retired_terragyrl

FC United of Boston

Brand new MLS franchise FC United of Boston today announced their new manager. Young manager Brian Lofrumento was all smiles today at his unveiling press conference in front of a large mass of media at Foxboro Stadium.
"Today is a new era in Boston sports," exclaimed Lofrumento. "The Red Sox have brought many smiles to baseball fans, the Celtics had their day, but FC United of Boston will bring joy to all sports fans in the Boston area."
Lofrumento went on to reveal that he was sad to see the old-look MLS go, but was insistant that he would make sure the new Boston area club moves forward from the recent success Steve Nicol had built with the Revolution. Lofrumento certainly tried to get these fans on his side in the draft as he picked up fan favorite Clint Dempsey in the second round. It is worthy to be noted that FC United of Boston is the team with the lowest wages, most salary cap space, and the most domestic players on the roster, with only two foreigners in the entire squad. Below is a break down of the players picked for the new look FC United of Boston:

Round 1 Pick: Giuseppe Rossi This young and quick forward will provide FC United of Boston many goals for quite a few years to come. The former Man Utd player has been asked by Bruce Arena to appear for the United States in the coming World Cup, and playing on this team will undoubtedly help with that. Rossi is expected to be utilized in a squad rotation system up top until he is ready for consistent starts.

Round 2 Pick: Clint Dempsey Dempsey is one of the two remaining Revolution players left in the Boston area. He saw his teammates get thrown around the new league, including poor Shalrie Joseph getting shipped all the way to Alaska. Dempsey is expected to pay a prominant role in the FC United attack. He is definitely a man the FC United fans can expect consistency out of.

Round 3 Pick: Edson Buddle This former Columbus Crew striker is expected to partner with Dennis Bergkamp up top. The young yet proven striker can win balls in the air as well as use power and pace to get past defenders. We expect Buddle to be a face in Boston for at least a few more seasons.

Round 4 Pick: Brad Davis Lofrumento singled out Davis as one of the picks he wanted to make sure he got. Davis is expected to have a lock down on the left-midfield spot in Lofrumento's side. "We don't need a Ryan Giggs when we have Brad Davis." Expect Davis to play an integral role in the Boston side for years to come.

Round 5 Pick: Jose Burciaga Jr In round five we saw Boston select yet another left sided player, this time in the defense. It is obvious Lofrumento is looking to work his team down the flanks, and Burciaga is the man to do this. A solid performer in the old MLS, Burciaga will probably take the left defense spot as his own.

Round 6 Pick: Jeff Parke Every team needs a utility player, and Boston is counting on Parke to play that role. Twenty-two year old Parke can play anywhere across the back line and Boston fans must be pleased about his versatility.

Round 7 Pick: Tamandani Nsaliwa Boston fans may not know a lot about this young Canadian player, but Lofrumento has high expectations for the former Saarbrucken player. He may be a hidden gem, and we can expect him to play some role in the right side of this Boston side.

Round 8 Pick: Nat Borchers Borchers was a very crucial pick to Lofrumento's plans. It was always known that Borchers was going to be a mid-draft pick, and Lofrumento has revealed that he is ecstatic Borchers landed in Boston. Several other managers have expressed an interest in Borchers but instead they can now watch him play against their own teams. There could be an interesting defensive partnership between Borchers and veteran Ehiogu.

Round 9 Pick: D.J. Countess Every team needs a good goalie, and that is exactly what young Countess is. Touted by the media to be in the Tim Howard mold, Countess will most likely start the season as FC United of Boston's number two keeper.

Round 10 Pick: Joshua Gros Josh Gros is another utility player in the side. The former DC United man can play either left or right midfield, and Boston is expected to take full advantage of his versatility.

Round 11 Pick: Brian Carroll Carroll joins former teammate Gros in potential midfield spots. He is widely expected to be groomed as the team's defensive midfielder for the future, so look for him to feature here in some games. The question remains as to whether or not this is where his future is. Lofrumento has given minor hints about the availability of Carroll in a trade for a proven and experienced midfielder. Carroll is an excellent prospect for the future, no matter where he ends up.

Round 12 Pick: Mike Magee Magee is another of Lofrumento's young American prospects. Magee can play in both an attacking mid role and a position up front. It is yet to be seen where he will feature in this Boston side, but rest assured he will be here for the forseeable future.

