Soccer fans in the stands have been wondering why Herron was not playing much. The recent lack of form from Cosmos loan Stefan Dimitrov would indicate the necessity for his replacement by an already proven goalscorer in Herron. Yet Dimitrov continues to start and not score… From what little we’ve learned from Andy he’s indicated that his leaving the team stems from his conversation with Strikers top brass concerning the teams lack of results and his not being given the chance to get more minutes. Apparently Coach Daryl Shore got wind of Herron’s comments and moved quickly to remove him from the squad. Perhaps an effort by the coach to avoid further dissent amongst the ranks? We don’t know the full details of this episode, but we’ll be able to find out this coming Monday May 6 at 9PM LIVE on the Ultras Alive Show. As we’ll have Andy Herron on the show to tell us his side of the story.

Apart from losing one of our top players we’ve seen that it’s time to have Walter Restrepo on the team from the start. Restrepo (#10) and Mark Anderson (#20) played together in the 2nd half of the Strikers loss to Tampa this past Saturday and together they showed a little of what could be. Both are arguably the 2 best players on the team. If you didn’t get a chance to see Restrepo’s impossible angle goal check it out here: http://youtu.be/A-L22DHMwro?t=43s
The fans have been there supporting in the past 2 games with 5201 spectators showing up for opening night and 4563 on Saturday. It seems to me it’s time for the team to reward us for our commitment. Let’s hope next Saturday May 11 at 7:30pm the Fort Lauderdale Strikers show up and beat Minnesota United FC at Lockhart Stadium. Let’s fill up section 132! #UltrasAssemble
Andy Herron picture by Robert Scorca
Props to Flight 19 & Ultras members that contributed to the making of the TIFO. The best in NASL!

The Ultras,  Flight 19 and Tri Rail Firm (All one of them) will be set up by Gate B in the South Parking lot at Lockhart Stadium, with festivities set to start at 3:30 PM rain or shine! The tent city aka ‘The Red Light District’ will be in full swing with all sorts of activities. If you have a tent and you want to set it up be sure to get there early!

For those that can’t make it early remember the game starts at 7:30 PM and the Supporters will be in section 132! Don’t miss it!

Let’s get everyone out there! Ultras Assemble!

Hola amigos! Burrito bring you Everything you needs to be the perfect Strikers fan!

Don’t miss out as the Strikers destroy Edmonton and make them our bitches! Game is Saturday April 6, 2013 at Lockhart Stadium. 7:30 PM!

Ok here we go! Here is what you need to be the perfect Strikers fan!

1.- Season Tickets.

Burrito tired of sneaking in at the gate and being chased by securitys. Notice security dude has band-aid on finger! Si, Burrito bite him and take picture from Burrito Cam for proof! So to avoid getting chased around, better you buy your ticket in advanced!

Go HERE to buy your tickets or bad security guy will chase you!

3).- Jersey for your pet

Since they no make jerseys for us dawgs then best thing you can do is buy this great Strikers dog shirt! Made in USA! Buy HERE

Wut up dawg?

4.- Strikers Cap.

South Florida have mucho sun… and rain! So best thing you can do is get a hat or cap for the Strikers. Some peoples take or make their own hats and caps. See this Retro cap from way back!

5.- Beer

A necessitys in every chingado tailgate and game is a good old cerveza! If you not over 21 you can’t drink so don’t even think about it! Remember to drink responsibably and no driving if you drink too much or Burrito hit you on head with a quesadilla! Oh, and no spilling, throwing beer at people or not finishing your cerveza. That is Beer abuse!

Getting ready to get into the stadium? Don’t forget these:

6.- Paint

If you can’t afford Strikers jersey it’s okeydokey. For very little you can get red and yellows paint! Just do what this Srikerfan did and paint yourself all over! Nothing shows you more hardcore Strikers fan then your buddy than being painted red and gold!

So go do it!
7.- Drums and Cow Bell!

If you wants to make noise like a true Strikers fan then you need to bring your drum to the “Mecca” and let people know you are there! Here Miami Ultras grand maestro Cesar Sfreddo with his famous quads. Boom, boom, boom!

8.- Horns, Trumpets and Vuvuzelas

Drums are not complete without horns. Here is Miami Ultra Kyle “Trainwreck” Kaly with his red Strikers Trumpet. Pero if you no have the money then just get a vuvuzela! Si, the vuvu get much bad press in South Africa pero who cares! They are the poorman’s trumpet! Check out the vuvu’s! Get them in Stikers colors and use them to make enemy teams hate us more! Buy HERE 

9.- Socks

Like Lieutenant Dan say in Forrest Gump “I want you boys to remember to change your socks wherever we stop”. Si, and these socks look good! Here our sock models Victor and Justin show us their socks which you can get HERE

Stylin and profiling!

10.- Flags

Red and Gold flags are preferred to support your Strikers. Here Flight 19 member Derek Reese with one. You can get the flags HERE. Just buy Catalunya flag and don’t worry Burrito no tell no one it is the flag of a country. You can also make your own, it no matter as long as you support los Strikers!

