Lot's of soccer news this week!We start with the Strikers re-signing 3 players yesterday. Here is what the team had to say:
The Strikers announced today that they have resigned forward/midfielder Martin Nuñez, midfielder Lennon Celestino, and forward Brian Shriver for the 2011 season.Last week the team also announced the addition of one time Miami Fusion Captain Jim Rooney as assistant coach.
“We are happy to have all three players back. Lennon brings a strong defensive midfield presence. Both Brian and Martin give us good attacking options. Both are versatile enough to play forward or attacking midfield. Again we are happy to have all three players as we continue to maintain our core group from last season," said Head Coach Daryl Shore.
Rooney began his professional career in South Florida with the Miami Fusion in the MLS. The American midfielder made 67 appearances for the club from 1999 – 2001 scoring 12 goals in the process. Rooney also spent time with the New York MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) and the New England Revolution. Rooney served as team captain of the Fusion during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.Looks like the team is starting to take shape, can't wait for the season to start! Do you want to support soccer in South Florida?
Tickets for the Strikers 2011 are on Sale Now! Call today for pricing and availability. Founding Season Ticket Holder Specials Available! Call 954.829.9213 or e-mail info@miamifc.com
WPSNews about the Washington Freedom coming to South Florida to play a few games and the addition of Brazilian star Marta joining the team was all over rumorville. Unfortunately the later seems to not be the case. Marta signed with expansion team Western New York. The Freedom however will be coming to South Florida to a yet to be determined stadium.
The Freedom has 2 high profile American players in forward Abby Wambach and Goalkeeper Hope Solo who appears to have recently signed with the team. In addition the team has many international players such as Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa who has scored 72 goals in 152 caps with Japanese WNT. Australian Forward Lisa De Vanna who has scored 23 goals in 62 caps with Australian WNT and Norwegian forward Lene Mykjaland, just to name a few. We hope to have more information about the team and where they will play soon.
MLSOne time Miami FC forward Paulo Junior saw a few minutes with his new team Real Salt Lake in their practice game versus the Seattle Sounders. (Game ended 3-3). More info HERE (in Spanish)
Former MLS player and South Florida resident Mark Chung gets a mention on the latest edition of What Ever Happened To...
Charlie Davies has been practicing with DC United. He just might sign with the team. DC United is in town for pre season training. Full report by Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald.
DC United will play a scrimmage today against Florida International University at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, time will be at 4 pm. It will be open to the public!
For more South Florida soccer news you can follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/footballsoccerm
27 comments:
Traffic sucks. They turn off every soccer fans in south Florida. They are a bad apple. Yes to WPS, MLS.
Traffic will ruin the Strikers legacy and name. Say no to NASL, yes to WPS and MLS.
NASL is minor league soccer. Help bring the big league to South Florida.
If you want MLS is South Florida support the Strikers!
Stop hating and support the team we have!
Strikers +Traffic Sports/ Aaron Davidson= bad for South Florida.
Don't be fools.
If we lose the Strikers we will have no team in this town. Strikers = MLS
Guys, no insults please.
Voice your opinions but no personal attacks. I will delete them.
Thanks.
They turn off every soccer fan. Traffic sucks. The NASL will go down 1-2 years.
You anonymous guys don't sound like soccer fans at all. As an American Born soccer fan, soccer is something I didn't grow up with but learned to love over the last 10 years. Soccer is now in my blood. I don't care who owns the team. The front office of the Strikers is very open to my support group and that's is very unheard of. As long as they continue to bring me a decent product on the field or at least just something on the field, I'm cool with that. You can bitch about the front office all you want but don't penalize the people on the field. Soccer is fine to watch on the television but I really want to be there in person. I don't have all the money in the world to fly and see the NY Red Balls or even my beloved Sounders. I'll stick to watching those on my TV. Until they come to play the Strikers I will be at every Strikers game screaming my heart out and playing that music to show those future MLS stars what real fans can be. Real fans are not guys that hide behind anonymous names.
PS Sorry Ed is this is considered "Insulting" I enjoy your blogs and hate seeing these guys taint the information and the spirit that is being passed on.
We need to protect the Strikers legacy. Say no to Traffic Sports and the minor leage NASL. Traffic failed with Miami FC and will fail with the Strikers. It's a guarentee.
Failure is not guaranteed unless we fail to support them. No Strikers = no MLS. Please understand that. Your constant desire to scuttle the Strikers because of your pathological hatred of Traffic is going to kill any chance of MLS's return.
I don't know if all of these posts are designed to do that or just pull everyone's chain for laughs, but the end result could be turning MLS off to South Florida. That seems to run counter to what you want. Wake up & cool it.
Thanks for the post, Justin.
Strikers will not bring or guarantee MLS. Traffic Sports only care to sale players. Aaron Davidson is a snake and a joke.
The only responsible thing is to start from scratch down here with new ownership. Traffic has destroyed the reputation of this area and everyone now pokes jokes at us.
I'm in Miami but I personally do not care if the team is called Fort Lauderdale or plays in Boca or Homestead. I just want good pro soccer near me. But Traffic has not brought a viable pro soccer team to the area despite five years of existence and silly marketing gimmicks.
The one thing we still can point to down here is the Strikers legacy. A glorious time when soccer fans from the entire area, Miami, Kendall, Coral Gables, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Boca, etc, etc met up at a special place Lockhart and saw the best fight for us. We bonded to our club.
Traffic cannot or will not bring us that. In fact, they do not want to. Their entire aim, entire existence is to buy and sell players, cheap players, third rate players, and to limit costs on the operations and marketing ends. They cannot bring us the Strikers. Miami FC had so much potential to fill that void, but they failed. I don't want the Strikers name ruined by these cheapskates. Please let someone else do it or Traffic sell the team!
