defend. Also, I developed a knack to put myself in good spots to score goals.

SS.com: What was the best moment of your Duke career?

DK: When we beat UNC in the 2005 season in the ACC Championship. After 3 years of not making it passed the 1^st round of the ACC tournament; to beat UNC in the Championship was the best way to do it.

SS.com: Veteran defender Scott Schweitzer is an NC State grad. Are you concerned at all about what he might do to a rookie from Duke?
DK: I'm hoping he won't be too hard on me. At least I didn't go to UNC. I think that would be worse.

I think we all know why Danny hates UNC so much!

USA v. Jamaica pre-sale extended to noon Thursday

2006-02-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

Triangle Professional Soccer has extended their special offer for USA v. Jamaica tickets to new season ticket holders until noon Thursday. I hear that this drive has netted close to 400 season ticket sales for the new club which is more than at least one other USL First Division team had in 2005! Not bad for a team without a coach or players that won't kick a ball in anger for another 13 months.

Rochester Rhinos vs. Atlanta Silverbacks @ SAS Soccer Park, Fri 4/7

2006-02-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

As rumored here earlier, to wrap up their pre-season training camp in Cary, the Rochester Raging Rhinos will host fellow USL First Division rivals the Atlanta Silverbacks at SAS Soccer Park on Friday, April 7th. The game will kick off at 7:30pm. Expect a formal announcement and ticket information sometime next week.

Local Soccer Correspondents Wanted

2006-02-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

This blog has really taken off in the last few months (ironically, the slow season for soccer in the local area) but with Spring seasons starting up and my getting involved in a few new endeavors (e.g., Triangle Soccer Fanatics), I'm looking for a little help on covering soccer in this area. I'd like to find correspondents who would be interested in writing blog entries for TriSoccerFan. You could contribute as much or as little as you like, but my vision is that you'd be assigned a particular beat (e.g., Duke Men's Soccer, CASL Youth Soccer, etc.) that I'd look to you for contributions on. I'm definitely interested in finding contributors for all the local colleges as well as the major youth leagues around here. Also, prep soccer is an area we don't cover enough here so if you have visibility into our high school games, that would be great. Please email me if you're interested in becoming one our bloggers!

2006 UNC Women's Soccer Spring Schedule

2006-02-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

Day	Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Sat	03/04/06	Duke (SAS Tourney)	Cary, N.C.	11:30 AM
Sat	03/04/06	Florida (SAS Tourney)	Cary, N.C.	1:00 PM
Sat	03/25/06	Georgia (UGA Invitational)	Athens, Ga.	7:00 PM
Sat	03/25/06	UAB (UGA Invitational)	Athens, Ga.	TBA
Wed	03/29/06	Russian U-20 National Team	Charlotte, N.C.	TBA
Sat	04/01/06	ACC Round Robin (Thrre Matches)	Cary, N.C.	TBA
Sat	04/08/06	Mexican National Team	Birmingham, Ala.	3:00 PM
Sat	04/15/06	Florida State	Tampa, Fla.	TBA

2006 UNC Women's Soccer Schedule

2006-02-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

Day	Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Fri	08/25/06	Texas A&M	College Station, TX	8:00 PM
Sun	08/27/06	SMU	Dallas, TX	1:00 PM
Tue	08/29/06	UNC Greensboro	Chapel Hill	7:00 PM
Fri	09/01/06	Yale (East Coast Invitational)	New Haven, CT	4:30 PM
Sun	09/03/06	Connecticut (East Coast Invitational)	New Haven, CT	11:00 AM
Fri	09/08/06	Portland (Portland Tournament)	Portland, OR	4:30 PM
Sun	09/10/06	Washington (Portland Tournament)	Portland, OR	1:00 PM
Fri	09/15/06	Marquette (Duke adidas Classic)	Durham, NC	5:00 PM
Sun	09/17/06	Florida (Duke adidas Classic)	Durham, NC	12:00 PM
Thu	09/21/06	Florida State	Chapel Hill	7:00 PM
Sun	09/24/06	Miami	Chapel Hill	1:00 PM
Thu	09/28/06	Clemson	Clemson, SC	7:00 PM
Sat	09/30/06	Maryland	Chapel Hill	1:00 PM
Thu	10/05/06	Virginia	Charlottesville, VA	7:00 PM
Sun	10/08/06	Duke	Durham, NC	6:00 PM
Thu	10/12/06	Boston College	Chapel Hill	7:00 PM
Sun	10/15/06	Virginia Tech	Chapel Hill	1:00 PM
Thu	10/19/06	North Carolina State	Raleigh, NC	7:00 PM
Fri	10/27/06	Wake Forest	Chapel Hill	7:00 PM