11.- Masks

Futbol and Wrestling in Mexico are one in the same so why not bring it to the USA? Si senor! Get a mask that has Strikers colors and you are good! This guys name is El Estriker! You can get your specially made mask HERE

Burrito want a dog mask too!

12.- Scarves

This tradition come from Europe. There its cold so make sense pero the gringos like it too so why not? Pero in South Florida? Just do it! Striker have official Team Scarf you can buy HERE or if you want to be hardcore then look for the South Florida United tailgate and ask one of the members if you can get one of their scarves. The Ultras and Flight 19 have some nice scarves that Burrito sometimes uses to sleep on. Go Strikers!

13.- Ultras Alive

Every good StrikerLiker fan needs to listen to Ultras Alive hosted by Ultras Founder Pieter Brown and Uncle Ed every Monday at 9 pm. If you like to talk futbol then listen to these soccer nuts. If Burrito could talk he would be the host and make you all his bitch! Pero you can listen to them talk about the Strikers, NASL, MLS and anything about South Florida Soccer so do it or Burrito will hurt you!

You can Also listen to those crazy Tailgate Show guys every Thursday at 7PM. Burrito listen to them when he need to go to bathroom. They like a good laxative. Check out Paul, Justin and that loco Chris!

Ay Chihuahua! Nothing better than Striker Girls! So let’s hope they are there this year say hola to them at the tailgates and during the games and make sure your girlfriend, wife, sister and female friends wear hot Strikers shirts and jerseys! Viva los Strikers!

If you think Burrito left something out leave a comment! Burrito will copy your idea and make it his own!

About Burrito:

Burrito is the only soccer blogging dawg in the known universe! Since 1998! Join Burrito’s Twitter or he will bite you! Vamos Strikers!

Promising Start

But this is no ordinary game, the build up and history the team has forged throughout the season gives this match a special significance. As some may know we began this journey with very strong showings early on, going undefeated for the first three weeks, culminating in a 5-0 rout of “South Florida FC Co-Ed Rec Team ” , a team you may know is captained by fellow Ultra and soccer community leader Bert Mahecha, not to be confused with his highly competitive team “South Florida FC Academy” which competes in Copa Latina and we are strong supporters of, and would of course destroy us any day haha.

Bert humbly spoke of the defeat: “I’m just glad we finally got a team from the Ultras in this league which is very competitive… except for my team ”

Bad Blood is Brewed

Then in mid-February came the game against the only other team that was undefeated at the time: “B.T.A.” (the google machine told me it either means “Bicycle Transportation Alliance” or most likely the “Bulgarian Telegraph Agency”)

It was expected to be our toughest challenge yet, and it didn’t disappoint. The high intensity of the match was marked by it’s chipiness and high tempo. Admittedly there was a time later in the first half where the Ultras felt pressed on their own half, and when this happened we lost vital possession at the mid field, and were scored on by no other than “Pony-tail-cry-baby”.

The second half was a different story though, the Ultras squad attacked at a very high tempo, making quick substitutions to be able to maintain a insane pressure on the enemy. On multiple occasions we had our attempts hit the post and cross bar, but to no avail. Our counterparts were feeling the pressure, and would clear the ball as hard as they could on any opportunity to burn time, on one occasion nearly kicking the head off one of our female players Claudia H. What ensued was a beautifully childish verbal altercation. As one of their taller red-headed players walked away from us, he fearfully fare welled us with a classy F#*$ YOU. Of course I wasn’t having that, and told him to face me like a man and say it to my face! But of course upon feeling my blood-thirsty gaze upon him he shriveled like a pair of [...] on a cold winter night.

Claudia spoke to the press after the match and stated “#@!#$@$# !@#$^ %^$”

(Although there are reports that is not exactly what actually happened. Since there is no video of the incident, and no witnesses were actually interviewed for this article, we will just take my word for it, ok? good.)

They even resorted to more scummy strategies, such as one of overly-cute-yet-disgusting embellishment and simulation. It will forever be engrained in my mind how “Pony-tail-cry-baby” started squirming like a little piglet-girly and unjustly earned one of our players a yellow card. He attempted the same maneuver a few minutes later, but this time he was the one to earn a yellow card.

Final score: Ultras lose 1-0.

Overconfidence, Player Drunkenness, & Depression
Although we were handed our first loss, we didn’t lose spirit. As a matter of fact we probably had too many sprits.

Perhaps inspired by a false sense of bravado, our star mid-fielder and goalkeeper decided to down a few bottles of tequila not long before our second hardest game, against “Scorgasm” (haha get it? score-gasm?). Being that this team is the 2012 champion, it was key to show up with some spunk if we wanted to contend in this league. As a matter of fact there was a memo that was passed on to the team which stated.. “show up with spunk”… somehow as the message was passed along (and translated from American to Mexican and back to American) some players thought the memo stated”show up drunk”. At least this is the most commonly believed explanation I was given.

What followed was a very depressing spell of 4 losses, and not any type of losses, embarrassing depressing ones.