No one says Traffic guarantees an MLS return, but, Don Garber stated that for MLS to return they must see fan support in South Florida. A part of that is to support what we have. That;s a hint. What we have is the Strikers.
Garber also stated that Traffic may very well NOT be in charge of an MLS team here, but that supporting what we have can induce MLS to show prospective owners, and he said they have had people inquiring about team ownership, that we are a viable market. The way to demonstrate that, in part, is to support what we have: The Strikers. (hint...hint)
Yes, Traffic Sports primary business is in the meat market. Placement of contracted players with various teams. And, another yes, they probably see North America as an untapped source of players. That's what they do. They probably formed Miami FC & now the Strikers to expedite this process of growing their business. For 5 or 6 years they've tried it. I give them a D for performance - their teams have been poor as has been the marketing - and an A for perseverance - they've at least hung in there trying to make it work.
Hopefully, this year their perseverance will start to pay off with a competitive, well managed, well marketed team. We'll see soon enough. Their success or failure should be based on that, not some unnamed hatred of them based on, I guess, their failure to deliver what someone expects.
In any event, thinking of Garber's statements, supporting the Strikers are all we have right no to gain admittance to MLS by demonstratng we can support a team down here. Sure, it's D2 at best, but it's what we have and throwing out undefended hatred of the team, it's management, specifically name calling directed toward Aaron Davidson, NASL and anything else related to them, is not going to help the cause of getting MLS back.
You say you have knowledge of something better. Please present it to everyone so we can see it's merits. Complaining & whining about things not being the way you want them won't work. Showing everyone a defined better alternative will. We await your answer.
Traffic Sports/Aaron Davidson will lead soccer fans to nowhere. Fans in south Florida has lost all faith in them. Sell the team to someone that cares. Bring MLS Its what everyone wants.
If that's the answer to my request then you've proven yourself to be spoiled & clueless. You offer nothing but insults & stubborn anger. The situation requires more than that.
You've pretty much proven to me that you are a bunch of infantile, clueless clowns posting here to pull our chain to stir up some shit, nothing else.
Enjoy yourselves. I only hope you don't actually hurt our chances of getting MLS here.
Traffic talked a good game when Miami FC started but it proved to be an epic fail. They are again talking big saying they will honor the ethos of the Strikers. How can we trust them? All they want us a cheap team to park players. They will destroy the Strikers name.
We would be better off without a team and would have been better off without Miami FC. If MLS is the goal we must have a real investor at the D2 level that is actually serious about marketing and winning. Traffic has proven they are not and have actually hurt our cause.
Do or Die vote at the USSF AGM in Las Vegas on whether to sanction the neo-NASL. NASL will not be sanction.
Say no to Traffic, insulting NASL/Strikers legacy. Say yes to Strikers in MLS under new ownership.
Aaron Davidson has turn off every soccer fans in south Florida.
Anyone else wonder if these anonymous posts are all the same person posting over and over again? Same bad grammar, same tired old crying.
Hey anonymous guy, listen to your fellow soccer fans in S. Florida and support your local team. Keep demanding that Traffic better themselves, but do NOT turn your back on minor league soccer down there.
Having ill feelings toward Traffic is perfectly understood and we all get that both the fans and the team are in a tight spot after Don Garber laid it out for you all. With the new NASL Traffic has a chance to put up or shut up regarding their real intentions for growing the sport here in the U.S.
Keep supporting your current team, with a skeptical eye if you must, but keep supporting them nonetheless. Otherwise you are doing more harm than good in your quest to bring MLS back.
NASL sucks!!!
NASL sucks!!!
NASL sucks!!! NASL sucks!!!
Brilliant argument! Impeccable logic! LOL
It's the same infantile foot stomping, jumping up and down, whining & screaming that my 3 year old grandson uses when he doesn't get his way. But, when you consider that most of he southern section attend FIU, it makes you wonder when mature adulthood will overtake them.
Wrong again Anonymous, NASL was sanctioned.... wah wah wah 6-5 will be the argument. Who cares it happened. When the league has been a success and the team sells an insane amount of season tickets (which is currently happening) I can't wait to see the "5" and you stick your foot in your mouths. And believe me when MLS comes knocking eventually we'll make sure that you're not recognized for your useless ignorance in the attempt to get a team to MIAMI (SOUTH FLORIDA) by crying about Traffic. I don't care if it's Weston FC, Nova High School, or the Fort Lauderdale Fatbellys I'm going to watch me some soccer.
What a joke you guys are. You following a league that doesnt know what they are doing.
Speedcake!
Thanks for the post. It's good advice. Unfortunately a small group from Miami-Dade is upset that Traffic has move operations to Ft Lauderdale full-time & permanently. What you are reading here is the reaction of some of the Southern Legion's Members (or is it the Southern Platoon?) that simply can't face the reality of the move & that it will probably work out quite well and very much to our advantage long term. That, plus the undeniable fact that we fans simply have no other choice but to support Traffic right now annoys them to the point that they can't do anything other than fill this site with their total dislike of the situation.
Their reaction is sad, but that's the way it is. The idea of doing more harm than good is beyond their comprehension. Young men are sometimes like that.
Hopefully a good start to the season after a well orchestrated run up to the 1st game may quite them down a bit. we hope so, because we do share their desire for a return of MLS. Our problem is simply to convince them that their way is self-defeating and wrong and ours, while possibly distasteful in many ways, is the ONLY way we have right now to advance the cause.
Again, thanks for the post. It's odd that you in Tampa can see things so clearly while folks down here can't and delude themselves so badly.
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