RCU "Meet the Players" Happy Hour

Ketchup at Bridgestreet was the site of last night's Rocket City United "Meet the Players" Happy Hour sponsored by Ketchup and Olde Towne Brewery. While some great little chicken tacos and Olde Towne Amber (YUM!) were served by the gracious hosts, several prominent members of the community mingled with RCU players and staff.

I was able to get a little face time with one of RCU's newest additions, Kempess Villafana.


Kempess Villafana discusses his impressions of RCU and chance of playing tonight

The exciting winger is nursing a hamstring injury and is doubtful for tonight's game. Tickets for tonight's match are available at the gate of John Hunt Soccer Stadium and kickoff is at 7PM.

Rocket City United Home Opener Tomorrow Night

Rocket City United opens up its home schedule tomorrow night with a tilt against NPSL newcomer Chattanooga FC. RCU has the opportunity to go top of the Southeastern Conference table with a victory. Despite the heartbreaking failure to qualify for the US Open Cup last weekend, the club remains upbeat. Head Coach Greg Petersen kept practices this week light and loose as there are several players nursing injuries from the long weekend.


Nice end to end sequence during short sided game at RCU Practice

Chattanooga FC comes into tomorrow's match still searching for their first NPSL victory. Despite drawing an impressive crowd of over 1600 spectators to their inaugural match, the upstart club fell to the reigning NPSL Southeastern Conference champion Atlanta FC 1:3.


Petersen on what he knows about CFC

RCU will look to rebound from the disappointing results last weekend, and will also have to deal with some personnel issues, not the least of which is the absence of central defender Jason Sabio. Sabio is currently working out with the Philippine National Team who are ranked 166th in the FIFA World Rankings and looking to better that position. Add to that several players who are nursing injuries, and Petersen is definitely working with a short stack.

Game time is 7PM at John Hunt Soccer Stadium. There will be several special events including a kidzone, prize drawings for 2 season tickets, and a mini-ball giveaway to the first 100 fans through the gate. Mojo from WZYP will be broadcasting live from the stadium and there will be post game party for RCU Club members at the Olde Towne Brewery across the street from the stadium.

Also, if you're looking for something to do tonight, come out to Ketchup at Bridge Street Towne Centre at 5:30pm for a "Meet the Players" happy hour.

Rocket City United Press

I was out at RCU's practice last night and met Scott Theisen from WAFF 48 as he was filming for an upcoming story on RCU's home opener. I'm pretty lame and didn't stay up late last night to see if aired then, but it should be shown soon.

Also, here are some links from some recent newsprint articles about RCU and thier upcoming opponents, Chattanooga FC.

Huntsville Times article about RCU's second season

Chattanoogan article about CFC's home opener

Psyched Up!

Here's another sweet Champs League vid.

I Had A Dream

I woke up this morning with a vague recollection of a dream I had last night of a game I watched on TV that ended 6:5. What's that mean? Yep, today's match will end 0:0 and go to PKs.

Oh well, here are some more vids to get you hyped up even more.


ESPN's Champs League Commercial


Champs League Intro


Vintage Adidas Commercial

Where Are You Watching The CL Finals?

So, are you going to develop a case of 3 hour flu tomorrow afternoon? If so, where are you going to watch the Champions League final?

I know people are going to be at both local locations of Buffalo Wild Wings, and I heard that a few folks might go Monaco Pictures bar to catch the game. Personally, I like to watch at home, so I can scream at the TV in privacy.

What ever you do, please respect the hardworking souls who can't feign illness and are recording the game by not texting, emailing, or calling them with the results. That's just not fair. If you are going to watch the game and you have a HASL match tomorrow night, please don't jump out of your car and scream for all at Merrimack to hear, "Did you see that sick goal by Ronaldo/Messi/Henry/Rooney?!!!" The soccer gods do not take kindly to that type of behavior.



Anyway, here are some CL final related vids to enjoy.


The Making of Messi's Champions League Final Boots


Henry vs Giggs Rebok spot

RCU Out of US Open Cup

Rocket City United fell to Atlanta FC 1:2 yesterday in the penultimate match of the US Open Cup Region III Group II tournament eliminating RCU and seeing the Atlanta club into the next stage.

From the US Open Cup website... "After a scoreless first half, Rocket City scored the "coin flip" goal near the 65th minute, with players from Legends F.C. cheering on the sidelines. Almost three minutes later, Leonardo Sanchez scored for Atlanta off a corner kick, leveling the score at 1-1. Rocket City now needed a 2-1 win for a coin flip, and a 3-1 win to take the group outright. These hopes were dashed about ten minutes later, when Marcelo Garcia nodded in a cross from Abdul Bangura for a 2-1 Atlanta lead, which they would hold until the final whistle, becoming the first USASA team from Georgia to qualify for the Open Cup in the Professional Era."

RCU has its home opener this Saturday night against Chattanooga FC.

Goal, Gol, Tor, etc.

However you say it, it's fun to watch. RCU have uploaded some of the best goals of the 2008 season here.

RCU Need Win To Move On

After a 0:1 loss in difficult conditions to Legends FC of North Texas, RCU will need to win their Group II finale to for any hopes to advance to the knockout stages of the US Open Cup. Goalkeeper Jeffrey Preston was sent off for taking down the Legends forward on a breakaway resulting in a PK in the 68th minute. The kick from the mark was enough to give Legends the full points.

In a startling development, US Open Cup officials disqualified Dynamo New Tampa for fielding an ineligible player. FIFA rules dictate that all forfeits will be recorded as a 3:0 win for the opponent, thus negating RCU's 5:1 win over Dynamo.

These developments significantly effects the Group II table and not in favor of RCU. Prior to today's match, the updated table sees Atlanta FC sitting atop with 6 points (1 win, 1 forfeit) from 2 games and a plus 4 goal differential . Legends FC find themselves in second with 6 points from 3 games (1 win, 1 forfeit, 1 loss) and a goal differential of plus 3. RCU sit in third position with 3 points from 2 games (1 forfeit, 1 loss) and a goal differential of plus 2. Without the disqualifications RCU would be have 3 points (1 win, 1 loss) with a goal differential of plus 3.

So, where does this leave RCU now? Despite their current position, RCU still control their own destiny. A victory over Atlanta FC with more than one goal scored by RCU sees them through to the next stage uncontested. A loss or a tie for RCU would see Atlanta through to the next stage.