Duke Men's 2006 Spring Schedule

2006-02-27T12:48:00.000-05:00

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Sun 2/26	NCSU	Duke Practice Fields	2:00pm
Fri 3/3	Lees McCray	Greensboro	5:45pm
Fri 3/3	Elon	Greensboro	7:00pm
Sun 3/26	UNC-Charlotte	Duke Practice Fields	11:00am
Sun 3/26	Appalachian St.	Duke Practice Fields	1:30pm
Sun 4/2	UNC	Cary (SAS)	10:30am
Sun 4/2	Va Tech	Cary (SAS)	1:10pm
Sat 4/8	UNC-Greensboro	Greensboro	4:00pm

UNC Blue-White Scrimmage 2/26 Pictures

2006-02-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

Pictures from the UNC Men's Soccer Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage this morning over at the Finley Athletic fields in Chapel Hill. (Does it count as a blue-white scrimmage if both teams wore different shades of blue?) Ben Hunter had a nice goal that he created for himself by dispossessing a defender and then he turned provider for a second goal. We didn't see the whole scrimmage since Max was a bit cold with the 15mph winds that were gusting out there this morning. As always, the photos are on my flickr stream or you can view them as a slideshow.

Flick to Kick

2006-02-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Jonathan called me last weekend all excited. "Are you watching the Newcastle game? There's a Subbuteo sign board on the side of the pitch! I wonder if they are bringing it back?" For those that aren't familiar with Subbuteo, it's a table soccer game invented in England in 1947 by Peter Adolph. It is somewhat akin to the electric football game I had as a kid in that you could buy all kinds of accessories including custom teams, stadium parts, etc., a real collectors dream. Here's a video from SkySports detailing the 2004 Home Nations Subbuteo championship to give you a flavor for how seriously some folks take their table soccer. Santa gave me a NASL Subbuteo kit when I was about 8 or 9 and I loved it. I hadn't really thought much about Subbuteo until a couple of years ago when my mom was cleaning out her attic and found my old kit. Max and I got it out and played it a little bit but he promptly broke most of my old players. Luckily, Jonathan has a regulation tournament table which he happens to be storing at my house at the moment. He and I have played a few games and we really need to get the table out more. Maybe TSF can sponsor a Subbuteo tournament? From what I can gather, Subbuteo peaked in popularity in the last 70s and the digital entertainment age of the 80s/90s kind of did it in. But Ebay revived the trade among fans in recent years and now it looks like Hasbro UK has re-introduced a new kit in Britain just in time for this summer's World Cup. With a revamped stadium design (complete with pitch tensioners and a working scoreboard) this kit seems to be more focused on the younger set than the serious table soccer "professionals". While I can't find the kit from a US distributor at the moment, it is available for online order from Habro for about £33.50 (or about $58 US, shipping included). UPDATE (2/27): Hasbro UK's online toy store will not ship to the USA! I'm looking for a place that will and will update this post when I find one.

88 TFC Navy vs Greensboro SC Gold Photos

2006-02-25T16:24:00.000-05:00

'88 Triangle FC Navy vs. Greensboro SC Gold. February 25, 2006. SAS Soccer Park Field 5 Cary, NC. TFC won the match 3-1. Photos available on my flickr stream or as a slideshow.

