USA 1 Honduras 0 in Miami in-front of over 21K. Fan pictures and videos.

The haters of Miami as a soccer town were out in full force last week as it was announced that fewer than 6800 tickets had been sold for the USA vs Honduras game to be played at Sun Life Stadium. The game hadn't even been played yet and already they were bashing.
In the end over 21,000 showed up on a wet night to watch the United states defeat Honduras 1-0 thanks to a wonderful goal by Clint Dempsey. Lets not point out that this game was played on Yom Kippur, that there was little promotion for the game, that a basketball event with NBA stars was being played and did I mention torrential rain?
Some mention that tickets were being given away thanks to a groupon special. But what town does not have special ticket sales for games? Sources within the Dolphins organization tell us fewer than 1,000 tickets were sold using the special. That still makes it 20K purchasing tickets by conventional means. Many of those walk up purchases. Imagine if it didn't rain? Other haters will say that 15K of those fans were Honduran nationals. In my opinion the crowd was divided... but, ok let's say they were all Honduran. It's still 15K Hondurans that live in South Florida!
In the end most haters are those who don't even live in South Florida and have no idea what it takes to make soccer a success in this town. The old Fort Lauderdale Strikers back in the 70's and 80's was a success. And the Miami Fusion in 2001 was also turning the corner but was taken from us before time.

What will it take for South Florida to succeed in MLS? An investor(s) with deep pockets that will make each game an event. Who can bring in soccer stars like the old Strikers did with George Best, Teofilo Cubillas, Gerd Muller to name a few. This will attract the soccer snobs of this town.
Over 70K showed up to see Barcelona play at that same stadium a few months back. The fans are here. We just need to give them the quality they are used to and this can be done. Any player in the world would love to play here and that's a fact.

Following are pictures and video of the game this Saturday:

Pictures and video by Uncle Ed

Hanging out with Jozy Altidore in South Florida.

As the United States men's national team gets ready for their showdown with Honduras this Saturday 8th at 6 PM (Tickets still available!) South Florida American Outlaws and all fans of the beautiful game (including the Miami Ultras) were honored to spend some time with forward Jozy Altidore, a one time South Florida resident. It was at Mickey Byrne's in Hollywood. 

Jozy was down to Earth and humble answering question and even playing FIFA11 versus a fan (Jozy won 3-0). He even answered a question previously asked by Burrito the blogging dog to Landon Donovan (See video HERE). If the Devil told you to play for Mexico or burn in Hell for eternity... what would you do? He answered "Oh, I'd sizzle!".
It was a great experience for all present and it was a good start to what will be an exciting soccer weekend in South Florida.

Following is a video where you can hear Uncle Ed ask the question (minute 1:06) followed by fan pictures:

For more information about the game be sure to scroll down to the previous blog entry.
For more details go to Total Futbol
BTW if anyone can contact  Jozy Altidore (Tweet @JozyAltidore )  tell him to join us this Monday at 10 PM on Miami Ultras Alive. We will review the USA vs Honduras game and the Strikers playoff game #1 versus the Puerto Rico Islanders.
Pictures by Pabony Rivera and Uncle Ed
Video by AKtothehouse

USA vs Honduras Saturday October 8 at 6 PM. Support Soccer in South Florida!

This Saturday October 8, 2011 at 6 PM the United States Men's National team will play a friendly game against Honduras. We ask all soccer fans in South Florida to show up and support the beautiful game.  Tickets are still available. Be sure to visit ussoccer to get your tickets.

If you want to sit with the American Outlaws and the rest of the supporters they will be in section GA 156. Code: STAND
The following information was received from the American Outlaws 
But before we get ahead of ourselves we have an event this Thursday October 6th at 8pm at:

Mickey Byrne’s located at:
1921 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, FL 33020

What do you get? 2 hour Open Bar (Draft beer, Domestic bottles and well drinks-no shots) from 8pm to 10pm for $10 and $4 Shot specials all weekend for anyone dressed in American Outlaws colors.
Mickeys will also host a USMNT player meet and greet during this event and the player is forward Jozy Altidore who will meet fans, will take questions and will challenge fans to FIFA12 on PS3.
Be sure to get there early and meet up with fellow South Florida American Outlaw members. (Ask for David Briceño or Pabony Rivera our local fearless leaders).
There will also be a pre-game party on Friday at Mickey's so be sure to attend. 

US vs. Honduras

Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL October 8th, 2011 6 pm ET
Mickeys will also have a Bus to and from Dolphin Stadium leaving from their location for only $25. It includes Beer on the bus and during the tailgate. The Bus Leaves at 4pm Sharp. For more information e-mail: mark@mickeybyrnes.com to get your spot.

