Fort Lauderdale Strikers Preview 2011

The Strikers are back and with a vengeance! Gone are the Miami FC Blues as Traffic, owners of the team (And most of the NASL) are ready to put that nightmare behind them. Aaron Davidson set out to make the NASL a legitmate league by hiring new NASL commissioner David Downs. Of course, we here in South Florida know the ultimate move was to bring back Tim Robbie as President of the New Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Robbie hit the ground running and has been all over the papers, radio and TV. He has been hit with a dilemma... Not having enough seats to sell. That is a great problem to have! We can safely say that Davidson finally made the right decisions. Bringing back the Strikers name and appointing the right people in the right job. But what about the players on the field?

Coach Daryl Shore comes back in what will be his first real full season. Shore came in last year turning a Miami FC team around from a losing team to a winner. Unfortunately the team didn't make the playoffs but we come into 2011 with a clean slate and the responsibility of maintaining the historical precedence set forth by the original Strikers: They never missed the playoffs.

Now lets look at the players that are IN and those that are OUT.

OUT
Paulo Araujo Jr Real Salt Lake MLS D1
JP Rodrigues Playing for our rivals FC Tampa NASL D2. Be sure to call him a traitor next time we see him. =)
Christiano Dias NSC Minnesota Stars NASL D2
Lance Parker FC Edmonton NASL D2
Mike Randolph Los Angeles Blues USL Pro D3
Chuckwudi Chijindu Los Angeles Blues USL D3
Gerson Mayen Chivas USA MLS D1
Kyle Veris Pittsburgh Riverhounds USL Pro D3
Edward Santeliz Suchitepequez D1 Liga National de Futbol de Guatemala
Stephan Jerome Sigma Olomouc D1 Gambrinus Liga (Czech Republic)
Jaryd Goldberg ?
Christian Gomez ? China
Caleb Patterson Railhawks NASL D2

IN

Goalkeepers

Matt Glaeser returns after a strong finish as the starting GK with the Miami FC Blues last season.

Phillip Lamarre came on loan for a month last year from Tampa. He made the right decision leaving the hated Rowdies. Phil is from Plantation, FL.

Nic Platter, formerly of the Minnesota Thunder (Now NSC Minnesota Stars) If recent lineups are any indication it looks like Platter will be the starter. Be sure to follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/isnapfotos

Defenders

Aaron Hohlbein A solid defender that came in last year and changed our backline. Formerly with the Kansas City Wizards (Now Sporting KC) A definite starter and team Captain.
Christian Arrieta has played all over. Leece in Italy, Puerto Rico Islanders, Philidephia Union. He has a great track record. I'd put my money on him starting.

Adam "Batman or the Mayor" West (Yes, yes, I'm sure he hear that a lot!) Formerly played for the Tacoma Tide, Milwaukee Wave of MISL and the now self relegated
to D-3 Rochester Rhinos.

Scott "The Commissioner" Gordon (Sorry, I just had too!) Gordon is originally from Boca Raton, FL and has played for FC Dallas and Lynn University.


Zach "Beowulf" Kirby A fan favorite who previously played for the Atlanta Silverbacks, LA Galaxy and Wilmington Hammerheads.

Lance Laing this defender from Trelawny, Jamaica has played for Harbour View FC and Village United.

Martyn Lancaster from Wigan, England has played for Chester City, Wilmington Hammerheads, Atlanta Silverbacks, Queen of the South, Ljungskile SK to name a few. Another fan favorite, look for him to start as well.

Midfielders

Eduardo "Cacho" Coudet from Buenos Aires, Argentina is perhaps the most storied of the Strikers players having shined with River Plate and gone on to other teams such as Celta de Vigo, Philadelphia Union and many more.

Bryan Arguez a local young promise has played with Hertha Berlin, DC United and USA youth teams. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bryan_arguez17


Lennon Eduardo Carvalho Celestino from Sao Paulo, Brazil was plagued by injury last year. We hope to see more of him this year.

Grant Kerr from Linlithgow, Scotland has played for Fordham University and Southend United.

Paulo Henrique Le Petit from São Carlos, Brazil. Le Petit has shown sparks of his talent last year. We will see what he can bring with the Strikers.

Martin Nuñez from Montevideo, Uruguay is another player that came at the end of last year and impressed. He has played with the Carolina Railhawks and Puerto Rico Islanders.

Patrick Otte has played with the Middlesbourgh Academy, Ventura County Fusion and the U.S. youth teams.

Mike Palacio has played for the New York Red Bulls and Serbian team Radnicki Obrenovac to name a few.

