Strikers visit the Puerto Rico Islanders

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will battle the Puerto Rico Islanders tonight Friday, April 29th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The Islanders, the reigning Div 2 champions and also the reigning CFU Club Championship winners, are undefeated in the NASL so far this season winning 2 games away and another in their home debut. The Islanders current form will be a test to the Strikers as they come off their first victory this season versus the Atlanta Silverbacks last weekend (2-1).

“The Islanders are playing well right now and it’s going to be a tough challenge,” said Head Coach Daryl Shore. “We are hoping to build from our effort in Atlanta last week and we are looking forward to going down there and coming away with some points.”
The Strikers four-match road trip will also take them to Minnesota and Carolina. The team will return to action at Lockhart Stadium on May 14th against in-state rival FC Tampa Bay.

Read more HERE
 All Strikers home and away matches are available online via webcast at www.strikers.com/live
More NASL games this weekend include:
Saturday
FC Tampa Bay vs Atlanta Silverbacks at Al Lang Stadium 7:00 pm
NSC Minnesota Stars vs Carolina RailHawks at NSC Stadium 8:30 pm
Sunday
FC Edmonton vs Montreal Impact at Foote Field 9:30 pm
All times are Eastern time.

Beach Soccer Worldwide on Miami Beach this weekend!

This weekend come out and see the Beach Soccer Worldwide!
It's Friday, Saturday and Sunday (April 29 to May 1) and includes tons of fun activities for everyone that loves the beautiful game.

The magic of beach soccer comes to Miami´s South Beach with The Beach Soccer Worldwide Miami Cup immediately following the Miami Beach Polo. A temporary stadium set between 20th and 22nd streets will host the thrilling action of this electric sport, and soccer fans will have the chance of enjoying the most spectacular version of ¨the beautiful game¨ on the pristine sands of Miami Beach.

Read more HERE

The game I'm most interested in is the Mexico v. USA game on Friday!

Full schedule:
29/Apr/2011 15:30 Mexico - USA
29/Apr/2011 16:45 Brazil - Spain
30/Apr/2011 15:30 Spain - Mexico
30/Apr/2011 16:45 Brazil - USA
01/May/2011 13:00 USA - Spain
01/May/2011 14:30 CELEBRITY GAME
01/May/2011 16:00 Brazil - Mexico

I hope to see everyone out there!
Note: If you can't make Friday's matchup between USA vs Mexico, it will be on FOX soccer channel!

Miami MLS Champions League Final watch party, MLS Miami videos and more...

Our good friend and Miami Ultras member Brian Corey has started a new MLS Meetup group with the intention of catching big MLS games and tonight happens to be one of those days as Real Salt Lake will attempt to be the first MLS team to win a Champions League Final. Come join us at Mickey Byrnes tonight, Wednesday at 10 PM. Please come join us and join this awesome group: http://www.meetup.com/Miami-Major-League-Soccer-MLS-Fan-Club/ .

Talk about MLS... I've never won anything before so when I received an envelope in the mail the other day I was surprised I had won a Major league Soccer T-Shirt. Here is how I won it:

Hey Ed, Thanks for pledging to watch Tuesday night's opening match of the MLS season. I'm happy to report that you were one of the first 2,000 fans to take the pledge, so your free t-shirt is on its way! Russ Findlay Chief Marketing Officer Major League Soccer

MLS asked the winners to post a picture of yourself with the T-Shirt on so I decided to wear the T-Shirt to a Strikers game and sent it in. MLS put the picture up on their facebook page! Check it out below:

The push for MLS to Miami continues and it is being talked about in Bigsoccer and other forums not to mention blogs and other media.
Following are videos of recent mentions of MLS Miami, both in Spanish. This one is from ESPN's Jorge Ramos y su banda. They even mention the Miami Ultras.


This video is from an MLS game transmitted on Galavision, one of the Univision channels. They constantly mention MLS Miami in their broadcasts.


Do you want to help bring MLS to South Florida? Then join, follow or visit these sites:

Website: http://www.mlsmiamibid.com/

Blog:  http://mlsmiami.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlsmiami

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MLSMiamiBid

Email us to: info@mlsmiamibid.com

Don't forget to support your local soccer teams WPS team magicJack and the NASL's Strikers!

MagicJack and Strikers win. Road trip to Atlanta pictures.

