retired_spaulsen

did you try http://www.americansportsgamer.com/forums/ ?

retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne

A FEW MORE ELEMENTS FOR THE SYCLONES

After the superdraft, we begin the see the shape, the draft choices had signed with the team and are ready to lead the team to the promise land. Coach Lung is preparing for his first preseason with the Syclones, and the players are getting ready for camp.

Name, the chairman of the team introduced a few more elements to the team in terms of marketing/ commercial activities in yesterday news conference. First of all, there will be the Syclones TV, just like the other two sports teams in town (the Leafs TV and the Raptors TV). It will have exclusive coverage of all the New MLS actions in Canada. You will have soccer actions 24/7, mainly the New MLS, ranging from match broadcast, match highlights, to interviews, and behind the scene activities. Next is the Syclones magazine, which will be issued twice a season, one at beginning of the season (a season preview for the team and around the league), and one at the end of the season (a recap for the season). And the last one is the Syclones newspaper, it will be printed once a month, which will have all the match recap and analysis of the month. For complete detail, visit the team’s website at www.torontosyclones.com.

retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne

SYCLONES MAGAZINE - SEASON PREVIEW EDITION

With the regular season just a week away, the Syclones are ready to roll. In this season preview magazine, we will have the history of the team, words from soccer analysts, the team roster, and a recap of the preseason actions.

History
The Toronto Syclones are founded on January 1st, 2005. When the plan of the new league came out at around the start of September 2004, a local businessman immediately made a proposal and tried to bring a team to Toronto. The league eventually accepted the application. The chairman had a few meetings with different venue owners and he finally decided to make the ACC their home venue, it is a newly built extension. The Chairman invested a large sum of money to make sure the venue will be ready for the season opener. They also have a proposal in progress which is to link the Air Canada Centre (home of the Raptors), the Maple Leafs Garden (home of the Maple Leafs), and the Rogers Centre (home of the Blue Jays) together to become the Mega Sports Centre.

When it comes to sports history in Toronto, the teams did not have much success in any of the American major sports league. The Maple Leafs haven’t won in a long time, The Blue Jays did not win since 1993, and the Raptors have never got to a point where people can feel they have a chance, besides that one shot away from the eastern conference final a few years back. So many people do not think this team will be much different.

If you think there will not be much to cheer for during the season, at least the team got every people’s attention in the first place by swapping picks on draft day to get the first ever first overall pick of the league.

The chairman also named Ricky Lung, a Toronto native, as their first manager of the club on their first day of operation.

Words for Specialists
“…It is hard to tell whether this team will succeed or not in this league since the league itself is also newly formed. No people give any credits to the sport teams in Toronto, because they cannot get any results, the Raptors are in a rebuilding process, the Maple Leafs are on a big time slide right now. Maybe the main attention this coming season will be the Blue Jays, they have splashed a lot of money this offseason, and they are a very good team on paper right now, and it is up to them to play up to all the expectations…”

“…And for the Syclones, based on what they have done on draft day, they have a pretty solid group out there, they can really make some noise this season. It is up to Coach Lung to bring the most out of the team. With the odd came out at 10-1, which is the same as many other teams, people really don’t know what to expect from all the teams. I think you can become people’s favourite very quickly if you off to a quick start to the season. The Syclones have the potential to do that, even though they are in a pretty though conference…”
“…the only concern about the Syclones is that when you look at their roster after the first transfer deadline has passed. They only have 20 players (when you can have 28 max.) on the team, which is the least in the league. The coaching staff really have to monitor their fitness very carefully, they really need to stay away from any major injury if they want to be a competitive team. It is a tough challenge for them to play the same standard until November…”

“…predictions? I think they will be a playoff team, now where they will stand at the end of the regular season is hard to predict at this moment. With two rookie managers in the conference (not to take away anything from Coach Tristan and Brian), they should be in the playoff, it will be an underachievement for anything less than playoff berth. Landon Donovan has all the spot light at this point, and he will be the focus of the team, that’s for sure, but there are many players on that team who are under the raider at this point of the season. We should keep an eye on Ryan Jarvis and Ricardinho, two very talented prospects. They may make a point for themselves at the end of the season…”

