2006 Pre-Season Miami FC Official Thread

Being a non-South Florida resident, I basically been maintaining a communication line to Miami FC and updating this quasi-supporters website in hopes that someone local would want to actually create a supporters group. If you truly interested, PM/email me and we could work some details.

 

If anyone really wants to find out whats going on and represent soccer fans in South Florida, please attend this Press Conference today!!!!
(PM/Email me if you can go)

INAUGURAL PRESS CONFERENCE OF MIAMI FC

MIAMI FC WILL PRESENT PLAYERS AND EXCITING NEWS THIS TUESDAY, MARCH 14
PLACE:
Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel (near Miami International Airport) 711 NW 72nd Avenue Miami, FL 33131
TIME: 2:30PM
TOPICS:
-Official presentation and comments by Traffic Sports and Miami FC executives
-Official presentation and presence of players signed to date highlighted by Mario “El Loco” Rodríguez (GUA), Onandi Lowe (JAM), Diego Walsh (BRA), Stephane Guillame(HAITI), Sean Frasier (JAM)
-Announcement of signing of player from 1994 World Cup champion Brazil
-Announcement of training camp in Brazil from Wednesday, March 15 – Wednesday, April 5
-Announcement of pre-season match(es)
-Information about Miami FC’s home stadium, Tropical Park Stadium
-Ticket prices and other information
-Unveiling of official Miami FC Jersey

Celebration of our new team!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Members of the media will have the opportunity to interview executives and players after the press conference.

 

Thats so kool, I really hope this team is successful this season.

 

MIAMI FC HELD THEIR INAUGURAL PRESS CONFERENCE

MIAMI FC PRESENTED THE COACHES, PLAYERS AND SEVERAL IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS INCLUDING THE SIGNING OF A FORMER BRAZILIAN WORLD CUP CHAMPION

Miami, FL- March 14, 2006- This Tuesday at the Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel, new USL franchise, Miami FC, held their inaugural press conference, during which they presented the executives, coaches and players the club has signed thus far. The team also announced and presented the signing of a former Brazilian World Cup Champion.

Julio Mariz, the President of Traffic Sports (founder and owner Miami FC) greeted the people present at the Press Conference and spoke about how Traffic Sports came up with the idea of bringing professional soccer back to South Florida.

Luiz Muzzi, Miami FC General Manager, explained how Miami FC has implemented Traffic’s vision thus far including: selection of the coaching staff and players, pre-season in Brazil and pre-season matches.

After Muzzi’s comments, Miami FC introduced the following 16 players who have been officially signed to date including:

Goalkeepers
Hunter Gilstrap- Played 3 years at Clemson University and his senior year for College of Charleston.
Chris Doyle- Spent last three seasons with the Charleston Battery of the USL.

Defenders
Stephane Guillaume- International player from Haiti, he played for Colorado Rapids of the MLS in 2005.
John Ramos- Veteran defender who played in Germany and for various teams in the U.S., including the Miami Fusion.
Michael Erush- Played for the U.S. National Team at the Under-14 and Under-17 levels and now joins Miami FC from Chivas USA.
Tre Lee- Tre is a student and soccer player at the University of California at Riverside. In 2004 he received an honorable mention from the Big West Athletic Conference.
John Paul (“JP”) Rodrigues- Miami FC’s first pick of the 2006 USL Draft. In 2005 he played for the PDL’s Nashville Metros and Belmont University and was named Atlantic Sun Conference defender of the year.

Midfielders
Mario Rodriguez- Guatemalan international. He arrives from Guatemalan champion side, Municipal. He is one of the better known players in his country. In 2005, he played for the Columbus Crew in the MLS.
Diego Walsh- Brazilian. He was the first pick of the 2003 MLS Draft. During the last three years he played for the Columbus Crew and the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS.
Pedro Power- He is a Bolivian-American from Miami. In High School, he led Braddock Senior High to the Regional Semifinals. In College, he was the leading scorer for Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania.
Artie Bartholomew- In 2005 he played soccer in Belgium. In college he played one year for Washington, and his last three for Penn.
Sean Fraser- He is an international player from Jamaica. He is arriving to Miami FC from Jamaican side, Harbor View.
Fabian Sandoval- In 2005 he played for Bakersfield Brigade in PDL. He is a Mexican-American who graduated from Cal State Bakersfield.

