Jacksonville United Captures 2011 NPSL Championship

In a thrilling final, first year side Jacksonville United FC complete the incredible midseason turnaround to take home the NPSL Championship with a 3:2 win over Hollywood United.  After losing its first four matches, JUFC turned the results around and rode three goals in Saturday's final from Tommy Krizanovic to finish its season with 8 straight wins and raise the NPSL Championship trophy. 

Krizanovic opened the Jacksonville scoring in the 16th minute with a left-footed 15 yard drive across the width of the Hollywood goal before settling just inside the far post.  Hollywood responded shortly thereafter when Arturo Albarran cheekily swivle kicked a cross to the head of Emmanuel Bentil.  Bentil's downward header was knocked down by a Jacksonville defender's arm and the referee pointed to the spot.  However, Hollywood would fail to convert the spot kick, when Albarran crashed his attempt off the crossbar. 

Albarran would make up for that mistake with a wonder goal just minutes later.  After receiving the ball in space about 30 yards from goal, Albarran laced into a curling drive that swerved into the far side netting and equalized the match.  But it would only take 11 minutes for Jacksonville to retake the lead when Ramak Safin found Krizanovic for the finish in the 37th.  The 2:1 scoreline would be taken into halftime.

2011 NPSL Final Quotes

After the break, Hollywood implemented its possession oriented game, and patiently probed the Jacksonville defense with good work from Nick Blanco and Jose Miranda coming close several times but unable unlock the Jacksonville defense.  In the 76th minute, the breakthrough came when substitute Brent Whitfield broke into the penalty area and was taken down for a penalty.  Albarran showed real moxie to step up and atone for his previous miss by slamming home his second penalty attempt of the night to level the score.

Hollywood continued the persistent pressure while looking for the winning goal, but in the 88th minute it was Jacksonville who struck against the run of play.  Despite being outnumbered in the Hollywood penalty area, Ramak Safi danced to the endline and sent in a cross for Krizanovic to head home and spark jubilant celebration for the Jacksonville faithful. 

After 4 minutes of desperate attacking from Hollywood in an attempt at a third equalizer, the referee  blew full time and Jacksonville United captured the 2011 NPSL Championship.

NPSL Final Preview; NPSL Commissioner Speaks

NPSL Final Sets Up To Be A Classic

Two newcomers to the NPSL will kick off Saturday night to crown a national champion.  The match-up will be the second year in a row that the champions of the West and Southeast regions meet to determine a national champion.  Hollywood United will be looking to be the third West Region team in a row to be crowned champion (Sonoma '09, Sacramento '10).  While Jacksonville United is attempting to bring home the winners medals to the Southeast for the first time in NPSL history.  Atlanta FC, Rocket City United, and Chattanooga FC have all failed to raise the Cup for the Southeast region in years past.

If they are to buck the trend, the odds will be stacked against the Florida eleven.  Jacksonville United is undoubtedly the underdog in this match.  The first year club scraped into the post season by the slimmest of margins.  However, coach Eric Dade is not concerned with the early season sluggishness, and has seen his team grow into a side capable of good things, "I think a lot of guys were on a very good men's adult team, and then all of a sudden, we're pros."  He explained that as the season wore on the JUFC's professionalism and consistency took hold and the good results followed.

JUFC is certainly riding a wave of moment while on a 7 game winning streak and Dade is looking forward to the final on Saturday night, "I think it'll be a good game.  I think you'll see two teams play with similarity.  Hopefully, we'll find a way to be there at the end of it."   

2011 NPSL Final Preview

Hollywood United is also in its first year in the NPSL having moved over from the USL PDL, but is loaded with professional and international experience.  For instance, both of Hollywood's goalscorers in the semifinals came to the squad with experience in top global professional divisions.   The Hitmen's first scorer, Emmanuel Bentil was captain for the U-17 Ghana team that captured the World Youth Cup winner's medal.  That experience led to three years on the books at Bayern Munich, before injuries led to time with other teams around Europe.  Not to be outdone, two goal scorer Brent Whitfield spent time in the USA's Major League Soccer with Chivas USA.

Coach Jose Botello will be looking to use that experience against a JUFC side that he thinks plays an attractive game, "Jacksonville looks to knock it, looks to play, and get behind through short passes."  Botello urges that a possession style game is also key to Hollywood's success, "It's something we stress.  We want to keep the ball, and possession moving forward.  At times, we struggled moving forward [in the semifinal].  That final pass wasn't there in the beginning of the game, but toward the end, we were much better."