Round 13 Pick: Zach Thornton "Big Zach" is widely touted as this season's number one at Boston. Backed up by Countess, Thornton must be on his toes throughout the season. "If his fitness gets in the way, we won't let Zach get in the way; out the door he will go," warned Lofrumento. For now, Thornton will occupy the net in front of Lofrumento's back four.

Round 14 Pick: Ugo Ehiogu Round fourteen finally saw Boston choose a non-domestic player. Ehiogu is a player who will add much needed grit and determination to the back four. As one of the most experienced players in the side, Lofrumento will count on Ehiogu to lead by example. Perhaps the second most exciting player we will see on a regular basis in Boston this season.

Round 15 Pick: Dennis Bergkamp Former Arsenal striker is without a doubt the most exciting player in this Boston lineup. He will put fans in the stands while serving as club captain and probable leading goalscorer. Bergkamp rounded out Lofrumento's two non-domestic players and will perhaps be the most important player of the season. Boston fans must hope, however, that Bergkamp can keep his fitness throughout the season as they do not want to see their captain out for long stretches of the season.

Round 16 Pick: James Riley Young Riley, fresh out of Wake Forest, made ripples around the Boston media last season with the Revolution. He is expected to do the same this year in the same environment, only this time under new manager Brian Lofrumento. Picked in round sixteen, Riley could turn out to be the most valuable pick of the round. He can play many different positions, from defense to attacking mid. Riley is an exciting prospect down the flanks.

Round 17 Pick: Brian Dunseth Dunseth is a former Revolution player that has jumped around MLS for quite a few seasons before landing himself in Salt Lake. Now he is back in Boston and is expected to play a large role throughout the season in the Boston defense.

Round 18 Pick: Davy Arnaud Lofrumento didn't expect to see Arnaud still available this late into the draft, but he has told sources that he was delighted. Arnaud is expected to take a spot in the right side of midfield and serve as a Solskjaer-type of player. Arnaud is tipped to play more than an average role in the squad this season.

FC United kicks off preseason shortly and Lofrumento has hinted at making a couple more signings. He has also announced to the league that if anyone is looking to trade one of their midfielders, Lofrumento is interested. "No matter what happens, however, I would like to keep the American feel to this team. I feel that having only two non-domestic players will allow my players to gel and give us the edge over other teams who have simply thrown players together."

retired_vallem733529

Marquette Iron Rangers Recap


The Iron Rangers showed off their league favorite form by easily disposing of Nashville. The scoring started off with a unlikely goal scorer. Michael Klukowski netted it form just out side the penalty area. Later in the first DaMarcus Beasley beat the defender and nicely set up Emad Moteb for a goal. Things were going smoothly but in the second half Nashville started to get a little pressure with some of the better players on the bench. Pat Noonan managed to get one by eventual man of the match Oliver Kahn. It was a game that Marquette probably should have got one more goal at least.

In other news to fill out the team the Iron Rangers made the following transations

Released
Jaime Moreno

Signed
Hunter Freeman: DRC American
Edgar: DML Angolan American
Kevin Taylor: Right Midfielder American
Matt Nickell: Attack Central Midfielder/Forward American
Demetrius White: MC American
Jesus Ochoa: Right Midfielder Mexican American.
Roy Lassiter: Striker American
Dan Antoniuk: Striker American
Jamar Beasley: Striker American
Said Ali: Striker Canadian
Niels Dekker: Central Midfielder Dutch American


Of course Marquette’s manager E.T. Allen was never at a loss for words in the post game press conference.

Q: How do you feel about the performance against Nashville.

A: I was very disappointed we got a win but once we got the 2 goal lead we took it easy on them instead of going for the throats. The team took it easy on them and it could have cost us. This should have easily been a 4-0 game. Because of use laying back we are lucky this did not end up a draw. Kahn saved us at some key moments. Kahn deserved the man of the match. It is very unfortunate our team could not give him the clean slate he deserved. Nashville should have been a lot easier game the fact we only won 2-1 worries me.

Q: How do you feel about being the favorites?
A: To be honest, I thought we should be at least 5-1 favorites. Our team is head and shoulders above the best team. We just got to live up to the potential. We should win about 95% of our games.

Q: Rumor has it that Killy Gonzalez, got upset at your assistant manager at a friendly game. Is there any truth to this.

