Ben Hollingsworth

Discussion in 'Charleston Battery' started by Nimrodg, Jan 8, 2007.

  1. Nimrodg

    Nimrodg New Member

    Dec 15, 2005
    ISRAEL
    [​IMG]

    This is the player right?

    if it is he came to a trial period at Maccabi Tel Aviv
    can you tell me a bit about him? he knows to play as a Forward/Striker?

    Thanks :)
     
  2. JBG - Bribe Taker

    Mar 17, 2000
    Mt. Pleasant, SC
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I can't see the picture but I assume it's him. He's a goal scorer but his "normal" position is outside midfielder, mainly left but he's played right and also in the middle. Played some as a striker when we were a little thin up top and his first season with us, he played fullback about 1/2 the season due to injuries. Last season we played a 4-5-1 and he was tied for leading goal scorer on the team with 13 goals. He also had 4 assists.

    He's a tireless worker (scored the best score on the dreaded beep test) who is very much an attacker but also tracks back to defend. Likes to take people on 1 v 1 and is not afraid to shoot. He's creative and a bit of a free spirit. He never, ever, gives up and he's scored a number of late goals. He's been one of our stars for the 2 years he's been a pro. We'd definitely miss him but aren't surprised he's got other options. Kinda suprised he's been with us this long.....
     
  3. Mikey mouse

    Mikey mouse Member

    Jul 27, 1999
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes that is Ben Hollingsworth in the photo (we call him Hollywood for some reason I cant even remember) Bribetaker summed it up very well. He never stops running or working. He has a great work ethic. And Like Bribetaker said Im surprised he has stayed in Charleston as long as he has. He is a local boy who im sure might want to see what else is out there.

    Hope his trial goes well as he deserves to "move up" but he would be missed here if he does move on.

    mikey
     
  4. Nimrodg

    Nimrodg New Member

    Dec 15, 2005
    ISRAEL
    Thanks for the info guys, will update you if he'll sign on the team
     
  5. JBG - Bribe Taker

    Mar 17, 2000
    Mt. Pleasant, SC
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Let us know if you run across a striker named Alon Lubezky. He was a rookie with us in 2005 and was from Israel. We released him after the 2005 season, just wondering what ever happened to him.
     
  6. Mikey mouse

    Mikey mouse Member

    Jul 27, 1999
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Please do! Ben is a great guy off the field as well and any info you can pass on would be great.


    also if you have any more question, here is another forum that gets some more traffic, especially since it is our off season.

    http://www.usldiscussions.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=28
     
  7. Nimrodg

    Nimrodg New Member

    Dec 15, 2005
    ISRAEL
    According to "Yedioth Aharonot" newspaper - after seeing Ben trains, most of Maccabi's people are thinking to end the trial and release him. There were some that were surprised that a player that is not a "High level" player is trialing on the team.
    An Israeli who lives in USA and knows Hollingsworth said that he is an amateur level player and can play at most at the Israeli 4th division.

    (Again, nothing official, if there will be any other news about Ben i'll keep you updated)
     
  8. Duke of Earl

    Duke of Earl New Member

    Mar 20, 2006
    I replied to a similar post in the Battery's discussion board but because other's might read this I will also respond here. I pointed out that Ben had been in a cast for 8 weeks and a soft cast for 4 weeks according to his roommates. He was cleared to begin running in mid-December. While I have never seen an Israeli team play in person, the USL-1 is a very competitive professional league. Ben was voted by the coaches to the All-League 1st team of the USL-1. Those of us who have seen him play believe he is very "high level." As a matter of fact, a former Israeli teammate is probably the connection that got him the try-out with Tel Aviv. That former teammate obviously thought he was at a level to compete. I also pointed out that in 4 games against MLS teams, the Battery was 1W, 1D and 2 L, but one loss was in PKs. Ben had 3 goals in the 4 games. I will take him on the field at the end of the game, or with the game on the line with any player I have seen, within reason, of course.
     
  9. Duke of Earl

    Duke of Earl New Member

    Mar 20, 2006
    Nimrodg,

    Feel free to pass this along to the "Yedioth Aharonot" newspaper, as this is aimed at the contents of the article you provided. Also, pass it along to any discussion groups who follow the team and who may have read the article about our player. And thanks for keeping us informed.

