May 24, 2011
All White Kit - Six Things That Happened in WPS Week Eight
Equalizer Soccer - The Weekly (from Sahlen's Stadium)
Equalizer Soccer - WPS Overtime
The Flash drew the second largest stand alone crowd in WPS when over 8000 fans showed up to see them take on Abby Wambach and magicJack in a battle of unbeatens.
The question now is how many of those fans that came out to see the Flash will return for not only the July 20th match against magicJack, but the four other remaining regular season home dates.
The Flash players and coaches did their part on Sunday as they defeated magicJack 3-0 in a match that had the two teams combine for 32 shots. A far cry from the 10 combined shots between the Rhinos and Orlando City on Friday night at Sahlen's Stadium.
Since the stadium, the neighborhood, ticket prices, and every other excuse that has been thrown out there didn't keep fans away on Sunday, it will be interesting to see what happens moving forward.
The Flash had their Adopt-A-Team draft on Saturday. More than 200 teams across WNY threw their name in the hat in hopes of getting paired up with a Flash player. I'm hearing that the Flash will soon unveil a cool youth club ticket campaign.
The team is doing their part to keep the momentum going off the field as they have no issues on the field.
Will the soccer fans in a City that was dubbe SoccerTown USA once upon a time respond?
I hope so.
US unveils their Gold Cup squad
SBI.net - More notes on the squad
The USA 10 Kit - Bob Bradley speaks about the roster
Washington Post.com - Freddy Adu's surprise call up
SBI.net - Clint Dempsey's versatility
Free Beer Movement - Gold Cup Infographic
As usual, the unveiling of the USMNT roster for the World Cup has caused an explosion of internet chatter about the surprise inclusions (headlined by Freddy Adu) and exclusions (Timmy Chandler, Teal Bunbury and Alejandro Bedoya).
As usual, the proof will be in the results. But, Robbie Rogers over Alejando Bedoya and Adu over Bunbury are the two biggest head scratchers for me.
News & Notes:
- Ajax defeated DC United 2-1 in the first European club vs MLS club friendly of the 2011 season.
- Here is a nice video as Portland remains unbeaten at home this season.
- It's likely down to Carlos Ruiz and Bobby Convey for MLS Goal of the Week. I have Little Fishy.
- The newest Rev, Benny Feilhaber , is getting some love in Boston.
- SBI.net has a quick look around Week 8 of USL PRO League action.
- Stuart Holden was named Bolton's Player of the Year for the 2010-11 season. If that isn't a sign of how American soccer has grown, I don't know what is.
- Inside Minnesota Soccer.com has an update on MLS to the Twin Cities.
- I think it's weak that Beckham missed a league match, but this is funny.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to jamesrweise@gmail.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