Interestingly, a 1:0 victory by RCU would cause the table to be knotted up like a debutante's stomach before the ball. All three clubs would be equal on Head to Head Results ,Goals Differential, Goals For, and Goals Against. A series of coin tosses would then determine the group victor. (Don't ask me for the procedure for the coin tosses.)

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Kickoff is 11:30 AM central time.

RCU wins USOC Opener

RCU started its US Open Cup run well by defeating Dynamo New Tampa 5:1 in its first match of the US Open Cup Region III Group II. They take on Legends FC of North Texas tomorrow before rounding out the qualification tournament against fellow NPSL squad Atlanta FC on Sunday. The group winner will advance to the final US Open Cup stage.


Rafa Barbosa opened the scoring for RCU on a cross from Paul Willoughby in the 20th minute. Dynamo leveled in the 51st minute, but RCU responded in the 55th with a blast off the foot of Michael Biggs. RCU doubled the lead in the 58th minute when it was Barbosa again from a nice set up from Sutton Shults.

RCU put the game out of reach when Shuts made his way through for a breakaway with only the Dynamo keeper to beat. The Dynamo keeper's challenge on Shults was a bit too "Mixed Martial Arts" for the taste referee's taste and the he was sent to the showers early for violent conduct. Barbosa converted the spot kick for his third of the match.

Peter Byarhuanga sealed the match with a kiss when in the second minute of added time he put home another Willoughby cross for the final score.

Each of the goals are important as the tie breakers for the group are as follows:

• Head to head result
• Goal Differential
• Goals For
• Goals Against
  
• Coin toss
  

Odds and Ends

HASL talk

Jacob over at Southern Soccer has posted his ideas on how HASL can improve.
He proposes:

• New division for Over-40
• New division for Women
• HASL Cup styled on the FA Cup
• Change in format to a 1 year

His ideas are very interesting. Go on over to his blog and get involved in the discussion. I'll have more on this later.

RCU Open Cup action

RCU in travel to Jacksonville, FL this weekend to take part in the US Open Cup play-in tournament. The format for qualification is two, four-team groups. The winner of each group will be entered into the final phase of the US Open Cup, a single elimination tournament where RCU could face professional opponents from USL1, USL2, and USL-PDL. If they keep winning, they could even face an MLS team.

"Kick Like A Girl"

For those of you with HBO, check out this show about a girls team who enters a boys league.

Weekend of Champions- HASL, EPL, La Liga, & Serie A Crown Champions

Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Manchester United all claimed their titles and even HASL had champions crowned this weekend...

On HASL's website... "Due to this extremely unusual, weather –delayed season, HASL has determined that the Spring 2009 season will conclude with only eight games played per team. Thus, Friday’s matches will count in the standings. We have adjusted the standings to account for the shortened season and can now declare the Foot Clan as being the Premiership Champions. Schurke has claimed the Division I championship. Division II and Division III do not have champions declared as of yet. "

HASL will attempt to schedule the remaining games in order to determine the remaining champions and relegation/promotion spots.


Congratulations to all.

Grab The Remote

There should be some good soccer on TV this weekend. The MLS Conference leaders meet in a showdown Saturday night and three of top four leagues in Europe could be decided this weekend, while the fourth big league has four teams that could still win. Since it is supposed to rain so much anyway, this would be a good weekend to sit yourself in front of the TV and catch the action.


Eastern Conference leaders DC United travel out west to meet Western Conference leaders Chivas USA in MLS action. In England, ManU needs a draw to claim the EPL title. In Spain, Barca can claim the title with a victory or a Real Madrid loss. In Italy, a win will hand Inter the Serie A crown if AC Milan doesn’t lose on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the German Bundesliga is still wide open. Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin, and Stuttgart all still have a chance to bring home the title with two games to play. This could be the most exciting finish in Bundesliga history.

Here are the big games and where you can see them.

SATURDAY
England, Manchester United-Arsenal 6:40 a.m. Setanta
Germany, Hoffenheim-Bayern Munich 10:30 a.m. GolTV
Italy, Udinese-AC Milan 1:30 p.m. FSC
Spain, Villarreal-Real Madrid 3 p.m. GolTV
MLS, Chivas USA-D.C. United 10 p.m. FSC, FSE

SUNDAY
Spain, Mallorca-Barcelona 12 p.m. GolTV
Italy, Inter Milan-Siena 1:30 p.m. FSC

Foot Clan Win, HASL Premiership In Sight

On a soggy Grissom Soccer Stadium field, Foot Clan all but sealed up the Spring 2009 HASL Premiership title with a 2:1 win against defending champions Law Dogs. The always tightly contested fixture provided some great soccer for the approximately 50 spectators in attendance.

In the early moments of the match, it appeared that both teams were slow to adjust to the poor conditions. Throughout the first half, Foot Clan was content to keep men behind the ball and spring counter attacks, which lead to a few half-chances that perhaps the FC forwards would like to get another bite at.


Law Dogs were able to break through the solid Foot Clan defense only once in the opening period, when John Lawrence found himself through from a lofted Mike Trice ball. Lawrence expertly lobbed over the onrushing FC goalkeeper, but the goal bound ball was shepherded away by a trailing defender just a foot from the line.

It seemed the teams would go into the half knotted up at zeroes , but in the 45th minute, the Foot Clan counter attack sprung. A long diagonal was played into FC's William Jaggwe's path and he beat Law Dog defender Michael Haley to the ball and powered a low left footed drive that nestled in the corner of the net.

Both teams came into the second half determined, but Law Dogs began to gain confidence as they applied more pressure looking for the equalizer. In the 61st minutes, it was John Lawrence who broke the seal on the Foot Clan goal. A searching long ball found his brother Joseph Lawrence in the heart of the FC penalty area. Joseph laid off a perfect one time ball for John who hit a whistling half volley from just outside the area that was rising as it struck the back of the net.

Law Dogs continued to press for the winner with long balls over the top, but it was Foot Clan who would provide the remaining tally 10 minutes later. The ball fell to Brian Kimbugewe who made room for himself a few yards outside the area and struck a thunderous, swerving shot which the LD goalkeeper could not keep out of the net despite doing well to get a hand on it.

With legs tiring from the bog-like field, Law Dogs could not muster much of a threat on the Foot Clan goal, and FC saw out the remaining 20 minutes until referee Chuck Spaniola whistled for full time on a much deserved Foot Clan victory.