NPSL Commissioner Is Excited About 2011 and Beyond

Dan Trainor has seen his league grow from a provincial outfit to a nationwide developmental league in a very short time and he is excited about the future.  The twinkle in his eye is fully evident when speaking of the "continued steady growth" of the future of the 4th division circuit.

NPSL Commisssioner Dan Trainor Interview

   

NPSL Finalist Set; NPSL All-star Game; RCU's Sabio's Phillipines Out of World Cup

NPSL Finals Set:  Hollywood United v Jacksonville United
 
The 2011 NPSL Final will be a battle of Uniteds as Hollywood United will take on Jacksonville United on Saturday at 7:30PM at the Madison City Schools Stadium.

Semifinal 1:  NPSL newcomer and West Region champion Hollywood United scored three second half goals on their way to defeating Midwest Region champion Milwaukee Bavarians.  The teams ended the first half scoreless despite several good chance from Hollywood.  The second half would see Hollywood continue the pressure and a golazo from Emmanuel Bentil two minutes after the break opened up the match.  Bentil roped a drive into the top corner of the goal from outside the area.  Shortly after, second half sub Brent Whitfield made the most of his fresh legs as he paced the Hitmen with a brace of goals on their way into Saturday nights final.

Semifinal 2:  The second semifinal was a wild affair.  Twice the Erie Admirals took 1 goal leads and twice Jacksonville United battled back to equalize before adding two late goals to take seal JUFC's place in the final.  Erie started the scoring in the 22nd minute with a headed goal from Gavin Falconer off a nice cross from Shane Howard.  Jacksonville United got the equalizer before the break when Tyler Williams scored on the second effort after his first shot was knocked down.  Erie then benefited from a deflected cross from Michael Kennedy that found the net for the 2:1 lead in the 58th.  JUFC only took 3 minutes to respond with a blast from Tommy Krizanovic.  Just 10 minutes later, JUFC took the lead for good with a Akinwale Leyimu tally followed two minutes later by a Nick Salafrio's effort that just crossed the line before the Erie defense could clear.  The wild game wasn't over yet as JUFC keeper Stuart McCrory turned away an Erie PK attempt in the waning minutes to keep the score 4:2 in favor of JUFC.

The third place match between the Erie Admirals and the Milwaukee Bavarians will take place Friday night at 5:30PM at the Madison City Schools Stadium.


NPSL All-stars take on RCU

Rocket City United will suit up one more time this season, as they take on the NPSL All-stars Friday night at 8 PM.  RCU will have their work cut out for them as a strong NPSL side has been selected from over 60 recommended all-star players from around the league.  RCU defender Joseph Omondi will have the rare privilege of suiting up against his current club as he was selected for the All-stars.  When asked about which team he'd play for in Friday's match Omondi broke out in his trademark smile, "I've been asked that a couple of times now. Being selected [to the all-star team], it' s a big honor for me.  So, I think I'll be playing against Rocket City, and it's just going to be a fun game for me."  NPSL Technical Director and All-star head coach claims this year's all-stars a much more talented side than the one that beat RCU 2:0 in last year's exhibition match.

2011 NPSL All-star Press Conference

RCU's Jason Sabio and the Phillipino National Team fall to Kuwait in World Cup Qualifying

Rocket City United defender Jason Sabio and his Phillipino National Team fell to Kuwait 5:1 on aggregate in the second round of the Asian Football Confederation's World Cup Qualifying.  The Askals needed a miracle win by 4 goals in the return leg in Manilla after losing in Kuwait 3:0 in the first leg.  Sabio did not appear in the second leg as the team fielded an attacking line-up in an effort to maximize its goal scoring capability.  The miracle looked possible after the Azkals took an 1:0 halftime lead, but as they pressed for goals, Kuwait struck twice and eliminated the Phillipines' and Sabio's World Cup dreams.

NPSL Semifinals Tonight!

First, I must apologize to my loyal readers (all three of you, not including my mom) for my lack of posting recently.  I was out of town and on my way back into town I caught a bug of some sort and have been "laid low" for nearly two weeks.  In the meantime, RCU finished up it's regular season, and Jacob and the guys over at Southern Soccer hosted another wildly successful Rocket City Invitational tournament.  


And I have to give a special thanks to an outstanding young writer and friend, Drew Wooley, who stepped in and kept you all up to date on the all things RCU.  Thanks, Drew.  We'll miss you when you move on to bigger and better things.  