Duke, NCSU, and UNC all in action Sunday

2006-02-25T16:14:00.000-05:00

Looking for something to do on Sunday (2/26)? The UNC men will be having their second intrasquad scrimmage at 10:30am over at the Finley Fields while the Duke and NCSU men square off at 2pm at Duke's practice fields. Finley Fields are located off of Old Mason Road in Chapel Hill, unfortunately, I don't have directions to the Duke practice fields so if you do, leave a comment below! UPDATE: See the comments below for the location of the Duke practice fields.

Triangle Professional Soccer Launches Their Website

2006-02-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

It looks like things are really starting to hop over at Triangle Professional Soccer. First they announced the US v. Jamaica friendly earlier this week and now they've got their website up and running.

Storey Heads Home to Houston

2006-02-22T23:36:00.000-05:00

Former Tarheel Marcus Storey has been traded from Columbus to Houston in return for Houston's natural second-round pick in the 2007 Supplemental Draft.

The 24-year-old Houston, Texas native will return to his hometown after playing in 12 games for Columbus Crew last season. Storey started three games for the Crew and recorded one assist. He was selected in the second round (No. 20 overall) of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.

Storey completed his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, scoring 29 goals and tallying 21 assists in 86 games. The Tar Heel was a two-time first team All-ACC selection (2003 and 2004) and was a member of the UNC's 2001 NCAA championship squad.

Raleigh Youth Inivited to National Team Training Camps

2006-02-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

Kim Kerns and Nick Millington, both of Raleigh, have been selected to attend the U16 Girls National Team and U15 Boys National Team training camps at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.. Nick is a defender for the '90 CASL Elite while Kim is a keeper at Leesville Road High School.

Media Coverage of USA v. Jamaica in Cary

2006-02-22T13:01:00.000-05:00

A collection of media coverage of the announcement of the USA v. Jamaica friendly at SAS Soccer Park.

Cary News - US Soccer Team to Play in Cary (2/21)
AP - US to Play Jamaica on April 11 in Cary, NC (2/21)
US Soccer Players - The Gem in Cary (2/21)
Sky Sports - US to Play Jamaica (2/21)
Sports Network - Final Boarding Call to Germany (2/21)
My Soccer Blog - US to Face Jamaica in Cary, NC (2/21)
On the Pitch - US v. Jamaica in Cary, North Carolina (2/21)
Soccer365 - USMNT to Face Reggae Boyz (2/21)
News & Observer - SAS Gets Soccer 'Friendly' (2/22)
Yanks Abroad - US, Jamaica set for Cary (2/22)
Carolina 14 News - SAS Soccer Park to Host First International Match | video (2/22)

Please note any additions in the comments section and I'll add them to the list.

Sam's Army Tickets for USA v. Jamaica

2006-02-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

Sam's Army ticket information for the USA v. Jamaica game on April 11th at SAS Soccer Park is now available on the event page at the Triangle Soccer Fanatics website.

Marc Connolly Loves SAS Soccer Park

2006-02-22T00:23:00.000-05:00

Marc Connolly over at USSoccerPlayers.com has a nice blog post today hailing the decision for the US National Team to play a game in Cary. Marc really hits on all the things I love about the intimacy of SAS Soccer park. Marc writes:

Over the years, I've watched MLS exhibitions, WUSA matches, USL Division I games and an NCAA Final Four in this little high school-like stadium. But it'll surely be an entirely different atmosphere when the U.S. plays down there. With only a two months separating the Jamaica match from the World Cup, one has to expect there will be a sellout crowd that evening. Then again, such a feat shouldn't be that hard. SAS can seat about 7,000 people and allow for a few thousand more with additional stands and standing-room areas along the chain-link fence that surrounds the field. If 10,000 or even 15,000 are able to fit into this tiny stadium, it'll seem like 30,000. Trust me. The fans are right on top of the field. What I like about this venue is how it is basically nestled into the woods. Just one small road leads into the park without too much fanfare. It'd make for an interesting shot from the Blimp. Plus, I'm a sucker for any small stadium that sells delivery pizza out of the box.