A: Yes,there is Killy was a bit upset about not being able to play enough in the friendly. We sat down and talked about it and I admire him being upset about not having enough playing time. It’s the sign that he is the type of player I want a true warrior.

retired_terragyrl

Disappointing Start for the Northmen

A packed house of over 27,000 fans came to the New Liskeard home opener, braying for the visiting Toronto Syclones blood. The Toronto franchise 'enjoys' the distinction of being the most hated rival of the Northmen.

"Toronto scum,"muttered one fan before kick-off,"We're sick of them acting like bigshots, thinking they run the entire country. Where would they be without our natural resources, eh? But do we ever get a say? No. I hope we break each and every one of their player's legs."

Apparently, politics would rule the day, as the recent bitterly contested National Election still foremost in most fan's minds. The situation is perhaps best likened to as one fan put it, "A very small tail wagging a very large dog." It seems the dog, (ie. rest of Canada), is getting very sick of it indeed.

If salvation was on the fans' mind, with a fair measure of payback thrown in for good measure, than it came as no surprise when fans started heading for the exits, halfway through the second half.

The visiting Syclones came out strong, seemingly immune from the vitirul being hurled their way from the stands. They put their stamp on the game early, and Stu Hopkins' and his Northmen looked increasingly disjointed and unorganised as the first half wore on.

The inevitable first goal came off of a strong volley from the Syclones' Argentine midfielder Claudio Husain. The Argie was given acres of space and time and he capitalised with a rocket from outside the area. Thirty-six minutes in, and the Northmen's season opener appeared desperate indeed.

The goal took the partisan crowd out of the match, and the fans seemed as confused as their heroes on the pitch. At halftime the whistle mercifully blew, and fan and player alike, were grateful to escape facing only a one goal deficit.

Fresh from a tongue lashing from the gaffer and a reworked, more solid formation, the Northmen set about the second half with renewed purpose. Bossing the ball seemingly at will, they created countless opportunities around the Toronto goal, only to continually blaze the ball skywards over the net. The chances scorned came back to haunt them as Toronto forward Ryan Jarvis flew away on the counterattack and scored a marvelous goal past a flapping Blazek. Sixty-six minutes in...0-2.

This was not the match the New Liskeard fans had come hoping to see. As one, they rose and strode for the exits. No great believers in miracles, these Northern fans.

The belated introduction of young Freddy Adu finally ignited the New Liskeard attack, and the snakebit side finally solved the Toronto keeper, albeit too late to change the outcome of the match. Atibi Hutchinson bundled home the goal, after a nifty move orchestrated by Adu and a goal mouth scramble. 1-2 on Eighty-six minutes.

All in all, a poor first game for the Northmen. The players displayed none of the passion and appreciation for the magnitude of the game that their fans did. It'll be interesting to see if the fledging franchise is able to sell any tickets for their remaining games. If the customers are deciding their purchase based on last night's performance, the stands will be very empty indeed.

GK Blazek 6
DC Waibel 6
DC Parkhurst 6 (sub 76 min - Pulhac)
DC Marshall 6 (sub 63 min - Kutschau)
MC Hutchinson 8 (goal 86 min)
MC Mastreoni 7
MR Poborsky 7
ML Huckerby 7
AM Hume 7
FC Shearer(capt) 7
FC Radzinski 7 (sub 63 min - Adu)

retired_mallory08

And They're Off!!

The final days in the run up to the season saw Coach Clark add the final trimmings to his squad ahead of what is sure to be a keenly contested inaugural season of the New MLS.

Clark brought in several low key signings and gave some players a first, second or even third chance to impress at this level. Veteran Robin Fraser, 39 years old, was unable to retain his place due a miscalculation in the cap allowance, not by Clark, but by the MLS. It seems Clark’s Kaiser’s will be held accountable to this typo all season – shaving nearly $2000 a week, or $104,000 off their annual wage budget.

‘********’ said Clark. “That cost us a true veteran, an ambassador of the game. Robin wasn’t guaranteed a starting role, but his presence in the lock room would have been priceless.”

Several others were cut along with journeyman striker Jacob Coggins, who never justified his inclusion in the pre-season squad after a nominal transfer from Charlotte.

Clark opted to go with just two goalies for the early part of the season, surely with Brad Freidel and Kevin Hartman to choose from, a third keeper would just rot in the reserves. “Of course, we’re hoping to stay injury free in that position else we could quickly find ourselves in trouble”.