4-1 Loss vs. Scorgasm
6-3 Loss vs. Strikers FC (had beat 3-2)
8-3 Loss vs. Pacificos (had beat 1-0
5-0 Loss vs. South Florida FC (had beat 5-0)

And yes, Bert got his revenge against us. I guess some type of applause is due for our fellow Ultra (insert audio clip of single quiet clap).

Bert was quoted again as humbly saying “SUCK IT!”

Last Regular Season game; Do or Die

Of course we put ourselves in a very tough position, but if I can be honest. We did it on purpose. What is soccer without drama after all? what was the big deal in Man City winning if it wasn’t for Man United being so close, and them doing it against QPR in such dramatic fashion. We are the ULTRAS after all, we are South Florida’s equivalent of Man City AND Man united AND Barça AND Real Madrid, just being honest.

And in the spirit of drama we made sure that our last game was a must-win game if we wanted to go into the playoffs, and against who you may ask? well who other than our Bulgarian Telegraph Agency brothers B.T.A! Now would we be the ones to hand them their first loss in an otherwise perfect season? What are the chances of a team on a very impressive losing streak (fueled through tequila by certain individuals) to be the one to do this?

Well Shore, Mouriho, and Guardiola would’ve been proud of the tactical finesse that was displayed on the field (Note: Omar Garcia is our main tactician). Of course we began the game losing 1-0, once again being undone by Pony-Tail-Cry-Baby, this naturally would make it more dramatic and exciting which is our ultimate goal (besides going on drunk losing streaks and occasionally winning). But soon enough on a carefully planned lucky and skillfully accidental attacking play we went up 2-1. Our Belgian Bicyclists never stood a chance, they never posed a single threat (save for the few shots that hit the post). Honestly though we did play a great game, we never let them get out on their goal kicks and quickly suffocated any incoming attack.

As a side note, Bert’s team was indirectly eliminated due to this result.

His response ” There’s no way that’s just beer you guys are hydrating with!”
(Bert runs many of the best leagues in Broward, please visit his website www.ss4u.net if you’re interested in joining one)

The Story Is Not Yet Over; Our Nemesis Awaits

On this 2nd Day of April in the year of our Lord 2013 at 8:15PM our journey continues.

And of course the only way we were going to have it was to go once again against the Pony-Tail-Baby and his cartel of Belgian Transportation Telegraphers (B.T.A.)

So I encourage you to come, support, show up, and most of all have fun. There will be water, beer, and surely some Central American on the team will inexcusably bring tequila.

Many years from now when you are telling stories to your children and grand-children you won’t be telling stories about how on a Tuesday night you were tired from work or doing homework, or how your wife or girlfriend told you “if you leave the house tonight we are done” or how great that zombie show was on TV (Please just get a DVR) . Maybe you couldn’t be in England when Man City won, or in South African when Spain did. But you can be there TONIGHT! you can take witness history and become part of South Florida soccer lore for many ages to come.

ULTRAS ASSEMBLE!

Alan G.
Ultras Vice President
Ultras FC North Co-Captain.
veep@miamiultras.com

There was no competition as Mr. Ito won by a landslide of votes during our first, truly scientific facebook election. Yes, it was an unusual way to vote but the logistical problems of getting everyone at one place at one time forced us to come up with a solution. In the end, it worked out.

David becomes the 3rd President in Ultras history following founder Pieter Brown who started the Ultras in January 2008 and yours truly Uncle Ed Serrano.

What was close was the Vice Presidential race which saw Alan ‘G’ Guevara win by only one vote over Ultras Capo, Hooligan and master of disaster Kyle ‘Train-wreck’ Kaly aka Tee Dub.

A short transition time will ensue but expect Mister Ito and Alan G to take up their duties in full swing by March 1, 2013. We’ll feature your new leaders in the next few weeks so that you can get to know them and they will be regular guests on Ultras Alive www.ultrasalive.com which starts it’s new season on Monday March 4, 2013.

Join us in welcoming our new leaders!

Be sure to Follow President Elect David Ito on Twitter: @thedavidito

You can also Follow Vice President Elect Alan Guevara on Twitter: @AlanThink

Burrito: Why did you join the Ultras holmes?
Nick: I joined the Ultras to participate in bringing soccer back as one of the top sports in the country like back in the 70′s and 80′s

Burrito: How and who started calling you ‘Jesus’ and do you like it or do you want to kick his ass?
Nick: People started calling me Jesus, because I resemble the image of Jesus that for hundreds of years society has been fed and accepts as true. Although there are no paintings or pictures of Jesus, this image put forth by king James in his bible and others throughout Europe has become the go to image for Jesus. In reality people born in the middle east of middle eastern descendancy tend to be of much darker complexion, opposite of my milky white ass. and Jesus probably had some dread locks like bob Marley, not long flowing dwarf hair. I dont get mad it just shows me how much people know about history and how tv and popular culture truly rule and shape the world.
Burrito: So Basically people are estupid!

Burrito: A cool anecdote since you’ve been an Ultras member?
Nick: If you tailgate with the Ultras and F19 you will need a designated driver to get home or you’ll wake up in the parking lot at 4 am wondering where you are.

