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[Frank Cunha]

I believe was the Aviators first season, I blame the league for not doing there homework

[Jager]

Originally posted by BethlehemFC
Well I would rather that Canada has their own stand alone league. But I'm never happy when a franchise folds. It's really a shame.

I personally would also, but it will never happen. Besides, some of metropolitan cities have hardcore soccer support. Edmonton and Calgary are not hardcore.


Vancouver and Toronto, both have huge European/south american/Asian populations...when football goes mainstream in the US...if it ever happens, look for these cities to jump on the bandwagon.

Vancouver is part of the MLS history. We just don't have a stadium, to support such a leap.

A-league is alright now, but in the future, we must make the leap forward.

[Frank Cunha]

you mean NASL history

Toronto also won a NASL title I believe against Minnesota, Eusebio the portuguese international with one of the goals

[Jager]

Correct Frank, its been a long time.

The fact that our sports are so intermixed, I personally don't see the problem with having Canadian franchises. Lets face facts, Toronto and Vancouver have huge European populations, probably more so, than some of the current MLS teams, so when the league does grow in the future, these cities will be added. Mark my words.

Soccer is growing in North America, and in Canada.

[Forest_4eva]

Forest boss Joe Kinnear has slammed the organisation of the club's US tour - saying "The only good thing is we are coming home."

The Reds lost their final game, against Virginia Beach Mariners, 2-0 last night as defender John Thompson dislocated a shoulder and Matthieu Louis-Jean injured his back.

Kinnear was left fuming at what he described as a PR exercise.

He said: "The trip has been organised as a public relations programme rather than a football one and I'm delighted it's come to an end.

"It has been a very disappointing trip. The facilities and the organisation have been dreadful.

"The entire trip has not been organised for football. We seem to have spent the whole time on the back of a bus.

"The only reason we came out here was for (Forest sponsors) Capital One and it has been exhausting for the players.

"We have just been a travelling roadshow, the humidity got to the players and we have picked up unnecessary injuries."

Forest, who are scheduled to return to England tomorrow morning, travelled more than 800 miles in the United States, to play games against DC United, Richmond Kickers and the Mariners.

Thompson is almost certain to miss the opening game of the season, against Wigan, which leaves a hole at the heart of the Reds' defence.

Wes Morgan is suspended for the first two games and Michael Dawson missed the tour with a groin injury.

The trip was organised before Kinnear joined the club in February.

He added: "John Thompson dislocated his shoulder and Matty hurt his back.

"We won't know the extent of those injuries until we get home. We will have them looked at as soon as possible."

Summer signing Kevin James also suffered a knee injury on the tour.

On last night's game Kinnear said: "It wasn't a bad second half for what was a fitness exercise.

"But it was a game we didn't need and could have done without.

"Travelling to this match was horrendous."


Dosen't sound like they had much fun tbf.

::gotcha::

[Frank Cunha]

0 wins against our II division

don't feel bad, three division 1 teams, the MLS lost to the A-League in the Open Cup, just like in England a lot of surprises

its going to be our 99th Open Cup

[Frank Cunha]

. U.S. OPEN CUP: Galaxy, MetroStars, Revs fall to A-League foes

Three A-League teams defeated MLS opponents in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup round of 16 action on Tuesday.

Not since 1999 have three A-League teams reached the quarterfinals. The A-League's Richmond Kickers meet D.C. United tonight and a win would give the A-league four quarterfinalists for the first time since MLS teams joined the competition in 1996.


LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP, Round of 16 Results
(home team listed first)

July 20
Minnesota (A-League) 1 (Brunt 21) Los Angeles (MLS) 0
Atlanta (A-League) 1 (Pineda Chacon 40) Kansas City (MLS) 4 (Arnaud 10, Arnaud 52, Gomez 54, Gutierrez 81)
Columbus (MLS) 1 (Hejduk 27) Chicago (MLS) 2 (Ralph, pen, 66; 106+)
Charleston (A-League) 1 (Klein 46) MetroStars (MLS) 0
Dallas (MLS) 3 (O'Brien 60, Johnson 67, 75) Colorado (MLS) 0
New England (MLS) 1 (Noonan 7) Rochester (A-League) 1 (Wilson 60)
(Rochester wins, 3-1, on PKs)

July 21
Richmond (A-League) D.C. United (MLS)

July 14
Portland (A-League) 0 San Jose (MLS) 3 (Ekelund, pen., 18, Corrales 55, De
Rosario 80.)