NPSL Semi-finals Tonight

It's a great time to be a soccer fan in Huntsville-Madison.  The NPSL Championships area upon us again.  This is the second straight year that the championships of the nation wide league in the fourth division of the US soccer pyramid will be hosted by Rocket City United at the Madison City Schools Stadium.  Last year, we were treated to five fantastic games including a great all-star match, a tremendous NPSL Final won by Sacramento, and appearances by some US soccer celebrities.  This year's championships are looking to live up to last years event.

2011 NPSL Championship Coaches Press Conference

Semifinal 1 at 5:30PM:  Hollywood United (2) v. Milwaukee Bavarians (3).

Hollywood United (not to be confused with FC Hollywood as German giant FC Bayern Munich is often called), is a first year NPSL team.  Hollywood United has had an impressive Western Region season going 14W-1D-2L in their first year after switching over from the USL-PDL.  The Hollywood in the name is also well deserved since the club was founded by several musicians, actors, and Hollywood celebrity types.  One of my favorite actors, Donal Logue, is part owner of the club and was spotted in Madison today documenting the club's time here at the championships.  Hopefully, I'll get to sit down with him sometime this weekend and discuss his club and his views on soccer in America.

HU's opponent is no slouch either.  Midwest Region champions Milwaukee Bavarians are one of the most storied clubs in American soccer, and I'll be honest.  They will be my sentimental favorite in the tournament, because they were founded in 1929 as FC Bayern, a similar name to my favorite European club (the previously mentioned "FC Hollywood").  Like their German namesakes, they have really come into their own as a soccer power in the last 30 years and are only slightly less decorated by silverware.  The club holds 6 National Amateur and Open Cup trophies, and dominated this year's NPSL Midwest Region with a record of 8W, 2D, 2L. 

Semifinal 2 at 8PM:  Erie Admirals (1) v. Jacksonville United (4)

Northeast region champion Erie Admirals are making their 2nd appearance in the NPSL championships in three years.  You might recall it was this same side that dashed Rocket City United's 2009 NPSL Championship hopes in Madison, WI by handing RCU a solid 4:2 drubbing in the semifinal.  Erie is coming into the finals as the number one seed due to Points-per-game.  They will be without one of their top players in Afrim Latifi who had a personal commitment out of the country and could not travel with the team.

Jacksonville United is the surprise of the tournament.  A 2011 NPSL newcomer, the Florida team had trouble adjusting to the league initially, dropping their first four matches in the NPSL Southeast Region. JaxU then performed a remarkable about-face and reeled off six straight victories to pull level on points at 6W-0D-4L with fellow Region leader Georgia Revolution and qualified for the Championships based on number of wins.  Despite the rough start Jacksonville is an experienced side in American soccer with many team members gaining US Open Cup experience with Lynch's Pub FC.

Sad Note:

The NPSL lost a member of its family as NPSL Board Member Charles Billings was found dead of what appears to be natural causes in his home this week.  Billings was the Midwest Region Commissioner and GM of the Madison 56ers and was scheduled to travel to Madison, AL for this weekend's festivities.

WWC Watch Party, RCU Finale Saturday, NPSL Tournament Taking Shape, RCI Coming Together

American Outlaws to Host Women's World Cup Final Watch Party at the Brickhouse

The new American Outlaws-Huntsville chapter will host a Women's World Cup Final watch party at the Brickhouse Sports Cafe on Sunday at 1PM.  After the US Women took care of business in Wednesday's 3:1 semi-final win over France, they'll look to bring home their first World Cup trophy since 1999's memorable triumph at the Rose Bowl.  Let's get out there and support our ladies!  HAIL, COLUMBIA!


Rocket City United Look to Pick Up First Home Win in Finale

The ad says, "We must protect this house!"  Rocket City United must not have seen that one.  The team is strangely more successful on the road then they are in the confines of the Madison City Schools Stadium.  Coach Gerry Cleary is at a loss to explain the losses in which RCU seems to be the better side, "Again we’re saying Rocket City should have won a game when we didn’t win, but maybe we’re just not that good."  RCU has its final opportunity to win at home of the 2011 regular season Saturday night against expansion side and surprise of the NPSL Southeast Georgia Revolution. 




NPSL Championships Taking Shape

RCU's match against the GA Revs will have postseason implications.  GAR sits in second in the Southeast region and can take the top spot with a win and loss or a tie by Chattanooga FC in their match against the Knoxville Force.    Only one of the other NPSL regional titles have been claimed as the Milwuakee Bavarians have won the Midwest.   The NPSL Championships will be hosted by RCU for the second consecutive year on July 28-30.

