Well well well. What have we here? A rematch of one of the larger upsets in USOC over the past few years. I believe it was 2003 when the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL third division beat what was then called the Dallas Burn in Wilmington. Now, the teams meet in Dallas. And Dallas is a little bit better of a side. Dallas also has the weekend off in MLS, so they should be rested and hungry for this game. Any Hammerhead fans out there? Let's talk about the teams - players, formations, etc.
Well, Wilmington seems to be pretty solid. They beat an upset-minded Roma in the previous round, 5-0. Roma had thrashed their first two opponents 4-0 and 7-2, I think. They are 8-4-1 in USL2.
Like all matches where MLS teams are involved, it'll depend on how many starters show up and how much they care.
Wilmington always have a solid team and good support at home, They would ocmpete very well in USL D1 but haven't made the jump up. I think alot of it depends on what Dallas bring to the game. If they approach it as a reserve match I think Wilmington might be able to take it. personally I think it Charlotte that has the upperhand on Chivas and should be an interesting match. Mikey
I'm seriously rooting for both NC teams in this round. This will be fun following these games. Hey Josh - count me in for calling Charlotte!
Word around the campfire is that the USOC team Dallas plays will be a mix of reserves and starters. They have some young bucks who have been starting who will probably play and will add in some veterans who are backups but solid players (Jolley, Cassar, Talley). I think the depth of The Football Club will be apparent. Also, keep in mind that Dallas' coach, Colin Clarke, was with the team when Dallas lost to Wilmington - I doubt he's forgotten about that game. Same as Cassar. OTOH, they play New England on the road that following Saturday, which is MLS Nos. 1 and 2 - needless to say, a big game. From a Dallas perspective, I hope the team doesn't look too far down the road.
Nice to see a couple former Des Moines Menace players making impact for the Hammerheads. Leo Krupnik and James Gledhill both spent some time in Des Moines. I think Wilmington can win. They always seem to fair quite well in the tournament.
If the game were in Wilmington I think we would have a much closer match and could pull of the upset. The Port City Firm, nor any of the other fans I suppose can afford $300 airfare to Dallas so the Hammers won't have the 12th man unleashing hell on poor Dallas like the last time we played them in the Open Cup and no question Dallas has a better name, better uniforms and a much better side. It would really be an honor to have them play at Legion Stadium again. I was dissapointed when we didn't win the bid. Yet, the Hammers have been playing very well and have nothing to lose. I don't think we will be shut out and who knows the lads may just get through. Here's to a good match!
Agreed! I hate that these games are mid-weekers and often such long trecks that opposing supporters can't go. It would be great to see you guys in action.
That's the only sane comment regurgitated from your pie hole. The Super Hoops stand a very good chance to win plenty of hardware this season and FCD will be dammned if it were to allow some guppies from NC to come to Dallas and knock us out in this round. Try again next year. Your boys are going down hard in the Texas heat..... Cheers and Here's to a good match !
Wilmington is going to win this game. I'm not sure why you are talking trash on one of Wilmington's fans because he longs to watch the game and hopes for an upset. The Burn will lose again.
Huh? A fan shows some (maybe overly aggressive) pride in his team and you assume then that his team is going to lose? Don't get me wrong - it certainly can happen. But to assume so is just wishful thinking. Frankly, I'd say the same thing to someone who assumes Dallas is going to win, although you do have to admit a lot of the factors point in the home team's favor.
I'd have to disagree with something...Wilmington definitely has better uniforms than the Burn...err FC Dallas. Wilmington can win this game, this has been a light stretch for them, playoff position is all but wrapped up. Nothing to lose, and a game against Columbus in Wilmington with a victory. I don't see FCD trotting out Johnson or Ruiz for the match and Dallas is thin past #11. My prediction...first red card loses the game...and there will be a red card in the first 30 minutes.
Jr, Since you are about to loose your crap team, I will take it easy on you... This is the best record that FCD has ever accumulated and has the best team in MLS. I want you to understand that the operative word is TEAM. This team has had to endure close to 30 days w/o EJ & Ruiz and if you add Mulrooney to the mix the loss is even greater; yet, FCD manages to continue to improve and get better w/ our reserves that occupy the same pine bench that none of the hammerhead starting XI could even come close to touching. I also want to add the revenge factor, this will give FCD the opportunity to correct a mistake that took place a couple of years ago. FCD w/ the support of The INFERNO will ensure victory and not just victory but a trampling of serious order. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see any one of our young strikers slice the gut, spleen, heart, brain, eyes of the hammerhead with ea. and every subsequent goal. Then the limp carcas would be tossed in the hammerhead school bus and back to USL D2. FCD will then continue on its quest for a USOC championship, MLS championship, Supporters shield, and the holiest of grails The Brimstone Cup. I'm ready for some breakfast !