Toni Stahl from Tuusula, Finland has played for the University of Connecticut, FC Espoo and the Philadelphia Union.

Brian Shriver is from Clearwater, Florida and has played with the Carolina Dynamo, Carolina RailHawks and the U-23

Forwards

David Santamaria impressed during Traffic's combine last year and was signed by the Strikers. Keep an eye on this young promise!

Abe Thompson ended the 2010 season as the leading scorer of the team. An MLS veteran who has played for FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo and Kansas City. Look for "Honest" Abe to be the starting forward.

Aaron Wheeler comes to the Strikers from the evil FCTampa, he has since been cleansed and repented. Aaron has also played for the Vancouver Whitecaps and Reading Rage. You can follow his Twitter: http://twitter.com/AaWheeler12

Are you ready to see the Strikers this weekend? Tickets are still available visit www.strikers.com

Be sure to check out the GAME DAY GUIDE for a map of the stadium and events!  Tailgate starts at 5pm! 4 pm if you want to hang out with South Florida United and the Miami Ultras.

All pictures by Robert Scorca
Don't forget to join www.naslguru.com the new NASL game and follow them on:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/naslguru
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASLGuru
Share this game with your friends! Find the Guru inside you!

NASLGuru the new Division 2 Soccer game.

NASL fans can now show off their soccer knowledge with the new soccer game called NASLGuru.  The game consists of picking the winners and indicating the score. You will win points for your accurate predictions. The game is free and at the end of the season you can win prizes.
But even if you join late you can still win prizes. Every month the top Guru will win!

Keep in mind you will be able to modify your predictions up to a few hours before the first game takes place. So keep coming back if you change your mind.

There are many features you can use at NASLGuru. As the weeks go by you will want to check "Positions" to see where you are at in the general table. You can compare with your friends and see who the top Guru is.

 Another way that can help you make your predictions is by going to "Statistics". Once there, you will see how other people are voting for every game.This can help you make your choices.
  

You can create Groups with passwords so only your friends can join. You can edit your group and kick people out if you want to. You are the boss in your group.

The nerds at NASLGuru will be updating the game and adding new things as the season progresses. They appreciate your suggestions so please leave your comments here or at the site:

www.naslguru.com

You can also join and follow them at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/naslguru
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASLGuru
Share this game with your friends! Find the Guru inside you!

Play for Anton Soccer Tournament Saturday April 9, 2011.

Today I'd like to reach out to the soccer community for a noble cause. Our good friends at Soccer 5 at Kendall Soccer Park are helping out Jasmine Aleman from FIU and her fellow students who are putting on a tournament at Soccer 5 in order to raise funds for a life saving operation for a close friend at FIU who was injured in a horrific car accident.

We here at FMB hope all those that read this will come out this coming Saturday April 9, 2011 starting at 9:30 AM to play some soccer and make donations for Anton Xavier Clifford. You can read more about his story at www.pray4anton.com

I also need to mention Scott Georgeson who is gifting the use of the Soccer 5 fields for the tournament where all proceeds go towards the cause for Anton. All those mentioned want to put on a great event and get as many soccer players behind this knowing that the tournament isn't just about winning a trophy, it can save someone's life. Again. all proceeds go towards Anton's operation.


For further details please read the below flyer:

You can also call 1-888-575-2976 to sign up and reserve your space. Please remember to mention it's for Anton or contact Jasmine Aleman. Email: play4anton@gmail.com

Miami Ultras member quits and becomes Cosmos fan.

Hola Amigos, Burrito here to report bad news.
Today Miami Ultras member Mitchell Rivera announced that he has quit his membership and position ( what was his postion anyway????) at the Miami Ultras and that he taking his talents back to the N-Y-C. this has shocked all five members of the Ultras. Mitch said:

"I m sick and tired of showing up on time while everyone shows up 3 hours later".

Pieter Brown president of the Ultras called in an emergency meeting at 2 am, howevers everyone showed up 6am. Everyone (The four that showed up) was trying to convince Mitchell, who by that time was asleep, to stay with the Miami Ultras. After 30 seconds of yelling back and forth. A full melee almost broke out, but Kyle "Train Wreck" Kaly stepped in to keep the peace, in a strange turn of events he got red carded by Hotshot. Mitch stormed out screaming "South Florida Divided"!

After the meeting Derek Reese left to Bermunda on Jet Blue Flight 19 (coincidence ain't it?) his current whereabout are unknown...

Burrito was able to get a phone interview with Mitchell's girlfriend Jane Shpiner who said in Russian:

" его любовь к футболу является сумасшедшим действиеm"

Sorry guys u have to translate that one on google.com/translate, and then told Burrito to sit and roll over, but gave no snack!
Mitch has not answered his phone since.