Rocket City Invitational

The 2011 Rocket City Invitational is coming together nicely, and Jacob and Co. over at Southern Soccer are looking at another smashing success of a tournament.  Photos of the tournament T-shirts were just released as have details of the tournament party at Amendment XXI.  Looks like it's going to be classic!

NPSL Final Interviews

I was having some technical difficulties with my video camera yesterday, but now I've gotten them straightened out.  Here's a few interviews from Saturday night's NPSL Finals.

NPSL Commissioner Dan Trainer present the 2010 NPSL Championship Trophy to the Sacramento Gold.

NPSL Championship Trophy Presentation

Sacramento Gold Coach Rick Caldwell discusses the win.

Sacramento Gold's Rick Caldwell Talks About NPSL Final

Chattanooga FC Coach Brian Crossman discusses his teams efforts in the Final.

Chattanooga FC's Brian Crossman talks about the NPSL Final

Sacramento midfielder and Man of the Match Ernesto Carranza gives us an interview and gets a shaving cream pie for his efforts.

Sacramento Gold's Ernest Carranza

Sacramento Gold FC Claims 2010 NPSL Championship

Behind two goals from Ernesto Carranza, the Sacramento Gold FC defeated Chattanooga FC in the championship match of the 2010 edition of the NPSL Final Four.  Over 1,000 fans saw Chattanooga take an early lead when in the 12th minute Fynn Glover, who is more known for his timely tackling, struck a low drive from 22 yards that beat Conor McNulty in goal for Sacramento.

Just as they did in the semifinal match, Sacramento's attack was spurred to life after conceding the first goal.  This time, it took nearly the entire first half to break down the CFC defense, but when they did, they struck twice in quick succession.  In the 41st minute, a long penetrating pass was knocked down by CFC defender Andrew Stewart, but only as far as Carranza, who smashed a wicked volley from 25 yards that left Richard Masters in the CFC goal no chance.

A minute later, Sacramento followed up the golaso with a well taken corner from Eliot Chambers who found center back Utodi Madu.  Madu made no mistake when his header found the underside of the crossbar and bounded into the net.  The first half action wasn't over, however.  Shortly before the halftime whistle, a foul in front of the CFC bench left CFC midfielder Drew Courtney and Sacramento midfielder Hector Bermudez tangled up in a heap.  As the two player extracted themselves from each other tempers flared and Bermudez struck out with a kick to Courtney, resulting in a caution for Courtney and an ejection for Bermudez.

Down to ten men, Sacramento could have been content to sit back and defend, but instead decided to continue to attack throughout the second half.  The only change during the interval was Sacramento's Max Herera replacing McNulty in goal.  On the other end, Richard Masters was forced to make several interventions on his teams behalf.

Masters heroics seemed to help CFC gain confidence, and it looked as if the tide had turned in CFC's favor when in the 65th minute, good combination work from substitute Moises Drummond led to a strong run from Irvin Espinal.  Espinal played a nice ball to Luis Salazar whose return pass for Espinal was played into the penalty area, but Espinal would not get to the ball as his progress was impeded by a Sacramento defender and the penalty was awarded.

Espinal's game leveling penalty attempt was denied however by Herera who had confidently lunged to his left to parry the ball away.  CFC continued to apply pressure, but it was be Sacramento who ended the doubt in the 86th minute when Manolo Pina found Caranza in the penalty area.  Caranza cut the ball back to create space for a right footed shot that slid under Master's reach for the 3:1 scoreline and the championship trophy for the Sacramento Gold FC.

The Sacramento Gold FC celebrate the 2010 NPSL Championship

NPSL Finals Tonight in Madison, AL

Chattanooga FC will face the Sacramento Gold at 7:30 PM Central at the Madison City Schools Stadium in Madison, AL.
 

Click Here To Watch Live!!!

RCU Falls To NPSL All-Stars

RCU Shut-out By All-Stars 2:0

Despite dominating possession for the majority of the match Rocket City United gave up two late goals to the NPSL All-Stars in the team's final appearance of the 2010 season.  RCU looked the better team in first half as forward Andrew Nkurunungi menaced the back four of the All-stars with his speed and strength, but his lack of finishing the plays frustrated RCU coach Desmond Armstrong.  "[Nkurunungi] was very exciting in the first half.  He got himself into some great situations, taking on one and two players at one time and getting into the goal area and then, he doesn't pull the trigger."  That lack of killer instinct in the box would cost RCU on the night.

