Another RCU Loss to CFC, USA v Jamaica Watch Party at the Brickhouse on Sunday

RCU Loses to CFC Again

They say "the third time's a charm", but that wasn't the case for Rocket City United as they fell to Chattanooga FC by the same 2:0 scoreline for the third time in 4 weeks.  Goals from CFC's Mark Sharrod and Chris Ochieng sealed the three points for the Blues while torpedoing RCU's chance to play in the NPSL Championship in Madison at the end of July.



Gold Cup Quarterfinal: USA v Jamaica Watch Party at Brickhouse

The US Men's National Team's form hasn't been very good, but that is not for lack of support from the American Outlaws, and the local would-be Huntsville chapter has been stellar in that regard.  They have had terrific crowds for each of the three first round matches, and are hosting another watch party for the Gold Cup Quarterfinal match between the USMNT and Jamaica at the Brickhouse Sports Cafe on Sunday at 1:30PM.  Come out and join us and bring your father, too!

RCU at CFC, CFC Fall In US Open Cup, My New Favorite Writers

RCU Try To Be First To Win At CFC Since 09

Rocket City United have had a strange season so far.  Undefeated on the road and winless at home (2-3), RCU will try to keep that undefeated part going this Saturday at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.  RCU will have to overcome inconsistent play if they want to be the first team in years to come out of Finley with three points.  The team has looked disjointed at times, perhaps due to the revolving lineups as players have joined the squad late.  I spoke to RCU veteran Brian Hadley who is the ranking player on the roster, having been with the team since 2008.  He's optimistic that the team will come together soon.

Longtime RCU player Brian Hadley   

CFC Can't Hold On To Lead, Fall in OT

Chattanooga FC may be a little tired for this weekend's match with RCU after they bused around 24 hours to and from Pittsburgh and played 120 minutes before falling 3:2 in the US Open Cup match on Tuesday.  CFC held a 2:0 lead with about 30 minutes left to play, but gave up two goals late and one in overtime to lose 3:2 to the USL Pro's Riverhounds.  Only one of the four NPSL teams in the tournament survived the first round as the Madison 56ers beat USASA team AAC Eagles 4:0.  


Writers Rip US team, Becomes My Hero

We all know the US team has played terribly in the past two weeks.  This AP writer gives it to us straight saying Clint Dempsey failed to finish a chance "a third grader should make".  NICE! She's not the only one criticizing the US team.  This writer compares coach Bob Bradley to George Lucas, and if you've seen Episodes 1-3, you know that's not a compliment.

CFC at Pittsburgh in US Open Cup, Hassli Golazo!, Alaska Airline Commercial

CFC travel to Pittsburgh Riverhounds in Round 1 of US Open Cup

The NPSL Southeast Region's representative in the US Open Cup, Chattanooga FC will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the USL-Pro (3rd division) Riverhounds on Tuesday night.  We spoke with CFC's coach Brian Crossman about the rigors of the Open Cup match midweek between two NPSL matches against Rocket City United.

CFC Coach Brian Crossman on the US Open Cup Match vs Pittsburg

Golazo-azo-azo-azooooooooo!

Vancouver's Eric Hassli is perhaps more famous for his tendency to attract red cards, but it's that chip on his shoulder that led him to attempt and score with this strike.  Un-real!

Portland Coach Stars in Alaska Airline Commercial

This commercial staring the Portland Timber's Scottish Coach John Spencer tickles me.  Enjoy!

RCU Drop Another Heartbreaker To CFC 2:0

It's a script we've become used to around the Madison City Schools Stadium.  Rocket City United play well enough to win, but after 90 minutes come away with zero points.  This time losing 2:0 to Chattanooga FC.

