But first, a poem - because any collection of words that includes the phrase "the high arc of midsummer" deserves to be repeated today.  (As pretty much always, this is from The Writers Almanac): First Cutting by Susie Patlove (from Quickening) What is the hayfield in late afternoon that it can fly in the face of time, and light [.

The Colorado Rapids have loaned three players to USL clubs.

Goalkeeper Steward Ceus has gone to the Charlotte Eagles of the Second Division for the remainder of the season. Ceus made his debut for the Eagles on June 20 in a 2-2 draw with Richmond.

Defender Ty Harden will join the First Division's Rochester Rhinos until July 25.

In the wake of the on-going USL soap opera that has been unfolding since summer, the Charleston Battery announced their intentions to relegate themselves to the USL Second Division for the upcoming 2010 season.

The Battery was never a member of the Team Owners Association, and in fact at one point was the only member of the USL First Division that wasn't, and apparently no longer saw playing in what is shaping up to be a fractured First Division as a financially viable option.

The Harrisburg City Islanders sit top of the USL 2 two consecutive victories, including two against close rivals at the top of the league. A 3-0 win over Charlotte Eagles saw David Schofield come on as a substitute with 17 minutes left, but he had little to do. This was followed by an impressive 3-2 [.

You know, I think the Honda Fit is a cute car. I think that every time I see the banner ad on the front page, what irks me about it is the fact that I can't really fit no pun intended my 6′7″ body in one without feeling like a sardine, oh well.

I've said it before in my posts on MLS Talk, but I'm really annoyed by the whole USL v NASL drama.

Once again I'm getting an update out early, which means that there will be an update to this post after tonight's MLS (KC-DC, RSL-LA) and Nutrilite Canadian Championship games (TFC-Vancouver).
MLS
Nick Garcia - San Jose Earthquakes - Started and played 90 minutes in the Earthquakes 1-0 loss to Chivas USA.

D.C. United midfielder Johnny DiRaimondo is set to play in the USL-2 final as a member of the Richmond Kickers. DiRaimondo will join the Kickers Saturday on loan as they face the Charlotte Eagles in the third division's championship match. The game will take place at University of Richmond Stadium at 7:30 p.

USL News Release Saturday, August 29, 2009

RICHMOND, VA – After trailing for nearly an hour, the Richmond Kickers rallied in the second half with 63rd minute equalizer and two more in the final seven minutes to down the Charlotte Eagles 3-1 in the USL Second Division Championship.

In their last two championship appearances last year in Cleveland and 2006 in Richmond, the Charlotte Eagles found no consolation in scoring a late goal in a 2-1 loss and were looking to reverse the script Saturday night at the University of Richmond Stadium in the rematch of the 2006 final.

We're coming around the final turn of the season, 75% complete. Time for a final mid-season review.
Goalkeeping: Things haven't changed much in goal from the midway point. Pickens has been solid but not spectacular, Burpo's a capable backup, and Ceus took the Charlotte Eagles to the USL-2 championship before losing in the final.

As in the guys that aren't Mr Kasey Keller. Due to injuries Keller played essentially all competitive matches. Next year with the potential for a dozen more matches in the season and Kasey passing 40 in just a few days the back-up keeper will be much more important. While he does feel healthier at the end of this season than in the past, he made many statements that it was due to the nature of MLS playing basically once a week.

When: Today 5:30pm ET
Where: Charlotte Christian High School (Charlotte, NC)
Plenty of women's soccer action in Tampa Bay this summer, even if there isn't much in the way of men's action. This time, I introduce you to the W-League's Tampa Bay Hellenic.

The soccer pyramid was impossible to climb in first-round Open Cup games Tuesday. We had one upset that really wasn't, given their league forms and the narrow gap (if any) between the NPSL and PDL. Another USASA team came close to beating a nominally pro team, while history-rich Rochester needed a late goal and penalties to beat USL2 opposition.

The Dynamo will face the Charleston Battery tonight in a U.S. Open Cup contest. While brushing up on our opponent, I noticed they have a Houstonian on their side. He is Nelson Akwari. Maybe you know him. Or maybe he's that neighbor you've never introduced yourself to.

Nelson Akwari #2
Position: D
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
Birthdate: 2/4/1982
Hometown: Houston, TX
College: UCLA

Nelson Akwari returns to the Battery for a second season after an impressive year in 2008.

We're at the halfway point of the season. Much like I did at the quarter point, lets see how we're looking so far.
Goalkeeping: Matt Pickens has done a good job in net. He doesn't make the big amazing save very often, but I can't think of a single blunder he's made. The only thing lacking is that I can't think of a game we really won because of his play.

Charlotte Eagles veterans Dustin Swinehart and Ben Johnson have announced they will retire at the end of the 2009 season.

Dustin Swinehart has been the cornerstone of the Eagles offense for the past twelve seasons. As the Eagles' all-time leading scorer on the field and an integral part of the Charlotte Eagles' organization off the field, he will truly be missed.

uslsoccer.com
For one hour on Saturday night, the Charlotte Eagles looked poised to erase the memory of their previous two defeats in the 2006 and 2008 USL-2 Championship match. Both times, the Eagles had fallen behind early and despite late rallies, they had come up short twice. This time, the Eagles scored first but were unable to hold off the surging Richmond Kickers, as Edson Elcock equalised in the 63rd minute and John DiRaimondo and David Bulow scored in the final 7 minutes of the match to claim the match and the championship with a 3-1 victory.

PR ISLANDERS FC - PRESS RELEASE

April 2, 2009

Bayamon, PR

The Puerto Rico Islanders announced today that they have come to an agreement with midfielder Domenic Mediate (pending league approval) and goalkeeper Chris McClellan for the 2009 season. Forward Fabrice Noël will return to the Islanders for 2009 as well.

From the front office of the Seattle Sounders FC, the team placed forward Kevin Forrest on waivers and signed goalkeeper Terry Boss.
Forrest, 24, did not play in any MLS games but did play in the May 26 U.S. Open Play-In game against Colorado, scoring the game's only goal. He signed as a Senior Developmental player on March 24.

USL News Release Saturday, August 29, 2009

RICHMOND, VA – After trailing for nearly an hour, the Richmond Kickers rallied in the second half with 63rd minute equalizer and two more in the final seven minutes to down the Charlotte Eagles 3-1 in the USL Second Division Championship.

In their last two championship appearances last year in Cleveland and 2006 in Richmond, the Charlotte Eagles found no consolation in scoring a late goal in a 2-1 loss and were looking to reverse the script Saturday night at the University of Richmond Stadium in the rematch of the 2006 final.

STARTERS
Soccer By Ives Twitters: "Michael Bradley is suspended for today's Moenchengladbach's match after his reaction to being pulled at halftime last week."
-Is Michael Bradley a total psycho just waiting to explode or what? He seems to be getting worse.
USL SECOND DIVISION
FINAL
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Aug 29
Richmond Kickers v Charlotte Eagles - 10pm Central on FSC
BIG EUROPEAN CLUB MATCHES
-Sat Aug 29
Manchester United v Arsenal - 11:15am Central on FSC
Milan v Inter - 1:30pm Central on FSC
-Sun Aug 30
Roma v Juventus - 11am Central on FSC
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Official Web Site, and video highlights from all the games.