Special Opportunity for USA v. Jamaica Tickets for New USL Season Ticket Holders.

2006-02-21T23:03:00.000-05:00

There will be a special pre-sale event for the USA v. Jamaica game on April 11th for new season ticket holders of the new Cary-based USL team. Anyone who puts down a $50, non-refundable deposit on season tickets for the 2007 season will have first chance to buy their tickets to the U.S.-Jamaica game.

The tickets will be available at the offices of Triangle Professional Soccer at 201 Soccer Park Drive, Cary, NC 27511. Fans can also put down a deposit and purchase tickets by calling (919) 859-KICK (5425) or (919) 859-5445. This pre-sale begins on Wednesday, February 22^nd and will conclude on Tuesday, February 28^th.

Tickets for the general public go on sale starting Friday, March 3, at10 a.m. ET on-line at ussoccer.com, at all Cary and Raleigh Ticketmaster outlets (including Hecht’s, FYE, and Publix Stores) and by phone at 919-834-4000. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets by calling 312-528-1290 beginning Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m. ET.

Prices are as follows:

On-Field Seats - $125.00
Midfield Club Seats - $60.00
Sideline Club Seats - $45.00
Midfield Seats - $45.00
Sidelines - $30.00
End Zone Seats - $20.00

NOTE: Sam's Army Ticket information will be released tomorrow (Wednesday)

US Men Coming to Cary a Month Earlier Than Expected!

2006-02-20T22:34:00.000-05:00

Bruce Arena must love Cary! First, the men trained here in 2002 before the World Cup in Korea/Japan, then they announced their intention to return here in May for the 2006 World Cup training camp, and now US Soccer has announced that Arena is bringing the US Men's team back to SAS Soccer Park a month earlier for one final competitive-match look at his squad before he finalizes his World Cup roster. The US Men's National team is set to take on CONCACAF rival Jamaica in Cary, NC on Tuesday, April 11th. The game against the Reggae Boyz will kickoff at 7pm and will be televised live on ESPN2. Triangle Soccer Fanatics is working with Sam's Army and the USSF to secure a supporters section in the South End. For more information and to sign up to be alerted when ticket/tailgate information is available, please visit our event page at the TSF website. When Chris Economides promised the Triangle some interesting exhibition matches in Cary in 2006 ahead of our new USL 1st Division franchise kicking off in 2007, he wasn't kidding! The chance for Cary to host this match was facilitated by the bonehead decision in Birmingham not to delay the installation of articifical turf in Legion Field where the US had originally wanted to play Honduras on April 11th.

Tickets for the game go on sale starting Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m. ET on-line at ussoccer.com, at all Cary and Raleigh Ticketmaster outlets (including Hechts, FYE, and Publix Stores) and by phone at 919-834-4000. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets by calling 312-528-1290 beginning Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m. ET.

And Now For Your Moment of Zen...

2006-02-19T17:54:00.000-05:00

If your day hasn't been surreal enough, check out this 3 minute video from MLSNet detailing the Maxim photo shoot featuring a bunch of MLS players. First we had Clint "Deuce" Dempsey becoming a cross-over rap star (at least in his own mind) and now we've got Twellman complaining that his "caboose" is too big. Do we really want soccer to go mainstream?

Olsen Golazo Sinks Frozen Guatemala

2006-02-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

UPDATE (2/21): Looks like all my links to goal clips are now broken. I'll have to update soon. Sorry! Ben Olsen hit a rather sweet 25+ yard volley to start the scoring as the US Men's National Team romped 4-0 over a Guatemalan team that looked as if they'd rather be a few thousand miles closer to the equator. On a day where the gametime temperature was hovering in the mid-20s and the Guatemalan players were borrowing long sleeve T-shirts from the USSF, several American players improved their chances of making the trip to Germany. Chris Klein looked infinitely better in midfield than he did at left back against Japan and his 2 assists and a goal has to leave Arena scratching his head against about the right side of midfield. Eddie Johnson came on in the second half and scored within minutes to prove that he is getting healthy just in time for a run to the World Cup. Once again Conrad and Pope were solid in the back together and Olsen showed a lot tenacity and veteran leadership on the left side of the 4-3-3 the US played today. I thought this may have been his best game for the National team in years. On the other hand, I think time has run out on players like Ching (even though he scored today) and Wolff who have both been terribly inconsistent lately. Rolfe also doesn't look like he's ready for Germany but I do see a lot of potential there. I think he will figure significantly in our next qualifying campaign.