Burrito: Is it true you can walk on agua?
Nick: Although I have not successfully walked on water I was able to surf, spin, and walk on the huge block of ice we use as a luge for shots at our tailgates.

Burrito: Mexican food or Sushi? and why? (If you answer wrong Burrito will hurt you and hump your leg!)
Nick: I like both! For Mexican my favorite are Tacos. You can put any meat you like and any toppings. I dont like stuff with heavy sauces like enchiladas. Sushi rocks too, I like tuna tataki, yukke, and salmon.
< Note>That was wrong answer! Burrito proceeded to hump Nicks leg during the interview.

Burrito: A message to your fellow Ultras
Nick: To my fellow Ultras: Lets bring the free beer movement to the strikers games! We’ve got to keep the crowds growing at the games and keep that push for the MLS alive!

You want more of Jesus? Go to church pendejo!
For more on Nick you can be his friend on Myspace! Si, no laugh, he got myspace still! Go here: http://www.myspace.com/nickrest you can also try to friend him on Facebook pero he sometimes no accept animals… He refuse to be Burrito’s friend!
Pictures taken from Nick’s facebook per his request.

It was a typical clear warm sunny day in Winter that saw The Ultras victorious 9-6 against a tough Avengers team that nearly came back from behind to surprise the more experienced Ultras. While the Ultras may have played more on actual grass, this was the first outing on sand. It took a few minutes to get used to this surface as the Avengers drew first blood and scored early.

Eventually, things settled and Omar Garcia scored a quick brace to make it 2-1 in favor of the Ultras at the end of the 1st period. As the game continued the Referee started to get distracted by the many bikini wearing ladies and seemed to have lost track of the score and missed many key plays. This quickly led to a chant of ‘The referee’s a Wanker!’

The rest is a blur of sand, feet and goals which to our surprise ended after 3 periods! Yes, 3 periods… Who would have known they had 3 periods in Beach soccer? Ca-raaa-zy!

In the end it was understood that these friendlies versus the Ultras and Flight 19 will continue. Soccer on sand, grass, turf, even concrete is still the Beautiful Game.

The Miami Ultras F.C. lined up with Lee Ifans, (aka ‘Too Tall’) who usually coaches the Miami Ultras. He was the leading scorer with 4 goals. One was an incredible diving header! Matt Reinhart, who played injured but made some great saves, possibly the MVP for his heroics against the tough Avengers forwards. Omar ‘The Beast’ Garcia, who scored 3 goals and tore down one of the goals posts and all with a shot from long distance! Pio Poma took on everyone and danced around scoring 1 goal and last but not least Armando ‘Stache’ Padron, who scored 1 goal, even though he could have made more but missed an open net and hit the poll on another opportunity!

Special mentions to Matt Abbey, who turned up with the whole TriRail Firm! He says he looks forward to taking on the Miami Ultras FC and Avengers FC all by himself! Apologies to Avengers FC, as I didn’t get their line up before writing this piece. All pictures and video by Mitchell Rivera.

Video Miami Ultras FC vs Avengers FC

Though Miami has had the privilege of hosting such games before (8 times) this one comes simultaneously to our biggest demand ever for the Major League Soccer to be brought back down here.
So far we have eleven teams qualified: Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States. The remaining spot will be disputed on Friday in the fifth-place match of the 2013 UNCAF Copa Centroamericana between Guatemala and Panama.

Once again shall we carry on the voice about a great sport, feeling and tradition that many have the hopes to see it as one of the main and biggest sport spectacles in Miami. Soccer highest authorities decided for Miami to be on the spot-light to remind them how a game is lived from the very beginning of a tailgate, until the celebration and the aftermath of a game.

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Host City & Venue list
(In alphabetical order by host city)

HOST CITY – VENUE (Venue Location)
• Atlanta – Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)
• Baltimore – M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)
• Chicago – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
• Dallas – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)
• Denver – Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver, CO)
• Hartford – Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT)
• Houston – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)
• Los Angeles – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
• Miami – Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
• New York- Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)
• Portland – JELD-WEN Field (Portland, OR)
• Salt Lake City – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, UT)
• Seattle – CenturyLink Field (Seattle, WA)

Born in Philadelphia, Pa,  he now living in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl. Works at CG Burgers In Palm Beach Gardens. He’s a competitive Magic The Gathering player. An only Child. Rides a scooter, STRIKERS TIL he DIE! guy and  Anything else you can ask him!

Burrito ax Trainwreck a few questions. Here they go!

Burrito: What makes you the most hardcore Ultras member in South Florida and the world?

Stifling pressure ensued once the the ref blew the whistle from the U.S. girls, once more the 1st score of the match came at almost the 20th minute mark.  Off a throw-in by 5-Kelley O’Hara deep in the Chinese left flank, the ball got touched 3 times:  15-Megan Rapinoe flicked it in the area for 13-Alex Morgan, who in turn popped it high 6 yards in front of goal for 14-Abby Wambach to finish the sequence with a header score.  1-Nil, U.S.A.