[Frank Cunha]

anybody got the attendances in Minnesota and Rochester

[Frank Cunha]

I got the attendance 5,000 plus

Thunder Stuns Galaxy 1-0

Brunt Scores Lone Goal in the First Half


Minneapolis, Minn. (July 20, 2004) –

The Minnesota Thunder stunned the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in
the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at the Hubert H.
Humphrey Metrdome in front of 5,505 fans. Thunder defedner Chris
Brunt scored the lone goal of the game in the 21st minute. With the
win the Thunder advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup for
the first time in franchise history. Joe Warren made several point
blank saves and corralled several Galaxy crosses in securing the
shutout win for the Thunder.

The Thunder now prepare to face Landon Donovan and the San Jose
Earthquakes on August 4 on the Thunder’s home field James Griffin
Stadium.

Thunder head coach Buzz Lagos was ecstatic with his team’s effort on
the field.

“We played very well today. It was a phenomenal victory for us, to
beat LA. The stars were aligned right today. We had good preparation
for the game, we were sharp mentally and we came out tough,” he said.

Goal-scorer Chris Brunt commented on the victory.

“It’s good for the club. It’s good for us to be able to go another
round. We’ll take it as far as we can,” he said.

The Thunder opened the game with an amazing opportunity to score. In
the very first minute of play Thunder midfielder Jeff Matteo
collected a Galaxy turnover at midfield and fed a first time pass to
forward Melvin Tarley. Tarley knocked a high, arcing ball into the
middle of the field for Johnny Menyongar who found himself all alone
at the top of the Galaxy goal box. Menyongar turned toward the Galaxy
goal and found only Galaxy goalkeeper Dan Popik between him and the
goal. Menyongar’s first time shot beat Popik, but went inches wide of
the left goalpost.

The Galaxy had an excellent chance to get on the board in the 11th
minute when defender Paul Broome received the ball on the left side
of the field in Thunder territory. Broome drove a ball through the
Thunder goal box that found the head of Joseph Ngwenya who redirected
the ball just wide of the Thunder goal.

In the 21st minute the Thunder were awarded a free kick 30 yards from
goal on the right side of the field. Midfielder Jeff Matteo stepped
up and hit a curling free kick that flew over the Galaxy defense.
Chris Brunt rose above his defender and hit a strong header on goal.
Goalkeeper Popik was able to get a hand on the ball as he dove
backwards, but he could not get to the ball and it fell into the back
of the net to put the Thunder up 1-0.

The Thunder possessed the ball throughout much of the first half and
created more chances on goal, out-shooting the Galaxy nine to two in
the first half. The Thunder also had six corner kicks in the first
half, while Galaxy was only awarded one.

Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid made two changes at halftime that
seemed to invigorate his side. The Galaxy were able to spread the
field a little more in the second half and knock the ball around the
midfield. Both teams created fairly equal chances to score.

In the 68th minute tempers flared when second half Galaxy substitute
Carlos Ruiz and Thunder goalkeeper Joe Warren traded words. A brief
scuffle ensued and both Ruiz and Warren were given yellow cards for
their involvement.

The Galaxy created an excellent chance to score in the 70th minute
when Galaxy midfielder Jovan Kirovoski collected the ball near
midfield and dribbled directly down the middle of the field.
Kirovoski fed a ball to the right of the goal box, directly into the
path of Ruiz who drove a first time, curling shot that Joe Warren
could only punch away.

Lagos made a tactical substitution in the 76th minute when he took
out forward Johnny Menyongar and brought in an extra midfielder,
Marco Ferruzzi.

As time wore down and the taste of victory became stronger, the
Thunder players did everything they could to keep the ball out of
dangerous areas. Time after time, Thunder defenders cleared the ball
out of harms way far down the field, in anticipation of the final
whistle.

In the last minute of the game the Galaxy had one more chance to
equalize. Goalkeeper Popik sent a free kick from midfield into the
Thunder goal box. Ruiz collected the ball with his first touch and
then turned and hit a half volley directly to Joe Warren who could
only tip the ball over the top of the goal. The corner kick would be
cleared away harmlessly before the final whistle blew.