    When a professional athlete straps it on, he accepts the possibility of praise and the probability of criticism from people who report on the team and the fans who buy tickets to games. However, criticism should be fair and in context. The proper context is that, according to news reports, our player arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday. That means he flew all night from Charleston, SC. For those of you who have flown to and from Europe, you know the effects of jet lag.

    If our player trained at all on Monday, common sense would tell me it was only to limber up after the flight. Since the newspaper obviously came out on Wednesday morning for the article’s contents to be posted on Wednesday, the reporter judged our player on training sessions on Tuesday and maybe Monday. Considering a totally new country, different training styles, language barriers, unknown coaches and teammates, a probably different style of play, pitch and ball, a change of diet, environment and sleep, our player not having played competitively since early September, 2006, I wonder what the reporter expected? A judgment that Ben Hollingsworth is not “high level” on such evidence is ludicrous. Twelve coaches who saw him play and voted him to the USL-1 All-League, first team can’t all be wrong. Throw the ball in the air and tell a player or two and Hollingsworth to go after it and see what happens. Judge the player at the end of the trial.
     
  10. MHaifa1913

    MHaifa1913 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Metro
    United States
    Dec 21, 1998
    New York, NY, USA
    Club:
    Maccabi Haifa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.one.co.il/c.aspx?target=/next.asp?id=86392&Bz=0&categoryid=1&tableid=1&nocache=1

    Hollingsworth's trial is almost over, it was a week long trial. He did not impress Eli Cohen. Frankly, the connection between the player and club was made by an Israeli guy in the US who is trying his luck at being an agent, he is not an established agent with any real business in Israel, this was his first venture.

    In regards to the USL versus Israel, I have to be honest. Only MLS calibre players are suitable for the big Israeli clubs. Then one has to be good enough to warrant taking up a foreignor spot. I don't know how good Ben is, but he looked a bit out of place from the clips I saw of him training at the club. Israeli media outlets were surprised to find out that Ben was playing in the American second division, they assumed that anyone coming for a trial must be from MLS. This caused Maccabi fans to go crazy thinking that they were getting the MLS rookie of the year. Frankly, the only American I want to see over here is Jonathan Bornstein ;).
     
  11. Mister Obvious

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 20, 2006
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would go out on a limb and say, that most of our starters are MLS calibre. MLS teams have (HAD) salary caps and the USL does not. Some older players can make more money playing in the USL vs. the MLS. The senior internationals and natioanl team players make all of the money in the MLS.
     
  12. HaynesworthPickens

    HaynesworthPickens New Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    KYHS,

    Thanks for the update. Not many of Hollywood's fans can read Hebrew, but from what I understand, the Israeli newspapers publish rumors without any sources.

    No one should expect a player who has not played competitively for 4 months to be on top of his game in practice. Someone posted that Hollywood will play in a game on Tuesday. I don't know his condition after being in hard and soft casts for 3 months since September, but if he can run, he will be a crowd favorite because of his heart and hustle. He is a very good soccer player by any standard.
    Keep us posted.
     
  13. Nimrodg

    Nimrodg New Member

    Dec 15, 2005
    ISRAEL
    as i wrote in the other forum:
    Maccabi announced today to Ben that he is released from the trial (that means that eventually they won't give him a chance at the Toto cup)
     
  14. garnet&blackattack

    garnet&blackattack New Member

    Jan 14, 2007
    Columbia, SC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Awesome to see an SC boy moving up through the soccer ranks.
     
  15. HaynesworthPickens

    HaynesworthPickens New Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    I am curious as to how it was announced. Do you know?
     
  16. Topscorer

    Topscorer New Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Hi I was surfing onj the net and I was surprised I found out this about Ben trying in Israel.

    First thing I gotta tell is that I´m a pro soccer player from Spain that have played all my life in Europe (Spanish 2b, French National and English League 2). I was in SC Carolina last year working after quitting soccer for a tibia injury and after being convincd by a friend I attended to the Battery´s trials.

    After 10 months off u can imagine my physical skills were at a very low level, however I couldn´t feel those guys could do much more than running, sending long balls and running liuke headless chickens. Playing as a forward and out of shape probably couldn´t impress anybody much more but really realized how a trial with 30 players to show off means (something u will never see in Europe). Just a simple way to see the guys u bring and make some money in addition.

