I think the big backlash to the policies, besides the natural 'I hate change', is none of these policies make the gameday experience better for the fans. Most are hassles just like the TSA crap we go through at the airport. The bag thing is just they don't want to bother searching bags, so ban them. I personally think the parking charges are getting way to high. It will turn away the casual fan. The same ones that go to minor league hockey and AAA baseball. With MLS Atlanta coming in they should be doing things to make the game experience hassle free. On a side note, today the Atlanta Ultras announced they are suspended for the first three home games due to actions at last fall's Soccer Bowl. I don't know much about it, just what I read on their FB page today. Mandated by the League front office. Also no more Pyro/Smoke allowed by anyone at Atlanta. The members of the Ultras can attend games, just not as a group. It's pretty well known I'm not a big fan of the Ultras antics. I welcome the smoke ban, as I'm sure a lot of others do. I am a little concerned with the way this suspension appears to have been handled. The Ultras contend they had no representation with the league or team while the matter was discussed. They were just given the penalty for the alleged actions, what ever they are. I'm not too sure the penalty would have been different if they had been in the 'court', but it sets a precedent. The one thing to remember the NASL is not a free country, it is a business.
NASL front office was not involved... http://www.indyweek.com/triangleoff...oup-for-nasls-silverbacks-hit-with-3-game-ban
Hopefully after the 3 game ban the Ultra's can get back in and continue supporting the Silverbacks. I've seen them in action on the match streams and they put on a good show! After all this Atlanta Ultra talk I feel like watching Green Street Hooligans again for some reason!
We had a good time at the game yesterday. It was disappointing to see so many empty seats on the home opener...how can the Silverbacks claim they had a sellout crowd? This was my 2nd game our family attended, 1st being the Soccer Bowl. We hope to go to one or two in the Fall Season, and hopefully the team has improved significantly by then. It's not looking like firing the NASL coach of the year was a good idea.
So the product on the field has been pretty poor, although the last 30 minutes or so of the Scorpions game showed some promise. Really getting tired of this "boot it upfield and hope for the best" crap though. It's obviously not working. I would go on but the team is obviously still figuring themselves out so I think game #3 will be a real showing. But the real reason I'm posting: apparently we're being rebranded. Don't like the B&W jerseys? Too bad, as the Silverbacks are allegedly phasing out the red entirely. This is according to the people selling the merchandise. The wife asked why the season ticket scarves are only B&W and asked about possibly swapping it out for one with red. During the discussion they mentioned the team is moving towards getting rid of the red down the line. This could just be a misunderstanding or something but it jives with the awful jerseys we have this year as well as that goofy ass "Let's create a bLaCkOuT!!!" push during the Soccer Bowl.
If you don't have much skill in the midfield and cant play consistently out of the back, then playing direct is the only option. Its not pretty though.
I think the first two games have confirmed what we already knew: we lost too much quality in the midfield during the offseason. It was always going to be difficult replacing Barrera, Blanco, and Menjivar. I'm started to get a little worried about our strikers, too. McCaulay has had some good opportunities, but's he's failed to test the keeper in most instances (absolutely skying a few shots). Poku has looked dangerous on occasion during the first two games, but he seems to also have a penchant for dribbling into traffic and getting dispossessed. Obviously, it's still early. I'm hoping they find their feet and start to gel. I think Burgos has done enough to earn a start next game. Same with Chavez (he looked like the forward most likely to score on Saturday).
Despite two losses from two and being outscored 6-1 so far, I do think we're seeing some signs of potential from the team. Maybe the spring won't be the easiest road, but if it leads to them being all set for the fall, I don't think we'll be complaining. Getting settled on what the first team back line is will help a lot, and maybe Bangura's return to fitness will help that. I'd still go with McCaulay to start against Tampa Bay, especially when we consider that he could easily take advantage of the Rodrigues/Yamada center back pairing. I have a feeling that once McCaulay gets that first one (and gets some of the pressure off his back), he'll score in bunches. I agree that Burgos deserves a start after his influence on Saturday. If they were to draw at Tampa Bay and beat Ottawa (certainly possible), I'd feel a lot better about their long term prospects.
The Silverbacks-Rowdies game will be the ESPN3 NASL Game of the Week tomorrow. http://www.atlantasilverbacksfc.com...cks-rowdies-to-be-shown-on-espn3#.U1sI7_ldWRE I'll be watching through my Xbox 360.
Who knew this statement would be pessimistic in hindsight? Hopefully things keep moving up on Saturday against the Strikers. I'm still not happy with all the missed chances though. The Ottawa game should've been like 100-0. Anyway, Open Cup is finally here. We either get the Chattanooga Choo-Choos or the Wilmington Hamhocks. Strangely, according to the Chicago Fire blog, Atlanta was the only NASL to decline the option to host this round. I really hope it's a money thing rather than the team not taking the Open Cup seriously. http://www.chicago-fire.com/blog/post/2014/05/08/usoc-third-round-draw-procedure-revealed Also, Martyn Lancaster just signed with the Ga. Revolution! http://www.garevolution.com/home/807656.html
I'm perfectly fine with being a little bit off with my projection. Sure, there are still a few things to be ironed out, but you can just tell that things are falling into place. No inside knowledge here, but I have a hard time believing that the Silverbacks declined the option to host in the cup; maybe I'll ask Andy about it when I see him next. Hosting at least gives you a chance for revenue, whereas traveling to either Wilmington or Chattanooga certainly doesn't it. And the Lancaster news comes out of left field. Maybe he's looking to get into match fitness in advance of signing a deal for the fall season.