Tickets for the August 4 game with the San Jose Earthquakes can be
purchased by visiting www.mnthunder.com or by calling the Thunder
office at 651-917-8326. The game will be played at the Thunder’s home
stadium at James Griffin Stadium in St. Paul. James Griffin Stadium
has a capacity of only 6,000 fans; so order tickets early to ensure
your spot at this historic game!


Game Summary:

Lineups:

Minnesota: Warren, Branan, Jacquette, Brunt, Juarez, Tenoff, Matteo,
Alberts (Magee 89), Friedland, Menyongar (Ferruzzi 76), Tarley
(Castellanos 82)

Los Angeles: Popik, Suarez (Gardner 45), Broome Lewis, Aloisi,
Victorine (Saragosa 45), Grabavoy (Gonzalez 79), Torres, Kirovoski,
Moreno, Ngwenya (Ruiz 57)

Scoring Summary:

MIN: Brunt (Matteo) 21

Goalkeeper Stats:

Warren (MIN.) Shots faced: 7 Saves: 6 Goals Allowed: 0
Popik (L.A.) Shots faced: 13 Saves: 2 Goals Allowed: 1

Team Stats:

Minnesota: Shots: 13 Fouls: 20 Offside: 1 Corners: 8
Los Angeles: Shots: 7 Fouls: 17 Offside: 1 Corners: 3

Cautions:

Broome (L.A.) 6
Menyongar (MIN) 26
Ruiz (LA) 68
Warren (MIN) 68
Ferruzzi (MIN) 89

Attendance: 5,505

[Frank Cunha]

should be a sellout next game in Minnesota, capacity 6,000

[Frank Cunha]

Revs booted from Open Cup on kicks
By Gus Martins/ Revolution Notebook
Wednesday, July 21, 2004

LUDLOW - The Rochester Raging Rhinos defeated the Revolution on penalty kicks last night following two overtimes with the score tied at 1-1.

The defeat eliminated the Revs from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the single-elimination tournament, while Rochester moves on to a quarterfinal contest Aug. 4 against A-League foe Charleston Battery, who beat the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, 1-0, in South Carolina last night.

Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis saved a second-minute penalty kick by the Rhino's Sean Tsakiris. Pat Noonan's seventh-minute goal for the Revs was matched by Rhino Kirk Wilson's score in the 60th minute.

The Rhinos scored on 3-of-4 penalty shots, while the Revs scored on just one shot by Taylor Twellman. Jay Heaps and Clint Dempsey's shots were saved and Noonan's went well high of the crossbar.

``The second half, they kept us under pressure and we never stood up to it,'' said coach Steve Nicol.

Rhinos rarin' for MLS

The Raging Rhinos, one of the top A-League teams in the country, hope to join Major League Soccer either as an expansion team or by inheriting an existing franchise that could be relocated.

``Our only conversation with MLS so far has centered strictly on an expansion franchise,'' said Chris Economides, vice president and general manager of the Raging Rhinos. ``Obviously with Salt Lake City and Chivas (Los Angeles) coming on next year, we are not going to be on board for 2005.''

The Raging Rhinos have already taken necessary steps toward MLS membership, including ground-breaking for a new stadium.

Rochester is a two-time A-League champion and also captured the U.S. Open Cup once.

The biggest question is whether Rochester will join MLS as an expansion team, where its fee would be about $15 million, or absorb an existing MLS franchise at considerably less cost. The Kansas City Wizards and two-time league champion San Jose Earthquakes are considered candidates for relocation. ``We're very bullish on MLS,'' Economides said. ``We think it's a great model.''

Brown nurses noggin

Injured Revolution goalkeeper Adin Brown remains sidelined with a concussion suffered June 26.

``Basically, the doctor said until all my symptoms are gone, he doesn't want me to do anything,'' said Brown, who has had multiple concussions over his career.

Brown's symptoms have included headache, dizziness and nausea. The Revs keeper said that when he returns, he'll wear head gear.

``I think it's getting to the point that if I want to play for another five, six or seven more years, I'm going to have to wear something,'' he said.

Brown said current head gear designed for soccer players is more like a head band and wouldn't give him the protection he needs. ``I'm going to have to look at something more like what the Australian companies have for the rugby players,'' he said. ``If I have to look goofy to continue my career then so be it.'' . . .

