USL News Release Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cristian Arrieta

MONTREAL, QC – United Soccer Leagues announced Thursday at the USL First Division Championship Series media banquet the winners of the Defender of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. Portland's Gavin Wilkinson was named the USL-1 Coach of the Year with Puerto Rico's Cristian Arrieta earning the Most Valuable Player and Defender of the Year honors.

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USL News Release Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cristian Arrieta

MONTREAL, QC – United Soccer Leagues announced Thursday at the USL First Division Championship Series media banquet the winners of the Defender of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. Portland's Gavin Wilkinson was named the USL-1 Coach of the Year with Puerto Rico's Cristian Arrieta earning the Most Valuable Player and Defender of the Year honors.

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My first trip to the Sweetwater Bar and Grille was after a Minnesota Thunder game back in (I believe) 2004. Saeed Ghasemi, the owner of the Sweetwater had worked out a deal with a relative who happened to be the owner of the Minnesota Thunder. The Sweetwater had become the post game party location for the Thunder.

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My first trip to the Sweetwater Bar and Grille was after a Minnesota Thunder game back in (I believe) 2004. Saeed Ghasemi, the owner of the Sweetwater had worked out a deal with a relative who happened to be the owner of the Minnesota Thunder. The Sweetwater had become the post game party location for the Thunder.

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It wasn't as exhilarating as last year, when the Islanders scored 3 goals at home (the last on the 119′, in overtime) to win the series 3-2 on aggregate; but the Islanders duplicated the feat: To knock out the Rochester Rhinos of the USL Playoffs.

After losing 2-1 to the Rhinos last Thursday in the away leg of the 2009 USL Quarter Finals, the Islanders won 4-1 in the return leg in Bayamón to win the quarterfinal match up with a 5-3 aggregate, and eliminate the Rhinos from the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row.

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It wasn't as exhilarating as last year, when the Islanders scored 3 goals at home (the last one on the 119′ in overtime) to win the 2008 Semi-Final match up 3-2 on aggregate; but the Islanders duplicated the same feat this year: to knock out the Rochester Rhinos of the USL Playoffs.

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It wasn't as exhilarating as last year, when the Islanders scored 3 goals at home (the last one on the 119′ in overtime) to win the 2008 Semi-Final match up 3-2 on aggregate; but the Islanders duplicated the same feat this year: they knocked out the Rochester Rhinos of the USL-1 Playoffs.

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Three Games took place on Sunday that determined the semifinals of the USL-1 playoffs.

Montreal, Puerto Rico and Vancouver join Commissioners Cup Winner Portland Timbers to fill out semifinal bracket.

Montreal Impact
The Montreal Impact (5th place) qualified for the USL-1 semifinals, with a 2-1 win (4-1 on aggregate goals) over the Charleston Battery (4th place), Sunday at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Three games took place on Sunday that determined the semifinals of the USL-1 playoffs.

Montreal, Puerto Rico and Vancouver join Commissioners Cup Winner Portland Timbers to fill out semifinal bracket.

Montreal Impact
The Montreal Impact (5th place) qualified for the USL-1 semifinals with a 2-1 win (4-1 on aggregate goals) over the Charleston Battery (4th place), Sunday at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Having had the great honor to serve as a color commentator for Miami FC's local broadcasts this season (both on USL Live and local cable), I have seen every USL-1 team in person and broken them down. Here is my analysis of the first round of the playoffs.

#2 Carolina RailHawks (16-7-7, 55 pts) vs #7 Vancouver Whitecaps (11-10-9, 42 pts)

Carolina is just too deep for Vancouver, the defending champions who struggled much of this season.

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Regular season USL-1 play has now concluded for 2009. The playoffs start tomorrow (Thursday). Sure it would have been nice to see Austin there; but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. We might as well get a head start on looking back.
Both of the league's expansion teams, the Austin Aztex and the Cleveland City Stars, fared poorly in their inaugural seasons, winding up at the bottom of the final standings:
P
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1 Portland Timbers 30 16 10 4 45 19 +26 58 2 Carolina RailHawks FC 30 16 7 7 43 19 +24 55 3 Puerto Rico Islanders 30 15 8 7 44 31 +13 53 4 Charleston Battery 30 14 11 5 33 21 +12 53 5 Montreal Impact 30 12 7 11 32 31 +1 43 6 Rochester Rhinos 30 11 10 9 34 32 +2 43 7 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 30 11 9 10 42 36 +6 42 8 Minnesota Thunder 30 7 10 13 39 44 -5 31 9 Miami FC 30 8 5 17 26 52 -26 29 10 Austin Aztex FC 30 5 8 17 28 51 -23 21* 11 Cleveland City Stars 30 4 19 7 22 52 -30 19
As you can see, the Aztex escaped the very last spot, if barely. Click to continue reading...