After another U.S. attack on the Chinese side, past the half hour mark.  Chinese GK 12-Wang Fei, got pulled off her area on a ball-clearing assignment;  The ball rolled towards 15-Megan Rapinoe near the belly of the pitch, she took one look up at the net, and launched a shot from more than 40 yards out which one-hopped perfectly inside the for the American’s second score of the match:  2-Nil, U.S.A.

China would finally break through the U.S. defense right before Half-time, and make the game a bit interesting.  18-Han Peng, executing some nice moves, slid past a couple of defenders through the left side and all the way inside the box; taking the shot, and placing it in the opposite side for the score.  This, believe it or not, would be 1 of only 2 shots China took the whole game and the only Goal they scored during the 3 game series in the Fan Tribute Tour.  2-1, U.S.A.  Halftime.

During the Halftime festivities, the name and logo of the new Women’s soccer league was debuted **more on that to follow**

And like the other games before this one, the USWNT sealed the victory and glorious Tour with 2 more unanswered scores in the 2nd Half:

1. Another 14-Abby Wambach header in the 64th minute, clanked the right post, and found a way to bounce behind the line and count for the score.  The ball was crossed by none other than 15-Megan Rapinoe from the left wing.  3-1, U.S.A.
2. And a tremendous year for young player 11-Sydney Leroux, was capped by her 14th goal of the year.  It happened with 3 minutes remaining in the game, and was the perfect ending to a near perfect year for this footballing lady.

Superstar GK 1-Hope Solo, played all 90 minutes of the match and after, dedicated her time to sign autographs and greet the crowd.  All of these girls are very good at what they do, they dominate, and lead by example on and off the pitch.

U.S.A. will resume play, next year February 9th when, once again, they’ll grace the Florida state in Jacksonville as they face Scotland.

The final match will be played right here in sunny Florida over at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton this coming Saturday (Dec 15th) night–be there!

The U.S. Women started the match with such force and aplying pressure from the second the whistle blew, China spent almost the whole 1st Half trying to accurately defend the U.S.’ attacks.  The Stars and Stripes pressure, finally broke the Chinese barrier in the 20th minute when U.S. Superstar #14-Abby Wambach banged a header off a #9-Heather O’Reilly cross from the far right flank to the back of the net in.  The Chinese national team didn’t have a real scoring chance until after the half hour mark, when they earned a few corners over the U.S side.  But #1-Hope Solo handled all attacks well, directing traffic in the backfield was 3-Christie Rampone.

With friction fueled by a few questionable calls going the U.S.’ way, the Chinese women began to play with a nervous energy, and feistiness that #26-Wu Haiyan finally earned a Yellow Card in the 39th minute for complaining to the referee about a Foul.

Halftime couldn’t have come at a better time for both teams.  The U.S. Women would go in leading by the minimal score:  1-Nil.

As the 2nd Half started, #18 GK-Nicole Barnhart, #16-Rachel Buehler, #7-Shannon Boxx, #15-Megan Rapinoe took out their counterparts off the field ( #1-Hope Solo, #2-Heather Mitts, #12-Lauren Cheney, #17-Tobin Heath respectively).  Not skipping a beat, the U.S. ladies’ came out with the same intensity as in the 1st Half.  And again, after about 20 minutes of play, the 1st goal of the Half came:  A strong header from #10-Carli Lloyd off of a corner taken by #15-Megan Rapinoe.  Bringing the score, 2-0, and opening up the flood gates for the U.S.  The next score came a mere 1 minute later, as once more #14-Abby Wambach controlled a ball from the right side, all the way in to the side the net and fired a shot that ricocheted off a defender and into the back of the net:  3-0 U.S.

After the ingression of #8-Amy Rodriguez, she would cap the night with the 4th Goal of the night!  The game ended that way:  4-Nil U.S.  The USWNT dominated this 2nd game from start to finish, the team has now achieved maximum rapport and I believe this Saturday (Dec. 15) the U.S. women will bring this Fan appreciation Tour to a close with a similar outcome.

Attention ALL Miami Ultras/Flight19/American Outlaws members, this IS an official event;  We must assemble, we must gather:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/events/262775033844767/276695925786011/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

See you all at the tailgate!   Remember, we haven’t gotten together since our beloved Ft. Lauderdale Strikers finished their season a few months back;  it would tickle my fancy to see the whole lot of yous this Saturday.

VAMOS U.S.!

Superstar GK – #1 H. Solo, played 45mins–the whole 1st Half.  With a 3-0 lead going into the second Half, her backup–GK – #18 N. Barnhart got some playing time in front of net since the beginning of the year.  #14 A. Wambach and #17 Tobin Heath,  only played the 1st Half as well, which in turn made some playing time to #9 Heather O’Reilly, and #7 Shannon Boxx.

At minute 59, A. Morgan‘s replacement, #11 Sydney Leroux (62′, 81′), continued the onslaught and scored 2 more goals–a nice Header in from a cross, and a shot that she managed to sneak in between Irish’s GK #1 Emma Byrne‘s legs–to put the U.S. Ladies’ comfortably out in front 5-0.  In the end the USWNT would hang on to that comfortable lead, and seal the victory.