Tailgate & Day of  Game Events

If you are interested in staging U.S. flags and instruments in the U.S. Organized Supporters Section for the upcoming U.S. Men's game vs. Honduras, please meet U.S. Soccer representatives at Gate G of Sun Life Stadium at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 8. You will be escorted into the stadium to stage your items prior to gates opening to the public. Fans that arrive late will not be guaranteed entry into the stadium to set up.
Please note: We will not allow banners/flags to be hung in front of the U.S. Organized Supporters Section for this match.
For those of you planning to enter the stadium to stage your items, please send an email to: gkim@ussoccer.org with your name and a description of the flag or instruments you will be bringing with you.
U.S. Soccer must receive the final list of names/items by Thursday, October 6, 5 p.m. ET.

Tailgate Location:

Gates open 4 hours before game time. See the map for the general location.
Tailgate Details:
There may be some beer provided  (For AO members over 21 years of age) for those that get there early. After the keg it is BYOB. (Bring Your Own Beer)
AO will be grilling some food and Budweiser will be providing a tent, security and beer girls for the game!!  There will also be Beer Pong Tables and much more.
We hope to see everyone at the game!

UPDATE:

American Outlaws South Florida members will be tailgating as early as 2PM on Saturday. Be sure to get out there early and join in on the fun!

As of 8:20 PM 10/5/11 there are still 65 tickets left in the AO section GA 156
Get them now, use Code: STAND
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00472975E05280

There are also new sections of the stadium on sale, which means ticket sales have gone up.
Please tell everyone and their momma! We hope to see everyone at all the events.

Be sure to follow Jozy Altidore on twitter: http://twitter.com/JozyAltidore
Ask him to join us on our radio show Miami Ultras Alive this Monday at 10 PM. Tell him to support soccer in South Florida!

Miami Gold Cup Success. Strikers, MagicJack win and more.

Gold Cup in Miami was a success as over 18,000 people showed up to watch the beautiful game. FIU stadium was packed and the ambiance was spectacular. Every seat was a good one and it felt as if you could reach out and touch the players due to the proximity of the field to the stands. It's a great stadium to watch soccer and I dare say the only thing that I didn't like was that the ball made a few weird bounces due to the plastic turf. Hopefully, one day, they will put a proper pitch.
The games started off with a vibrant Jamaica versus Guatemala. Which saw the Reggae Boys defeat the 'Chapines' by 2-0. Followed by Honduras against Grenada which saw the Grenadines start off with an early goal only to be destroyed by Honduras with a final score of 7-1. Read more HERE
If South Florida fans wanted to send a message to Major League Soccer it was sent on Friday night and the message is: This area can and will support quality soccer. Let's hope the 'Don" gets the message and an investor steps up.

Strikers Win!
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers continue to win in the NASL as they defeated the NSC Minnesota Stars by 3-0. The Strikers form has been impressive as of late and they had a stellar game by substitute Brian Shriver who had a brace.

“We were struggling in the first half defensively, and we weren't doing well with the chances we had. Once the first goal came, we knew the confidence would be there to add more,” said head coach Daryl Shore about the first half. “After they started throwing numbers forward, the defense buckled down and took pride in the shutout. I'm proud to see the effort they put forth to hold the score to where it was.”

Read more about the game HERE
Be sure to check back for video highlights later today.
The Strikers go on the road this coming Saturday June 18 as they face the Montreal Impact at Saputo stadium. Game time is set for 2:30 pm  Watch it live on www.strikers.com

MagicJack wins
WPS side MagicJack gets a road win this weekend as they visited the Atlanta Beat. MagicJack was short on many players due to the Women's World Cup set to start soon but the reserves proved to be enough to get the job done!
MagicJack came in with an early goal by Ella Masar. Christen Press scored right before the half to give MagicJack a 2-1 lead and Johanna Rasmussen sealed the deal in the second half. Read more about the game HERE
Be sure to follow MagicJack on Facebook

Miami Ultras Alive
Be sure to check out the latest version of Miami Ultras Alive tonight Monday at 10 pm as El Presidente Pieter Brown and Uncle Ed cover everything and anything with regards to South Florida soccer. Topics that will be covered will be Gold Cup, Strikers, NASL, WPS, MagicJack, MLS and more. Call in (323) 927-1455 and join in on our live chat room as our special guest tonight will be Fort Lauderdale Strikers President Tim Robbie.
Be sure to tune in and tell your friends!
Go here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miamiultras/2011/06/14/miami-ultras-alive-10 Brian Shriver picture by Robert Scorca. Gold Cup pictures by Julio Caballero. Tim Robbie picture taken from www.strikers.com

SF Soccer News: Robbie takes over Strikers. Ray Hudson 4 Life campaign and Gold Cup

Here is a recap of South Florida Soccer news for today.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers
The Sun Sentinel announced yesterday that the Strikers will have a press conference today to announce that Tim Robbie will take over as the Strikers President, replacing Aaron Davidson who will now concentrate on his role as NASL CEO.
The press conference was scheduled for today at noon at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Reports tell us Robbie has been on the job since Monday. Here are a few quotes from today's event.