MagicJack started their season with a victory over the Boston Breakers this past Saturday night at Florida Atlantic University.

Ella Masar scored in the 26th minute for magicJack, who dominated possession early in the first half. Abby Wambach set up Masar's goal, playing the ball across the box before Masar beat Breakers keeper Alyssa Naeher. The Breakers (1-2-0, 3 points) had a number of opportunities after Masar's goal, but all were turned away by magicJack keeper Jillian Loyden (12 saves).

Read more HERE
Over 1200 people filled the stands and sat on the grass to see this game. A great beginning to what we hope will be the first of many victories. The next game will be Sunday, May 1 against Philadelphia Independence at 4pm ET.
Following are a few links with further news of the game.
Sun Sentinel
Soccer America 
Major League Soccer Talk
Examiner
Magic Jack Facebook (Pictures)

Strikers defeat Atlanta
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers gained their first victory of the season by beating the Atlanta Silverbacks 2-1 in Atlanta.

Fort Lauderdale went ahead in the 14th minute as Martin Nunez calmly chipped the ball over Atlanta’s keeper Felipe Quintero. Aaron Wheeler assisted on the goal as he controlled a Paulinho pass and then played it down into the path of Nunez for the chip. The goal is Nunez's first of the season.

Minutes later, Mexican International Mario Perez launched violent shot from just outside the box past Strikers keeper Nic Platter. Once the score was leveled, the Silverbacks and the Strikers exchanged opportunities throughout the rest of the half.

Strikers substitute Yoximar Granado was tackled in the box by Atlanta defender Tyler Ruthven in minute 87. Ruthven was shown a yellow card and the Strikers were awarded a penalty. Almost mirroring last weeks match Eduardo Coudet stepped up to the spot and launched the ball past the keeper to give the Strikers its first win of the season.

Read more HERE
The Strikers continue their road trip by visiting Div2 Champions Puerto Rico Islanders on Friday April 29 at 8:05 pm in Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel. You can watch that game live on www.strikers.com
Following are more links:
Strikers.com
Miami Soccer Fan 
Examiner 
Sun Sentinel
Flight 19
South Florida United 
Following are more pictures of South Florida United as they invaded Atlanta to support the Strikers!

Strikers road trip to Atlanta and MagicJack season opener Saturday.

First off we begin with South Florida United's road trip to Atlanta in support of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In case you didn't know, South Florida United is the umbrella group for all South Florida Soccer supporters groups in our area. So far 5 groups are part of the effort to unify everyone who loves the beautiful game. If you have a supporters group join SFU!
Members of the Miami Ultras and Flight 19 took it upon themselves to organize this first road trip of the season, which also happens to be the first visit of any visiting supporters group to Atlanta.
The Strikers supporters left last night and will enjoy their stay in the greater Atlanta area vising a few cool tourist sites and meeting up with the Atlanta Silverbacks supporters group Westside 109.

Following are pictures of the trip so far.

Kid is the new David Beckham. But doesn't drink Pepsi... yet. By Burrito

Have you pendejos seen the Pepsi commercial of David Beckham with hot mamacita Sophia Vergara?
Then they take out video of "Golden Huevos" shooting futbols into trash cans... You see that? Many say they fake, others say it real. Burrito don't give a chingado either way. Just show Burrito more of Sophia Vergara!

South Florida Soccer News: WPS, NASL, MLS and more.

We start our weekly review of everything soccer in South Florida, with our also weekly Blog Talk Radio show called Miami Ultras Alive hosted by Pieter Brown and yours truly, Uncle Ed. The show has now been extended to one hour and will be moved starting next Monday to 10 pm. This will happen every week until you get tired of us. We will cover any subject from MLS, WPS, NASL, the U.S. national team and anything you, the listeners, want to talk about relating to the beautiful game.
You can listen to yesterdays show below while you read the rest of this blog. Be sure to leave your comments and tell us if you think we suck or if you have an idea to improve the show.

Listen to internet radio with Miami Ultras Alive on Blog Talk Radio

WPS - MagicJack
One of the first things we spoke about on the show was South Florida's new Women's Professional Soccer team called MagicJack. The team was set to start it's season this past weekend when they visited the Philadelphia Independence but the game was postponed due to a thunderstorm.
MagicJack will now play its season opener at 7:00 pm this Saturday April 23 at FAU Soccer Field in Boca Raton versus the Boston Breakers.
Not very much is known about MagicJack. For some reason details about the team has been limited, but fear not, their website seems to be under construction so that is a good sign... I think.