Team Roster
GK
01. Antonis Nikopolidis
Michael Behonick

Defender
06. Ricardinho
23. Eddie Pope
02. Eddie Robinson
03. Kevin McKenna
07. Kevin Harmse
Adam Braz
Ante Jazic

Midfielder
10. Landon Donovan
08. Amado Guevara
29. Thiago
15. Claudio Husain
Ryan Jarvis
09. Denys Dedechko
Andy Williams
05. Kerry Zavagnin
Diego Gutierrez

Striker
20. Jovan Kirovski
11. Oliver Occean

Preseason Recap
The Syclones have played four preseason game in preparation of the new season. They played extremely well in all four games, they won all of them, scored 13 times, and gave up zero goals. Their opponents’ standards were a bit low, that is part of the reasons why they can have those comfortable wins. But no matter who the opponents were, it was only the preseason, the results do not count.

This is the end of the season preview edition of the Syclones magazine. Lets get ready for the season. Let the party begins. All the Torontonian, lets cheer for the Syclones.

GO SYCLONES GO!!!

retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne

THE SYCLONES SHOW - EPISODE #1

So the regular season is finally here, everyone is pumped up. Who are you cheering for? Which team will be the first ever champion of this New MLS? Lets stop guessing and get to some facts.

In this first episode, we will do a recap of the media day in Toronto, lets hear what the coach and the players’ thought.

What are your feelings in becoming the first ever manager of a franchise?
“Wow, it is amazing, we need to start everything from the stretch, everything is from ground zero, there is a lot of work, but the process is memorable with a lot of fun. I need to thank the chairman for giving me a chance to lead the team.” - Coach Lung

How do you feel about your players?
“They are fabulous, when I first saw them in day one of practice, they all have shown much more than the scouting reports had indicated. We have a really good group of players here. I had a chance to talk to them individually, they all appreciate the chance to play in Canada, they all want to play for the Syclones. I think this is a really important aspect. You like to have someone who wants to be here.” - Coach Lung

What expectation do you have for the season?
“I don’t want to be too optimistic or pessimistic, but I will promise that we will go out and compete in every game. What this can bring us at the end of the season is what we deserve.” - Coach Lung

What style is your team going to play?
“I already have a game plan on how to approach different situation, whether we are at home or away, or leading or behind. Its all about situational soccer. That’s all I can say for now” - Coach Lung

What do you think about the chance of your team?
“It is hard to tell, but we have a lot of good guys here, we are all hardworking. For me, being the number one pick, theres gonna be extra pressure on my shoulder, but I’m sure that I can handle this, I will try to bring this team as far as possible. I will say getting to the playoff is our main goal right now.” - Landon Donovan

What are your thoughts on playing for the Syclones?
“Honestly, I didn’t think I will get picked in the draft, but when the Syclones selected me, I am more than happy in playing in North America. I think it is a good chance for me and my family to have a new start. I am very happy with the direction of the club, they are committed to build a championship team. I want to finish my career here, I will bring my A game every time, as the captain, I have to be a model of the others. I want to bring a championship here.” - Antonis Nikopolidis

This is the end of the show, I will see you on April 2nd for the season opener.

retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne

SEASON OPENER

The Toronto Syclones played their first ever competitive game yesterday. They are on the road to take on their rival, the New Liskeard North. They put out a starting lineup which is pretty much the same as the projected lineup on all the news. They made only one change, they put Ryan Jarvis in to replace Thiago due to injury.

They have shown in the game that they can win, they put up 25 shots during the first half, though only 8 of them are on target. They also took control of the ball for the first half. It was an action-filled first half. The first franchise goal was a beauty, Claudio Husain hit from 25 out and the ball curled into the top right corner. He was all alone in the area and was given all the world of time. The North changed formation in the second half and pulled back a lot of possessions. While the North tried so hard to tie the game up, the Syclones extended the lead. They captured a miscue of the North corner and hit the counter attack, and Ryan Jarvis showed he will be a star in the future. He got the ball near the midfield line and dribbled into the box and finished the goal with a chip over the goalkeeper to the far post. We may have witnessed one of the top of goals of the season in the first week. The North pulled one back with six minutes to goal, the Syclones switched to a counter attack mode, and they hold on and won 2-1. Ryan Jarvis made the most out of the opportunities he got, netting a goal and was the man of the match.