The Ladies play this very same Irish National Team this Saturday (Dec. 1) in Glendale, Arizona, at the University of Phoenix Stadium.  They move to 4-0-2 on the Fan Tribute Tour, 24-1-3 on the year, and extended its unbeaten streak to 19 games.  This is a very exciting team that the U.S. has assembled, and even tho these are ‘friendlies’, the caliber of play that is being offered at each stop in the tour;  highly speaks to the level of play that is being achieved by the Potent Female gender in this great country.

U.S.A, U.S.A.!

It’s the second half of a virtually meaningless Venezuela vs. Nigeria friendly at the nauseatingly gaudy Miami Marlins Ballpark. A quick glance around the stands, however, revealed that it was very much a Venezuela home game. Elated from the first legitimate goal of the match, the few faithful Nigeria fans were anxiously awaiting goal number two.

Boy, did they get it.

In the 53rd minute, Nosa Igiebor pummels the ball toward goal from what seemed like light years away. The ball skims over the top of the helpless keeper’s head and charges into the back of the net with earthshaking power. The throngs of Venezuela fans groaned in dismay while the isolated patches of Nigeria supporters erupted into ear splitting cheers. This match was loud, exciting, entertaining, and fun. It was everything that a soccer game should be for the 13,372 people in attendance and any others watching at home. The best part: it happened in the heart of Miami.

I have been to a couple of international friendlies at Sun Life stadium, so I know that South Florida is no stranger to the international incarnation of the beautiful game. However, yesterday’s match occurred at one of the prime sites for a Miami team. It occurred at a venue that was adequately sized for an event of its scale, it was properly promoted, and it was well executed. Parking was ample, traffic was minimal, and…

…if you closed one eye and squinted, you’d think you were at a soccer stadium.

The fact of the matter is, that the Miami Marlins’ new home was deliberately built with nothing but baseball in mind. As a matter of fact, it was designed so that it’d never be able to properly host anything other than baseball games and certain special events (without substantial modification, of course). It is widely speculated that this was done purposely to prevent the venue from ever being used for soccer, American football, or any other sport that needs a rectangular field. This was supposedly done as a failsafe to prevent an opportunistic franchise from buying the stadium in the event that the Miami Marlins’ management made, oh…I don’t know…a $154 million salary dump that would send the whole organization into an even more intense downward spiral than it was already in.

I do not know whether that is true or not. I do know, however, that we are all living in South Florida during very volatile times. There is a lot of drama occurring right now across many fronts, including professional sports. Some people want soccer to succeed in south Florida. Some want Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium in Miami, but they’re forgetting that those places are nothing without the legendary teams that occupy them. Most Miamians are celebrating the Heat and their success. Others want nothing to do with soccer…ever.

I can personally care less where it happens…I just want live professional soccer somewhere in Miami. The Miami Marlins Ballpark could never be a permanent home for a soccer team, in my opinion. It is far too awkward and downright unsuitable for such a thing. It will probably cost more money than it’s worth, in addition to being an almost certain aesthetic catastrophe, to make that location into a proper soccer specific stadium…

…but as far as I’m concerned, the match on November 14, 2012 is proof that pro soccer has a future home in Miami. People showed up in droves, despite of a slew of reasons not to (including grossly overpriced tickets). The Marlins Ballpark, however, will probably never serve as a consistent pro soccer venue…that is, of course, until the Marlins finish disintegrating.

At that point, we can probably just hoist an Ultras banner over the sign and call it a day!

Burrito: Why did you join the Ultras? 

Cesar Sfreddo: I heard of a soccer supporters group in South Florida while I was making plans to move back. The Ultras wasn’t the first supporter’s group that I was a member of. My “tribuna” addiction started with The Steel Army. Supporters of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Pro. I wanted to continue my involvement of the supporter’s culture and I couldn’t resist joining the ULTRAS.

Burrito: How did ‘the drum addiction’ begin? 

Cesar Sfreddo: I’ve studied music for many years growing up so I’ve always been able to keep a decent beat. I’ve played piano for 8 yrs and alto saxophone for 3 yrs in junior high. I’ve always had an interest in the drums aspect of the futbol supporters that I would watch on TV. I bought my quads prior to moving back to FL with the purpose of expanding the atmosphere at games. I truly love hitting the quads in the stands with my fellow supporters. I need a lot of practice to get to where I want to be.

Burrito: Tell us something very chingon that happened to you since you’ve been an Ultras member.

Cesar Sfreddo: The best part of being an Ultras member is the number of friends that I’ve met that share my same passion for the game. I look forward to every season. It feels good receiving feedback from fans saying how much they enjoy my playing and being recognized as “Striker Fett”. It kinda makes me feel like a rock star LOL.

Burrito: A message to your fellow Ultras!

Cesar Sfreddo: You are all part of an important movement to spread awareness of the supporters culture and the love of the game. You don’t have to play an insturment to make a difference in the stands. Just by showing your support you are making a difference. Keep the stands rockin’!