So, Clark dispatched 9 youngsters to the reserves in order to gain more experience – Jacob Lensky, Fabrice Noel, Christopher Greer and Ramon Nunez being the cream of the class. All will likely see action through the course of this season – especially when the World Cup Call Ups hit home in June.

The Kaiser’s were drawn away to Muskegon for their opener. That would be followed by three home games and a chance to start the season off on the right footing. The bookies liked Kentucky to take it all, but in a new league where the talent was spread very evenly, the was little between them. Alaska and North Liskeard were disrespected at 1000-1, and no doubt will be motivated even more by this. Marquette apparently hold the edge in the eyes of the bookies – they alone stood at 8-1, ahead of the pack at 10-1 that included the Kaisers.

So, Round 1 was here, pre-season had gone well, a tour of Peru hadn’t seen any major injuries and match sharpness was beginning to return for the players. The opening day roster was as follows:

GK – Brad Freidel ©
DR – Chris Albright
DC – Aaron Galindo
DC – Jimmy Conrad
DL – Marko Lomic
MR – Brian Mullan
MC – Claudio Reyna
MC – Julian de Guzman
ML – Christian Rodriguez
FC – Eddie Johnson
FC – Pedro Junior

The Kaiser’s blazed out of the game, Claudio Reyna scoring the first goal in the league’s new chapter after just 34 seconds. However, they couldn’t keep the foot on the gas and allowed the Mismatch back into the game before the half. The final whistle blew without a change in the score and the Kaiser’s first game ended with an away point, good enough to keep Al Clark happy.

Jimmy Conrad alone stood out and was the Kaiser’s best man. Clark will expect more from Mullan and Galindo who failed to impress and were replaced in the second half.

So, a point on the road and now home for a 3 game homestand. The KK have a chance to cement their intentions in the coming weeks. Clark is confident it will happen "In the Bag" he blasted to a random passer by.

retired_spaulsen

Stunning Hat-Trick Debut for Rivaldo

After an eternity's worth of anticipation, the new MLS season finally kicked off. The Texas Longhorns visited Chicago for their opener against Nerdington Express. In front of 17,508 spectators, the opening minutes of the match had good flow to it and was entertaining. In the 19th minute, Brazilian legend Victor Borba Rivaldo got onto the end of a nice pass and slotted home from fairly close range to give the Longhorns the lead. In spite of conceeding the opener, Nerdington looked like they would make a fight of it anyway, or at least that was the case until the 27th minute. The Nerdington defense was caught off guard by a countering long ball to Brazilian forward Bruno. Nerdington's worldy veteran defender Paulo Maldini found himself in a compromising position, committed the last-man foul in the box, and was sent off by referee Richard Heron. It was not the debut that the classy Italian had desired. Rivaldo had no problems converting the penalty, putting Texas up by two. Now down a man, Nerdington had trouble threating the Texas rearguard, and the Horns controlled the match for the most part. And in the second half, who else but Rivaldo completed the victory with his third goal. The #10 dribbled the ball well, before firing home from the edge of the area with his deadly left foot. The game ended 3-0 in Texas' favor.

Speaking afterwards, Texas manager Ryan Thompson said he was happy with his team's showing. "Nerdington are a good team, so obviously I'm delighted that we could win 3-0. Rivaldo was brilliant, but we already knew of his world class talent. The team played well as a whole, even if it may seem as if it was all Rivaldo out there to someone who did not see the game. He certainly deserves credit though. What an amazing way to start off his MLS and Texas career! Now I'm looking forward to our home opener."

When asked about the Alaksa Artic Wolves being 1000-1 longshots to win MLS, Thompson said, "That's ridiculous. They're a much, much better team than that. I don't know who comes up with these odds, but they clearly should be ignored. It is stupid to pick a winner before the season starts anyway, especially in a league like ours. Marquette are favorites to win it all? Well, we'll see about that."

In other news, Texas made a few roster moves to add depth to the squad. Additions included Nelson Akwari, Craig Capano, Antonio de la Torre, Tim Regan, and Jack Jewsbury.

retired_hellokity111

Roster Complete and A winning Start for Vancouver

As pre season friendlies progressed, Vancouver managed to pick up a couple of back up keepers to ensure that injuries did not deplete the most difficult position to replace in football.

With the original draft only providing one right sided full back for Vancouver, young Chris Williams was brought in. He doesn't count towards the cap this season but he may find himself leave after this year if Vancouver make some big signings.