With two games remaining, Foot Clan now find themselves one result away from the Premiership title.

RCU Picks Up Year's First Victory

First, I must apologize for being tardy with this post. Mother's Day and work commitments got in the way. :)



Rocket City United got its first win of the 2009 campaign thumping Pumas FC of Birmingham 5:2 at the UAB 's West Campus Field. Light rain started to dampen the field before the game as a slight breeze cooled the crowd of about 100, but dark clouds loomed on the horizon foreshadowing the troubles RCU would cause the Pumas backline.

RCUs attacking throttle was wide open from the start as Kempess Villafana fired high from distance seconds after the opening whistle. This attacking mentality paid dividends shortly after, when winger Paul Willoughby beat Pumas defender Sibusiso Macwele to volley home a Daniel Segewitz cross to take the early lead. Macwele had been a target of RCU's brass before signing on with Pumas. RCU continued to press game as PT Huang and Jesus Delgado had quality looks only to have the woodwork and a fine save from the Pumas keeper deny their opportunities.

Thirty minutes in and Villafana's successful day ended early as he suffered a hamstring pull after creating excitement with his mazy runs. RCU's attack did not hesitate though, as Michael Biggs drew the attention of the Pumas defenders before allowing a cross to dummy onto the foot of Barbosa. The Pumas keeper responded in time to deny Barbosa's attempt. Villafana's replacement, Sutton Shults, got himself involved quickly by slamming his shot into near side netting just wide of the upright minutes after entering.

Jason Sabio commits to the tackle

Although the RCU offense had its boosters firing , the RCU defense had some initial trouble answering the Pumas midfield riddle. Pumas sported an unconventional 4-1-3-2 formation flooding the center of the pitch with bodies and using the outside backs to patrol up and down the touchline. RCUs defensive core wavered only once as Pumas forward Derek Rios slipped through with only RCU keeper Tyler Early to beat. Rios found his footing failed him and his shot skidded desperately wide from 12 yards out. RCU coach Greg Petersen recognized the Cats' ploys and countered by replacing the attack minded Huang with midfield sparkplug Enrici Simeone, and RCU ensnared Pumas in the offside trap time and again and the half ended with RCU up by a goal.

Pumas coach Rolando Hernandez had his squad motivated for the second stanza, and it was Rios who was denied an equalizing goal by Tyler Early's reflexes. The RCU substitute, Shults, continued to stir up trouble for the Pumas defenders with several deep runs and crosses. One of them was met by Delgado who found himself at the far post to nod home the game's second goal in the 57th minute.

It was Barbosa who then worked up a moment of brilliance to put the match out of reach. After muscling through 3 defenders who were seemingly attempting to disrobe him, Rafa found himself in front of the onrushing Pumas goalkeeper. Full marks go to the referee who realized he was witnessing a masterpiece in the making and allowed the artist Barbosa to place the final stroke. The Brazilian wonder scooped the ball up and over the keeper from 16 yards in a display strength and determination in an age when most forwards would have cynically fallen down and settled for a PK. Barbosa left the field to an ovation after he was replaced shortly thereafter by Derek Pirtle.

With the Pumas will broken, Michael Biggs rose to convert a Willoughby corner in the 68th minute. A few minutes later, Willoughby then book-ended his night with a nicely taken goal. After receiving a good ball from Jason Sabio out wide right, Willoughby rode Macwele's lunging challenge just inside the penalty area. He did well to keep his footing , recover, and chip the on-rushing keeper to the far post.

Then late in the second half, the rains came making visibility difficult and footing treacherous. It was Pumas who adjusted to the conditions better and were able to pull two goals back spoiling Tyler Early's shutout. Full time was called about 5 minutes early when lightening bolts danced a little too close for safety's sake, and Rocket City United picked it's first win of the season.

Notes: Rocket City United reserves fell 0:3 to the Pumas reserves prior to first team match… Rocket City United will host a College Scouting Combine in conjunction with Heroes Futbol Association at John Hunt Soccer Park on May 16-17. College soccer scouts will watch the areas top high school talent.

Couple of Scheduling Tidbits

The Alabama State High School Soccer Tournament will be held as scheduled this weekend. The semifinals will be contested on Friday with the finals are to be played on Saturday at the John Hunt Soccer Stadium. There had been fears that the swine flu school closures would cause a rescheduling of the tournament.

However, unrelated to the swine flu, the Rocket City United v Mississippi Brilla match scheduled for May 15th in Clinton, MS has been rescheduled to June 23rd. That will cut down on some of the early season travel RCU had planned that I mentioned in an earlier post.

RCU Come Up Short In Season Opener

Rocket City United fell to Saturn FC 1:2 in their NPSL Southeast Region opener Saturday night.

Forward Rafa Barbosa had a good night putting three past the Saturn FC keeper on Saturday. However, only one of those finished resulted in a legitimate tally as the ball was whistled out of play prior to his 18th minute header. In the 33rd minute, Barbosa finished his breakaway chance, but the flag had been raised for offside.

RCU Starting Eleven

Saturn FC put RCU in the hole as Dan Gilewicz rose to convert a 10th minute corner. After concerted pressure on the Saturn goal during the remainder of the first half, RCU responded early in the second stanza with Barbosa's 48th minute looping header from a Norbert Webley cross. It was just reward for the team's creative play.

Saturn FC retook the lead after nine minutes, when a SFC won a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Spencer Davidson stepped up and slotted the spot kick past Jeff Preston in the RCU goal. The lead would stand as chances for both teams went unrewarded in the remaining time.


RCU will travel to Birmingham to meet the another new NPSL side Pumas FC this Saturday at 7pm.

On The Road Again... And Again... And Again

Let's hope the Rocket City United team bus gets good gas mileage. With 5 matches on the road before their home opener on May 30, RCU will travel 2464 miles round trip to face foes in four different states. I'm sure there are first division teams in Europe that don't travel that much in a full season.

RCU start their month long odyssey this weekend on the road against new NPSL squad Saturn FC of Atlanta. They'll follow that with relatively short jaunt to Birmingham next Saturday to meet another NPSL newcomer, Pumas FC. Then it's on to Clinton, MS the following weekend to take on the Mississippi Brilla of the United Soccer League's Premier Development League. Memorial Day weekend sees RCU travel to Jacksonville, FL for US Open Cup Qualifying for USASA Region III where they will play 3 matches in as many days.