RCU's Armstrong on NPSL All-Star game

As would be expect for a team that had less then twenty-four hours to prepare for the match, the NPSL All-stars struggled to connect well.  The talent was evident, but RCU held the advantage until the 70th minute when Armstrong emptied his bench and the RCU reserves made crucial mistakes.  On a free kick from 45 yards out, Spencer Shastri of the Pocono Snow ran through the heart of the area completely unmarked and powered a header easily into the net for the NPSL All-stars to take the lead.  Shortly thereafter another bad giveaway from the RCU defense, led to FC Tulsa's Abed Elkour converting from 15 yards for the games final goal.

Earlier in the night in the NPSL Third place match, FC Sonic defeated the Madison 56ers 3:1 on the back of 3 goals in the first 25 minutes.  Madison was able to pull a goal back in the final seconds, but the team from Lehigh Valley, PA claimed third place.

A Chat with Chattanooga's Sheldon Grizzle

I was able to speak to Chattanooga FC's Sheldon Grizzle about the organization's highly successful year.  He discusses the team's trip up to DC and announces that DC United will be coming down to Chattanooga next year to return the favor.   

Chattanooga FC's Sheldon Grizzle

After winning the semifinal, the team is expecting several hundred Chattahooligans to make the short drive down US 72 to cheer on the Blues.  It should be a raucous atmosphere at the Madison City Schools Stadium tonight.

2011 NPSL Finals To Be Hosted By Rocket City United

In Thursday's press conference prior to the kick-off the 2010 NPSL Final Four, NPSL Commissioner Dan Trainer announced that Rocket City United had won the bid to host next year's Final Four.

"[Due] to all of the community support [in the Huntsville/Madison area], we are also awarding the 2011 Finals here.  That is the first time that we have done it back to back.  Andy [Zorovich], Rocket City United, and all of the local municipalities have done a great job of welcoming us here and making sure that the facilities are good."

Following the announcement, I was able to ask Dan about the decision to award the 2011 Final Four to Rocket City United and the future of the NPSL in general.

NPSL Commissioner Dan Trainer

UPDATE:  The league is looking to expand into the south-central US states (TX, AK, OK) and re-establish themselves in the southwestern states (southern CA, AZ, NM, NV).  So, to include all of the regional champions, next year's event will no longer be called the NPSL Final Four.  There may be as many as six teams from the various regions taking part in next year's event. 

RCU Faces NPSL All-Stars Tonight and NPSL Video Broadcast Info

Rocket City United has the unenviable task of playing the a team made up of the top players from around the NPSL tonight in the NPSL All-Star match at 8 PM at the Madison City Schools Stadium.  The NPSL All-Stars head coach Matt Driver is very excited about the opportunity for these players to be seen by professional scouts.

NPSL All-star coach Matt Driver

FC Buffalo star Dan Stevens isn't too happy with the humidity in Alabama, but is very excited about playing in the All-Star game.

NPSL All-star Dan Stevens

Chicago Fire NPSL goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz is predicting a win for the All-Stars.

NPSL All-star Keeper Ryan Schwartz

Game time for NPSL All-Stars v RCU is 8PM.  The game will follow the NPSL Third Place match featuring the Madison 56ers v FC Sonic at 5:30 PM.  Tonight is Military Appreciation night and several hundred soldiers from Redstone Arsenal will be honored by RCU during the game.


NPSL FINAL FOUR VIDEO

If you can't make it to the stadium, you can watch the action live streamed on the Web on Ustream. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!!!

NPSL Semifinal Recaps

FC Sonic 1:4 Sacramento Gold

After taking a lead in the 72nd minute on a Cody Altinini goal, Northeast Region Champion FC Sonic gave up four goals in the final 18 minutes to fall to the Sacramento Gold FC in the first match of the NPSL semifinals Thursday night. 

The Altinini goal woke up the game that had been a bit listless in the first 70 minutes.  West Region Champion Sacramento pushed into the attack in an effort to equalized and found paydirt when Manolo Pina's cross was mishandled by FC Sonic goalkeeper Sam Bishop.  Bishop's attempt to clear was slapped down off off his own defender AJ Barnhold's leg and into his the net.

Minutes later Sacramento scored two goals that would not be mislabeled as "golasos".  Hector Bermudez created some space at the top of the penalty area and rifled a left-footed curling shot into the far side of the net.   As FC Sonic switched into full attack mode in an attempt to save their season, Sacramento struck again.