You want more of Cesar Aka Striker Fett? You too can have him beating his drums till your ear drum fall out at Partys, Church events and even funerals! Contact Cesar on twitter @StrikerFett

As the match took off, at Kuban Stadium in the Russian city of Krasnodar, Russia applied a stranglehold on the American defense which didn’t let up until the whistle blew the game done.  The U.S.  donned their predominantly Blue kits, and started a few young players fighting for spots on the Senior team for the upcoming Tournament next year.

Russia’s #25 Smolov marked his debut with the selection by scoring on American’s MF #14 Williams error off a freekick, in the 8th min.  The score took everybody by surprise, including GK Howard who as always turned in a fine performance; saving 6 shots, including one as regulation time expired off the tip of his toes.

U.S.’ first scoring chance came after half hour of play:  Off a throw in that got crossed to the opposite side of the field to the also new to the squad F #11 Gatt, who after two touches and great skill, filtered himself in the area–just to get back-handed in the mouth by the rough Russian defender.

The half finished 1 – Nil Russia, helped by their constant pressure and dynamic play and having succes in finding little seams in between the American defense.

The first equalizer for the U.S. was a powerful shot by MF#4 Bradley that kissed the left post and wound up rattling the net.  The score came through the air, as an 3-touch aerial sequence found #4‘s right powerful foot and leg.

Everything seemed like it was going to finish as a hard fought draw, when in the 83rd minute, on yet another Russian suffocating attack, American D#21 Goodson is charged with a foul, and YellowCard for bringing the attacking Russian down in the area:  Penalty was issued, and executed nicely by Russian #15 Shirokov.

With merely minutes left on the clock, MF#6 Diskerud, fires a shot for the score!  The ball was clearly deflected off a defender and eased inside the net for the equalizer, but that didn’t matter as the Stars and Stripes dramatically even things as time ticked down.

Up next for the U.S. is the all important Hexagonal tournament, Coach Klinsmann should have an idea of what kind of squad he has available.  And with all the new pieces, there’s not that much tweeking to the lineup left to do.

Not only did their NFL team won their Thursday (10/25) night throw-ball game, in spectacular fashion.  Their kicking-ball team-which doesn’t even play in Tampa, but rather, in St. Petersburg-managed to miraculously overcome an 2 – 0 goal (on aggregate) defecit this Saturday (10/27) night.  The Minnesota Stars administered the 2 scores last week (Sat. (10/20) up in NSC Stadium, which was the first leg of the series.

Al Laing Stadium was reportedly filled to capacity, with over 6 thousand fans in the stands to witness the 2nd leg of the NASL Championship.  The Rowdies came out the gate on full attck mode, trying to erase the aforementioned deficit.  The Stars’ GK #30 M.VanOckel held his own for the begining part of the match, until the 24th min. The Rowdies’ F #25 C.Cort got a hold of a VanOckel rebound and sank the shot for the first score of the night.  The Rowdie pressure continued throughout the 1st half, and very fotunate was Minnesota to not give in;  because the opportunities sure presented themselves.

The 2nd half was barely underway, when Tampa evened the aggregate scoreboard on a corner kick.  It was the big Tampa MidFielder #22 K.Savage that scored it, the crowd erupted in celebration–for about 60 seconds.  The Stars’ compact MidFielder #23 M.Ibarra took off from the wing and crossed a perfect pass, to the fresh MF#32 L.Rodriguez.  That made the aggregate score (3 – 2) swing back on Minnesota’s side, for a little while at least.

Tampa’s head coach Ricky Hill made the perfect switch in the 80th min, when he switched MF#22 K.Savage for F#9 D.Antoniuk.  5 minutes later he would tip in a bouncing lost ball in for the score, and again the crowd went wild.  However the celebration turned into speculation, when there was just 1 minute left in regulation: Tampa’s English man MF#11S.Hill earned himself a RedCard for a sliding tackle from behind on a Stars player.  Tampa would play for the championship down a man during Extra time, Two 15 min. halves, no first-score-wins stuff.  Gotta hold it down for the full 30 mins.

And hold it down Tampa did, The Stars couldn’t make their advantage count during the added time.  Even the fresh legs Minnesota’s Coach Manny Lagos put in, couldn’t help put The Stars over the top.  And in things regarding Soccer, a Penalty Kick ShootOut is one of the most unpredictable outcomes there can ever be.  Tampa’s GK#1J.Attinella blocked 3 shots, making this one of the most impressive come-from-behind NASL Finals ever.

The girls made a couple steps forward, as far as implementing new strategies, and tinkling with the lineup a bit.  But they are still off from the Olympic form they were in this past Summer, and the messy weather wasn’t necessarily helping factor.

The U.S. started the match asserting their position towards the middle of the pitch and pushed up through their MidFielders.  Finally, they broke through with #14 Abby Wambach–being in the right place–headed a lost ball inside the German net.

The young and promising German prodigy #14 Marozsan evened the score, on a one-on-one with GK Hope Solo mere minutes after the 2nd half got underway.  On the 63rd minute, after coming in the game as sub 2 minutes earlier, #17 Tobin Heath scored on a lovely and patient almost in front of Goal score:  U.S. 2 – GER 1.