RCU Crisscrosses the Southeast in May

About this weekend's game… RCU goes into the NPSL regular season with a preseason record of 3 wins and 2 losses. Meanwhile, Saturn FC comes into the season looking to rebound from it's disappointing 0:2 loss in the Atlanta Copa Hispana to fellow NPSL side and "Atlanta Classico" foe, Atlanta FC.

The teams have met before in Superliga competition, splitting their two matches in high scoring affairs. RCU took the first encounter in Huntsville by a score of 4:2. The return fixture saw RCU on the wrong end of 3:7 goal fest in the final game of Superliga season.

RCU Coach Greg Petersen is expecting "a competitive match" and by the goal tallies of there two previous meetings, the goalkeepers are sure to have a busy day.

Petersen's 730 WUMP Appearance

Rocket City United Coach Greg Petersen appeared on the Johnny "Ballpark" Franks show on SportsRadio 730 The Ump today. I didn't have a way to record the interview and I'm no stenographer. So, please for give me, Greg, if I misquote.

RCU's Greg Petersen

On the upgrade in personnel from last year, including what he looks for in players: "[RCU Players] must be good with the ball, including defenders... They must be intelligent and dynamic . Something that I think coaches in every sport are looking for. I really think that we've improved that dramatically [in the offseason]."

On local players to watch: Petersen talked extensively about Grissom grad, Paul Willoughby. "I wouldn't be surprised to see Paul sign a pro contract very soon." He also mentions UAH grad Rafa Barbosa and that he is exciting to watch.

On North Alabama in comparison to soccer in other parts of the world: "North Alabama has some of the best athletes in the country." He went on to describe Derek Pirtle and Sutton Shultz as terrific athletes with raw talent that he is exited to see develop.

On RCU President, Andy Zorovich: "Andy really knows the business side of the game… and how to engage the community." Petersen mentioned the recent very successful Blood drive sponsored by RCU.

On the first match this weekend against Saturn FC: "We are playing down in Atlanta against a team we know pretty well having played them in SuperLiga this summer. I'm expecting a competitive match… at this point, the more competitive the match, the better it is for us."

I'll have more on the upcoming RCU season later this week.

Catchin' Up Is Hard To Do

I'm back from vacation. So, here are few notables that occurred during my absence.

Rocket City United updates

RCU releases their 2009 roster and will take part in the US Open Cup qualifying tournament. They'll be taking on other tops teams from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. They'll be split into two groups of four playing a game each day over the Memorial Day weekend with the group winners advancing to the actual US Open Cup Tournament. Modeled similarly to the on the English FA Cup tournament, the US Open Cup is in its 95th year and open to all US Soccer affiliated clubs. It's a single elimination tournament and if teams continues to win, they get to play against the pros. It's great drama when the underdog pulls off the upset against the "big" clubs.

World Cup in Alabama update

As I mentioned in my prior post on the subject, several of the stadiums put forth in a list by US Soccer World Cup Bid organizers are not suitable for World Cup soccer matches. The list has now been pared down to 58. The only Alabama stadium surviving the cut down is Legion Field in Birmingham.

Just for fun

I'm not a big fan of the show "Lost", but I still thought this US Soccer/Lost cast look a like comparison was hilarious.

Out of Office

A few things before I go on a week long vacation tomorrow…


US Soccer has launched an official Supporters Club. For $49.95, you get:

• A special edition scarf
• Priority status to purchase 2010 World Cup tix prior to sale to the general public
• Priority status to purchase USMNT game tix prior to sale to the general public
• Team yearbook
• Discount at ussoccerstore.com

Fox Soccer Channel officially announced that they will indeed be broadcasting the UEFA Champions League starting next season, and it plans to be broadcasting in HD by the end of 2009. Here are some of the highlights of the announcement.

• Fox Sports Network channels including Fox Sports South will broadcast 16 live matches
• Final will be broadcast on FX
• FSC will show one live and 2 rebroadcasts each match day
• FSC will have live pregame and postgame shows from its LA studios
• FSC will have a 30 minute highlight show each matchday
• Foxsoccer.com will have video highlights
• Setanta will continue to air select matches

Last night, Rocket City United played an impromptu friendly against the newly crowned Over-30 Alabama champion Law Dogs.

RCU pressed their advantage in years and quickness early to score 2 quick goals within the first 10 minutes. With ages twice that of some of their competitors, the Old Law Dogs struggled to chase down the RCU attackers as they switched the ball from one attacker to the other. It didn't get much better for the Old Law Dogs as Rafa Barbosa, Derek Pirtle, and Norbert Webley of RCU seemed to have solved the finishing problems they experienced in the 2008 campaign. RCU found net several more times to end the first half at an astounding 8:0 advantage.


The onslaught abated only slightly after the halftime break. After capitalizing on an errant back passes and some breathless dribbling by Barbosa, RCU tallied 4 more times. However, all was not lost for the Old Dogs. After some nice combination work by Old Dogs' midfielders Donald Lao, Joseph Lawrence, and Yuni Heo, Steve Provencio was taken down from behind in the area only to have no whistle blow. Another chance fell to the ever present Lao, but the ball wouldn't settle for him from just above the spot and the chance was wasted. After several minutes of pressure, the break finally came. A poor clearance of an Old Dog corner kick fell to John "Nasty" Lawrence on the wing. Nasty did well to elude several challenges and send in a seeing eye cross for aerial specialist Ryan Harbaugh to nod down past a helpless Jeffrey Preston in the RCU goal. RCU calls for offside went unheard as Harbaugh timed his run to perfection. Shortly after, full time had been reached and handshakes were exchanged on a good run out for both teams.

RCU has added a home and away series with the Mississippi Brilla of the PDL to its 2009 schedule. Go here or more info and other RCU news.

HASL Anniversary and a Few Randoms...

HASL celebrates its silver anniversary this year. Read more about it here.

Clint Dempsey scored 2 in a win over Man City this weekend. Read more about it here. Note the description of Zamora's pass to set up Dempsey's second goal. That's the impetus for the name of the blog.

I thought that this was the goal of the week...



...Until I saw this one.



Now, that's a golazo-azo-aaaaaazoooooo!

Future World Cup Matches in Alabama?