I say (nearly) because there's one game (Austin at Miami, September 5) with no reported attendance. If you know about Miami, there's a possibility there was no actual attendance, but until I get a number, the chart below gives you a fairly good picture of how things went in USL's top division this year:

Team G Total Avg. Click to continue reading...

It looked like they were going to lose after the first half of the game. However, the Vancouver Whitecaps managed to come back and defeat the Austin Aztex 2-1. The tie and winning goals where put in by Marcus Haber and Gordon Chin on home turf at the Burnaby Stadium near Vancouver. It was Chin's first goal on home grounds.

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The Portland Timbers have secured the first seed in the playoffs.
Carolina RailHawks, Puerto Rico Islanders, Charleston Battery will battle in the last round of matches for 2nd thru 4th.
Montreal Impact, Rochester Rhinos, Vancouver Whitecaps will fight for 5th thru 7th place during the final round of regular season matches. Click to continue reading...

After their 3-1 victory on Saturday over the Aztex, Miami FC gets ready to take on The Rochester Rhinos at Lockhart Stadium this Tuesday September 8th at 8 pm.
Last time these teams met was back in April at Lockhart Stadium when the Blues were stunned by the Rhinos 2-1 in front of over 1500 people. Click to continue reading...

I can't believe it's come so quickly, but this is it: the 14th and final home game of the 2009 Austin Aztex season. It will also be the last game they'll ever play at Nelson Field, since they're moving to House Park next year.
The Portland Timbers make their second trip to town Monday evening, Sept. Click to continue reading...

The Aztex start their sprint to the end of the season tonight, Wednesday, September 2. First, a trip to Canada to face the Vancouver Whitecaps, then a quick hop down to Miami for another match Saturday.
Vancouver is currently 7th in the table, sitting comfortably in the final playoff spot, 7 points up from Miami, the next closest rival. Click to continue reading...

Burrito is happy Hulk Hogan going to be at 2 Miami FC games as he wrestle to beat your property taxes, like he used to wrestle Andre the Giant and Ultimate Warrior!
But Burrito really hope the Hulkster brings his daughter Brooke! She is one hot mamacita! Burrito going to ask Hulk if it ok if Burrito marry her and then we have little Hogan Burritos! Click to continue reading...

The Minnesota Thunder, who have struggled all season to find goals, now have scored 6 in their last 3 games on the road. The Thunder never gave up and battled hard as they drew the game with the Rochester Rhinos, coming from behind in the 90th minute with a goal by Jeremiah Bass. The game ended as a 3-3 draw.

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Yes folks Hulkamania is alive and well! His opponent you ask? He will be wrestling your Property Tax!
Saturday, Sept. 5th Miami FC will play against the Austin Aztex @ FIU Stadium (Season Finale at FIU) There will be a Powerade Pre-Game Parade, Celebrity/Media Game (Uncle Ed will be playing!) and Hulk Hogan! Click to continue reading...

Melvin Tarley named as Player Of The Week and Ricardo Sanchez Team Of The Week

Blaine MN 8/18/09
The Minnesota Thunder continues their road trip with a mid week match against the Rochester Rhinos tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. After Wednesday, the Thunder will only have a couple days before they have to be in Cleveland to face the City Stars on Saturday at 6:00 p.

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Melvin Tarley named as Player Of The Week and Ricardo Sanchez Team Of The Week

Blaine MN 8/18/09
The Minnesota Thunder continues their road trip with a mid week match against the Rochester Rhinos tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. After Wednesday, the Thunder will only have a couple days before they have to be in Cleveland to face the City Stars on Saturday at 6:00 p.

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This weekend's match between the Portland Timbers and Rochester Rhinos was a unique experience for me, not just because my wife and I were traveling out of town to Spokane. It was a real experience because I got to see... Click to continue reading...

Timbers defender Cameron Knowles has surgery on broken leg, out for season The Oregonian
Friday, August 14
Minnesota Thunder 1 - 0 Miami FC Blues
Blues splutter on offense Miami Herald
Saturday, August 15
Portland Timbers 4 - 1 Rochester Rhinos
(Timbers' 22nd straight game without defeat)
Portland routs Rhinos Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Pore, Keita help Timbers keep streak alive The Oregonian
Montreal Impact 0 - 1 Puerto Rico Islanders
Krause scores in 37th as Islanders win 1-0 over visiting Impact The Canadian Press
Carolina RailHawks 0 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
Whitecaps and RailHawks fail to disturb the net Vancouver Sun
Western Mass Pioneers 0 - 3 Charlotte Eagles
Charlotte in playoffs against Maryland Charlotte Observer
Wilmington Hammerheads 2 - 2 Richmond Kickers
Kickers settle for tie with Wilmington Richmond Times-Dispatch
Crystal Palace Baltimore 0 - 1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Palace falls 1-0 to Pittsburgh in regular season finale The Examiner
Sunday, August 16
Minnesota Thunder 2 - 2 Austin Aztex
Aztex lose lead, settle for tie with Minnesota Austin American-Statesman Click to continue reading...

