Okay folks, rocky start on the pitch in game 1, but the boys are back at it again this Friday at Lockhart vs. Minnesota. Game time 8:30 PM.
A few things I'd like to throw out there..... Even if Wheeler gets the start again, if he looks as slow and tired as he did Saturday, I really hope Coach Shore gives Santamaria some minutes. We need to be playing a 4 - 4 - 2 and we need someone to step up and fill the void while Abe is hurt. I can't seem to get an answer on this one - does anyone know how the team is going to go about distributing the t-shirts to season ticket holders at friday's game? I purposely didn't buy any for the kids on Saturday because we're supposed to be getting free ones from the team, but can't quite seem to get anyone to give me an answer on this. Anyone know how many season tickets the team wound up selling? I wasn't able to get to the stadium until after 6:00 on Saturday, so I didn't really get a good look at the tailgate area the team had set up in the NW parking lot. Can anyone tell me about what they had set up? Or was that just an opening night thing? I hope everyone is telling everyone they know about the awesome experience at Lockhart on Saturday, and encouraging people to come out on Friday and join the fun! I was close on my opening night prediction (I said 6,100), let's hope I'm close again - going to say 4,900 this time. Friday night at 8:30 will keep some people away, but even if it dropped by this much we're still looking at one hell of a two game homestand attendance wise to start the season!
1. Yeah Santamaria needs to see some minutes I think. We can't have Wheeler up there all by himself. 2. The t-shirts are supposedly being handed out at the will call tent at gate C. 3. Dunno the final season ticket count, but whatever the final count is it's something they can be proud of. 4. In the tailgate area most of the team sponsors had tents set up, Soccer-Max had a trailer selling Strikers gear and other soccer products. There was a live band too. I believe it will be a similar setup for every game. 5. SFU is promoting the hell out of the game. The team has done a great job so far promoting the team but in the end it's on the fans to really embrace the team and make the Strikers a permanent part of the South Florida sports scene.
If the trend from last week continues the Strikers will be the website to watch the live feed. The home teams' website broadcast all games last weekend.
Strikers v Minnesota OOPS!.....I missed the pre-game for this match below...please delete or lock or whatever. My mistake....
www.strikers.com has a lead article the the Strikers have sighned 2 atticking players. One from Colombia. One from Haiti. If they play tonight I wish them well...
13 goals in 19 appearances for the Hatian national team (Peguero) is not a bad return! Put them in the net for us! GO STRIKERS!!!
Jean Philippe Peguero had decent career in MLS for Colorado and San Jose (where he got hurt). Strikers certainly have a lot of ex-MLSers now. Coudet, Arrietta, Stahl, Thompson and now Peguero. Who am I missing?
Aaron Hohlbein played for KC. I hope these new signings help keep the offense going until Abe returns.
Yes, and keep doing it after he's back, too. A 10% or less chance of rain from 8Pm to 10PM tonight. Looks good for a decent game. Let's hope they can score more than 1 and give up less than 2. That would make for an excellent evening. Especially with the next 4 games on the road.
A win tonight will be the perfect end to this week. I hope these new players are already match fit and can get on the board right away.
A win tonight would be huge for the team and for the fans. It'll be a month before they play at home again, and you want to leave a happy, winning feeling in the minds of the fans, keeping them interested and ready for the big May 14 showdown with Tampa.
I had to stay home with my daughter, while my wife got some things ready for her birthday party tomorrow, so I watched the game on the stream. I didn't see much from the first half, but in the second I saw some nice interchanges of play and a lot of effort, which is the most important thing for me, right now. The penalty was well taken and we had a great chance to win at the death with the diving header from the headed cross. The announcer said that attendance was 4,200 or so, IIRC. I'm happy with the performance, but clearly generating offense is an issue for this team. Not entirely unexpected given the injury/new player situation. I think we need to be patient, and as long as the team is competitive, I am happy. I just hope other people realize this is a start, as the team is only a few years old, and is just now starting to generate enough interest for thTraffic to consider heavier investment.