Earlier this week, the US World Cup Bid Committee released a list of 70 possible stadiums that could host a world cup match should the USA be awarded the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. Included in that list are Legion Field in Birmingham, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.

As much as I'd like to see one of these stadiums host a World Cup match, this list should not be taken seriously. I'm sure the idea of releasing this impressive list is to drum up publicity about the USA bid and to insure to FIFA that there is no chance of the worries that stadiums will not be completed in time like they are currently experiencing in South Africa. If FIFA picks the USA to host , we will have a wide variety of large capacity all-seater buildings in place. All of these stadiums have the modern amenities like press boxes, built-in camera areas, concourses, and good access to transportation. FIFA would just have to say the word...

However, most of the stadiums on the list are American football stadiums that would require modifications (for example, laying down grass over artificial turf) or a relaxing of the FIFA field standards in order to host a World Cup soccer match. A field for World Cup play must be a minimum of 68 meters wide and must have at least 6 meters in width before the seating area. Many American Football stadium just aren't wide enough in the corners to meet this requirement.

Does this field meet the FIFA width requirement? Um, nope.

Even the ones that do meet the width requirement aren't built with soccer in mind. Take LP Field in Nashville. While it has successfully hosted several international matches already, the sight lines are built for American Football. The elevation and the steepness of the stands are designed to allow people to see over the 40-plus giant players and staff standing on the sidelines of each play. A spectator sitting in behind the first few rows cannot see near side touch line at all on a soccer field.

Unfortunately, the stadiums that are being built with soccer in mind, including all of the stadiums built by MLS clubs, are far too small in capacity to meet the minimum capacity to host a World Cup match of 40,000 seats. So, this is the type of list you see.

Of course, maybe an MLS team who hasn't yet built a stadium will take the leap and build one with a 40,000 seat capacity. Are you listening my beloved, DC United? Nope, you've probably got your head in the sand after PG County said "Take a hike!" to your latest stadium proposal. Oh well...

Ahh, Good Times

Sam's Army wooping it up

So, a good time was had by all. The boys put 3 past the bad guys. Sam's Army was out in force leading the south stands in all the usual songs. Almost 28,000 of crammed the lower bowl and spilled into the club section. Not really a bad seat in the house. The only complaint I can think of is that the near touchline wasn't visible from the sideline seats, but that's typical in games in football stadiums.

Seemed to me that everyone was having a good time, even the TnT fans , despite their team's poor performance.

TnT percusionist providing a great atmosphere

Hanging with My Hombres

One of the great things about soccer in the US is the approachability of the players. They don't have posses. They aren't rock stars. Ok, maybe Frankie Hejduk is a rock star.

"Hello, Nash-ville!"

Anyway, US pro soccer player aren't jaded by the spotlight or years of idolatry. In fact, they tend to be great guys.

My buddy Matt and his pals went down to Broadway after the match Wednesday night and ran into most of the US players just hanging out after the game. They were all very cool and took photos with anyone who asked.

US midfielder Sacha Kljestan and Leo

US Forward Brian Ching and Matt (not sure who's chin that is)

US star forward Landon Donovan and Matt with GK Brad Guzan (background)

US defender Danny Califf, Matt and US midfielder Pablo Mastroeni getting their "country" on

Random US soccer fan and US defender Carlos Bocanegra

Leo and US defender Jonathan Bornstein

RCU Announce New, New Uniform Supplier

Rocket City United has announced that it has ended its relationship with uniform supplier Baliston and replaced them with Bullfrog Sportwear. They've also replaced the black/white striped look with a broad red vertical stripe trimed with black with white down the sides and on the sleeves.

RCUs new shirt mockup

I like the new look. It's reminicent of the old Ajax Amsterdam look. Classic.

Customized shirts can be purchased here, but supplies are limited.

US Defends the Homeland in Nashville

Scoreboard at LP Field shows Man of the Match Altidore

The USMNT remained at the top of the Hexagonal table by getting it done at home with a 3:0 win over TnT. Jozy "is not a girl's name" Altidore tallied a hat trick as the US unwrapped the TnT defense time and again. Over 27,000 filled the lower bowl of LP Field to take part in what was the largest crowd to ever see a soccer game in Tennessee. So much for my concerns about attendance.

The US solves the TnT defense again, but can't convert

In addition to Altidore's finishing, Landon Donovan showed his class by assisting on all three goals. The first goal was set up with a precise laser to a steaking Altidore after a clinical flick on by hardworking Brian Ching.

Donovan serves up a free kick

Donovan deftly turned a defender, and streaked down the flank to drop the ball into Altidore's path for the second goal. Altidore did the rest by dancing past a clumsy challenge and slotting home from 10 yards. The final goal was a lesson in humility as both Michael Bradley and Donovan passed up golden opportunities to go to goal. Donovan passed back to an on rushing Altidore who smacked a low, hard one-timer that slipped through the TnT goalkeeper's grasp and nestled into the back of the net.

I'll have another post later on the fan experience at the game.

The "Wee Blind One" Weighs In On US v TnT

Tommy and the boys discuss Wednesday's showdown in Nashville.



While the US sits atop the table today, a loss to TnT on Wednesday coupled with the results of the other Hexagonal matches falling just right will see the US sitting firmly in fourth place in the table. This will give you an idea of just how seriously Bradley's Boys should take this match. I'm getting pumped for this!

BTW, over 18,000 sold now and don't be surprised if the US team shows up in shiny new shirts, literally. Rumor has it that they'll sport new silver nike jerseys.

USMNT In Nashville

Law Dogs Take "Old Guys" State Title

The defending HASL Premier Division Champions, Law Dogs, hoisted the Alabama Over-30 State Cup yesterday at Jack Allen Soccer Complex in Decatur. Ninety minutes of play against long time rival, the Iguanas of Birmingham, left the teams knotted at 3 goals a piece.

LawDogs prevail in PKs, 4:4 (3:2)

The Iguanas tallied first in the tenth minute. Law Dogs midfielder, Daniel Sherman, responded by netting in the 25th minute. Later in the first half, the Iguanas capitalized on breakaway to take the lead. Law Dogs towering central midfielder, Brian Kimball scored off corner kick scrum shortly before the referee's whistle to end the first half.