What we do know is that the teams roster is full of U.S. national team players. On paper, MagicJack's roster is impressive. With players like Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx, Lindsay Tarpley, Goalkeeper Hope Solo (Who is suspended for comments made on twitter last season) and Australian Lisa De Vanna just to name a few.
For more information visit MagicJack
NASL - Strikers
www.strikers.com has highlights of their April 16th game against NSC Minnesota Stars.



Following is a fan video that depicts the final moments of the game from the supporters section. It gives you a feel of what it was like to be at the game.




MLS - Watch Party
South Florida United invites all soccer fans to join them for the CCL finals at Mickey Byrnes in Hollywood this Wednesday @10pm when Real Salt Lake takes on Mexicam side Monterrey in the first of two games seried to determine the Champion of Central and North America.

The following day there will be another viewing party at Mickey Byrnes, hosted by MLS Miami Bid members, it's Thursday at 8pm between DC United vs. NY Red Bulls.

You want MLS to return? Support our efforts in bringing MLS to South Florida. Follow our MLS Miami Bid. You can help by spreading the word. Email your friends and send them the information below.

Website: http://www.mlsmiamibid.com/

Blog:  http://mlsmiami.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlsmiami

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MLSMiamiBid

Email us to: info@mlsmiamibid.com

NASLGuru
Don't forget to join www.naslguru.com the new NASL game.
This week the Guest Guru is the President of the Miami Ultras Pieter Brown. 
Follow NASLGuru:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/naslguru
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASLGuru
Share this game with your friends! Find the Guru inside you!

Strikers vs Minnesota in Pictures and video.

The Strikers came from behind last night to tie the Minnesota Stars thanks to Chacho Coudet's last minute penalty.
Over 4,000 souls showed up to see a tough match where the Strikers dominated most of the game, but could not convert. You can read more about it at www.strikers.com

Following are pictures and video followed by links to other sites with Strikers news and pictures.

Barcelona vs Chivas in Miami August 3, 2011

We have just confirmed via Jorge Ramos y Su Banda ESPN Radio that Barcelona will play Chivas in Miami on August 3, 2011.
The rumor had been that Barcelona would meet AC Milan, but it turns out that announcement was premature. No deal was made so instead it will be Mexico's most followed team against European giant FC Barcelona.
You can see further proof on their Facebook page:

We will update as soon as we get ticket information.
If you want further information you can join the event on Facebook

Please note there has been no official announcement.  

Do you want MLS to return? Support our efforts in bringing MLS to South Florida. Follow our MLS Miami Bid. You can help by spreading the word. Email your friends and send them the information below.

Website: http://www.mlsmiamibid.com/

Blog:  http://mlsmiami.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlsmiami

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MLSMiamiBid

Email us to: info@mlsmiamibid.com

Strikers vs FC Edmonton pictures and Miami Ultras Alive tonight at 11pm.

First off we want to get the word out to South Florida Soccer fans that Miami Ultras President and founder Pieter Brown kicks off the first ever "Miami Ultras Alive" show on blog talk radio.
It starts tonight Monday April 11 at 11 pm. Be sure to sign up and get on the chat or call up if you want to contribute to the discussion.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miamiultras

Fort Lauderdale Strikers
The Strikers may have lost their first game versus FC Edmonton but the crowd came out in numbers!
Check out the pictures I was able to take with my phone (I forgot my camera in the car).
Below the pictures you will find links to everything covering the Strikers.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Preview 2011

The Strikers are back and with a vengeance! Gone are the Miami FC Blues as Traffic, owners of the team (And most of the NASL) are ready to put that nightmare behind them. Aaron Davidson set out to make the NASL a legitmate league by hiring new NASL commissioner David Downs. Of course, we here in South Florida know the ultimate move was to bring back Tim Robbie as President of the New Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Robbie hit the ground running and has been all over the papers, radio and TV. He has been hit with a dilemma... Not having enough seats to sell. That is a great problem to have! We can safely say that Davidson finally made the right decisions. Bringing back the Strikers name and appointing the right people in the right job. But what about the players on the field?