Rhinos Set Preseason Friendlies for Cary

2006-02-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

During their preseason training camp here in Cary, the Rochester Raging Rhinos will be squaring off against a variety of USL and collegiate competition to fine tune their skills and fitness ahead of the 2006 season. On today's "Kick This" radio show, Rhinos coach Laurie Calloway related that although a hoped for friendly against MLS's Columbus Crew couldn't be worked out because of a last minute MLS schedule change, the Rhinos will be hosting fellow USL 1st division sides Charleston Battery and Atlanta Silverbacks as well as a game against the UNC Tarheels, a 2006 NCAA quarterfinalist. The UNC game is scheduled for 4/6 at 6pm. No word yet on the dates of the other matches. It is anticipated that all of these games will be open to the public. Stay tuned to this site for more information on match specifics as it is available. In other Rhinos news, Calloway also mentioned that former Duke standout Danny Kramer who was selected in the recent USL draft, has now signed a contract with Rochester subject to his preseason performance.

USL adds new Super-20 League

2006-02-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

In order to bridge the gap between the Super-Y youth league the PDL, the United Soccer Leagues has added a new U20 league. The new Super-20 League is designed as a graduating youth league for elite players from 17-20 as they advance beyond the traditional youth bracket to the senior professional and amateur development leagues. The league will debut this summer with teams representing all levels of US and Canadian soccer from elite youth clubs to first division professional teams in the US and Canada. Teams such as Ironbound SC (Super Y-League), Brooklyn Knights (Premier Development League), Cleveland Internationals (W-League), Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Second Division), Toronto Lynx (USL First Division) and the MetroStars (MLS) will be fielding USL Super-20 League teams. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, this new league impacts the Raleigh Elite as many of our players have traditionally fallen within this age bracket.

Premier Soccer Opens a Second Triangle Location

2006-02-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

Premier Soccer opened its second location in the Triangle on Feb. 15th in the Crossroads shopping Center in Cary. They are located in the area by Toys R' Us and Party City. You'll find the original Triangle location in the Leesville Towne Centre off of I-540 north of the airport.

Could the Triangle Support an MLS Team?

2006-02-16T09:28:00.000-05:00

I know there have been plenty of arguments along this topic but this is the first time I've seen data linked to a conclusion on the topic of whether or not the Triangle could support an MLS team. Bizjournals.com has published a study where they looked at 179 markets in the United States and determined their viability to support additional pro sports franchises. The basic inputs to their model are the Total Personal Income (TPI) available in that market less an adjustment to TPI for any existing pro franchises already in the area. According to the study, Raleigh-Durham-Cary had $79.8 billion in TPI in 2003 but the adjustment for the Carolina Hurricanes brings that down to an Available TPI of $44.1 billion. According to the study, a market requires the following Available TPI in order to support another pro sports franchise:

MLB: $89.2 billion
NBA: $38.4 billion
NHL: $35.7 billion
NFL: $33.0 billion
MLS: $16.1 billion

Therefore, the $44.1 billion Available TPI is enough for the Triangle to support one additional pro franchise of any of these five sports except professional baseball. Interestingly enough, the Triad area is the best suited NC metro area for a new pro sports franchise with $54.0 billion in both TPI and Available TPI (they currently have no pro franchises) and Charlotte is almost completely saturated with only $3.0 billion in Available TPI after the adjustments for their basketball and football franchises. So where' are the best markets in the USA for MLS expansion? According to Bizjournals.com, it's Philadelphia and Rochester.