After back and forth play opening the second half, Law Dog uber-defender, Michael Haley, took advantage of space to carry from his sweeper position and placed a nice cross for Joseph Lawrence to finish for the lead. As the Iguanas pressed for the equalizer, Haley apparently tackled the ball over the end line, but no referee's whistle came. The Iguana attacker seized the opportunity and in the confusion, centered toward goal and for an Iguana forward to slot home.

Two ten minute periods of extra time saw both teams add to their tallies. Speedy winger Donald Lao dribbled coast to coast to set up John "Nasty" Lawrence for the cool finish that again gave the Law Dogs the one goal advantage. As time ticket down, the Iguanas again found themselves pressing for an equalizer. In the 116th minute, Law Dogs brave net-minder, John Moran, took a knock while risking life and limb to haul in a cross. Still reeling from his injury, Moran was unable to stop the Iguanas from scoring on a free kick as extra time ticked to a close with the teams tied 4:4.

Moran was deemed unfit to continue during the spot kicks. So, Chris O'Halloran donned the gloves instead. O'Halloran had not stepped between the pipes since his days in college. Brian Kimball, icy veined Phil Moyer, and dead ball specialist Joseph Lawrence did their part by converting from the mark. The Iguanas converted their first two attempts, but O'Halloran guessed correctly and denied the third attempt. Michael Haley then saw his attempt miss the target. O'Halloran, showing no signs of rust, pulled off the save of the day on the Iguanas 4th attempt. Having already committed, the catlike O'Halloran reached back to punch the net bound shot just over the crossbar. John Lawrence's attempt to ice the game was saved by Iguanas keeper. Nerves got the best of the next Iguanas shooter as he knew he would have to be precise to beat O'Halloran, but the attempt scooted wide of the upright and Law Dogs had taken the cup.

Rumor: FSC Wins Champions League TV Rights

In what has to be a blow to ESPN's recent self described emphasis on soccer programming, it is rumored that Fox Soccer Channel has won the rights to show the UEFA Champion's League beginning in 2010-11. Poor blind Tommy Smith will know have to limit his catch phrase "Bulge in the old onion bag!" to the produce section of the local grocer's.

I think ESPN does a pretty decent job covering the most exciting club tournament in the world. If the rumor proves true, it will be interesting to see if FSC actually splashes some cash to provide on site coverage. Most likely they will use the Sky broadcast feed and rebrand it as their own. ESPN called the games from stateside studios, but at least the games are in HD. FSC currently does not broadcast in HD, but there are more rumors that FSC will upgrade to HD toward the end of 2009.

This is yet another reason for all you Knology customers to drop them ASAP!

BTW, anyone else creeped out by the Sony ads of the glowing orb in the stadium?

MLS Kicks Off Tonight

March Madness is pretty sweet. I'm a huge University of Maryland basketball fan, but it's the opening of the MLS season that really gets me full-on amped come this time each year. This year's opener should be a cracker.

Seattle already leads the league in season ticket sales with over 20,000 sold

The new expansion team Seattle Sounders FC will host the '08 MLS Cup Finalist New York Red Bulls tonight on ESPN2 at 8 PM in front of a sold out Quest Field in the opening match of the 2009 Major League Soccer season.
The Red Bulls feature the most productive of the Designated Player signed to date, Columbian forward Juan Pablo Angel. The high scoring forward (33 goals in 47 games) hopes to get on the end of a few balls from the squad that Coach Juan Carlos Osorio has built that includes imports Jorge Rojas (Venezuela) and speedsters Dane Richards (Jamaica) and Macoumba Kandji (Senegal). I've seen Kandji pull off some crazy moves when he played for the Atlanta Silverbacks prior to being loaned to NYRB last season.

Osorio also built from the draft. Former University of Maryland star Jeremy Hall is expected to start at right back a few months after lifting the NCAA crown. Fear the Turtle!

But the player I'm most excited to see is the Columbian lining up for Seattle, Freddy Montero. The tricky forward has been lighting up the Columbian first division and the MLS preseason (10 goals in 9 games) with his slick maneuvering in the penalty area and his accurate shooting. Keep an eye on this guy. I expect him to have one or two good seasons in MLS before he ships out to a European side.

Meanwhile, '08 Coach of the Year Sigi Schmid's Seattle club also features some names you may recognize. US goalkeeping legend Kasey Keller will patrol the pipes while underwear model and former part-time Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg might make an appearance off the bench tonight after recovering from hip surgery this winter.

I don't plan on doing game previews for each game, but like I said, I'm excited MLS is starting back up.

Knology Drops FSC, Thousands Drop Knology

Ok, maybe the headline is an exaggeration, but I checked the channel line-up for Knology and Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) isn't there anymore. As reported over at Southern Soccer, Knology announced in early February that talks had broken down between the cable company and FSC and as a result the channel would be pulled from the channel offerings in early March.

As I've written before, I think that DirecTV the best deal for a soccer junkie in Huntsville anyway. So, for all you jilted FSC loving Knology customers, call Knology. Cancel your service. When you do, be sure that they understand that you are cancelling service because they dropped Fox Soccer Channel. If they get enough cancellations, maybe they'll reconsider. After all money talks, bullsh… well, you know.

MARS Soccer League Kicks Off

The MARS (Marshall Athletic and Sport Services) Soccer Club will begin its Spring season on March 24. Four teams will battle for the Richter Cup. The MARS Soccer league was established in 1988 for NASA personnel and contractors and in recent years has been extended to Army personnel. All games are played at the Army Soccer Field on Patton Road on Tuesdays and Thursday nights. Interested players must have access to Redstone Arsenal and must pay a small registration fee ($10-15). For more information, contact Andy Heaton or Victor Collazo Perez.

Two Footed Tackles Should Get the Boot

Look, I'm an old fart and know it. My years of truly competitive soccer are behind me. I still play on a HASL team and would like to continue for the foreseeable future. So, let me tell you about a disturbing thing I saw this past weekend.

I witnessed a HASL match where there were several two-footed tackles (2FTs, if you will) made by multiple players. I'm speaking of a player launching themselves (jumping into) a tackle with two legs extended toward the ball/attacker. Some make contact with the ball, but almost all also made contact with the attacker.

Two footed tackles like this one can cause serious injury

In the game I'm talking about, there was no reaction from the referee at all. Perhaps he didn't see them. Perhaps he considered them clean tackles. However, I was very concerned for the safety of all of the players on the field. I mentioned to the referee after the game, that I was concerned that it would result in broken bones if allowed to continue. BTW, I also think that he had otherwise done a great job managing the game.

