Photo: Michael Long

Before I get too far into discussing the decision of WPS to cancel the 2012 season, let me say that my initial reaction when the news first broke was that I was simply gutted. Gutted for every fantastic person I've met covering the Independence and women's soccer in general.

There will be no Women's Professional Soccer in 2012. Earlier today, the league's Board of Governors voted to suspend operations until the 2013 season, with the hope of play resuming then.

This past October, WPS decided to drop its franchise in South Florida amid constant issues with former owner Dan Borislow.

Want to be part of something special? Are you hungry for soccer?
Then come out and support the Fort Lauderdale Strikers with the Ultras!
Get the new Ultras membership package!
You can pre-order for only $20!Here is what you get:

• Ultras T-shirt
• Ultras Scarf
• Ultras ID that is good for discounts at local pubs (Participating bars to be announced) as well as discounts on Strikers merchandise, tickets and much more!

Soccer fans! This Saturday come out to Mickey Byrnes in Hollywood to check out USA vs Venezuela at 9PM. Come join the American Outlaws South Florida for a great night of fun and prizes, starting with a PS3 FIFA '12 championship prior to the game. (Starting at 7 pm)
During half time of the USA vs Venezuela game the Ultras, South Florida's premiere soccer supporters group, will be giving away 4 tickets to the Mexico vs Colombia game scheduled for February 29, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

Today at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Sporting KC added two new players to their roster ahead of the start of preseason next week. Not needing to draft a specific player that would be required to come in and fill a need, KC was able to look a few different directions with their pick at number 16 and even at pick number 30.

By AVI CREDITOR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Generation adidas tag typically translates into high MLS SuperDraft position, but for three of this year's nine signings, that did not turn out to be the case.

Not like it matters all that much. All three fell into pretty ideal club situations from individual perspectives.

For the 3rd year in a row in the first round of the MLS draft, KC selected a forward. This year KC selected Generation Adidas forward from South Florida, Dom Dwyer. The native of Lonodon, England is smaller than KC's last two forward, Dwyer is 5'9", but another good addition to the team. Will have more, including quotes, later tonight.

Featured image: Nicolae Stoian

We'll have updates of today's SuperDraft throughout the day as well as reaction to the Union's selection. On to the news...

Philadelphia Union

Ives Galarcep's mock draft at Fox Soccer has this to say: "The Union are believed to be shopping forward Danny Mwanga, and even with the recent addition of young Costa Rican forward Josue Martinez, Philadelphia can use some depth up top.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Dom Dwyer did not know he was heading to the 2012 MLS Combine until a day before the event kicked off, but that did not stop him from having a decent showing at the event that he capped off with a goal.

Dwyer helped adiZero (blue) to a 3-1 win over Prime (green) on Tuesday morning, scoring an insurance goal in the 52nd minute of the game when he pounced on a rebound and knocked the ball into the back of the net.

The forward class in the 2012 MLS Combine is an intriguing one, as teams try to figure out who the top strikers will be on the board once Akron star Darren Mattocks is taken, as expected, with the first or second pick in the draft.

Three of the most likely candidates to go early from the forward pool are UCLA product Chandler Hoffman (pictured), Maryland standout Casey Townsend and South Florida star Dom Dwyer.

The MLS Combine resumes action today as MLS Draft prospects look to give scouts and coaches more to think about as we draw closer to the MLS Draft on Thursday.

Day One saw several players boost their stock, while some others struggled to make an impact. UCSB playmaker Luis Silva, UCLA striker Chandler Hoffman, Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace, Louisville's Austin Berry and Indiana's Tommy Meyer were just some of the players who enjoyed strong first days.

Following you will find pictures and fan video taken during the meeting with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on January 8, 2011. None of the video is professional so bear with us. The video does give you a little taste of what it was like to be there.
If you haven't read all the progress made in South Florida be sure to check out www.

The MLS Generation adidas class will feature nine players after the league secured the signings of three players on Wednesday night.