Additional midfield help came in as well with experienced anchor Marco Feruzzi was picked up on a free transfer and youngsters Jason di Tullio and Greg Victor. Victor was a suprise addition but his versatility in playing full back as well as midfield positions should make him a valuable asset.

Finally, a striker Chad Barrett overcame his doubts in joining the club after meeting with the coaches and getting a chance to take a look at the facilities. The youngster is likely to be a good squad player, seeing action in place of starters Carlos Ruiz and Taylow Twellman from time to time.

The first match of the season saw Vancouver travel to Rochester to face the Kings who had recently added much sought after Ben Olsen to their squad in addition to the likes of Ebbe Sand, Christian Gomez and Christian Nerlinger. EArly on and against the run of play, Vancouver caught the Rochester defense napping when Taylor Twellman latched onto a through ball from Gaven and put Vancouver up. A few minutes later, Jay-Jay Okocha blasted a ball from outside the box and Vancouver were well on their way.

In the second half, a defense splitting run by Okocha made the third goal as his feed to Alan Gordon in the middle was converted easily. This goal ensured victory for Vancouver, despite Ronnie O'Brien's goal late score on a defensive error.

Facing rivals Alaska in the next round of matches, Vancouver will look for another win. Despite being written off by the media, Alaska certainly have some potential threats and Vancouver will have to be careful to get the win.

retired_terragyrl

Back to Basics

...came the cry...as the Northmen sullenly licked their wounds following their disappointing 1-2 loss to the Toronto Syclones. The New Liskeard manager had been harshly criticized for his tactics following the lifeless surrender, and had adjusted his tactics in response to the howls of derision.

'3-5-2? What kind of continental manger are you?' came the howls from the stands. The criticism was harsh in the weekly northern paper. 'Northmen beaten by southern patsies' rang the headlines. 'New Liskeard...home of the tactically inept' became the new official slogan of the MLS head office.

The catcalls were heard and obeyed. Out the window went the attacking, positive football. In ventured the dour 4-4-2 formation. No longer playing to win, the Northmen were determined not to lose. With this mindset, they ventured south to
Boston.

Within five minutes, the Northmen found themselves trailing by two. That Rossi kid, formerly from Man Utd, had done them in.

I wish I could relate the tale of how the Northmen had battled back against the odds and slayed the mighty Boston beast. Alas...I cannot. The unholy Bergkamp arose and snatched two more for the FC United of Boston. 4-0...final score.

The Liskeard boss was at least philosophical after the loss. Fuuuuuccccccdddddggggeeeee." he shrieked incoherently. The pairing of two 20 year olds at the heart of the defence was reconsidered. Changes were once again in order for the beleagured Liskeard side. Just in time to face the dreaded Vancouver club.

Perhaps the pairing of a youngster in defence with the venerable Pablo Mastreoni would solve the crisis of defence for the Northmen. Surely that, and playing a slow central defender as an attacking left defender, would slay the Vancouver visitors.

But the visitors were ready for the tactical manouverings; indeed they made plenty of their own. The Liskeard boss found himself unable to rise up to the tactical challenge. (although, truth be known, a highly suspect offside call on a Radzinski
goal, altered the match considerably).

The Northmen fell once again...0-2. This made it 3 losses on the trot. Such soccer mismanagement had not been seen this side of Graeme Souness. The Liskeard gaffer was inconsolable,"Fuuuuccccddddggggeeee."he railed.

The match became a turning point for the Liskeard club. No longer would the gaffer heed the shouts for 'proper football' or a return to the good old 4-4-2.

The Northmen traveled to the ugliest ground in the MLS. The home of the ugliest central middies...and the ugliest manager.

The Et led Marquette Iron Rangers, playing on their ungodly artifical turf; playing with their unholy defensive mids...messrs Davids and Keane.

They targeted Mr. Shearer from the start. Alan was subjected to the kind of abuse he only usually got from the missus. Alan was taken off for his own safety 30 minutes into the game. But the damage had already been done. The Northmen were, surprisingly, in the lead. Two goals to the good.

The manager promptly changed his tactics for the remainder of the game. The scoreline was no longer important. What was important was to injure Roy Keane. But, at this, the Northmen failed. They did however manage to cart off both keeper
Olivir Kahn and Kili Gonzalez. Both would miss subsequent matches.

In the end, the Northmen held off the Rangers for a 3-2 decision. But the win was apparently not enough for the gaffer.