Yup another great crowd. The first half was the better half for the Strikers. They had a lot of good chances, Nuñez played well up front. Too many missed opportunities in the first half cost them. Glad to see Kirby back on D. He played well for his first game back. Coudet was good on his free kicks in addition to the equalizing PK. The exciting finish hopefully left the crowd leaving happy. Need a BIG crowd for the derby match with the "Rowdies" on May 14th.
Some of the Striker folks I spoke with are hopefully expecting 10K or so. I'd like that, but I'll believe it when I see it... Last night was fun & exciting. Full of promise with a great surprise ending - how could anyone commit such a sloppy challenge in the last minute of play in their penalty area. The Strikers played well, but finishing is a challenge. Hopefully they'll improve that during their extended road trip.
Another great atmosphere last night. I thought the attendance was about what we could hope for for the second game (probably had less of a decrease from game #1 to game #2 than the Marlins!), and the atmosphere was as great as the first game. Good to see lines at all of the food vendors during half time as well - them being there adds to the atmosphere as well, and will keep people coming back. I agree the finishing still needs some work. But I think last night was a much better performance all around than game #1, and if not for a few outstanding saves by Minnesota's goalie we would have easily won the match. But that is soccer, isn't it? I did hear alot of talk in anticipation of the Tampa game, and even heard that they might open the south stands. If we win a few on the road, and the Strikers do a bit of a marketing push (dig out some old Strikers vs. Rowdies stuff), I could see a big turnout. I believe the exciting ending will also keep fans coming back.
I agree with a lot of the comments you guys are making. I think the Strikers vastly improved their performance over Game 1. The only thing that kept the Strikers from winning was Warren. He was in the same form that earned him the defensive player of the week in week 1. He made two absolutely outstanding saves in the 1st half that kept the Strikers from having a very comfortable lead they could have sat on in the 2nd half. I liked Kirby's play in his return. I thought Hohlbein was better this game as well. I'm still unsure about West, I've seen him get beat a few too many times so far. I think the rest of the back line has just played well enough to cover him for the most part. Midfield for me was improved this game, Arguez imparticular. He still holds onto the ball trying to beat too many defenders one on one a little too often, but he was definitely better this game. Up front is where I still see the most room for improvement. Nunez, bless his heart, hustles and has speed like nobody's business, but he is NEVER going to win a ball in the air, and that makes it difficult for him to play up front, which he seemed to be last night. It is sure damn exciting seeing him trying to use that speed to run onto a long ball at times though! Wheeler to me has been the biggest underachiever thus far. He didn't seem out of gas as early this game, but he had some good chances and just couldn't finish. I hope to God Abe is ready to go next week in Atlanta. If not, Shriver should get a shot. He completely energized the attack when he came in late and earned the game saving penalty. The crowd was great, very into the game. I was hoping for slightly more, but you certainly can't complain about the opening homestand average of 5,400+! I don't know about 10,000 for the Rowdies yet, that seems a bit out of range still. But with a good road trip, and a LOT of promotion by the team leading up to the game, maybe even the promise of some original Strikers on hand for pre-game activities, and they could very well meet or exceed opening night. Let's not get too crazy hoping for 10,000 crowds yet. Three months ago if someone had told us the team would average 5,400+ for the first two games of the season we'd have all gone insane with joy! LOL Let's enjoy the crowds, the atmosphere, the exciting games, and keep working to help the club grow this fanbase. The free tickets were a success if my experience was any indication of the bigger picture. The people I gave mine to were pumped and now can't wait to be back for the Rowdies in May. Facebook seems to have similar stories posted. The potential is really there for this to turn into something solid and long term. We all just need to keep doing our part now to get the word out and get even more people to Lockhart! Go STRIKERS!!!!!!!
Sun Sentinel article with photos. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/soccer/fl-strikers-minnesota-game-0416-20110415,0,7403125.story
Nice article. Good pics. Nothing in the Miami Herald on Saturday or Sunday. Was there anything published in the Palm Beach Post either day? We may have to start emailing some papers to let them know we'd like some coverage.