Road Trip!!!

Rocket City United travels up to Chattanooga tomorrow night at 7PM to take on Chat FC. RCU will have the first look at the cauldron that is downtown Chattanooga's Finley Stadium. ChatFC has consistently had crowds of 1,500 at each of its home games. So, it should be fun for the players to play in front of a large boisterous crowd.

RCU shut out ChatFC in their first meeting 2:0 at John Hunt Soccer Stadium and will look to stay atop the NPSL Southeast Region table. ChatFC is flying high after two straight shutout victories including a 1:0 win on the road against Atlanta FC. It should be an exciting contest.

I'll be getting in the Perfectly Weighted Through Blog-mobile for the drive up to Chattanooga. If you're going up there, remember to leave an hour earlier, because Chattanooga is in the Eastern Time Zone. You don't want to show up at halftime. :)

Interviews from the Pumas FC match

In this pregame clip, I spoke with Michael Biggs about the game with Pumas and some of RCUs new signings.



Here is a halftime clip with RCU's top scorer Rafa Barbosa as he talks about his 1st half goal.



Freddy Okello was kind enough to speak with me after scoring a 2nd half hat trick.



Coach Greg Petersen and I discuss the victory over Pumas FC.



Be sure to catch the replay of the match this week. Broadcast info can be found here.

Alabama Classic Rewind

Here's the clip of the Rocket City United goals and saves from RCU's 4:1 victory over Pumas FC.

Don't Hate

There's been a lot of buzz about the American born and raised Giuseppi Rossi who scored two goals to help Italy defeat the US National Team in the first match of the Confederations Cup on Monday.

Rossi scores the second and fourth goal of the game

Despite spending the first 13 years of his life in America, he has decided to play for the country of his mother and father. Some folks have called him a traitor, Judas, and even worse. When I think about it however, I can't blame him in the least.

This is a kid who wanted to be a professional soccer player from the time he learned to walk. So, when Parma offered him a spot in their academy, he accepted and moved to Italy with his family. Do you think he would have had the same soccer education in the US? No. Europe is where you go to test yourself at the highest level. He lived in Italy for 5 years and his parents are Italian. It makes total sense for the kid to want to play for Italy. That's his heritage. It has since worked out for the kid.

Rossi discusses playing for ManU and his move to Europe

So, don't hate. It's not good for the soul.

Alabama Classic: RCU thumps Pumas FC

Three second half goals by super sub, Freddy Okello, insured that Rocket City United would defeat their I-65 rival Pumas FC of Birmingham 4:1 in the second Alabama Classic match of the season. Perhaps more importantly, the victory sees RCU (3-0-2, 9 points) as the lone team at the top of the NPSL Southeast Region table.

The teams prepare to take the field in the Alabama Classic

RCU got off to a quick start. In the 7th minute, Birmingham native Michael Biggs rode off several challenges to send a ball into the area for Rafa Barbosa who struck the shot soundly to beat Pumas goalkeeper DelosSantos. Barbosa would turn provider in the second half.

After taking the field for Jesus Delgado shortly before halftime, Okello recieved a nice pass from Paul Willoughby and coolly finished from 15 yards. Not long after, it was Barbosa who set up Okello. Freddy's shot beat DelosSanos but bounded off of the left upright. However, Okello was the first to react as he charged through to tap the rebound into the empty net. Okello completed his hat trick by toe-poking another sweet feed from Barbosa past DelosSantos.

Pumas was not to be shut out as they pressured Tyler Early's goal in the final twenty minutes. After a goal mouth scrum, Paolo Vasquez was on hand to lift a shot over Early's shoulder. However, that would be all that Pumas FC could muster, and RCU took the season series with a victory at home to match the 5:2 May 9th victory in Birmingham.

A full match report can be found here.

RCU Reserves (in black) work to get a shot on the Pumas goal

Prior to the first team match, the RCU reserves fell to the Pumas reserves 0:3. Jeffrey Preston was the hero of that match which could have been much worse if not for the many acrobatic saves from Preston.