 This time it was at the hands of Chattanooga FC who weathered the pressure from RCU for 80 plus minutes and found a nicely created goal against the run of play.  In the 83rd minute, CFC forward Chris Ochieng received a pass in the area, and realizing he was well marked, spun quickly to slide a pass for an on rushing and unmarked Michael Brooks.  Brooks took his time and slotted home to take the wind out of RCU's sails.  Then, deep into added time, it was Brooks earned his brace and sealed the match for CFC with another nice finish.

Coaches Quotes from RCU loss to CFC 

Now, RCU has to go on the road next Saturday against the same CFC team.  They'll have to show real mental fortitude to win in Finley Stadium, where no NPSL team has won since 2009.

RCU Recap; CFC Into US Open Cup, Will Face Pittsburg Riverhounds; Worst Miss Ever?

RCU Back From Open Cup, Focus on League 

After a weekend testing their mettle in Open Cup qualifying, Rocket City United turns its focus back to league play where they sit in third place with 7 points after 4 matches.  Their opponents this Saturday will be the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves who currently trail RCU by one point, despite playing an extra match.  Gates open 6:30 PM and kick off is 7:30.  Members of the YMCA get in for half off!


RCU will host a meet the team event at the Little Gym in Providence and Jones Valley on Friday at 4-6PM. 

CFC Qualifies for US Open Cup

Chattanooga FC qualified for the US Open Cup by beating the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves 1:0 in the finals of the NPSL Southeast Region qualifying tournament.  CFC will now travel to Pittsburgh to face the USL Pro's Riverhounds (who I saw play last month in Charleston) in the opening round of the US Open Cup on June 14th.  If CFC should pull off the upset, they would take on the winner of the Dayton Dutch Lions vs Richmond Kickers match in the 2nd round. 


Worst Miss Ever?!

Holy moly!  I've seen (and had) bad misses before.  But this miss is so bad!!!

RCU Falls To Chattanooga FC In USOC Qualifying

Saturday was not a good day for teams wearing red and black.  While Rocket City United weren't dominated in quite the same way their more famous United team were, both went down to superior sides.   CFC's star forward, Chris Ochieng, created one goal and finished the other.  And it could have been much worse as Tyler Early had a terrific match keeping CFC off the board for the first two thirds of the match.

RCU failed to generate much in the way of possession and attacking penetration and were punished by a 2:0 defeat and elimination from NPSL Southeast Region's US Open Cup Qualifying Tournament.  CFC will meet the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves in the Finals Sunday night.   ASR defeated Jacksonville United 3:1 on two very late goals.

RCU Open Season, NPSL News, and FOX Soccer Night In America

RCU Open Season in Knoxville On Saturday

  Rocket City United hits the road tomorrow to open the 2011 season against one of three new teams in the Southeast Region, the Knoxville Force.  The Force will play their inaugural game in University of Tennessee's Regal Stadium.  Don't expect a beautiful game during this one.  Neither team will be at full strength and each will likely try to grind out a results until their full complement of players arrive in the next few weeks.

Video of RCU Coach Gerry Cleary on the Season Opener vs Knoxville Force

RCU has made seats available on the team bus for fans who would like travel to the game.  This is a unique experience in sports and any fan interested should contact Director of Operations Jan Henner for more details.


BTW, here's a nice league-wide season preview from the Wisconsin Soccer Central website.


NPSL In Talks with Jamaica's Premier League Clubs

NPSL Technical Director Matt Driver will participate in the International Alliance Symposium hosted by the Jamiacain Premeier League Clubs Association.  "The mission is to have the top U-21 players from both of our leagues have access to different markets, different stages to play on," says Driver.  Hmm, I wonder what this is about.  A player sharing scheme?  An international competition between the leagues? 


Chattanooga FC to Host DC United U-23s

Chattanooga FC has announced that they will host the DC United U-23 team at Finley Stadium on July 23rd at 7PM eastern.  DCU's U-23 is coached by the legendary Jaime Moreno and features the DC Metro areas top college prospects.  The teams met last year at RFK stadium in Washington with the DCU defeating the eventual NPSL Finalists 3:0. 