Triangle Soccer Fanatics Supporters Club Launches

2006-02-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

As an outgrowth of the original mailing list and then later this blog, I'm proud to announce the formation of the Triangle Soccer Fanatics Supporters Club. Although we are forming around the new Cary USL 1st Division team, we plan to support Triangle area soccer of all flavors. Our goal is to create a soccer supporters club here in the Triangle area in the finest traditions of Sam's Army, The Screaming Eagles, Section 8 and other great soccer supporters clubs around the world. Not only do we hope to grow excitement in the stands, but we hope to redirect that energy back into the soccer community through outreach programs. We invite you to join the club and share our passion for the Beautiful Game. And don't wait until the new USL team starts play in 2007! Our 2006 event calendar is full of chances to warm up for the debut of pro soccer in Cary next year. Please visit our new website for more information.

2003 UNC Women Honored in NCAA Centennial Celebration

2006-02-15T09:28:00.000-05:00

As part of the NCAA's Centennial Celebration, a panel consisting of college and university presidents, athletics directors, NCAA committe members, conference office representatives, SAAC representatives and NCAA staff have determined the 25 Most Defining Moments in NCAA history. The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has been named to this exclusive list, earning inclusion for the 2003 NCAA championship team which won the 18th title for Carolina in the sport over a period of just 23 years.

The 2003 Tar Heel team was won of the most dominant teams in NCAA soccer history as it finished 27-0 and outscored its opponents 32-0 in six NCAA Tournament games. Under the direction of legendary head coach Anson Dorrance, the 2003 Tar Heels rank as the only women's soccer team in NCAA Division I to finish a season unbeaten and untied over the past 12 seasons.

The NCAA Centennial is a yearlong celebration of the student-athlete. The celebration began in January 2006 at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will continue throughout the year. NCAA member schools, conferences and communities will play vital roles in the celebration by participating in special events in conjunction with NCAA championships and campus and community events that commemorate 100 years of the student-athlete.

All NCAA members were given the opportunity to nominate significant moments and outstanding student-athletes that are being highlighted in network programming produced by ESPN. The NCAA and ESPN have collaborated on two projects to honor student-athletes during the Centennial year. As part of the Centennial celebration in 2006, ESPN will air two one-hour programs highlighting the 100 Most Influential NCAA Student-Athletes. The network has also produced and aired 25, 30-second vignettes drawing attention to the "greatest moments" in NCAA history.

MLS Supporters Shield Becomes More Meaningful

2006-02-15T07:02:00.000-05:00

MLS made a few rule changes this week for the good of the game. The best one, in my opinion, was that the winner of the Supporters Shield -- the team with the best regular season record -- now gets a birth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (beginning in 2007) alongside the MLS Cup Champion. Previously, the two MLS Cup finalists represented MLS in this competition. Should the regular season champion also win the MLS Cup, the Supporters Shield runner-up (not the losing MLS Cup finalist) will be awarded the second birth. This adds prestige and financial incentive for teams to win the regular season, something that was a bit lacking in previous MLS campaigns. In other rule changes:

MLS game day rosters now consist of 18 players (previously 20 home, 16 away)
The yellow card points system which awarded points based on severity of caution was eliminated. Suspensions now come after 5, 8, and 11 yellow cards...and then every 2 after that.
The league also created a technical committee to examine changes for 2007 and the creation of youth development programs

Local Derby

2006-02-14T16:27:00.000-05:00

We don't talk much about youth soccer here but I've been tipped off to what should be a nice grudge match on Saturday. 88 Triangle Futbol Club Navy opens up their Spring 2006 NCYSA Classic season against 88 CASL Elite. These Premier division Classic teams represent some of the best youth talent playing today in the Triangle. Our version of the "Old Firm" kicks off Saturday, Feb 18th at 10am on Field 5 over as SAS Soccer Park. And don't forget about the UNC blue-white scrimmage on Sunday 2/19 at 10:30a!