Forwards
Onandi Lowe- He is a Jamaican international who was part of the “Reggae Boyz” that represented Jamaica in World Cup 1998 in France. He arrives to Miami FC from Jamaican side, Portmore United.
Luc Harrington- He was the captain and leading scorer for the University of California, Riverside.
John Pulido- Colombian. Player for and graduated from Florida International University. Played for FC Dallas in 2005.

The team also announced that the following two players who have been invited to participate in the team’s preseason in Brazil where they will be evaluated by the coaching staff:

Walter Ramirez- He is Honduran and played the Copa Latina with Real Honduras.
Oscar Gil- He is Colombian and played the Copa Latina for American United.

Miami FC then revealed the signing of the Brazilian 1994 World Cup champion. Julio Mariz, Luiz Muzzi and his teammates greeted him and presented him with the Official Miami FC jersey. For more information on this player, please see the separate press release which covers his signing in detail.

To conclude the press conference, Miami GM, Luiz Muzzi, spoke about the team’s pre-season in Brazil, the home of Miami FC - Tropical Park, the inaugural home match on Sunday, April 16 at 4PM vs. Portmore United (Jamaican and Caribbean Champion), the regular season home opener vs. Montreal Impact on Sunday April 23 at 4PM and ticket prices:

Reserved Seating: $25
East Stands:$15 (adults)$8 (children)
West Stands:$10 (adults)$6 (children)

 

MIAMI FC ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF A WORLD CUP CHAMPION

ZINHO, 1994 WORLD CUP CHAMPION WITH BRAZIL ARRIVES IN MIAMI TO LEAD NEW CLUB, MIAMI FC

Miami, FL, March 14, 2006- Miami FC announced today the signing of Brazilian midfielder, Zinho, World Cup winner with Brazil in the 1994 World Cup.

Crizam Cesar de Oliveira Filho, better known as “Zinho”, is the new and stellar addition to the only professional soccer club in South Florida. The 38-year-old player was key in leading the star-filled Brazilian midfield that won the World Cup USA 1994. Zinho started alongside world-renowned Romario, Bebeto, Dunga and Taffarel in all of the 7 games that culminated in Brazil’s fourth World Cup championship.

During his soccer career, Zinho played 50 games for the Brazilian National Team scoring 6 goals and recording countless assists.

On a national and Latin American level, Zinho is one of the most successful players in the history of soccer, having won the most important soccer titles in Brazil and the entire region, most on more than one occasion. His long list of titles includes: five Brazilian Championships, three Brazilian Cups, one Copa Libertadores, one Copa Mercosur, three Rio de Janeiro state titles, and two Sao Paulo titles.

Zinho is particularly adored by the Flamengo fans, the club with the most followers in the world. He helped them win the 1987 and 1992 Brazilian Championships and recently returned to start for the team until December 2005.

This talented midfielder also played for Palmeiras club in Brazil where he won the Brazilian Championship in 1993 and 1994 and Copa Libertadores in 1999.

More recently, Zinho won the Brazilian Championship with Cruzeiro in 2001.

On an international level, Zinho, as well as many of his Brazilian teammates from the World Cup USA 1994, played in the Japanese-A League. From 1995 to 1997 he stared on the Yokohama Flugels, one of the most successful teams in the Japanese league.

 

Photos of the press conference to come.

And in case you missed it in my posts:
Reserved Seating: $25
East Stands:$15 (adults)$8 (children)
West Stands:$10 (adults)$6 (children)

 

Well I am a RSL fan too, so maybe the soccer gods decided to go easy on me this year.

And yes the Jerseys were unveiled. I should be posting them sometime today.

 

From another MFC fan who attended the press conference:
I hope to purchase season tickets when they go on sale on March 23. Their website will also be fully functional by that time too. http://www.miamifc.com

The field is being worked on: They are replacing the grass which was Bermuda Grass with some good Jamaican stuff. I think its called "celebration grass"!

 

I did not attend, but I have a great network of contacts in Miami, including several MFC staffers.

As for the Mariz comment, I believe he was referring to the large Latin population in South Florida, left vacant by the Fusion. He also spoke about the market being large enough for 2 USL teams (ie return of the Strikers next year).

 

More press conference pictures here:
www.soflastrikers.com/miamifc