Coach Daryl Shore comes back in what will be his first real full season. Shore came in last year turning a Miami FC team around from a losing team to a winner. Unfortunately the team didn't make the playoffs but we come into 2011 with a clean slate and the responsibility of maintaining the historical precedence set forth by the original Strikers: They never missed the playoffs.

Now lets look at the players that are IN and those that are OUT.

OUT
Paulo Araujo Jr Real Salt Lake MLS D1
JP Rodrigues Playing for our rivals FC Tampa NASL D2. Be sure to call him a traitor next time we see him. =)
Christiano Dias NSC Minnesota Stars NASL D2
Lance Parker FC Edmonton NASL D2
Mike Randolph Los Angeles Blues USL Pro D3
Chuckwudi Chijindu Los Angeles Blues USL D3
Gerson Mayen Chivas USA MLS D1
Kyle Veris Pittsburgh Riverhounds USL Pro D3
Edward Santeliz Suchitepequez D1 Liga National de Futbol de Guatemala
Stephan Jerome Sigma Olomouc D1 Gambrinus Liga (Czech Republic)
Jaryd Goldberg ?
Christian Gomez ? China
Caleb Patterson Railhawks NASL D2

IN

Goalkeepers

Matt Glaeser returns after a strong finish as the starting GK with the Miami FC Blues last season.

Phillip Lamarre came on loan for a month last year from Tampa. He made the right decision leaving the hated Rowdies. Phil is from Plantation, FL.

Nic Platter, formerly of the Minnesota Thunder (Now NSC Minnesota Stars) If recent lineups are any indication it looks like Platter will be the starter. Be sure to follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/isnapfotos

Defenders

Aaron Hohlbein A solid defender that came in last year and changed our backline. Formerly with the Kansas City Wizards (Now Sporting KC) A definite starter and team Captain.
Christian Arrieta has played all over. Leece in Italy, Puerto Rico Islanders, Philidephia Union. He has a great track record. I'd put my money on him starting.

Adam "Batman or the Mayor" West (Yes, yes, I'm sure he hear that a lot!) Formerly played for the Tacoma Tide, Milwaukee Wave of MISL and the now self relegated
to D-3 Rochester Rhinos.

Scott "The Commissioner" Gordon (Sorry, I just had too!) Gordon is originally from Boca Raton, FL and has played for FC Dallas and Lynn University.


Zach "Beowulf" Kirby A fan favorite who previously played for the Atlanta Silverbacks, LA Galaxy and Wilmington Hammerheads.

Lance Laing this defender from Trelawny, Jamaica has played for Harbour View FC and Village United.

Martyn Lancaster from Wigan, England has played for Chester City, Wilmington Hammerheads, Atlanta Silverbacks, Queen of the South, Ljungskile SK to name a few. Another fan favorite, look for him to start as well.

Midfielders

Eduardo "Cacho" Coudet from Buenos Aires, Argentina is perhaps the most storied of the Strikers players having shined with River Plate and gone on to other teams such as Celta de Vigo, Philadelphia Union and many more.

Bryan Arguez a local young promise has played with Hertha Berlin, DC United and USA youth teams. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bryan_arguez17


Lennon Eduardo Carvalho Celestino from Sao Paulo, Brazil was plagued by injury last year. We hope to see more of him this year.

Grant Kerr from Linlithgow, Scotland has played for Fordham University and Southend United.

Paulo Henrique Le Petit from São Carlos, Brazil. Le Petit has shown sparks of his talent last year. We will see what he can bring with the Strikers.

Martin Nuñez from Montevideo, Uruguay is another player that came at the end of last year and impressed. He has played with the Carolina Railhawks and Puerto Rico Islanders.

Patrick Otte has played with the Middlesbourgh Academy, Ventura County Fusion and the U.S. youth teams.

Mike Palacio has played for the New York Red Bulls and Serbian team Radnicki Obrenovac to name a few.

Toni Stahl from Tuusula, Finland has played for the University of Connecticut, FC Espoo and the Philadelphia Union.

Brian Shriver is from Clearwater, Florida and has played with the Carolina Dynamo, Carolina RailHawks and the U-23

Forwards

David Santamaria impressed during Traffic's combine last year and was signed by the Strikers. Keep an eye on this young promise!