I know it doesn't make me an expert, but I took a refereeing course a few years ago. I thought I remembered the instructor saying that 2FTs were considered an ejectionable offense. Although, I may have just remembered that in the EPL, it is an automatic ejection.

In fact, here is a quote from the EPL's Officials Board, "A player who jumps into a tackle two-footed is not in control of himself and therefore if he makes contact with the player, ball and player, or if the referee determines there to be excessive malice in the challenge, he will be dismissed."

Of course, we live and play in the US. So, what the EPL says doesn't have any bearing on what referees in the US are taught. So what does the United States Soccer Federation say about two-footed tackles?

While the USSF doesn't specifically call out 2FTs, it does have these guidelines for Fouls and Misconduct in the '08-'09 Laws of the Game Interpretation for Referees doc, which I believe are apt.

"“Using excessive force” means that the player has far exceeded the

necessary use of force and is in danger of injuring his opponent.

• A player who uses excessive force must be sent off."

The doc also describes careless and reckless fouls. Careless fouls are when a player shows a lack of attention and the result is a free kick for the opponent. The term reckless is used when a player acts in disregard of danger. In those situations, a foul is called and a caution is considered a just punishment.

As I've stated above, I guess the match referee didn't deem the multiple 2FTs careless, reckless or with excessive force, and that really concerns me. I've personally witnessed broken bones and torn ligaments due to this type of tactic before. Sadly, it is a completely preventable situation. Typically, conveying to the team captain prior to the match that such tactics are prohibited and will result in an ejection is enough to eliminate the problem.

Regardless, my concern that this tactic is in use in HASL and will eventually lead to serious injury is great enough that I asked a refereeing friend of mine to address it at the next NASOA (Northern Alabama Soccer Officials Association) meeting. If it's good enough for the EPL, it should be common sense for HASL, right? After all, most of us that play this game are not professionals and don't have full health coverage paid for by our clubs when bones are broken or ligaments torn during a game. :)

I ask that referees keep a close eye on these types of dangerous plays in future HASL games, and seriously consider ejecting anyone who uses this tactic whether they win the ball or not. We all have to go to work on Mondays, after all.

Nashville World Cup Qualifier Ticket Sales Update

According to Ives Galarcep of Soccer By Ives , around 10,000 tickets have been sold for the US World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago on April 1 at LP Field in Nashville. At first glance, that seems a bit low.


Maybe people are waiting to buy tix at the gate? Or are people are turned off by the 6:45PM weeknight kickoff time?

The Olympic Qualifying match held last March attracted 13,201 and 26,141 showed up for the infamous 0:1 friendly loss to Morocco prior to the 2006 World Cup. Now, T&T isn't quite the draw that a US v Mexico is, but you'd hope that a qualifier would draw more than a friendly against a North African side.


I was hoping for a gate of 30,000, and I'm sure that would please US Soccer, but with less than a month to go before the April Fools Day match, that may be wishful thinking.

DCU Stadium Situation

I know this is a Huntsville Soccer blog, but as a person who grew up and had lived in the DC area for 30 plus years, I want to write a bit about the stadium situation of my old hometown club, DC United. Since 1996, DCU has been playing in Robert F Kennedy Stadium. It is a great place to watch soccer. The sight lines are great. It has a roof that keeps all of the sound in and the lower bowl seats around 20k. So, it's perfect for a typical MLS crowd of 17,000 or so, but can also be expanded into the upper decks for big matches to a capacity of about 56,000.

There is an extra benefit of playing at RFK that perhaps wasn't anticipated by the DCU suits. The stands on the East side of the field are on tracks and are not permanently locked down which allows them to "bounce". When the fan groups get excited and jump up and down, so do the stands themselves. I've been in the front sections of the stands when the resonance of the bouncing fans and the stands has been in sync perfectly, launching me a foot or two in the air. It's really cool.

DCU match at RFK

Getting back to the stadium situation… As cool as watching games are at RFK, DCU needs a new stadium in order to make money. As a season ticket holder from 1996 until I moved away to Huntsville in 2006 and a member of the great fan groups that they have , I've gone to probably a hundred or so games at RFK. I can say with no reservation; that place is a dump.

It was a dump when they moved in to it. After all, RFK was built in 1961. There was a reason that the Redskins built and moved to a new stadium 10 years ago. RFK is dark, dank and doesn't have any modern amenities in which DC United can use to turn a profit. The amenities got only slightly better when the Washington Nationals moved in for a few years before they moved into their new stadium. There's now a team store in the stadium, but there are no club seats, luxury boxes or other revenue generating features. On top of that, the team pays rent and only gets a slight cut of the game day revenues like parking and food.

Is it saying too much for a "major league" team to have a decent stadium?

Here's a little history lesson for those not familiar with the DCU stadium saga...

The plan for the DCU management from the start was to establish the team for a few years by playing in RFK and then concentrate on building a new home somewhere in DC. About 10 years ago DCU identified a potential site in DC that they believed would be ideal for the new stadium. There was a dilapidated riverfront park located in the poorest section of the city that had been neglected for years called Poplar Point. Not only would DCU build a stadium, but the DCU ownership would develop the area with sorely needed low and middle income housing and and also commercial space that would provide thousands of jobs to local minority owned businesses, all to the benefit of the neighborhood.

There were many hurdles that had to be overcome before DCU would be allowed to build at Poplar Point. Primarily, it was Federal land. It would literally take an act of congress to transition the land to the DC government to allow development of Poplar Point. Former Mayor Anthony William's administration were excited at the prospect of developing the land, but had their hands filled with the myriad of existing problems in DC, including attempting to attract a Major League Baseball team. So, DCU did the grunt work and greased the political wheels in the DC and the Federal governments to allow the land transfer to pass. That took a few years.

In the meantime, there was a protracted battle over the financing of a new stadium for the Nats. MLB officials bullied the DC government into footing the entire $600 million bill. This left a sour taste in mouths of many in DC government and citizenry. Adrian Fenty rode this wave of stadium resentment into the mayor's office. However, Fenty made a statement before kickoff of a DCU match that he would do whatever necessary to get a stadium built at Poplar Point for DC United. Hmm, we'll come back to that later.