Alabama Classic: RCU v Pumas Tomorrow Night

This Saturday's Alabama Classic (derby for you anglophiles, classico for you latinophiles) between Rocket City United (6 points from 4 games) and Pumas FC (6 points from 3 games) of Birmingham is a must win for both teams. RCU picked up their first victory of the season 5:2 in the away fixture of this match-up with a solid second half performance that saw RCU roar out to a five goal lead before Pumas netted two consolation goals. Coach Greg Petersen does not expect this game to follow that script as both teams are much improved since that evening in early May.

Petersen discuss the loss to Atlanta and the upcoming Alabama Classic

RCU is coming off a disappointing 0:2 road defeat to Atlanta FC where injuries and other personnel issues didn't help matters. Team Manager Chris Shaffer described the road trip as a "long day in hell" where nothing worked out for the boys in red, white, and black. RCU will look to sure up their defense with the return of central back, Norbert Webley, who was nursing a hamstring injury picked up early in the Chattanooga FC match.

Shaffer discusses the Alabamba Classic and describes what went wrong in Atlanta

Pumas has added a few dangerous players who have helped them to join the four-way crowd at the top of the Southeast Region table. During that time, Pumas is leading the NPSL Southeast Division in scoring, averaging 4 goals a game. After trailing 2:1 at the half against Saturn FC, Pumas struck 6 times in a victory that Saturn FC described as "worst humiliation ever in Saturn history".

The kickoff for tomorrow night's match and all remaining RCU home matches has been moved back to 7:30PM to accomodate the spectators who would be staring directly into the setting sun while sitting in the John Hunt Soccer Stadium's West Stand.

Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Ladies! (Get FUN-ky!)

Rocket City United just got a little more "Brown Chicken, Brown Cow" with a Ladies Night promotion of this Saturday's home match against Pumas. All ladies in the house get half-off tix.


And it's for a good cause. Proceeds will go to the Hope Place, a shelter for domestic abuse victims.

After the game, RCU will host a Club Members party at 801 Franklin with free beer (yes, it said free beer!) from team sponsor and Huntsville's own Olde Towne Brewing Co. The party is free to Club Members and Season Ticket holders. RCU Club Membership is $45 for the season or $10 for a single game Club Membership.

It's Ladies Night and the feelings right....

MARS Soccer League Crowns Champion

A fifth minute goal by fleet footed winger Matt Peaslee was all that the Cosmos needed as they shut out the Red Shift 3:0 in the MARS Soccer League Final tonight at the Redstone Arsenal Soccer Field on Patton Road. Two insurance goals by Justin Waldon in the final five minutes put the nail in the coffin over the outmanned Red Shift who were missing key players and had only a single person on the substitutes bench .

Brian Sanders sends in a corner as MARS Soccer President Andy Heaton looks on

Both teams got early chances but it was the Cosmos who found net, as Victor Collazo-Perez swung in a cross that fell to Peaslee's favored right foot. Peaslee lined up the shot and drilled it into the near post past Hajin Kim in the Red Shift goal.

Devon Sanders nearly scores for Cosmos

Red Shift almost equalized a few minutes later, when Ricardo Simmonds was put through alone with Cosmos keeper Ken Morrison to beat. Simmonds found himself in two minds however, and Morrison came up with the big save to deny the opportunity.

Patrick Coleman wins a header for Red Shift

Cosmos continued to press the attack. Their shots found woodwork and side netting, but the second goal remained elusive. A perfectly weighted though ball from Devon Sanders found goal scorer Peaslee in stride but his sliced right footed effort spun just wide of the far post. Soon after, the halftime whistle was blown.

Matt Peaslee narrowly misses the target after a nice through ball from Devon Sanders

Red Shift came out for the second stanza rejuvenated. Forward Paul Lawson nearly struck when after slaloming the Cosmos defense, he sent a powerful drive that Ken Morrison could only parry to the ground. No Red Shift players were on hand to convert the loose ball, and the opportunity was swept away by the Cosmos defenders. Soon after, Boris Simmonds also had a good look from about 20 meters that sailed wide of the mark.

Red Shift's Boris Simmonds settles nicely and launches a shot just wide

The game then bogged down into a midfield battle, but Victor Collazo-Perez created some "Oohs and ahhs" with a nifty lob over goalkeeper Kim who had strayed from his line. The Red Shift defense was alert, however and cleared it out of danger.