This time it was the NPSL's leading goal scorer, Manolo Pina, who made an impressive solo run down the right side of the field.  As he rounded the final defender and charged into the penalty area at a tight angle, Pina showed why he's had such success this season.  Seeing that he had no help, he slapped a low drive with the outside of his right foot that eluded Bishop and nestled into the far post to ice the match.

Sacramento substitute Chris Akwaja added an empty netter deep into injury time for the final scoreline of 4:1.


Chattanooga FC 2:0 Madison 56ers

Southeast Region Champion Chattanooga FC has given up the fewest goals of any team in the NPSL this year and it was their stellar defense that led them to their 2:0 victory over the Midwest Region Champion Madison 56ers in the second NPSL semifinal on Thursday night.

Centerback Thomas Clark provided the difference on both sides of the field as he headed home the game winning goal from a corner kick in the 51st minute.  Clark was making his first start in the place of CFC captain Russell Courtney, who went down to a knee injury in last Saturday's friendly against DC Untied's Super-20 team.

Madison looked dangerous in the midfield, but were only able to break through the CFC defense on a single occasion.  Minutes after CFC's goal, 56er's forward Henry Aiyenero found himself with a free header from 8 yards.  Aiyenero powered his shot toward the corner, only to have it palmed away by Richard Masters in goal for CFC.

CFC's Brian Crossman on NPSL Semifinal Win

Madison continued to pressure the CFC defense but were consistently denied by timely tackles from Clark and fellow center back Andy Stewart.  As Madison threw numbers forward, CFC sealed the match in the 85th minute on a beautifully executed counter attack goal.  Substitute Sasha Viatrov found himself breaking down the left side with fellow substitute Robbie Hill streaking across the field on a 70 yard run from inside his own half.  Viatrov played a brilliant cross that left only Hill with a chance to play the ball, and Hill did not leave any doubt as he redirected the ball back against the grain and into the 56er's net.

NPSL Final Four: FC Sonic Coach, NPSL PR Director, Broadcast Info

Meet FC Sonic's Coach Dave Whitesman

I was able to talk to FC Sonic coach Dave Whitesman at his teams final training session prior to the NPSL Semifinal against Sacramento Gold FC tomorrow night at 5:30 PM at the Madison City Schools Stadium.

FC Sonic Coach Dave Whitesman

NPSL PR Director on NPSL Final Four

Ryan Knapp, the NPSL PR Director, has a nice little post on his personal blog about the NPSL Final Four and the important part leagues like the NPSL have in the US soccer community.

"It is still shocking to me the stigma carried by anything less than MLS in the US.  I’ve seen  plenty of amateur games played in the NPSL and PDL and have been mostly impressed by the quality I’ve seen."

Following the Action:  Your Choices

 John calls last years NPSL Final

If you can't make it out to the Madison City Schools Stadium, you can still follow the games by tuning into the audio webcast or via several twitter feeds.   My broadcast partner, John Moran, and I will be calling the play-by-play on the field that will be streamed live by Teamline.  There's also been a rumor of a video webcast, but a few of the details need to be worked out.  I'll let you know if it will comes to be.

Funny Goal Celebration, GolTV in HD, Chattahooligan NPSL F4 Preview

It was THIS BIG!



I've heard of fishing stories, but that was a pretty good catch.


If GolTV falls in the woods... 

It was announced that GolTV will broadcast this Emirates Cup friendlies in high-def, but unfortunately, no one is currently getting the GolTV in HD, yet.  There have been rumors that DirecTV may add the channel as early as next Wednesday, but that does us no good.


NPSL Final Four Preview, Chattahooligan-style

Chattanooga FC's supporters group, the Chattahooligans have written up a pretty nice little preview of the Final Four.  They're hoping to bring down around 250 of their friends to cheer on the Blues when they take on the Madison 56ers in the night cap of Thursday's NPSL Semi-finals.

Rocket City Invitational and More NPSL Final Four

Rocket City Invitational Set To Kick Off on Saturday

This year's Rocket City Invitational will be held on Saturday and Sunday in Madison at Dublin Park.  The small-sided adult tournament is being held in conjunction with the NPSL Final Four and the Soccer Wars Festival.  In addition to the fun format of soccer action on the field, all RCI players are also invited to take in the action of the NPSL Final Four and will be special guests at the Station II at Bridgestreet for a tournament party on Saturday night after the NPSL Championship match. 

The RCI is still looking for female players to fill out one more team in the Women's division.  So, if you know any female players have them register for the fun.