Post Game Thoughts
“…I am really happy that we have a winning start to the season, playing up north is always difficult, it will be more difficult when we have to go to Alaska to play the Wolves. They have a good team, they did not show up in the first half, but they came out strong after the break, it was a fairly close game when you look at the full time stats, but thanks to two wonderful goals, we came out on top this time…” - Coach Lung

retired_mallory08

For full stats see the latest edition of MLS Gazette, published by Omer.

MLS Gazette - Tables, Rosters and Stats

retired_spaulsen

Texas Run Ended by Nashville

The Texas Longhorns survived a stretch where seemingly all of their first choice options in attack were injured and managed to prolong its season opening undefeated stretch to 12 games (7 wins and 5 draws). Starting with the seventh fixture, results included a 0-0 draw with Nerdington, a 1-0 victory (goal by Ademolu) over United of Boston, a 1-1 draw with Muskegon (goal by Ademolu), and a 1-1 draw against Kentucky (goal for Will John). That wrapped up a stretch of 5 draws in 6 games, where the Texas offense was clearly dwindling. Thanks in part to the return to fitness by Jemal Johnson, Texas then won at Marquette 3-1, with Jemal scoring 2 and Will John scoring the other. Playmaker Rivaldo had been awarded MLS Player of the Month for April before being injured and missing several games, but was able though to recover in time to play the next game at Toronto. The Brazilian scored the game winning penalty, adding to goals by Will John and Jemal Johnson, to give Texas a close 3-2 win over what Texas manager Ryan Thompson called "the Landon Donovan solo show."

Unfortunately for Texas, all good things eventually come to an end. Despite taking the lead early on through Craig Capano against Nashville, the Longhorns eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat. Curiously, several MLS games that day were postponed due to international call-ups. Though Texas lost the services of some key players to national team duty, the Nashville-Texas fixture went on as originally scheduled. When asked about this, Thompson was not amused: "We lost (keeper Olexandr) Shovkovsky, Cory Gibbs, and (Jonathan) Spector. Those three have started every game and formed the heart of our defense. And yet somehow our game wasn't moved like some others were. I'll just say I find it to be interesting." After being asked bluntly by a reporter if he was just being a complainer and making excuses for his team, Thompson said, "Yeah probably. Credit to Nashville, they deserve it. Bastards."

The Guitar Slingers' victory was also significant because it means the race in the Southern Conference (sometimes also known as the Western) is heating up and likely to be contested till the very end. Nashville are now within three of Texas' MLS leading 26 points. Kentucky has also looked in good form recently and are poised to close the gap.

retired_mallory08

Signs of Life

Kentucky finally found some form in recent weeks, going the last 7 games unbeaten, though their propensity to draw games is holding them back from seriously mounting a charge up the table.

"We're improving, but we're not up to the standards of Texas or Nashville yet."

Scoring still seems to be the Kaiser's biggest issue, only five players have scored and all but Josh Wolff haen't mustered more than 2 for the year. Wolff's six goals have almost single-handledly fueled the good run.

Player form has been sketchy, some of the biggest names have thus far disappointed considerably. "If we could just get EJ, Freidel, and another centre back playing well, we'd be some team."

Clark moved the KK to a 5-3-2 Attacking formation, and away from his trademark 4-4-2 that he's used for more than a decade. "I had to try and work with the players I had. The injuries to Reyna, Freidel, and the two Brazillians scuppered my plans for a 4-4-2, and after our horrendous run to start the season I had to act. That's what a a manager does and what I'm paid to do.."

The reserves have been turning up the heat in the Reserve League, with Chris Greer blasting 4 goals in a single game. His form was good enough to warrant some minutes for the first team. "Our squad is young, none more so than Greer and Lensky, but we're set here for years. Our average age is somewhere in the region of 22 years old, and our first team average about 25. In two years I expect this to be our league, but I'm not prepared to just hang around until then."

retired_uzy

Mismatch Start Off Weak, but Not Out Yet

Muskegon's freshman year in the MLS was supposed to see them as one of the top teams, however one-third of the way into the season they find themselves dead last with 2 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses for a total of 12 points. Despite this lack of success, the Mismatch are only 3 points out of the playoffs, and with another two-thirds to go they are not dead yet.