South Florida striker Dom Dwyer, Creighton fullback Tyler Polak and UConn central defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste were all signed to Generation adidas contracts after being made offers on Tuesday.

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft just got a little better. Fox Soccer's Ives Galarcep is reporting that the league has secured deals with two of the top prospects in this year's draft in Akron striker Darren Mattocks and Duke midfielder/defender Andrew Wenger.

Mattocks was rumored to go to Europe over the last couple weeks.

Journalist and South Florida's premier soccer supporters club the Ultras met up with a couple of legends this past Wednesday as part of a preview for the clash between Colombia vs Mexico at Sun Life Stadium in Miami February 29, 2012.
The Ultras will be attending this game and have been assigned to section 129 at SunLife Stadium.

Another top striker considering skipping MLS for the prizes in Europe? It sure seems that way. According to Soccer By Ives, Akron sophomore Darren Mattocks is considering to pass on the proposed Generation adidas deal that the league is offering him to go to Europe.

The Jamaican-born striker is said to be fielding offers from clubs in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

Minnesota's Eric Miller and Brent Kallman will be making a trip the NCAA Men's D1 College Cup next weekend. The Bluejays shutout their opponent for the 18th time this season with a 1-0 overtime win over South Florida Sunday afternoon at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. The golden goal game in the 97th minute of [.

A pair of Wisconsin players teamed up for the goal that sent the Creighton men's soccer team to the NCAA College Cup.

Junior midfielder Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) ripped a shot from outside the box in the 97th minute that was deflected by a defender and found its way to Ethan Finlay (Marshfield).

Junior midfielder Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) scored his fourth goal of the season – and fourth game-winner – as second-ranked Creighton scored twice in the opening 20 minutes and held off No. 13 UC Santa Barbara 2-1 Sunday in Omaha, Neb., to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.

The Ultras will host South Florida's MLS Cup Final watch party at Mickey Byrnes Irish Pub this Sunday! Be sure to show up early as there will be food and drink specials.Game time is 9 PM.
Prior to the game we are having a Playstation FIFA 12 Tournament! If you'd like to participate let us know so we can include you in the bracket.

The Creighton Blue Jays are joined by the Bradley Braves today in receiving NCAA bids. The 48 team field was announced at 3:30 pm today via NCAA.com and includes the two Missouri Valley teams. Creighton received the overall #2 seed, behind North Carolina who won their Conference championship on Sunday over Boston College, who enter the tournament as the fourth seed.

Something happened this past weekend that made my day. I decided to take a long walk Saturday. It was a beautiful day in South Florida. A picture-perfect day. Blue skies, 76 degrees fahrenheit and a cool breeze. It felt so ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.com to read the entire article

The Miami Ultras organized a Major League Soccer watch party at Mickey Byrnes Pub in Hollywood this past Sunday which also had the gracious presence of former Los Angeles Galaxy playmaker and ex Salvadoran national team player Mauricio Cienfuegos.
It was a great experience to be next to the MLS Cup and to be able to pose with it in pictures before it headed West to L.

The way things are shaking out for Creighton, it would appear that the Bluejays are well on their way to a top seed in the NCAA men's soccer tournament.

After finishing the regular season as Missouri Valley Conference co-champions, the Bluejays, who are a perfect 9-0 at home this season, are set to host the league's tournament this week.

The Miami Ultras invite everyone to watch the Major League Soccer Playoffs featuring the genuine MLS Cup trophy!
Our special guest will be one of Major League Soccer's best playmakers of all time, LA Galaxy and Salvadorian national team legend Mauricio Cienfuegos.
Come by Mickey Byrne's Irish Pub & Restaurant http://www.

The NSC Minnesota Stars won the NASL Championship on Saturday, October 29th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Watch as the team celebrates the national championship by running over to the Dark Cloud supporters who made the trip to South Florida and singing Oasis song, Wonderwall, which has now become a theme for this dream season for [.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - The Minnesota Stars had one of their best performances of the season last Saturday in the 1st leg of the NASL Championship game at the NSC Stadium in Blaine, Minnesota. A dominating 3-1 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers sent the Stars off to South Florida this week with a "somewhat" [.

Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com

Connecticut's loss was Maryland's gain.

After a slip-up to West Virginia, the UConn men's soccer team fell off its perch atop the NCAA RPI rankings, allowing Maryland to claim the top spot. Both teams sport 13-1-2 records, but Maryland is coming off of a tie at now-No.

This past Saturday the Fort Lauderdale Strikers flew up to Minnesota to play the first leg of the NASL Div2 Championship versus the NSC Minnesota Stars.
Unfortunetly the Strikers lost 3-1. It was a heart breaker to see the team play timidly compared to their past few playoff games. Was it the cold weather up North?

By FRANCO PANIZO

NSC Minnesota Stars picked a good time to get its first win over the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.

After going winless in four regular season games against the team from South Florida, Minnesota defeated the Strikers in front of 4,511 fans at home in NSC Stadium in the first leg of the NASL Championship Series.

A day after No. 2 ranked North Carolina suffered an upset loss to Davidson College, unbeaten and No. 1 ranked UConn also fell.

West Virginia rode goals from Shadow Sebele and Eric Schoenle to post a 2-0 victory over the Huskies in Morgantown on Tuesday night.The Mountaineers took it to the visiting Huskies for much of the match, and broke through when Sabele converted a first-half penalty kick in the 34th minute.

Photo courtesy of UConn Athletics

Considering how their season has unfolded, it's no surprise that the University of Connecticut Huskies find themselves atop the initial RPI rankings released by the NCAA.

UConn (13-0-1) is one of two unbeaten teams in the country and deservedly holds the top spot after thus far making it unscathed through a rigorous Big East slate that includes games against St.

The haters of Miami as a soccer town were out in full force last week as it was announced that fewer than 6800 tickets had been sold for the USA vs Honduras game to be played at Sun Life Stadium. The game hadn't even been played yet and already they were bashing.
In the end over 21,000 showed up on a wet night to watch the United states defeat Honduras 1-0 thanks to a wonderful goal by Clint Dempsey.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

The nation's last perfect record is no more.

Top-ranked Connecticut was held to a scoreless draw by No. 12 Notre Dame in front of nearly 2,000 fans in South Bend, Indiana. The draw was the first time the Huskies failed to win in 12 tries this season while Notre Dame continued its home unbeaten run.

Jozy Altidore took some time out during training in South Florida to spend some time with US soccer fans this week, before tonight's game against Honduras. Altidore, who lived in Florida during his high school years, even managed time to ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.

As the United States men's national team gets ready for their showdown with Honduras this Saturday 8th at 6 PM (Tickets still available!) South Florida American Outlaws and all fans of the beautiful (including the Miami Ultras) game were honored to spend some time with forward Jozy Altidore, a one time South Florida resident.

If you like U.S. Soccer on Facebook, you'll have noticed a bunch of photos on our page throughout the week. Our ussoccer.com photographer is crushing it here in South Florida! Here are some of the best:

Clint Dempsey tries to fight through traffic, namely Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. men's national team isn't quite thinking about Honduras just yet.

The United States returned to the practice field on a cloudy Wednesday morning in South Florida, but rather than turn their attention towards their soon-to-be opponents, the Americans used the session to focus on themselves.

This Saturday October 8, 2011 at 6 PM the United States Men's National team will play a friendly game against Honduras. We ask all soccer fans in South Florida to show up and support the beautiful game. Tickets are still available. Be sure to visit ussoccer to get your tickets.
If you want to sit with the American Outlaws and the rest of the supporters they will be in section GA 156.

The first day of camp in South Florida is in the books. Notes you need to know:
Carlos Bocanegra sporting new Nike kicks

• A total of 17 players participated in the two sessions. Jonathan Spector sat out recovering from a bruised knee, but will be fit for training tomorrow.