Then, in the 85th minute #14Marozsan would striker again; In my opinion, the prettiest goal of the match.  Near the edge of the area, showing great form she controlled the ball pass an U.S.Defender and sliced a powerful shot pass GK Hope Solo.  That would prove to seal the even affair, for the wet and cold night.

With that result, the U.S. Gals are at 3-0-2 in the Fan Tribute Tour so far, they are slated to face the Republic of Ireland at on Nov. 28 at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore.

Abby Wambach, after the game mentioned that all the girls on the team are excited for a couple of things:

1. Working hard to bring a ProSoccer league back in the U.S.  Without it the team would be forced to disband, and play abroad.  The Women’s WorldCup is looming in the distance, and without a league to develop and expand the available talent we have in-house, other nations will step up and take our place in World Soccer dominance!
2. Their next Coach to be, is going to be announced within the coming month.  As we know, their last coach Pia Sundhagen took them to Olympic Gold last Summer and left for her homeland: Sweden.  It was an 5 year affair.

Abby also mentioned the fact that she feels as tho they haven’t been training as much as they should be, not like they were during the Olympics.  The weather was also a factor, with ball control, and give-and-go attacking schemes.

“….team needs to play with a little more confidence with the ball…” observed Wambach.

The USWNT’s next big tournament isn’t for a while, they still have time to polish themselves back up to their usual form.  And after bringing home the Gold this Summer, I think they are more than excused from having a little Gold hangover….VAMOS U.S.!

Moving Bocanegra to CenterBack, and placing Parkhurst in the Left flank (with Eddie Johnson in front of him) seemed to compliment midfield play and attack as–after Guatemala scored first–was the case with the first US score.  Off a corner, and Bocanegra just deposited a shot for the score:  This by the way made Bocanegra the leading all-time scorer for US Defenders.  Eight minutes after that, coming out of a defensive set-piece, E. Johnson switched momentarily sides and served Dempsey a low cross that put the US ahead by one.  Again US at around the 36th minute mark, would striker again.  Perforating the Chapín defense with a barrage of one-two touch passing, Dempsey nicked a Bradley pass in for the score which would eventually be the last of scores for the game.                             

With the victory, the US makes the Final hexagonal stages of WorldCup Qualification.  The other 5 nations are:  CostaRica, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama.  The Yanks are set to face each of these contenders, twice:  Home and Away.  Starting next year, the US is looking to make Its 7th straight appearance in the World Cup.  Top 3 out of the 6 nations punch a ticket to Brazil in 2014, The Stars and Stripes were still playing without a few of Its key players (L.Donovan, Jermaine Jones, etc.), maybe with ball-controllers back, we might push Dempsey and E.Johnson back up.  Herculez, and Kljestan backing those Strikers, who knows?  The combinations are limitless.  Remember, even tho we don’t hit the pitch til early next year, Yellow Cards and all sanctions carry over to the next and Final Round as well.  US footballers: Bradley, Dempsey, Edu, Fabian Johnson, and Zusi have all been disciplined, and must play with care.

I will see you all back again next year, Group play is slated to start February 6th–and will continue throughout October, so worry not my Outlaws US Soccer will be back soon, and so will StrikerFootball!

Women’s US is playing Germany this Saturday 10/20 even tho it’s a friendly, this is top flight world class football too;  So pay attention to those gals turning heads worldwide also!

VAMOS U.S.!

The Cricket Stadium looked like an ancient Roman Colosseum, laden with–instead of blood–rain and sweat.  Eddie Johson’s 90th minute header was the equivalent of an NFL team scoring a TD with a successful 2point conversion, then recovering the ensuing onside kick, and winning on a 50+yds FG–as time ticks off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sodSb_v4VyE

Yes, that dramatic.

It didn’t need to be, for ALL the arrows were pointing to an ‘easy’ game that we should’ve coasted to the finish.  It was all but that.  Ice was broken early on by the US, just to be equalized mere minutes later.  After that, it was a total war on both sides.  Antigua & Barbados showed great character, and battled our boys during the entire match.  Through torrential rain and puddled up patches of grass, the gladiators sploshed and splashed and battled back and forth.  Until finally Eddie Johson put a move on the last Antiguan Defender, and headed a crossed ball to the back of the net.

At the end of the wet night, US retrieved 3points and are ready to face Guatemala at the sold out LiveSTRONG Sporting Park in Kasas City, Kansas this coming Tue 10/16.  Los Chapines (Guatemala’s Nationals nickname), The USA, and Jamaica are all tied for the lead in this group;  And all three teams will play till death to take the Group.  (love that drama!)  Jamaica still within reach, just gotta take care of business against Antigua & Barbados and overcome a goal differential issue they acquired.

Midfielder Jermaine Jones will miss Tueday’s match-up, due to a YC (yellow card) acquired at the 62nd minute mark.  We have the necessary pieces to fit into that empty slot up in the midfield, should the need arise.  I think with the players that have been conjured by Klinsmann, we got enough arsenal to light up the sky at Kansas this Tuesday 10/16.

Let’s Go USA!