Though there hasn't been any turnover since the start of the season, the team has difficulty keeping a consistent lineup, with only 5 players able to play in more than 10 games. Some of this is due to injury, but most of it appears to be a lack of chemistry between the players.

Coach Serafinski slammed his defense, saying, "We've given up far too many goals, and it's certainly not Keller's fault. Our opponents are getting far too many opportunities to make shots. Some of the players are saying that it's the tactics, but it can't be that, I'm always right!" He then noted that he was considering a new "1-2-3-4" tactic in the next game, calling it his "best yet."

The lack of goals has also been a problem, but Serafinski intends to continue the partnership of Brian Ching and Avi Nimni up front, following the latter's return from injury, and perhaps with Cooper and Sabry as well if his new formation works out. "I know we can make the playoffs, the question is, are my players going to be good enough?" summarized Serafinski.

retired_terragyrl

Tearing Toronto a New One....

New Likseard embarked on their first visit south to the hated Scyclones barn and promptly taught their hosts side a comprehensive lesson in soccer.

Toronto were left reeling the entire match, struggling to cope under the vicious Northmen's onslaught.

"Syclones..."sneered manager Stu Hopkins,"more like...suck a** clones."

The home side were left thoroughly demoralized by the Northmen's visit. An Eddie Pope own goal was the only goal that the visitors needed to see off their overmatched rivals...1-0.

"This almost gets rid of that awful taste in our mouths..."said the gaffer,"that was left when we dropped our home opener to these bums."

The victory gave New Liskeard an impressive 4 wins in a row...after opening the season with 3 straight losses.

Immediatley after the game, the 'Green Machine' raced home to host the Muskegon MisMatch.

"They're more like the Muskegon 'overmatched',"sneered the manager after the home side ran riot over their hapless guests...3-0.

The game was also noteworthy thanks to the injury to first team goalie, Jarmoir Blazek. Youngster Matt Pickens came in and pro
tected the clean sheet for the senior man.

Up next for the runaway train that is New Liskeard were the vaunted FC Boston team. Boston had shellacked 'Liskeard in their first meeting...4-0...despite that game being very nearly even...everywhere but the scoreboard.

Now, Liskeard had their opportunity for revenge...at home..in front of their legions of diehard supporters...at the dreaded....Widowmaker.

Matt Pickens made his first ever start, deputising for the injured Blazek. His form was as erratic as befitting a young keeper, but the home side rallied together and held the opposition to a single goal. Radzinski notched an equaliser and the Northmen's unbeaten streak stretched to six games. 1-1 final score.

Next up for New Liskeard was a tough away match to Vancouver. Very quickly, the unbeaten streak was over...and Blazek, (just back from injury), managed to get himself stretchered off again. Less said about the match, the better. The gaffer was tactically outclassed and lucky to get off as lightly as he did, 0-2.

The Northmen then flew back to New Liskeard to entertain that bunch of fruitless hoofers...Alaska. The scoreline was kind once more to the Alaska side, despite being trounced in every way, the final scoreline read a comparitively close 3-1.

"Alaska..."sneered Hopkins,"They should stick to cycling..."

Trader Al and his underachieving Kentucky team were the next side to entertain New Liskeard. In a thoroughly exciting encounter, both sides made swiss cheese out of their opponent's defence.

2-3 read the final scoreline...and the fans went home unlucky not to have seen more goals.

After 12 games, the New Liskeard side sits at 6 wins, 5 losses, and a draw...and first in the East.

Next up for the Northmen? Back to back home matches against their hated rivals Texas and Toronto.

"Texas..."sneered the gaffer,"'Home of the mentally incompetent.' And I mean Ryan....not Bush...well...him too, actually."

"We're gonna teach those good ol boys a little something about roundball."

And Toronto? "Ricky knows how I feel...and so does the rest of that filthy city."