NPSL Final Four Audio Webcast On Teamline

All of the matches during the NPSL Final Four will be broadcast on a live audio webcast.  Click here to listen live to the matches.



CFC Drops NPSL Final Four Warm-up to DC United

NPSL Southeast Region Champions Chattanooga FC traveled up to my home town to face the MLS club DC United's Super 20 team in a friendly this past Saturday.  CFC used this match in RFK Stadium as a warm-up to the NPSL Final Four, but hopes the result are a little better than the 3:0 shut-out loss they received at the hands of the DCU.  CFC's coach and I are from the same area in the DC suburbs and he was featured in the Annapolis paper, The Capital.


RCU President To Appear on Lite 96.9

RCU's President Andy Zorovich is doing a lot of appearances lately to promote the NPSL Final Four and the Soccer Wars Festival.  Listen in on Wednesday when he will appear on Lite96.9.

NPSL Final Four News

RCU President Andy Zorovich To Appear On Madison Weekly Radio Show

Monday's broadcast of the Madison Weekly Radio Show on WTKI 1450 AM and 92.9 FM will feature RCU President Andy Zorovich.  Zorovich will discuss the NPSL Final Four and RCU on Monday morning at 8AM.  Click here to listen live. 


NPSL Final Four News Links

Here are some articles about the teams in the NPSL Final Four.

56ers to face Chattanooga FC
Chattanooga FC to Face Madison 56ers In NPSL Final Four 
Sac Gold win division, head to Final Four
RCU to Host Final Four Tournament 
Soccer Wars to be held July 29-31 in Madison 

NPSL Final Four Match-ups Set

The full NPSL Final Four schedule has been released.  Rocket City United is hosting the three day event that will feature five matches including an All-star match featuring the best players from around the NPSL taking on RCU.

The seeds for the Final Four tournament were determined with a points per match formula due to the uneven schedules between the Regions.  Northeast Region Champion FC Sonic-Lehigh Valley earned the first seed, followed by Chattanooga FC , Madison 56ers, and Sacramento Gold FC.   The semi-finals will be a 1v4 and 2v3 matchup with the losers playing in the 3rd Place match on Friday while the winners are given an extra day of rest to prepare for the Finals on Saturday.  Friday night will also feature the NPSL All-stars taking on Rocket City United.

Here's the schedule of the matches.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

5:30pm NPSL Semi-final 1 --FC Sonic (Northeast) v Sacramento Gold (West)

 8:00pm NPSL Semi-final 2 -- Chattanooga FC (Southeast) v Madison 56ers (Midwest)

Friday, July 30, 2010

5:30pm NPSL 3rd Place Game (Semi-final 1 loser v Semi-final 2 loser)

8:00pm NPSL All-Star Game (NPSL All Stars v Rocket City United)

Saturday, July 31, 2010

7:30pm NPSL Final - (Semi-final 1 Winner v Semi-final 2 Winner)

Since the part of the NPSL's charter is to develop aspiring professional players, the NPSL will host several player combines where coaches and scouts from various professional organizations will be able to see promising NPSL stars up close in a training environment.   This is a great opportunity for of the players to be "discovered" during three sessions on Thursday and Friday.

In addition, there are several fun soccer related games and activities for kids and parents alike going on as part of the Soccer Wars Festival adjacent to the field at the Madison City Schools Stadium.  The festival will culminate with a parade a 5PM on Saturday from downtown Madison to the Madison City Schools Stadium.

RCU Crushed By CFC, NPSL Final Four Field Set

RCU Falls Hard 4:0 In Front Of Record Crowd

Rocket City United didn't start well on Saturday night by giving up a goal in the 3rd minute.  It didn't get better from there.  A record crowd of 5, 137 fans saw Chattanooga FC run away with a 4:0 win.  The attendance was the largest ever crowd in NPSL history and gives CFC an average crowd of nearly 4,400 for the 2010 season.

The game was end to end from the opening as both teams traded chances, but CFC converted their chances.  In the 3rd minute, CFC forward Irvin Espinal's angled shot deflected off RCU defender Tom Winspear's trailing leg and nestled into the far corner of the net.  RCU tried to battle back and despite some good possession play from RCU, they could not translate that possession into goals.  CFC took advantage of poor giveaways in the midfield to strike quickly catch RCU on the counter attack.  In the 29th minuet, one such giveaway exposed the RCU central defense and CFC forward Luis Salazar calmly beat Michael Gustavson for the 2:0 halftime lead.