Whatever. The Inferno? Why not the FCers or something gay like your name? Dallas' reserves cannot beat Wilmington. You realize that top talent in the USL I and II rivals the talent of some MLS squads. And Wilmington does have top talent.
Nope, just your about to be gone MLS franchise. As for the talent on the USL.... These leagues are filled w/ MLS castoffs ! Granted some play pretty good ball, but the great majority are has beens and MLS trialist that could not hack it. Regardless, I believe that the talent pool that FCD has amassed will result in the Sharks heading their way back to NC with their tail fins on their hands
I admit that maybe Balonpie might be going a little too far with his adjectives and adverbs, but really now. That's rich - a KC fan, with rainbow colors, giving someone else stick for having a gay name. Pot calling kettle, black courtesy telephone please. Who (seriously) said that Dallas was going to play their reserves? Although, to be frank, considering that their "reserves" include current starters Aaron Pitchkolan (two goals), Abe Thompson (two or three), Roberto Mina (three goals), Drew Moor (shut out Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones), Jeff Cassar (probably should be starting in MLS), Arturo Alvarez (one goal), Steve Jolley (seven year starter in MLS who has played twice this year and shown that he hasn't lost it), and David Wagenfuhr (started the first seven games of the year and played well), if that is what you call reserves, then probably yes. Although that is a pretty good record of players who have been starters in MLS. Throw in starters Clarence Goodson, Ronnie O'Brien (arguably the league MVP at this point) along with original starter Carey Talley (who lost his starting spot to Aaron Pitchkolan and hasn't won it back yet), and I think that is a pretty stout team that will beat some MLS sides, let alone a team from the lower divisions. Lookit, can it happen? Sure. If the boys don't come to play, and W does, W can win. But this team hasn't had a flat game yet and every time they smell blood in the water, its all over. I don't doubt that Wilmington has top talent for USL II and they probably can compete in USL I. And as I said above, if the better team doesn't come to play, they can be beat. But let's not kid ourselves here. This isn't a shallow team W is playing here. Even most of the kids are battle-hardened vets in MLS. Oh, and top talent in USL I and II rivaling the talent of *some* MLS squads? Maybe. Maybe Chivas or Real (in fact, Real sure looks a lot like the Salty Dogs of a few years ago....) but not the established teams. And certainly not if they played in the league. A one-game playoff/knockout tournament? They can (and some will) be competitive. But I'd be surprised if more than three MLS teams lose to non-MLS sides.
eh tu Drum'r Boy, eh tu ? When the beaten squalid sharks head back to Wilmington they will regret entering the USOC tourney. The march back will be reminescent of Corregidor to Bataan, of Beau Gest in the deserts of Arabia, of the longest days ever imaginable.... "the horror, the horror" Jaws had a b-day party compared to what FCD will do to the sharks.... HEY KCWIZ relax man.... It's all razing in good fun! Nothing is personal and having a bye week doesn't help !
So what were all of you Dallas pricks saying last time you played Wilmington????? 4-1 DAMN!!!!! That was the upset of the cup if you compare divisions. If you compare teams Wilmington was far better than Dallas..... You guys can't say Jack Schitt til you get a W over Wilmington. Last time I checked it was Wilmington Hammerheads 1 and Dallas (what ever the team is called this week) 0 NUFF SAID
Dude, the differences between then an now - shall I count the ways? You were playing the worst team in MLS who wasn't playing their best players in your house - quite a trek. This time, you're playing one of the (if not THE) best team in MLS, in our house. How many players remain from that '03 team? Four. And while Balonpie has been free with his enthusiasm, I don't think he has ever called anyone names, so maybe you might want to think about chilling. Just a thought. Props for standing up for your team, but let's keep some perspective, eh?
Dear misguided soul, I appreciate your ardent support for your club, but you have yet to say anything about your team in 2005. What happened in the past remains in the past, let us concentrate in what will happen in the future... When you read your four page newspaper and get trough 3 pages of NASCAR coverage and read FC Dallas 3 Hammerheads 0. I would like for you to come to this board and apologize to every Hammerhead supporter you have managed to insult w/ your ignorant comments as a representative of said club.
Considering the lineups that we've trotted out there this season on our way to the top record in the league, this made me laugh.