Pre-match: Strikers @ Puerto Rico Islanders ::: NASL Semifinals Leg 1

Discussion in 'Fort Lauderdale Strikers' started by drSoFlaFan, Oct 5, 2011.

  1. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Semis!

    Strikers head to Bayamón, PR for the first leg on Saturday night, coming off that 5-0 thrashing of the Eddies.

    We tied (2-2, a game where we took the lead in the 89th only to cough it up in the 90th) there way back in April, and lost 3-1 in that meltdown game in July(Chacho's suspension, Coach Shore getting chippy with the PR announcers).

    But I think the boys are confident after the 3-1-1 finish to the regular season and the 5-0 whipping of Edmonton in the quarterfinal.

    At least a draw is essential coming home. There is no mention of the away goals rule on the NASL site in the playoff format section, so I imagine that does not matter. Come home even or with a lead and finish them off at Lockhart on the 15th!
     
  2. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was wondering something... why is the lower seed hosting the second leg?

    I mean, it's good for you guys, but why?
     
  3. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Islanders apparently chose to host the first game. Beats me as to why.
     
  4. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I believe they are hoping to maximize as much as possible the availability of their players. The Puerto Rican national teams hosts a CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match on Friday the 7th. I think Clarke is hoping that by being at home the next day, he'll have available any players that aren't used the night before. If they played this first game in Ft. Lauderdale, I don't think he'd have a chance for any of them to make it, or at least it would be much more questionable.

    I think it's a stroke of luck for the Strikers that not only will they not have their full compliment of players available, but they also have the advantage of the second leg at home. I have a question I haven't seen answered anywhere. If the Strikers and Stars both win, as the higher seeded team, will the Strikers have the choice of which leg to host?
     
  5. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Agreed, it's unfortunate that Faña and the Dominican are at home on the 7th as well, him having to fly back (more than a simple island jump) would make it more difficult to get minutes out of him.


    I can't fathom how that wouldn't be the case, but Arrieta might not be available for the first leg...if he wasn't given a multiple game suspension to begin with for his red card in the final regular season game.
     
  6. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=318

    Reading it, I don't see how the away goals rule is in force.


    Perhaps the best thing to happen to the team this season.
     
  7. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    I'm gonna have to figure out a way to watch the full video from the NASL website without finding out the score since I probably wouldn't get home from the USMNT game until there were 45 minutes left at best.
     
  8. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm watching the whole Strikers game on my iPhone. Sometime in the 2nd half of the USA game the Strikers match will start, so I'll fire up the ol' UStream app and watch from the seats. Then we'll watch in the parking lot afterwards.
     
  9. Heggis27

    Heggis27 Member

    Jun 24, 2006
    Florida
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    I thought about that, but having to drive home means I'd miss a good chunk of the action instead of being able to watch it all at once or possibly missing the ending. If I was going solo, it'd be doable.
     
  10. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Wait a minute. The game at Sun Life on Saturday is at 1 PM? That's what ESPN's schedule says. Is that right? Are all of you guys that are going to the game then going to the watch party at Duffy's after for the Strikers?
     
  11. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Where did you get that? It's not on ESPN.

    The USMNT match is on at 6pm on Fox Soccer.
     
  12. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Here is the link to ESPN's soccer scores page for Saturday. It shows the game as being a 1 PM start. I didn't think that was right. Just goes to show you yet again how little ESPN cares about aoccer coverage other than EPL.

    http://soccernet.espn.go.com/scores?cc=5901
     
  13. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I don't think I can make myself miss the Strikers game to watch the USMNT. I'm a Strikers fan first and foremost. Actually most of my life I've followed the German national team far more than the US one anyway. With the USMNT game probably not ending til about 8 PM, then driving all the way home to North Broward, I'd miss pretty much the entire game. I know the Ultras and Flight 19 guys want to have a presence at the USMNT game because they think it matters in the grand scheme of MLS possibilities, but I'm still not convinced it's as important as having 7,000 - 8,000 for the Strikers NASL semi-final, and if they make it, 10,000+ for the NASL finals. I think that would register more with MLS and possible MLS investors, be they Traffic or someone else. We have to prove North American club soccer works in South Florida through the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers ultimately before anyone gives us a real shot at MLS.