    Ben came to practice with us in the trials as well as central defender, a guy from Omaha who may thought that Nebraska was the cradle of soccer, can´t remember his name but he was stocky, kinda fatty and bald. Ben didn´t impress me. He could only run. Up and down, shoot from any where and trying to show how pro he was. He made me laugh the way he talked and looked up to the guys in the trial.

    I just can say that regardless to what coaches in USL say Ben is totally unable to play soccer in Europe. And at a UEFA cup club?? That´s crazy...Soccer in Europe is much more than running up and down like in a football game. I agree with newspapers. In Spain Ben couldn´t get much higher than I did (2B). But in Ameircan soccer Ben can work much better, it´s a soccer without technical skill exigence....
     
  17. Chief of Smoke

    Chief of Smoke New Member

    Jan 21, 2007
    Topscorer, if you were at the trials, which is questionable, you were 4getable. Let me give you a clue. Battery players were out at the last two trials. They were not trying to impress anyone. They have already made the team. They were out there to get a work out and play an assisting role. To think the coaches would let a proven, veteran player embarrass dues playing trialists makes me think you are a fake. I am not sure the Battery players were playing with shin guards. BTW, how many goals did you score last year?
     
  18. HaynesworthPickens

    HaynesworthPickens New Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Top, They don't keep stats at trials. U R woolfin', right.
     
  19. Topscorer

    Topscorer New Member

    Mar 14, 2007

    I was at the trials March 2006. THat I was forgettable is unquestionable, but we were not discussing my soccer quality which is much higher than any CB player regardless of what can be seen at a stupid trials and without having trained in 10 months. In any case an USL 2 team called to practice with them during preseasson after seeing me at the trials but I refused.

    The guys who came to the trials, Ben and the central defender, just came for some practice not to impress the coaches, although they actualy tried to impress everybody in my opinion.

    Last year I scored no goal. I was in America working and just when to the trial. U may have not understood or have´t expressed myself correctly.

    Ayway here u have my stats:

    Season 2005-2006 Scored 17 goals in Spanish 2B
    Season 2004-2005 Scored 12 goals in CFA I
    Season 2003-2004 Scored 7 goals in French National

    This season have scored 5 goals in the first leg but I´m out due to problems in my left knee.

    There´s no lie in what I stated. You have no reason to doubt what I say. I was there in the trials, like many others, Can tel u exactly what we did, players there were. U can check if Ben and that guy from Nebraska came to practice with us in the trials. It´s easy, just ask them.
     
  20. HaynesworthPickens

    HaynesworthPickens New Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Top, Thanks for your opinion, but I have watched Hollingsworth for two MVP seasons in game situations and I believe I will stick with him. I have not seen his name on the roster.
     
  21. Mister Obvious

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 20, 2006
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If, it was March 2006 trials, then Ben might have been a little full of himself. Remember, last year he didn't come around, until after he was pulled from a game in June and lost his starting spot for a few games. He was an entirely different player, after he found out the team could play without him.
     
  22. HaynesworthPickens

    HaynesworthPickens New Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    On the other hand, the match results show that in the 3 games when Ben did not play (6-11), or was brought in at the 89th (6-18) and 86th minute (6-23), the Battery scored a total of 1 goal. I had to look it up when I read the above.
     
  23. Mister Obvious

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 20, 2006
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I went to your research center and did some of my own. In the first 8 games of the season, Ben scored once on a PK. In the 8 games, after his attitude adjustment, he scored 7 goals. They should keep a seperate stat for PKs and Set Piece goals, but that's only in Fantasy Football. Every system has a flaw or two.
     
  24. HaynesworthPickens

    HaynesworthPickens New Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Mr. O, you are entitled to your opinion, but it certainly sounds like a negative and mean spirited one to this fan of Battery players. In the CCC last year, Ben scored both goals in the 1-1 tie with DC United and the 1-0 win over Red Bull NY. Thereafter, I have never seen anyone post that he needed an "attitude adjustment," or that he might be "full of himself." I have never seen a hit on him that he was dogging it. If anything, he started pressing and trying too hard. As a result, he got into a scoring slump. Some coaches let a player stay on the field to work through it. Some coaches want a player to watch the game unfold from the bench in hopes the player can figure out what he is doing wrong. A scoring slump is not akin to a character flaw, but that is just my opinion.
     
  25. Mister Obvious

    Arsenal
    United States
    May 20, 2006
    Charleston, SC
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Can we at least agree, that his production went up, after the month of June?
     

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