New to these forums, so I thought I'd make this one of my first stops. Silverbacks STH here. I was also fortunate enough to get an impromptu sit-down with Andy Smith, Neal Malone and Evan Mitz (VP-Business Operations) at the ATL MLS event a month or so ago. I quizzed them, and they quizzed me (as a focus group of one, I guess). Here is what I know about some of these conversation topics: * Boris (owner) was driving the parking-fee changes, and they actually had to talk him down from $15. (!) They knew it wasn't going to be popular. (The thing that bugs me is that I have no transit or remote-parking option if I don't want to pay the fee. They've got me over a barrel.) * Restrictions on leaving the stadium after entering: this was driven by certain groups of fans (you can do the math) who would start the match buzzed and rowdy and then at halftime would go to their cars and return properly drunk and rowdy. * Bag restrictions: they fought their security contractors for a long time on this one. Finally they decided to go with best practices for big events. A shame, as it ruins one thing that's good about the minor-league atmosphere. (And that said, I've gotten a pass on a bag once already.) * Martyn Lancaster: This one took them by surprise. They were expecting him to retire, then there would be a good chance of him joining the coaching staff. (He was already basically a coach on the field, marshaling the backline effectively.) Instead he decided he wasn't done. Not sure what the Revs signing is about, honestly, though I'm glad to see him back in action and will probably trek out to Conyers for a game just to see him. In terms of the play, I think this is what happens when you turn over more than half the team. As a Spurs supporter I've watch a team with seven new signings struggle to gel over the course of 38 games (helped little, it must be said, by managers who have little idea of who the best 11 are.) So it makes sense that a team with way more than seven new faces would have trouble getting together -- and this has been most apparent in the midfield, as passes have failed to connect, players have been muscled off balls, and possession has been repeatedly lost. However, the Ottawa game showed real progress here as the midfield started to find a rhythm, and the balls lumped over their heads to McCauley or Poku got cut down. Playing patiently through the mids to the forwards is really going to be the key to this team succeeding, and I'm sure that's what Wynalda is preaching. We do really miss Barrera, Menjivar and Blanco, for sure -- as well as guys like Bloom who could bomb forward effectively down the wing then be quick enough to track back and close down counterattacks. My two bits. Thanks for bearing with me.
That's according to this SI story. So taking into account that Wynalda missed this weekend's game to call the FA Cup final, he will miss two consecutive games because of his obligations with Fox. This was one of my biggest concerns when the Silverbacks announced the coaching arrangement earlier this year. The long-distance arrangement seemed to be working relatively well for a while, but I find it very troubling that the Silverbacks are clearly not a priority to Wynalda. I know Andy Smith thinks very highly of Wynalda, but you have to wonder how long this will last when the team isn't winning AND the coach can't be bothered to come to the games.
Silverback honored Silverbacks goalkeeper Derby Carrillo was called up to El Salvador’s national team to play in friendlies against World Cup teams Ivory Coast and Spain. Carrillo, 26, has three caps for El Salvador. That may have been the highlight for the team, which was shut out by Carolina 2-0 on Saturday. The team (2-0-4) has been outscored 11-3 in road games this year.
Not having your coach with you day in day out is never going to work IMO. Didnt he say something to the affect that maybe everyone else is doing it wrong? It wouldn't fly in MLS and it shouldn't fly in NASL.
I thought, from the beginning, it was made clear that Wynalda was going to give his Fox commitments priority over the Silverbacks.
NASL to broadcast USOC for free... http://www.nasl.com/article/uuid/4z...-fourth-round-us-open-cup-matches--naslthecup
Last Saturday's USOC win over Real Salt Lake was possibly the most uplifting win I've ever seen by Atlanta. Congratulations and thanks to our players and staff!
It looks like Deon McCaulay is having some sort of daylong tryout with the Chicago Fire before joining up with the team in Colorado tomorrow. That seems like really odd timing. Personally, I don't think he'll catch on with the Fire based on what he's shown in the first half of the NASL season. However, if he does end up leaving, that will leave us in a real jam at forward. We really need to sign 1-2 more forwards before the Fall season starts, even if McCaulay doesn't leave.
I don't recall that. And, of course, the link to the original announcement no longer works. My recollection is that the Silverbacks announced he would be splitting time between the two (working in LA Sunday to Wednesday or something like that, and then joining up with the team later in the week). I don't recall anyone ever saying Fox would take priority over the Silverbacks, but maybe I'm wrong.
Quarterfinals, in the ATL! It's gonna be tough what with Poku and Chavez and Carr out on red card suspensions, but right now I still think we can take either Columbus Crew or Chicago Fire!