"I am convinced that soccer in South Florida is here to stay"
"We are starting a venture that has the foundation for tremendous success"
"We intend to put a team on the field that will...compete for a championship in a reasonable amount of time."
Tim Robbie

The Robbie family has been involved with the South Florida sports community since 1966 when they brought in the Dolphins and the old Fort Lauderdale Strikers to our area in 1977. By bringing Tim Robbie into the mix Traffic Sports, owners of The Strikers (And most of the NASL) have brought immediate credibility to the Strikers name as well as someone that is very much respected in our community for his contribution to soccer and sports in general.

For more information please visit www.strikers.com
UPDATE: Full audio at NASL.com http://nasl.com/media/audioPlayer/id/10336

Ray Hudson 4 Life

South Florida soccer fans and supporters group the Miami Ultras have started a campaign to retire the number 4 jersey belonging to former Strikers player Ray Hudson.

While there have been many great players for the Strikers, there has been only one that truly left his mark on South Florida soccer. When you think of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers one name comes to mind above all others and that name is Ray Hudson. Ray has left his mark on South Florida soccer like no other. He wore the hoops longer than any other Striker, commentated and coached for the Miami Fusion, still lives in Fort Lauderdale and can be heard on Gol TV.

If you want to read more about this and contribute to this noble cause visit www.miamiultras.com
You can also join the Strikers 4 Life facebook page

Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is coming to Miami and matches are set to play at FIU Stadium on June 10. The games will be :

Jamaica vs Guatemala at 7:00 PM

Granada vs Honduras at 9:00 PM

Major League Soccer players that may be involved are:

Jamaican National team
Dane Richards New York Red Bulls
Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids
Ryan Johnson San Jose Earthquakes
Shavar Thomas Sporting Kansas City
Shaun Francis Columbus Crew
Lovel Palmer Houston Dynamo

Guatemala National team
Carlos Ruiz Philadelphia Union

Honduran National team
Marvin Chávez FC Dallas
Roger Espinoza Sporting Kansas City
Mauricio Castro New England Revolution

For ticket information visit Gold Cup.
You can also join the page on  facebook

Bornstein's Boots Score For Haiti

Jonathan Bornstein's boots raise $1,725.00 with 100% of the total going the American Red Cross. This donations along with others will help in the relief effort for the people in Haiti and around the world.

Jonathan used his head scoring what might be the most important goal in the history of Honduras. With seconds remaining in stoppage time on Oct. 14th he scored the equalizer against Costa Rica. This goal allowed Honduras to qualify for the World Cup. It is only the second time ever and the first time in 27 years.
In a selfless and thoughtful act Jonathan gave from his heart the boots from this match. Kudos to Jonathan Bornstein and the American Red Cross!

Enclosed is the eBay listing posted for this item for your viewing. Click on picture to enlarge and read text. Anyone wishing to help with a donation to the America Red Cross be sure to read the final paragraph for help directing you to this cause

100% of the final sale price will support American Red Cross (Small deduction may apply. Learn more)

About this nonprofit: You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by supporting the American Red Cross, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need around the world. This is an eBay Giving Works charitable listing (Administered by MissionFish)

U.S. Men's National Team defender Jonathan Bornstein’s last gasp goal against Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying aided Honduras in their quest to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and now he’s hoping the shoes he wore that night will give a bigger assist to relief efforts benefiting Haiti.

Bornstein has autographed and donated the shoes he wore during the historic match for an online charity auction on eBay, with 100 percent of the money raised to be donated to the American Red Cross to aid in their relief efforts in Haiti.

The auction begins today (Friday, Jan. 22) and will run through Wednesday, Jan. 27.

“The devastation and suffering in Haiti is a tragedy for everyone,” said Bornstein. “One of our teammates, Jozy Altidore, is the son of Haitian immigrants and still has many family members there. It’s heartbreaking to see what is happening, and we hope to be able to help in any way we can.”

Authorities estimate that the devastating earthquake that struck near the capital of Haiti has affected three million people. Hundreds of thousands are feared dead; many more people are injured or without basic supplies or shelter. The Red Cross is part of an enormous relief operation in Haiti following the massive earthquake there on January 12. It will be a long-term recovery effort and the Red Cross will be there throughout.

Fans interested in donating directly to the relief efforts can text the word HAITI to 90999 to contribute 10 dollars to the Red Cross or visit RedCross.org to make a donation.