The William's administration had a gentlemanly agreement with DCU in which DCU would pay for and build the stadium itself the development of Poplar Point in exchange for $300 million of road and sewer construction. This is infrastructure costs that would be required whomever develops the land. Well, after he was elected, Fenty didn't think this was a good deal and reneged on the agreement in favor of a development bidding process. This process did NOT include a stadium requirement! Hmm, why would he do that? Fenty claimed it would not be fiscally responsible for a government to build a stadium, even after the DC government had done just that for the Nats.

I understand, it is hard to justify building a stadium when you can't keep schools from falling down around students, but the DC government wasn't going to be paying for the building of the stadium. DC United was. The only costs that the government would be responsible for were infrastructure costs that would have to be paid regardless of who developed the land.

The development of Poplar Point eventually was awarded to the only bidder to include an option for the stadium. However, the deal has recently been voided due to disagreements between the DC government and the building contractor over time lines and costs. (Those costs wouldn't be infrastructure costs, would they?)

Conceptual Design of Poplar Point with DCU Stadium (left side of park).

In that deal, it was recently disclosed, the contractor was secretly forbidden by the Fenty administration to discuss the building of a stadium for DCU. This Fenty guy is a jerk, eh?

So, where does Poplar Point stand today? No developer, no stadium, no plan. Looks like the land will continue to be a decrepit eyesore and the citizens of that poor section of the city will no longer have a shot at the thousands of jobs the development would have created.

This makes Fenty about as big a villain of DC United fans as one could conceive. Silly soccer fan, never believe a politician's promises...

And now for the DC stadium situation today.

Since DCU had not been made welcome in DC, the neighboring Maryland county to the east, Prince George's County, has stepped in to work a deal for a stadium located 6 to 10 mile east of RFK. Over the past few months they have worked with the Maryland Stadium Authority to perform a study about whether it would be fiscally worth building a mid-sized stadium for DCU. The study's conclusion: A stadium would generate $300 million in the near term and $60-85 million annually once all stadium construction is completed. Take that Fenty!

So, DCU is in the process of selecting a site near a Metro station to build a world class 24,000 seat stadium . A bill has been introduced into the Maryland assembly to finance the stadium at no cost to taxpayers. The cost of the stadium will be paid entirely by revenue generated by the stadium and the rent that DC United will pay to the Maryland Stadium Authority. The arrangement will allow DCU to take advantage of the amenities built into the new stadium and generate a profit for the first time in it's existence.

Now, as you would expect in this cynical world we live in, not everyone is pleased with the move of a team called "DC" United moving to a location in Maryland. Many who live in the Virginia suburbs are not looking forward to making trip around the beltway and over the Potomac to the new stadium. As a person who has lived in Virginia, DC, and Maryland, I don't have much sympathy for those folks. Even though the new stadium location may be a few miles outside the DC border, the furthest potential location remains less than 9 miles away from RFK. As you can see in the map below we are not talking about great distances.

Map of DCU prospective stadium locations.

The real question now remains, will the state of Maryland see this opportunity as a chance to build a world class stadium that will literally attract soccer fans from all over the globe (and the money these fans are going to spend), or will the narrow minded politicians put on the stadium blinders and pooh-pooh another DCU effort to find a home?

If all goes well, DC United will open the 2012 season in a shiny new jewel of a stadium, and I say, it's about time.

New RCU Jerseys and more

Rocket City United will be wearing new kits for the '09 season. Baliston will be the official uniform supplier of RCU replacing Under Armour. Going for the slimming effect, black will be the "In" color for this season.

This year RCU home strip will sport stripes of black and white, with black shorts and socks.

RCU's new home shirt

The away kit will take a page from AC/DC's "Back in Black" going with black shirt, black shorts and black socks.


Negotiations are still under way for a shirt sponsor. However, custom jerseys with name and number will be available for purchase in the RCU shop on their website.

In a related note, according to footballshirtculture.com, men prefer their wife or girlfriend wear their favorite team's jersey rather than the latest boudoir fashions from Victoria Secret.

"34% of men asked said they would prefer their wife or girlfriend to wear their favorite team’s [soccer] top in bed, 23% said that they would be more interested in “sexy lingerie”, 21% replied with simply “nothing”, 16% said they would love to see a “fantasy role play outfit” and 6% said “ordinary nightwear”."

So guys, get your gals to go here for the new RCU replica shirt.

Cut the Grass, Please

Soccer played on an pristine pitch is beautiful. There is a precision to the ball sliding across the turf from foot to foot that can be likened to a cue ball on a pool table. Soccer on a bad field is less smooth. Watching player slog passes into touch while they struggle to adjust to the way the ball is responding can be frustrating and plain ugly.

Well, Rocket City United's home ground, John Hunt Soccer Stadium, has a problem. It's one that is easily solved, but it is still an issue that requires attention; preferably prior to RCU's opening home preseason match versus Martin Methodist College. The grass is too long.

I'm no groundskeeper, but I've played and watched the game for over 30 years. So, that makes me somewhat of an expert the effect of field conditions on players. Don't get me wrong. The field is nice. It's flat and the grass itself seems to be of good quality. The words thick and lush come to mind, but that's not necessarily good if it's too high.

It's just that the JHSS tuf is at least 1/2 inch longer than it should be. I walked the field at every RCU at JHSS last season, and it was consistently too long. As a result the ball sits abnormally high in relation to the players feet, and the ball response to the turf is accentuated. This causes passes that are weighted improperly and shots that are not struck true. Even the bounce of the ball is softened. It's the reverse effect that one sees when teams play on poor artificial turfs.

As a result, every soccer decision can be affected. Does a defender allow an errant over the top pass sail on to the keeper or will the ball slow enough for a trailing attacker to catch up with it?

There were times during RCU's last season where those types of instant player decisions actually led to a few goals that would not have been scored on other fields. That is unacceptable. The argument can be made that both teams have to play on the same pitch, so what's the problem? However, those conditions shouldn't exist in the first place. When preventable field conditions change the outcome of a match, something must be done.

I speculate that the people in charge of the maintenance there do not want keep it too short, should the drought conditions that we've experienced in the last few years continue. However, when it's time to play high quality soccer, the field should be of an equally high caliber. The JHSS doesn't host that many games. In addition to the RCU matches, there are a few youth tournaments and high school playoff games held there every year. It is not asking too much to crop the field to a level where the beautiful game can be played beautifully.

I'm told RCU is speaking with city officials to come to a resolution on the problem. I hope so.

Please cut the grass.