"Fuuuuccccccdddddggggeeeeeee!"he screamed. "Let me tell you something,'he said,"Those animals are lucky I don't play anymore; cause if I did, there wouldn't have been a single Ranger walking off the field tonight...they'd all be on stretchers...starting with ET."

The Northmen continued their travels as they faced the Alaskan side a week later. In a surprisingly development, the gaffer appeared to tactically outclass his opponent Russ. The tough tackling and long ball game worked no wonders against a hardened Liskeard side.

"What's the Crazy Gang without Vinnie Jones?"sneered the gaffer,"I'll tell you...a load of talentless Canadians fruitlessly hoofing the ball away."

The manager's bravado masked the danger that the counterattacking Alaskan side had posed. Jim Brennan and Rob Friend in particular giving the Liskeard side fits all game.

But at the end, the 2-0 scoreline was a good indicator of how the match had played out.

Five games in, and the Northmen had garnered two wins against three losses. Quite a change from the dire predictions that had followed the opening three games.

No longer were shouts of 'Hopkins is dead' ringing from the stands at the Widowmaker. They had turned into, 'Stu sus is just alright' to the tune of the old Doobie Brothers song.

Into this cauldron of optimism, the visiting Rochester team walked in...like lambs to the slaughter. Happily for the Northmen, the Rochester team was experiencing a goaltending crisis, as all 3 of their goalies had contrived to get themselves
injured at the same time. This led to them fielding a 'grey' goaltender.

Within 5 minutes, the previously snakebitten Shearer had registered a hattrick. At twenty minutes, the striker had lept into the stands to celebrate his fourth of the match. When he finally returned to the field at the stroke of halftime, the issue
had already been decided. 5-1 at the half.

The gaffer sportingly went into a defensive shell for the remainder of the match as the Rochester keeper was clearly overmatched at this level. 5-2 final score.

Several things had become apparent six games into the year. Young YI Pulhac was a much better attacking mid than he was a central defender or left back. Freddy Adu at (15!), was a valuable option off the bench. Leonard Griffin was a great attacking left defender,(at least better than the previous 3 trialists at that position). Darren Huckerby and Karel Poborsky had better get their act in gear or they'd find themselves out by the next transfer window. Atiba Hutchinson was head and
shoulders above anyone else on the team, (5 goals!...from mid!) Two young DC's...does not a great defence make.

But what was most apparent, was that the return engagement with those hated Toronto Syclones, was of the utmost importance.

"Toronto..."spat out the gaffer,"Are going down."

retired_mallory08

Woeful

The Kaisers were crap. After a promising start.....two draws, one on the road and one against league favourites Marquette, the KK nose dived largely because of a famine infront of goal.

No player has caught fire up front for the blues and he endured two successive games where the team finished down a man, both contibuting to reversals at home.

The 6 game winless streak reads X-X-L-L-L-X, with the final draw against Nerdington, Clark's men have now failed to score more than a single goal in five of their 6 contests and that only spells trouble. KK are the only team in the league without a win.

"We've got a young squad" said Clark, "I didn't realise how young until the chips were down. Our starting line-up has 5 kids starting who aren't old enough yet to drink in this country. Three quarters of our squad is like that".

Of course, this could be a problem of his own making. "Sure, this is the team I drafted, but we've had a couple of injuries - to Freidel and Reyna - early on that robbed our side of some of the key veterans. I still stand by my draft picks and I know we'll be very strong for years as a result. However, I'm not satisified with rebuilding and we're just simply going to have to improve."

The DC position has been especially frustrating for Clark..."Conrad has sealed his place, but it seems no one else wants to step up to the plate and lock down the other starting berth. I've already tried Galindo, Ridgewell and Hernandez and all have looked shaky. Defence hasn't looked good, I think Lomic may need some reserve games before he's fully ready for this level. And he's not alone...."