Daouda Kante, Luke Vercollone and Andy Dorman were in the starting team last night in place of Jay Heaps, Steve Ralston and Brian Kamler. Revs captain Joe Franchino was suspended for last night's game.

[Ricochet]

Rochester is the best, they should be in the MLS.

[Frank Cunha]

Rhinos shock Revs in U.S. Open Cup




Staff report


(July 21, 2004) — The Rhinos have beaten Major League Soccer teams in dramatic fashion before, but Tuesday's triumph over the New England Revolution in Ludlow, Mass., had a twist.
The Rhinos needed a penalty-kick shootout at Lusitano Stadium for their first victory over an MLS team since 1999.

After playing to a 1-1 draw through 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime, Rochester edged New England, 3-1, on penalty kicks to advance to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.

“It was just a super effort,” coach Pat Ercoli said from the team bus, which was scheduled to arrive early this morning in Richmond, Va., where the Rhinos resume A-League play Friday.

“For it to be our third match in four days, and having to play a man down for nearly 20 minutes the guys kept their composure and accomplished their goal. It's a great feeling to move on.”

The Rhinos will play defending A-League champion Charleston on Aug. 4 at Frontier Field in their next U.S. Open Cup match. It will be the first baseball/soccer doubleheader in the stadium's nine-year history. The Red Wings play Ottawa at 11:05 a.m. that day.

Charleston, which lost 1-0 in Rochester on July 11, upset the MetroStars (MLS), 1-0. The Rhinos had never gone to PKs in 21 previous matches in the Open Cup. Their last shootout was a season-ending loss, 9-8, to Richmond in the 2002 Eastern Conference finals.

They made a name for themselves nationally in 1999 by upsetting four straight MLS teams to capture the Cup, but they had since lost three straight to MLS clubs. The win improved their record against MLS to 7-6.

“We haven't been playing that well, but we were rewarded for a great job tonight,” Rhinos goalkeeper Theo Zagar said. “Everyone is pretty excited.”

Zagar was one of the stars.

He made eight saves in regulation then came up huge in the shootout. The 29-year-old from Toronto stopped shots by New England's first (Jay Heaps) and third shooters (Clint Dempsey).

“It was one of those nights when everything goes your way,” he said. “I guessed right.”

New England goalie Matt Reis was just as brilliant in regulation, making 14 saves. He stopped a third-minute PK by Rhinos midfielder Shaun Tsakiris and three minutes later Pat Noonan scored from six yards off a Richie Baker cross for a 1-0 lead.

But behind the attacking playing of forward Chris Carrieri and midfielders Kirk Wilson and Lenin Steenkamp, Rochester rallied against the Revs, a last-place team that ousted the Rhinos 2-1 in last year's fourth round.

“They ran their tails off,” Ercoli said.

Substitutes Ian Pilarski and forward Doug Miller helped keep the momentum going and Wilson tied it in the 61st minute off a Miller pass. Wilson cut the ball back to his left, dribbled and ripped a 12-yard shot into the top left corner.

The Rhinos played a man down the final 18 minutes after Bill Sedgewick's second yellow card.

Zagar opened the shootout by denying Heaps, but Miller hit the crossbar on his shot. After New England's Taylor Twellman and Craig Demmin each converted, Zagar deflected Dempsey's shot off the post. Pato Aguilera then buried his shot for Rochester before Noonan missed high. That set the stage for the clinching kick by second-year Rhino Carlos Mendes. “When that thing went in, it was just monkeys off our back I guess,” Zagar said. “We'll celebrate this, but we still have big matches ahead.”



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's next
The Rhinos will play the defending A-League champion Charleston Battery, which upset the MLS MetroStars 1-0, in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal at Frontier Field on Aug. 4. Rochester beat Charleston 1-0 July 11.

Other fourth-round results

Charleston (A-League) 1, MetroStars (MLS) 0

Minnesota (A) 1, L.A. (MLS) 0

Chicago (MLS) 2, Columbus (MLS) 1

K.C. (MLS) 4, Atlanta (A) 1

Dallas (MLS) 3, Colorado (MLS) 0

Quarterfinals (Aug. 4)

Charleston at Rochester

Dallas at Kansas City

Chicago vs. D.C. United (MLS) or Richmond (A)