Pre-match: Strikers vs. NSC Minnesota Stars ::: NASL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES LEG 2

Discussion in 'Fort Lauderdale Strikers' started by drSoFlaFan, Oct 23, 2011.

  1. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, it all comes down to this gang. The Strikers make their last stand at Lockhart this Saturday at 7:30 PM.

    Down 3-1 on aggregate it'll be a very tough task to take the title at this point. But we've seen some incredible things happen on the pitch at Lockhart over the years, let's hope the old girl has some more magic up her sleeve for Saturday night.

    The 3-0 defeat of Minnesota in June, the 3-0 handling of FCE in July and the later 5-0 drubbing of the Eddies in the playoffs are evidence of what the Strikers can do at home. They'll need to play pretty much perfect to win it.

    Regardless of the final outcome it should be a great night for soccer in South Florida, we are in the championship which in itself is a hell of an accomplishment, and heard that as of Saturday night they've already sold 5,000 tickets to the game. So we should be looking at the biggest crowd of the season.

    Hope to see everyone out there. Forget Wall Street, time to #OccupyLockhart! GO STRIKERS!!
     
  2. Petersontj

    Petersontj Member

    Jul 24, 2011
    NYC
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Wish I could be at this game! Best of luck to the Red and Yellow from NYC.

    3-1 is gonna be tough to overcome, but if anyone can do it, the Strikers can.
     
  3. Striker19

    Striker19 New Member

    Apr 25, 2011
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  4. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Well, no use bemoaning what is in the past overly much. The Stars played an excellent game, give them credit, and we were terrible. I think it was probably dumb of us to expect a continuation of the consistency we'd seen over the last three games. This team has not been solid all around four games in a row all year. We laid an egg, simlpe as that.

    All that said, we've seen the Strikers playing their best soccer of the year recently until last night, so that does give some hope. As does playing at home in front of what should be the largest crowd of the year. It's a difficult taks in front of them, but certainly not impossible. I don't think anyone is saying it's 100% over at this point. I'm a little surprised that the tickets sold isn't higher yet. I really thought we had a good shot at 10,000, and maybe we still do, but I'll be happy with our largest crowd of the year in the 7,500 range.

    I think Chacho is definitely done with this team. He has looked slow, and old, and the one asset he actually brought to the table still was his ability on set pieces. But even that has been lacking in the last two games. I think if Palacio is ready we see him back in Saturday. Perhaps we'll see Arrieta back in for Gordon too as I think Arrieta offers a little more on the attack than Gordon, and goals are what we need now.
     
  5. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Been meaning to post this, but kept forgetting before. Can someone talk to the Strikers FO and PLEASE get them to remove the football lines for the NASL final championship game? This team and this league need to get some legitimacy if they're ever going to succeed. Playing the league championship final on a field with football lines is embarassing. Hell, if they need volunteers to do something to make it happen, let me know, I'll be at Gate C Saturday morning to work!
     
  6. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Probably all of us would like this, but, Lockhart is administered by the Broward County School Board as a stadium for HS sports. I doubt they can afford to reline it for the final then reline it afterwards for HS football. I suppose that they'd do it if the Strikers would foot the bill, but, the Strikers are a Div 2 franchise in a marginal sport. I doubt if their budget could foot the bill.

    The day when the Strikers play a full season on a field that has markings only for the sport they play is the season that the Strikers play in a stadium they own. Consequently, learn to live with it & cheer for the Strikers. We're lucky to have 'em playing there at all, superfluous field marking or not.
     
  7. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    NASL and the Strikers probably won't feel compelled to either, especially since MLS allows some of its teams to play on fields with gridiron lines on them. Like the Revs.

    City was forced to play their final over gridiron lines, too. We had the MEAC/SWAC Challenge the next night, and they started putting the ad overlays on the field while our team was celebrating their title. You're simply not going to trump ESPN.
     
  8. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah the football lines suck, but without HS Football Lockhart probably would be long gone by now. It's something we'll have to live with for the foreseeable future.

    It's a shame they will probably be there for the final. Best we can hope for is the throwball lines faded away and the soccer lines in bright white as opposed to the secondary yellow. They don't play HS football there every week, I have no clue on the schedule, so maybe we get lucky and they are more subdued for the final.
     
  9. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    http://highschoolsports.sun-sentinel.com/2011/schedules/20111028/20111027

    Ely's playing Boyd Anderson at Lockhart Friday night.
     
  10. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  11. Newtbomb

    Newtbomb Member

    Mar 24, 2001
    South Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I keep thinking that the casual fan coming to this match might not understand the whole goals aggregate situation. I suspect there might be more than a few cheers from the under-educated crowd if the match ends 1-0 Strikers. I hope the announcer makes a point to inform everyone a few times during the match as to what the current aggregate is. Ideally, the scoreboard would reflect it, but I suppose that would make too much sense.
     