As time wound down in the tight game, Red Shift sent players forward in droves and it almost paid off when Ben Donahue nearly hit the target from an acute angle. However, it wasn't to be as the lack of substitutes showed in costly mistakes. An errant back pass was intercepted by Waldon who calmly slotted home to double the score. Just seconds after, it was Waldon again making it 3:0. This time he tucked away a spilled ball off a shot from Sanders, and Cosmos had the title in hand.

MARS Champions: Cosmos

Don't Expect Much From Confederations Cup

Now that the US has avoided complete catastrophe in World Cup Qualifying (at least until they lose in Mexico in August), we can focus on the near impossible group in the FIFA Confederation Cup. I usually don't do predictions, but I see this playing out like our World Cup 2006 group.

The US starts off at 1:30PM on Monday afternoon on ESPN against Italy (#4 in the FIFA rankings). I fully expect a loss here. Italy will remember the classic night in Kaiserslautern and come out hard, not wanting to repeat it.

They then get a few days to lick their wounds and follow up with a 9AM Thursday morning matinee on ESPN2 against Brazil (#5 FIFA ranked). Believe it or not, I can see the US getting a point here through sure scrappiness and Brazilian overconfidence.

So, assuming they somehow get a point out of one of those matches, they'll go into their final match of the round on Sunday at 1:30PM on ESPN2 needing a victory over a dangerous Egyptian (40th in FIFA) team. Just as in WC06, they'll give up a silly goal (or two) and not be able to get the result. Three and out in CC09. Hopefully, this will give the boys a sour taste that they will not want to experience again in one year's time.

And maybe this time around, the US will have the soccer Gods on their side when the WC10 draw doesn't land them in another Group of Death. So, hopefully the failure in the CC09 will lead to group success in WC10.

BTW, all the matches will be in HD!

Rocket City United Blanked On The Road

RCU fell 0:2 to Atlanta FC on the road. The loss creates a log jam at the top of the Southeast Division with 4 teams sitting on 6 points. Detailed game report can be found below:

Undermanned RCU Drop Away Game 2-0 to Atlanta FC

RCU Looks For Revenge Against Atlanta FC Tonight

It was an agonizing defeat. The third game in three days in ninety-nine percent humidity and soaring temperatures. With several injuries depleting the squad, Rocket City United needed a two goal victory over Atlanta FC to take the US Open Cup birth outright. They got the first goal on a 25 yard blast off the foot of Rafa Barbosa and were pressing for the second when tired legs started to show. In a ten minute sequence, Atlanta FC stole two goals and the right to face the professional USL side Charleston Battery in the first knockout round of the US Open Cup.


Tonight, RCU would love to avenge that loss in league play. RCU will look to extend their first place lead in NPSL Southeast Region with a result on the road at the Hoskin Stadium in Sandy Springs, GA. Coach Greg Petersen should have the services of speedy winger Kempess Villafana after an extended rehab on a pulled hamstring.


Atlanta FC sits in third place and will look to close the gap the leaders in an effort to defend its NPSL Southeast Region title. AFC coach Ricardo Montoya will have to balance his teams efforts tonight with keeping an eye toward Tuesday's big US Open Cup game in Charleston. Kickoff is at 6PM Central.

RCU interviews from last Saturday

Halftime interview with RCU winger Paul Willoughby



Post game thoughts from Greg Petersen


Co-Man of the Match Norbert Webley on the performance against Chat FC and his new central defender position

RCU v Chat FC gallery

Here's a few photos of last Saturday's victory over Chat FC at John Hunt Soccer Stadium in Huntsville.

Norbert Webley stands his mark up.

Kirk Childers closes down his mark.

Joseph Omondi soars for a header.

The full gallery can be found here, courtesy of Chattanooga FC's Facebook page.

Ugh, So Let's Forget About That, Shall We

US National Team needs to channel Leonard from the film "Memento"

The sign of a great striker is a short memory. Miss a sitter from 2 inches out that your invalid grandmother could convert... No matter, put it out of your mind and convert the next chance. I wonder if that's the sign of a great team, too. The USMNT laid an egg last night. Now is the time to have a short memory, because with only two full days between last night and Saturday's match against Honduras, they need to forget it, fast.