Another midfield giveaway led to the third goal in the 53rd minute, when Drew Courtney received a gift-wrapped chance when the ball fell to his feet after Gustavson's punched clearance deflected off an RCU defender back.  Courtney emphatically stroked the ball into the open net from 2 feet.

RCU kept battling, but it wouldn't be their night as in the 70th minute Alexi Munro worked some magic to get the ball to the end line and slotted it back to the onrushing Andrew Nkurunungi who side-footed home, but the near sided (and perhaps nearsighted) AR judged wrongly and raised his flag for offside.

Shortly thereafter, CFC capped their night with a strong solo effort from Thomas Clark who muscled off a defender and the goalkeeper for the final goal of the night.


NPSL Final Four Teams Set

The other regional championships in the NPSL came down to the action during the final weekend.  Here's a brief recap of how the teams joining Chattanooga FC in the Final Four qualified.

Midwest Region: Madison 56ers
From the Madison 56ers website:
The Madison 56ers ended their regular season play with two victories to clinch the NPSL Midwest Championship this weekend finishing with an 8-2 record. After defeating the Minnesota Kings FC on Saturday 4-0, the 56ers finished off the season with a 2-1 victory over the St. Paul Twin Stars Sunday afternoon.

Northeast Region: FC Sonic Lehigh Valley
From the Morning Call:
FC Sonic had talent when it was needed and luck when talent wasn't enough.

The Lehigh Valley chapter of the National Premiere Soccer League defeated its toughest opponent of the season in the New York Red Bulls, a U23 development team affiliated with the MLS club of the same name.

It was Joe Sales' goal — coming with just six minutes left in the game — that gave FC Sonic the 3-2 win...

Northwest Region: Sacramento Gold FC
From Sacramento Gold Facebook page:
It's on to the National Premier Soccer League championship playoffs for the Gold (9-2-1) after defeating San Diego Boca 3-2 Sunday night in a Nortthwest division-elimination final at River City High School. Foward Manolo Pina had both of his Sacramento goals in the first half. He now leads all NPSL scorers with... 15 goals despite missing the final three games of the regular season with a fractured cheek. San Diego (5-3-3) finished the season 0-3 against the Gold. Ernesto Carranza also scored for the Gold. Anthony Chimienti had two assists.

RCU Travel To Chattanooga To Face New Champs

Rocket City United will make their way up Route 72 to Chattanooga tomorrow night for their regular season finale where they'll take on the newly crowned NPSL Southeast Region champion in front of a raucous crowd expected to reach nearly 4,000 at Finley Stadium.  Chattanooga FC locked up the title with a 3:2 win over Pumas last weekend and booked their ticket to the NPSL Final Four to be hosted by RCU at the Madison City Schools Stadium from July 29-31 .

Chattanooga's hopes of an NPSL championship took a major hit, however, as star forward Chris Ochieng suffered a broken ankle during training Thursday night.  Ochieng has been a big part in the success of CFC this year scoring 5 of the Blue's 15 total goals.  The team will now have the RCU match and an exhibition match against MLS club DC United's Under 20 squad to work on the strike partnership of local Chattanooga players Luis Salazar and Ivin Espinal before the NPSL Final Four.

In the meantime, RCU will travel up to Finley Stadium hoping to remain unbeaten against CFC, but will face a Chattanooga team that is intent on changing the recent history.  “Rocket City is consistently a tough opponent for us,” CFC coach Brian Crossman told the CFC website. “We’ve never beaten them before, so our guys are pretty motivated for this one.”

If you've never gone to an RCU away match, this would be the one to attend.  RCU's traveling contingent will be meeting prior to the match at the Big River Grille (222 Broad St. next to the aquarium) for food and drinks at 5:30pm Eastern.  If you can't make it to Chattanooga, you can follow the action on Chattanooga's ESPN affiliate, 105.1 The Zone.  Follow the link and click the the listen live button to hear John Moran and myself join a true radio professional, Nick Bonsanto, call the came.  The game kicks off at 6PM Central.

Finely Stadium before kick-off.  Big-time atmosphere!

Finley Stadium is the best atmosphere in the NPSL with a rowdy bunch of supporters who consistently sing and beer stands in the seating area to provide the consumer a view of the action while they wait to be served.  Chattanooga leads the league in attendance, averaging over 3,000 per match and would like to get over 5,000 for the RCU match.  Chattanooga's NBC affiliate WRCB a nice little video of what you can expect at the game on Saturday.