  12. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Just to add some interest to the occasion, Hurricane Rina should be affecting South Florida in some way this weekend, according to TWC site. It should not be a hurricane. It could be a tropical storm. Or, it could simply be another tropical rain event. In any and all cases it should have some effect, however slight, on the game Saturday night. Just what we don't need...:(
     
  13. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    TWC's 1100 report & forecast has Rina affecting the Keys & South Florida on Sunday or Monday with a near 0% chance of being a hurricane when it does whatever it may do. The forecast tracks for Rina for most of the models have it dissipating in the Gulf. Only one has it continuing beyond the Gulf and over southern Florida, down from 3, with the rest showing it muddling about western Cuba or the Eastern Gulf or back south to die in the Caribbean. It looks like we may have a decent night for the game...:)

    Now all we can do is hope for a Striker win by 3 or more goals & it will be perfect...:D

    GO STRIKERS!!!
     
  14. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Good article with video from media day at Lockhart.

    http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/soccer/fl-strikers-nasl-media-day-1027-20111026,0,2753467.story

    A few non-finals related tidbits from the article: Coach Shore is likely to return next year. Also:

     
  15. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Got my tickets for the game (3) today. Word I got was that we're around or over 7,000 sold so far. I could not get an answer about an online store, but I was told that a full line of Striker stuff would be available for next season. I'll save my pennies for my Striker Scarf being available for the season opener at the latest....;)

    TWC has it as a 40% chance of rain at Lockhart Stadium from 7pm on Friday until 9AM Saturday morning. We'll see how this changes over the next 24 to 48 hours...:)
     
  16. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Some heat and humidity, maybe even a few drops of rain, may hurt the overall crowd size, but we could use any advantage on the field that we can get. In the same way the brisk temps in Minny hay have affected the Strikers, some good 'ol South Florida weather might affect the Stars.

    7,000 tickets sold is great. Already better than the home opener. With a day and a half to go plus walk ups, I think we can hit 10,000.
     
  17. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    TWC maintains it's prediction of a 40% chance of rain from 5PM Friday into Saturday. That 40% is for all day Saturday until at least 9PM. We'll see.

    Hopefully, if it does rain it will not be a gator strangler like the one we had for the 1st FCTB game.

    Here's hoping for 8,000+ attendance.

    Go Strikers!!!
     
  18. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rina's remnant will affect us. We'll be getting rain from it today until Monday with the highest chance of rain on Saturday, up to 70%. Up to 5" of rain are expected in the southern 3rd of Florida this week-end with more possible.

    We just can't get a break from the weather. The Strikers selling many tickets seems to demand a deluge on game day....:(
     
  19. Prime Time

    Prime Time Member

    May 1, 2004
    South Florida
  20. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ready to tailgate tomorrow!

    [​IMG]
     
  21. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    The writer's from Coral Springs/Margate and has been to a few Strikers games...if it wasn't us I'm not sure they'd be giving NASL the same amount of attention, but I'm not going to complain.
     
  22. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Strikers 0 v 0 Minnesota

    Minnesota wins the championship 3-1 on aggregate. I did not stay for the trophy presentation...;)

    Rainy night. Someone tried to remove the gridiron from the field. Uprights for the goalposts were gone, too.

    The Strikers tried, but the 2 goal lead was too much for them. For all of that, thanks for the season guys. It was a pretty good one....:)

    ETA: The Sun-Sentinel reports the game had 6,489 in attendance....the largest crowd of the season...
     
  23. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers

    I believe it was 6700 for the opener. Unfortunately, the bigger the crowd, the bigger the let down this season. It's really a shame that the weather refused to cooperate this season from a marketing stand point.


    Minnesota controlled our midfield's ability to connect, in part due to the aggregate situation, and we couldn't come up with anything in the final third...it was a throw back to the lean months earlier in the season.

    My only consolation was being correct to wait to buy a jersey at $40 instead of $65 or $50...and no longer having to listen to the idiots behind me.
     
  24. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    According to the Herald the crowd was 6,849. I checked the Sun-Sentinels figure and it, too, was 6,849. Must have misread it when I found it @ midnight. If both newspapers are correct then the the 6,800+ would be the highest attendance of the season. Sadly, what might it have been on a nice fall Ft Lauderdale evening? It's quite possible the 8,000 to 9,000+ figure I heard when I bought my tickets could have been realized.

    The Herald also mentioned that we had many players forward that are 5' 6" to 5' 8" tall playing against a backline that had players 6' 3" to 6' 4" tall. Kinda hard to win the ball in the air against that group. Especially when Minnesota usually had 9 players in the area to defend. Not much room to maneuver then either. Smart play when you enter a game 2 goals up. It worked real good for them. Now a team that finished the regular season with more losses than wins are NASL champions.
     
  25. fusionmansteve

    fusionmansteve New Member

    Jun 9, 2000
    Waiting in Lockhart parking lot.....
    Club:
    Miami FC
    It was a heck of a ride this season...beyond anyone's expectations, although there were early signs that this incarnation of the franchise would be different.

    Think back to the early event on the beach, the parade, bringing Tim Robbie into the fold, even the team's logo/redesign--all done with great thought and respect for the original brand. Having 'The Big O' handle the in-game announcing...the pre-printed season tickets (with the old and new images of players)...pre-game festivities, an increased media presence on 640am and local tv/newspaper, etc.

    Outside of a bit more advertising, better weather and a little more size up front, I can't think of much that needs drastic improvement.

    Big props to the supporters groups and anyone who helped triple last year's average attendance-- you know who you are. I look forward to many more years of all this. Will there be challenges regarding personnel, stadium issues? Of course. But let's focus on our one, unifying theme....we hate Tampa FC!!!

    See you in April.
     

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