This Sunday, August 16, will find the Aztex back at Nelson Field once again. They'll be facing the Minnesota Thunder in a game that is essentially a must-win for the Austin team if they're to reach the post-season. With just 8 games left in the season, 5 on the road and 3 at home, it's down to the wire for our struggling squad. Click to continue reading...

Some of the citizenry, including local bar owner Joe Pizzo, are not impressed with the Rochester Rhinos and their stadium. As for me, I am not impressed the city's faux-Kent Brockman news anchor. Click to continue reading...

The Aztex head back to New York for their third and final contest of the regular season with the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday, August 8. Coming down the home stretch of the 2009 campaign, with just 9 games remaining, the Aztex need to start picking up wins if they're going to be anywhere near the playoff race. Click to continue reading...

Carolina RailHawks 1:0 Rochester Rhinos
Carolina defeats Rhinos on late goal Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Click to continue reading...

The final sweep of Les Rosbifs has led to as few more players leaving the list, the most notable of whom is Tommy Mooney. The former Watford, Aston Villa, Scarborough, Southend United, Birmingham City and Walsall (to name many) striker has decided to hang up his boots after an extensive career spanning the English leagues. Click to continue reading...

Here are the 33 MLS, USL-1 and WPS teams ranked by average attendance as of this morning.

Team League G Total Avg. Median Seattle Sounders FC MLS 11 332,244 30,204 29,104 Toronto FC MLS 11 223,053 20,278 20,172 Los Angeles Galaxy MLS 9 173,632 19,292 19,673 Real Salt Lake MLS 9 147,179 16,353 17,478 Chivas USA MLS 9 145,903 16,211 15,463 Houston Dynamo MLS 10 155,383 15,538 15,608 DC United MLS 9 136,739 15,193 15,652 Columbus Crew MLS 10 131,143 13,114 14,023 New England Revolution MLS 8 104,705 13,088 11,249 Chicago Fire MLS 9 117,242 13,027 13,120 Colorado Rapids MLS 10 127,112 12,711 11,651 New York Red Bulls MLS 9 114,314 12,702 12,039 Montreal Impact USL-1 8 96,480 12,060 12,197 San Jose Earthquakes MLS 10 111,041 11,104 9,984 Kansas City Wizards MLS 9 90,215 10,024 10,385 FC Dallas MLS 10 94,073 9,407 8,414 Portland Timbers USL-1 8 68,352 8,544 7,947 Rochester Rhinos USL-1 8 53,744 6,718 6,652 Los Angeles Sol WPS 10 62,980 6,298 5,806 Washington Freedom WPS 9 52,893 5,877 5,028 Vancouver Whitecaps USL-1 8 42,319 5,290 5,288 Chicago Red Stars WPS 10 49,276 4,928 4,673 Boston Breakers WPS 9 40,020 4,447 4,125 St. Click to continue reading...

Cleveland City Stars 1:4 Rochester Rhinos
Menyongar sparks Rochester Rhinos with two goals Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Montreal Impact 2:2 Austin Aztex
A pair of second-half goals gives Montreal a 2-2 USL tie with Austin Aztex The Canadian Press
Aztex again fumble away win in closing moments Austin American-Statesman
Puerto Rico Islanders 2:4 Vancouver Whitecaps
James scores twice, Whitecaps roll to 4-2 win over Islanders The Canadian Press
Whitecaps score crucial 4-2 win over Islanders Vancouver Sun
Charlotte Eagles 0:0 Crystal Palace Baltimore
The Eagles and Crystal Palace End in 0-0 Draw charlotteeagles. Click to continue reading...

The Minnesota Thunder will play Miami FC at the National Sports Center tonight at 7:05 CT. This game is the first Thunder home game to be covered by FOX Soccer Channel live in over 3 years. Lets get a great crowd and show well for Minnesota.

The Thunder are on a roll with their third win in a row.

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The Minnesota Thunder will play Miami FC at the National Sports Center tonight at 7:05 CT. This game is the first Thunder home game to be covered by FOX Soccer Channel live in over 3 years. Let's get a great crowd and show well for Minnesota.

The Thunder are on a roll with their third win in a row.

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STARTERS
The US National Players Assoc talks to Oguchi Onyewu on the day he is introduced by his new club AC Milan.
LAMAR HUNT US OPEN CUP
It's going to be DC United defending their US Open Cup crown against Seattle in the final.
dN
Semifinals Matches:
-Tue Jul 21
DC United 2-1 Rochester Rhinos - DCU goals by Jaime Moreno(PK) & Boyzzz Khumalo. Click to continue reading...

The Rochester Rhinos of the USL First division had their Open Cup run ended by defending champion DC United of MLS on Tuesday night. The Rhinos were the last surviving USL club in the tournament and their 1999 Open Cup title was the only one by a USL club in the tournament since MLS clubs started competing in 1996. Click to continue reading...