Miami Ultras in New York. Fans visit MLS and watch USA vs Argentina.

ALERT: Be sure to listen to Jorge Ramos y su Banda on ESPN Radio 1450 AM in Miami or go HERE to listen online as Jorge Ramos will have a chat with MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Jorge will be asking Don about a future MLS team in South Florida among other MLS related subjects. Be sure to check it out starting at 4PM and call in to 1 800 Deportes You can also follow and send questions on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ESPN_JorgeRamos
Radio address if anyone wants to go is: ESPNDeportesRadio
 Alhambra plaza - 9 floor Coral Gables, FL 33134
Ultras in New York
Miami Ultras were spotted this past weekend in New York City. A group of Ultras, led by Mitchell Rivera visited the Big Apple to watch the USA vs Argentina match that took place this past Saturday.



But before the USA game Mitch decided to visit MLS digital where he was greeted by David Agrell. The Ultras were given a quick tour and were told that we are the first supporters group to visit MLS Digital. David did tell us that FutbolMLS (The Spanish version of the MLS website) will soon get its own front page link. Mitch asked where does MLSsoccer.com, get the most hits outside the US. David replied that it was from Europe and the Middle East only because gambling is legal and they find that MLS is unpredictable and there is parity in the league.

As you will see in the pictures below there is a collection of scarves there. We found that the Miami Ultras scarf was already amongst the MLS supporters scarves. We don't know how they got it, perhaps from Garber's last visit and meeting with the Ultras in January, but either way it's a good sign of things to come. (Click picture to enlarge)

Below you can see more pictures at MLS, the USA game and around New York.

You want to help bring MLS to South Florida?
Visit our website www.mlsmiamibid.com
You can also follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MLSMiamiBid
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mlsmiami
Have suggestions and want to be part of the group send us an email to: info@mlsmiamibid.com

The new Ft. Lauderdale Strikers Jersey and more.

Last night the Fort Lauderdale Strikers revealed their new jerseys! I have to admit they look good. FMB contributor Mitch Rivera supplied us with these photos.

 

 

Check out more pictures and video at:
Miami Soccer fan
www.strikers.com

I also need to comment on the new updated websites. The Strikers website is great and the NASL's (www.nasl.com ) is even better. That, along with the new logos have been proof, for now, that Traffic has done their homework and improved from years past.
Still, though we have some new talent on the team, there is a question mark referering to the talent on the field. But last night they mentioned there are still 4 players to be signed. Today they mentioned 2 in Midfielder Patrick Otte and Goalkeeper Phillip Lamarre. Read more about them HERE 
Let's wait and see what coach Daryl Shore can muster up. We need a Championship team!

Check out this video of the Strikers glory years that the team released. The old meets the new!
Go Strikers!


UPDATE: 7PM
Just saw the Strikers on Univision. See the picture below:

Strikers to unveil new Jersey and sign Eduardo Coudet , plus NASL news and more.

The Strikers continue to make noise. This weekend they released their new logo. Miami Ultras President Pieter Brown made some great observations on the design. Read about it HERE.
Following the logo, yesterday the Strikers announced the signing of experienced midfielder Eduardo "Chacho" Coudet.

"Players like Coudet are very hard to find, his professional experience will be a great addition to our team. We will look to his leadership this season," said Head Coach Daryl Shore.
Coudet, 36, is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina where he began his professional career in 1993 with Platense. In 1999, Coudet signed with one of the Argentine giants, River Plate, and would go on to win three league titles. Coudet has played professionally in Argentina, Spain, and most recently the U.S. He signed with the Philadelphia Union of Major League in the summer of 2010.

Read more at www.strikers.com

If you think it ends there you are wrong. Tonight, the Strikers will unveil their official team jerseys. The event will take place at The Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood at 7 pm. For more information please see the flyer below.

NASL
The NASL re-launched their website and introduced their new NASL logo. The league also announced their new Commissioner David Downs.

The North American Soccer League (NASL) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Downs as the league's first Commissioner. Downs will assume his new role with the NASL on April 4th.
Downs joins the NASL after serving as Executive Director of the USA Bid Committee, the organization created by the U.S. Soccer Federation to participate in the bidding process to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 and 2022. Prior to that, he spent more than 30 years in the broadcast industry as an executive with both ABC Sports and Univision Communications. During his broadcast career, Downs was instrumental in the successful negotiations to secure the U.S. television rights to every World Cup from USA '94, through Brazil '14.

Read more at www.nasl.com