Kitty Needs Your Help

Eight-year-old Catherine "Kitty" Jordan has been a soccer player since she was four. A fast and tenacious player on both offense and defense, she played at St. John’s Catholic School and participated in the Challenger Sports British Soccer camp in Madison, AL.

Catherine Jordan, aka "Kitty"

During this spring’s indoor season, the family noticed something wasn’t right when Catherine was often breathless after only a short sprint across the soccer field. Her words to a friend, “My energy is just not working.” At a weekend Girl Scout campout, Catherine grew so tired while hiking, she couldn’t make it back to the cabin on her own.

The family feared it might be anemia, a virus, or possibly asthma. However blood work confirmed a deeper horror: Leukemia. Her parents took Catherine to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama on April 6, 2009. The next few days produced a frightening diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) that would require intense chemotherapy and the need for a bone marrow transplant sometime later this year.


Complications from her first round of chemotherapy have kept Catherine from coming home between rounds; part of one of her lungs was removed. Mom lives at the hospital while Dad and brother, Patrick, travel back and forth from Huntsville to Birmingham on a regular basis. It is a difficult and painful process for any child and family to endure.

Catherine was blessed with a beautiful and strong spirit. In spite of the complications and hardships, she continues to live with the wonderful spirit that draws people close to her. Kitty, as she likes to be called, believes in her “girl power” and dreams of getting better, going home to her family, seeing her friends, and, of course, playing soccer.


To raise funds for Tennessee Valley families whose children are being treated for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, 10% of the ticket sales of the RCU vs Atlanta FC soccer game on June 27th will be donated to Kitty’s Miracle Fund and an additional $50 per goal scored by RCU will also be donated.

In September 2009, they will host our first-annual “Kickin’ for Kitty” charity soccer tournament. If you are interested in supporting this event, or if you are affiliated with a team that would like to participate, please visit our website, http://www.kittysmiraclefund.org, for more details.

US v Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier TONIGHT!!!

HUGE GAME! Tonight the USMNT will take a very tough Costa Rica squad on a difficult artificial turf in Saprissa Stadium. Here's last night's US press conference to get you in the mood.



One major programming note!!! The game broadcast has been moved from ESPN to ESPN2 and coverage will start at 8:30 PM.

RCU vs Chat FC Highlights

Here's the goals and Tyler Early's best saves from Saturday's RCU victory.

Concerned Soccer Lovers

American soccer lovers are a fretful bunch. It seems they are always defending the sport they love from attacks from ignorant fans of "real" sports and even those soccer lovers who look down on soccer in the USA as unrefined, the so-called "euro-snobs". This constant looking over their shoulder sometimes makes them a bit paranoid when it comes to the next big enemy of the game. Here are two articles that find that enemy in unexpected places.

Success of American Women Hurts MLS

USA vs Iran Friendly, Could It Hurt American Soccer?

HASL Declares Champions

Newly Crowned HASL Division II Champion, ManChest Hair United
Great Name and Shield

Last Friday saw the final matches of the HASL Spring 2009 season. Congrats to all of the division champions.

• Premiership : Foot Clan
• Division I : Shurke
• Division II: ManChestHair United
• Division III: Ta Sety Warriors

Rocket City United on TV

So, if you were not part of the 625 fans who packed John Hunt Soccer Stadium on Saturday night, you can still catch the game on TV. Here's how:

Huntsville1

In Huntsville, tune into Huntsville1, the city's information channel. Starting later this week (probably Wednesday), the games will be broadcast twice daily from in the evenings 4-6PM and in the mornings from 4-6AM. Blake from Huntsville1 is also trying to get prime-time slot for the game and will update us as he works the schedule out. Huntsville1 airs on channel 16 for Comcast subscribers and on channel 42 for Knology subscribers.


In Decatur, tune into WYAM TV 51, the station with vision. The games will be broadcast on Friday night at 7Pm and rebroadcast on Sunday afternoon at 4PM. WYAM airs on channel 20 for Charter subscribers and on channel 56 for PCL subscribers, and broadcast "over the air" on channel 51.