An Interview with Francisco Marcos, USL Founder & President

2006-02-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

Kristian Dyer over at NYNJSoccer sat down with with United Soccer Leagues Founder and President Francisco Marcos for a very interesting "State of the League" interview. The part of the interview that I found most interesting was toward the end where Marcos details his vision for the ultimate USL club -- citing the Rochester Rhinos as the model: "I have to say that five years ago, my mantra was soccer-specific stadiums, the churches, chapels and cathedrals. That has caught on. Now, it is club and player development. All three are part of the pyramids needed in soccer - the bricks and mortar. The pyramid is the house that is home to everything top to bottom. The same Rhinos we discussed earlier are actually now heading toward a full pyramid, putting the political reasons aside that held them back before. The ironic thing about the Rhinos is they are now beginning to look like my club back home in Portugal, Sporting. With their stake in men's and women's soccer, lacrosse and hockey, they are truly an athletic club like many European clubs are, something many American fans may not realize. The process of becoming a Soccer Nation is about all of that. Building clubs is critical because as the club grows, so does its connection and involvement in the community, which in the end may help lead to that all-important stadium." So here in Cary, we've got Economides' experience in Rochester and the soccer-specific stadium in place so we've got a head start -- time to focus on club and player development!

Minor update to 2006 SAS Soccer Schedule

2006-02-14T06:33:00.000-05:00

The guys over at SAS Soccer Park have made a couple of minor changes to their 2006 schedule. It looks like they were just fixing typos but in case you'd already marked your calendar, please note that the US Women's National Team game is now showing a tenative date of Sat, Aug 6 (originally shown as the 8th). and the ACC Women's Championships are the first weekend in November, not October.

Former Tarheels Help USA Dominate Japan Early, Hold on Late For Victory

2006-02-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

Former Tarheel standout Eddie Pope scored his second goal in as many games and fellow alum Kerry Zavagnin played a key role in breaking up the short passing game of a crowded midfield as the USA dominated Japan early, then held on late for a 3-2 victory over their fellow World Cup Finalists Friday night in San Francisco. The final score line does little to detail how dominate the domestic-based US squad was for much of the night. After Pope opened the scoring and Taylor Twellman added 2 assists and a goal for the US who hardly had allowed Japan a shot on goal for 65 minutes, the flow of the game was broken up by a flurry of substitutions from both coaches. After a few tactical changes by Japan, the Blue Samurais pulled back 2 late goals to save some face before a crowd of 37,365 at SBC Park.

King Traded Rapid-ly

2006-02-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

Aaron King, who was selected as the last pick of the MLS Super Draft by Los Angeles has been traded to the Colorado Rapids. King, who is originally from the Denver area, was NC State's leading goal scorer for each of the past four seasons. "Though we would have enjoyed seeing Aaron play for the Galaxy, we realize that having him play close to his home will give him the best chance to start and develop his career," Galaxy president and general manager Doug Hamilton said.

Furman Taps Local Talent

2006-02-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

Furman coach Doug Allison has swooped in for some of our local Triangle talent among his 7 new signings for 2006. The program that produced upcoming MLSers and US National team members Clint Dempsey and Ricardo Clark adds Jordan Howard and Connor McNeely to their roster next year. Howard, a 5-foot-10 midfielder, prepped at Southeast Raleigh High School. A member of the North Carolina ODP squad, Howard earned all-conference and 2005 all-state accolades. McNeely, a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper, led Apex High School to a 24-0-1 record, Tri-7 Conference title and 2005 AAAA State Championship this past season. The Region III ODP team member earned all-conference and North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association All-State honors. McNeely plays club soccer for the `86 CASL Elite.

2006 Soccer Schedules

2006-02-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

NCSU Women's 2006 Spring Schedule

2006-02-08T19:02:00.000-05:00

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Fri 2/24	UNC-Greensboro	Greensboro	7:00pm
Fri 3/17	Campbell	Buies Creek, NC	6:00pm
Sat 3/25	Charlotte	Raleigh (Method Rd)	2:00pm
Sat 4/1	ACC Spring Tournament	Cary (SAS)	TBA
Sat 4/8	South Carolina	Raleigh (Method Rd)	2:00pm