FOX Soccer Night in America

FOX Soccer Channel has rebranded its weekly MLS broadcast into Soccer Night In America, and it will begin with the Portland Timbers v Philadelphia Union match on Friday night at 9PM.  Also, as part of the festivities for those without FSC (Hello, Knology customers!!!) MLS is offering access to the 2011 MLS Matchday Live online streaming service for free for all of this weekend's matches. 

NPSL Southeast Region Preview

Three new teams, two returning teams, and one rebranded team...  The NPSL Southeast Region has a very new look in 2011.  Matches begin this Saturday, May 7th as Jacksonville United travels to Chattanooga FC and the Knoxville Force hosts Rocket City United.  The teams will play ten matches home and away to the others with the top team at the end of league play advancing to the NPSL Championships held locally again at the Madison City Schools Stadium. 

In this post, I'll preview the teams.

Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves

Original NPSL Southeast team Atlanta FC had been on a downward trend.  After winning the inaugural NPSL Southeast title in 2008, Atlanta served as runner up the next season before finishing bottom of the table last season.  Then, last winter the team aligned themselves with the new NASL Atlanta Silverbacks pro team to become the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves.  The team will retain one of the most talented coaches in the region with Ricardo Montoya.  One of the reasons that AFC found themselves in such troubles last year was the absence of Montoya who was away for much of the season coaching overseas.  I fully expect the team to bounce back, find some new great talent, and battle for the regional title this season.   


Chattanooga FC

2010 NPSL Runner-up and Southeast Region champion Chattanooga FC will once again be impressive on and off the field.  The league's attendance leader has the majority of it's lineup back for the year, but coach Brian Crossman has two big holes to fill.  Forward Luis Salazar and goalkeeper Richard Masters have left the club for personal reasons.  Expect CFC to once again be in the hunt for a place in the NPSL Championships.


Georgia Revolution

The first of the new additions to the region, the Georgia Revolution hails from Conyers, GA which is an eastern suburb of Atlanta.  The team is owned by Rockdale Youth Soccer Association and will look to build a team using players from the many surrounding universities.  Eventually the RYSA would like to use the team as a top level in a player development structure from youth teams to pro.  Expect the Revs to have some growing pains as they adjust to the competition.  Will coach and general manager Rafe Mauran be able to mold the new group into a unit capable of making a dent in the region?   


Jacksonville United

The latest expansion team to the join the region is Jacksonville United FC.  The team from the Florida coast will draw many players form the successful Lynch's FC club and have added some former professional talent to their roster.  Expect JUFC to use the experience gathered from the Lynch's FC club to smooth some of the hurdles most expansion teams face.  


Knoxville Force

Another expansion club who will look to make an impact on the region is the Knoxville Force.  Experienced coach Derek Broadly would like his team to play "passing football" and will build a team with an eye to that end.  The top talent form Eastern Tennessee will fill the roster, and will be tested on Saturday when they host the region's opener against RCU.   I expect the Force to face some difficulties in their opening season.


Rocket City United

Rocket City United will likely have a rebuilding year.  New coach Gerry Cleary will serve as the third coach in as many seasons.  The lack of consistency in coaching and player personnel will make it hard to compete with the top teams in the region.  Only midfielder/defender Brian Hadley has played in every season for the club.  Two season ending injuries to Paul Willoughby and Derek Pirtle has hurt the depth in attack.  However, there are some exciting returnees form the 2009 championship squad including star defender Joseph Omondi.  Expect RCU to have trouble against some of the top teams and finish somewhere in the middle of the table.


UPDATE:  You may be asking, "What about FC Tulsa?"  As far as I can tell, FCT is still affiliated with the NPSL, but due to travel costs, the league decided to remove them from the Southeast Region.  The idea is that they will take part in a new region along with future teams from Texas, Oklahoma Arkansas, etc.