Abe Thompson ended the 2010 season as the leading scorer of the team. An MLS veteran who has played for FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo and Kansas City. Look for "Honest" Abe to be the starting forward.

Aaron Wheeler comes to the Strikers from the evil FCTampa, he has since been cleansed and repented. Aaron has also played for the Vancouver Whitecaps and Reading Rage. You can follow his Twitter: http://twitter.com/AaWheeler12

Are you ready to see the Strikers this weekend? Tickets are still available visit www.strikers.com

Be sure to check out the GAME DAY GUIDE for a map of the stadium and events!  Tailgate starts at 5pm! 4 pm if you want to hang out with South Florida United and the Miami Ultras.

All pictures by Robert Scorca
Don't forget to join www.naslguru.com the new NASL game and follow them on:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/naslguru
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASLGuru
Share this game with your friends! Find the Guru inside you!

NASLGuru the new Division 2 Soccer game.

NASL fans can now show off their soccer knowledge with the new soccer game called NASLGuru.  The game consists of picking the winners and indicating the score. You will win points for your accurate predictions. The game is free and at the end of the season you can win prizes.
But even if you join late you can still win prizes. Every month the top Guru will win!

Keep in mind you will be able to modify your predictions up to a few hours before the first game takes place. So keep coming back if you change your mind.

There are many features you can use at NASLGuru. As the weeks go by you will want to check "Positions" to see where you are at in the general table. You can compare with your friends and see who the top Guru is.

 Another way that can help you make your predictions is by going to "Statistics". Once there, you will see how other people are voting for every game.This can help you make your choices.
  

You can create Groups with passwords so only your friends can join. You can edit your group and kick people out if you want to. You are the boss in your group.

The nerds at NASLGuru will be updating the game and adding new things as the season progresses. They appreciate your suggestions so please leave your comments here or at the site:

www.naslguru.com

You can also join and follow them at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/naslguru
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASLGuru
Share this game with your friends! Find the Guru inside you!

Play for Anton Soccer Tournament Saturday April 9, 2011.

Today I'd like to reach out to the soccer community for a noble cause. Our good friends at Soccer 5 at Kendall Soccer Park are helping out Jasmine Aleman from FIU and her fellow students who are putting on a tournament at Soccer 5 in order to raise funds for a life saving operation for a close friend at FIU who was injured in a horrific car accident.

We here at FMB hope all those that read this will come out this coming Saturday April 9, 2011 starting at 9:30 AM to play some soccer and make donations for Anton Xavier Clifford. You can read more about his story at www.pray4anton.com

I also need to mention Scott Georgeson who is gifting the use of the Soccer 5 fields for the tournament where all proceeds go towards the cause for Anton. All those mentioned want to put on a great event and get as many soccer players behind this knowing that the tournament isn't just about winning a trophy, it can save someone's life. Again. all proceeds go towards Anton's operation.


For further details please read the below flyer:

You can also call 1-888-575-2976 to sign up and reserve your space. Please remember to mention it's for Anton or contact Jasmine Aleman. Email: play4anton@gmail.com

Miami Ultras member quits and becomes Cosmos fan.

Hola Amigos, Burrito here to report bad news.
Today Miami Ultras member Mitchell Rivera announced that he has quit his membership and position ( what was his postion anyway????) at the Miami Ultras and that he taking his talents back to the N-Y-C. this has shocked all five members of the Ultras. Mitch said:

"I m sick and tired of showing up on time while everyone shows up 3 hours later".

Pieter Brown president of the Ultras called in an emergency meeting at 2 am, howevers everyone showed up 6am. Everyone (The four that showed up) was trying to convince Mitchell, who by that time was asleep, to stay with the Miami Ultras. After 30 seconds of yelling back and forth. A full melee almost broke out, but Kyle "Train Wreck" Kaly stepped in to keep the peace, in a strange turn of events he got red carded by Hotshot. Mitch stormed out screaming "South Florida Divided"!

After the meeting Derek Reese left to Bermunda on Jet Blue Flight 19 (coincidence ain't it?) his current whereabout are unknown...

Burrito was able to get a phone interview with Mitchell's girlfriend Jane Shpiner who said in Russian:

" его любовь к футболу является сумасшедшим действиеm"

Sorry guys u have to translate that one on google.com/translate, and then told Burrito to sit and roll over, but gave no snack!
Mitch has not answered his phone since.