So, more questions than answers for the Kaisers and Clark isn't ignoring his role in this "I've got to settle on a formation and stick with it. We are playing a very open, attacking style, with the right personnel - on paper anyways - yet either we create no chances, or we squander the ones we do. With the quality we have in the side this just isn't acceptable. We've had a half dozen games now and I think I know who is going to be my starting side. Unfortunately, that means we're likely going to have to deviate from my preferred position. "

"It's too early to panic buy, but I'm going to keep one eye on the transfer market. I need to get my scouts out far and wide. Just incase."

retired_lappel

FC United of Boston - Kickoff to the Season

After an undefeated preseason, FC United of Boston finally got the season underway. Manager Brian Lofrumento made three signings to the squad before the first kickoff, however, and he sees them as filler players. "Vagenas, Preki, and Doug Warren. All three are very capable players that can definitely fill in when needed. Preki could turn out to be a crucial signing as he can fill in anywhere in the midfield. Hopefully we won't have to use Warren as he is our third string goalie. If it comes to that, though, we have adequate cover and I would have no hesitations playing him there. As for Pete, he's a professional, he knows his job."
Game One Boston started the season on the road all the way in Alaska. The first match of the season went to plan for Lofrumento as he saw his two main players open the season in winning fashion. Youngster Giuseppe Rossi got the season rolling as he slotted home from close range in the 24th minute. Bergkamp then rounded out the scoring in the 46th minute with a typical finish. Final score: Boston 2-0 Alaska.
Game Two In Boston's home opener, things couldn't have gone better. The youngsters on the squad came out on all cylinders firing as they settled the game after 30 minutes. Rossi recorded a brace as he slotted home twice in the 4th and 22nd minutes while Bergkamp cleaned it all up in the 26th and 30th minutes. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. These two are the best strikeforce the MLS has ever seen and will continue to score goals all season. Stu didn't know what to do as he watched his team get smacked all over the field." Final score: Boston 4-0 New Liskeard.
Game Three Boston ruined their undefeated record as Toronto smashed their way to a 4-1 victory in Toronto. Manager Lofrumento was reportedly very unhappy at Tamandani Nsaliwa's 16th minute penalty miss. "Never will he take another one as long as he is in the Boston colors. Disgrace," said Lofrumento. Dennis Bergkamp did all he could in the 88th minute, but it was no more than consolation for the traveling Boston fans. Final Score: Toronto 4-1 Boston.
Game Four As Boston stayed on the road, the fans wondered if they could turn it around after a humiliating defeat against Toronto. Their questions weren't answered until the 57th minute when Dennis Bergkamp once again put the ball in the back of the net after watching Eddie Johnson miss his penalty kick for the Kaisers. Bergkamp then put the game away in the 65th minute much to the delight of the manager. Things were definitely looking bright again for the Bostoners. Final Score: Boston 2-1 Kentucky.
Game Five Back at home, Boston were looking to improve their record even further. No such luck, however, as Rochester were the better team on the night. Manager Tristan Oberle finally got his first win as Boston manager Lofrumento watched his team defeat themselves with two unnecessary penalty kicks. The only bright point on the day for Boston was Giuseppe Rossi's return from injury as he cooly finished in the 9th minute. Ebbe Sand's two penalty kick's put the nail in the coffin unfortunately for Boston. "I'm not quite sure why they got two penalties and we got none, but I thought we were the home team for this game. Where does the ref think he is? All I know is next time we have to win, no excuses. Rochester are a team we can beat," said an unhappy Lofrumento after the match. Final Score: Rochester 3-1 Boston.

More comments to follow after Boston's next series of matches tomorrow night...

retired_spaulsen

Good Run for Texas

Texas built off their opening win over Nerdington and managed to continue a strong start to the MLS season. Victories over Muskegon, Kentucky, and Vancouver were hard-fought, somewhat fortuitous, and all contributed to Texas' opening four game winning streak. Standing out in the wins was Rivaldo. The Brazilian has clearly been leading the Texas attacks, which made it all the more difficult for the Horns when Rivaldo was injured in the fifth game of the season against Marquette. Injuries, particularly up in attack, have already become a major issue for Texas. Wingback Indio and forwards Bruno, Andrew McAthy, and Jemal Johnson have all succumbed to various ailments, leaving Thompson with few options up front. Even worse, the injuries to Rivaldo and Juan Pablo Garcia have deprived Texas of its two creative engines in midfield. This new lack of firepower was all too evident in the next two games. Texas was lucky that Marquette midfielder Roy Keane was sent off, giving them a way to claw back for two goals and a final 2-2 scorline. Notably, Will John recovered from an injury to step in for the other injured attackers, and scored two late goals in his debut. However, Texas' performance against Nashville was simply bland. The high scoring offense from the first few games was non-existent and the game fizzled to a 0-0 draw.

The Longhorns can only hope the team can hold together until the attacking guns get healthy again.