    I'll be watching you guys on tv though, cheering for the US. You guys going to be sporting Strikers colors in the stands?
     
  14. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not going because the I think showing up is important to help bring MLS back. I'm going because I'm a USMNT fan and they almost never come down here. If the Strikers were at home, then I'd be at Lockhart for sure. But thanks to the magic of my iPhone(RIP Steve Jobs) I can attend the USMNT game but still not miss any of the Strikers match.

    I agree S&M that supporting the Strikers is more important towards the goal of impressing MLS/investors. After all, what better way to show we would support a local MLS club team than to show great support for our current club team. The USMNT game is a better gauge than that Barça-Chivas game, as it features our domestic national team, who's fans are more likely to support a domestic club team as opposed to following a foreign club on TV. But it's still not as big as supporting the Strikers.

    As far as Strikers colors in the stands, since there will be both FCTB and Orlando City fans making the trip down, the leaders of the various US supporters from each market agreed that it would be best to keep club gear at a minimum to avoid any dust ups over that. We're all uniting in support of the USA(though I'll be wearing my Strikers hat for sure :D).

    However I believe the Strikers will be promoting the home leg on the 15th at the USA game, so hopefully we get a nice big crowd at Lockhart for that one.
     
  15. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've got to decide on $18 plus parking for the USMNT or $10 for the Strikers. I can't afford both. I'm leaning toward the Strikers even though I've been to every other USMNT appearance in SoFl I can remember (the former USSR, Colombia & Argentina) over the years & truly hate to miss another one. They are so few that each one must be cherished. If the Strikers were NOT playing, I'd have a ticket for Joe Robbie Stadium on Saturday already, but that's not the way things have played out.

    Kinda depressing, really....:(

    GO STRIKERS!!!!

    & USA....USA....USA!!!!

    I'll see all of you at one game or another.
     
  16. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've got an extra ticket for the Strikers game. It's yours if you want it.

    Hope that makes your choice a bit easier :cool:

    BTW if you want to sit with the Outlaws/supporters at the US game, put "STAND" in the special code field on the Ticketmaster event page(http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00472975E05280?artistid=821723&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=11)
     
  17. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  18. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    OOOOOPS!!!!!

    The wife just informed me that this evening through tomorrow evening is Yom Kippur. This is a biggie. I'll not be doing much of anything until Sunday because we'll be celebrating it on Saturday night (a day late, to be sure, but my son & his wife will be with her family Friday night, we'll get them Saturday night). I'm glad the Strikers are NOT at home this week-end. If they were I'd missed the game. Thanks for the offer & I'll see you one way or another next Saturday at Lockhart...:)
     
  19. brentgoulet

    brentgoulet Member+

    Oct 12, 2005
    PuertoPlata, DomRep
    and Strikers up 0-1 after 48 minutes
     
  20. brentgoulet

    brentgoulet Member+

    Oct 12, 2005
    PuertoPlata, DomRep
    now even 1-3

    Strikers have scored 8 goals so far in the playoffs
     
  21. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    MASSIVE result tonight! We are now in great position coming home with a 2 goal advantage. First home loss all year for the Islanders. Yeah they were handicapped with players being out/tied from international duty but I don't care! STRIKERS!!!!!!1!!!1!1!!!!

    USA won at Joe Robbie, Strikers win huge in PR, even the Panthers won their first game vs. the hockey Islanders 2-0! Wonderful evening!!
     
  22. brentgoulet

    brentgoulet Member+

    Oct 12, 2005
    PuertoPlata, DomRep
    Time to party ? ;)
     
  23. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  24. fusionmansteve

    fusionmansteve New Member

    Jun 9, 2000
    Waiting in Lockhart parking lot.....
    Club:
    Miami FC
    In the words of the late, great Jim "Mad Dog" Mandich.....

    "awwwwwwwriiiiiiiiiiighgghght Strikers!!!!!"

    Three beautiful goals. This team is on fire! Talk about peaking at the right time...
     
  25. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Talk about a flashback to the '60s!...;)

    Great score for the Strikers. And a half column write up in the Miami Herald along with a mention by Linda Robertson, both on page 9 of the Sports Section. Gotta be there next Saturday. Lockhart is the place to be that night.

    Go Strikers!!!!
     

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