Miami Gold Cup Success. Strikers, MagicJack win and more.

Gold Cup in Miami was a success as over 18,000 people showed up to watch the beautiful game. FIU stadium was packed and the ambiance was spectacular. Every seat was a good one and it felt as if you could reach out and touch the players due to the proximity of the field to the stands. It's a great stadium to watch soccer and I dare say the only thing that I didn't like was that the ball made a few weird bounces due to the plastic turf. Hopefully, one day, they will put a proper pitch.
The games started off with a vibrant Jamaica versus Guatemala. Which saw the Reggae Boys defeat the 'Chapines' by 2-0. Followed by Honduras against Grenada which saw the Grenadines start off with an early goal only to be destroyed by Honduras with a final score of 7-1. Read more HERE
If South Florida fans wanted to send a message to Major League Soccer it was sent on Friday night and the message is: This area can and will support quality soccer. Let's hope the 'Don" gets the message and an investor steps up.

Strikers Win!
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers continue to win in the NASL as they defeated the NSC Minnesota Stars by 3-0. The Strikers form has been impressive as of late and they had a stellar game by substitute Brian Shriver who had a brace.

“We were struggling in the first half defensively, and we weren't doing well with the chances we had. Once the first goal came, we knew the confidence would be there to add more,” said head coach Daryl Shore about the first half. “After they started throwing numbers forward, the defense buckled down and took pride in the shutout. I'm proud to see the effort they put forth to hold the score to where it was.”

Read more about the game HERE
Be sure to check back for video highlights later today.
The Strikers go on the road this coming Saturday June 18 as they face the Montreal Impact at Saputo stadium. Game time is set for 2:30 pm  Watch it live on www.strikers.com

MagicJack wins
WPS side MagicJack gets a road win this weekend as they visited the Atlanta Beat. MagicJack was short on many players due to the Women's World Cup set to start soon but the reserves proved to be enough to get the job done!
MagicJack came in with an early goal by Ella Masar. Christen Press scored right before the half to give MagicJack a 2-1 lead and Johanna Rasmussen sealed the deal in the second half. Read more about the game HERE
Be sure to follow MagicJack on Facebook

Miami Ultras Alive
Be sure to check out the latest version of Miami Ultras Alive tonight Monday at 10 pm as El Presidente Pieter Brown and Uncle Ed cover everything and anything with regards to South Florida soccer. Topics that will be covered will be Gold Cup, Strikers, NASL, WPS, MagicJack, MLS and more. Call in (323) 927-1455 and join in on our live chat room as our special guest tonight will be Fort Lauderdale Strikers President Tim Robbie.
Be sure to tune in and tell your friends!
Go here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miamiultras/2011/06/14/miami-ultras-alive-10

SF Soccer News: Robbie takes over Strikers. Ray Hudson 4 Life campaign and Gold Cup

Here is a recap of South Florida Soccer news for today.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers
The Sun Sentinel announced yesterday that the Strikers will have a press conference today to announce that Tim Robbie will take over as the Strikers President, replacing Aaron Davidson who will now concentrate on his role as NASL CEO.
The press conference was scheduled for today at noon at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Reports tell us Robbie has been on the job since Monday. Here are a few quotes from today's event.

"I am convinced that soccer in South Florida is here to stay"
"We are starting a venture that has the foundation for tremendous success"
"We intend to put a team on the field that will...compete for a championship in a reasonable amount of time."
Tim Robbie

The Robbie family has been involved with the South Florida sports community since 1966 when they brought in the Dolphins and the old Fort Lauderdale Strikers to our area in 1977. By bringing Tim Robbie into the mix Traffic Sports, owners of The Strikers (And most of the NASL) have brought immediate credibility to the Strikers name as well as someone that is very much respected in our community for his contribution to soccer and sports in general.

For more information please visit www.strikers.com
UPDATE: Full audio at NASL.com http://nasl.com/media/audioPlayer/id/10336

Ray Hudson 4 Life

South Florida soccer fans and supporters group the Miami Ultras have started a campaign to retire the number 4 jersey belonging to former Strikers player Ray Hudson.

While there have been many great players for the Strikers, there has been only one that truly left his mark on South Florida soccer. When you think of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers one name comes to mind above all others and that name is Ray Hudson. Ray has left his mark on South Florida soccer like no other. He wore the hoops longer than any other Striker, commentated and coached for the Miami Fusion, still lives in Fort Lauderdale and can be heard on Gol TV.

If you want to read more about this and contribute to this noble cause visit www.miamiultras.com
You can also join the Strikers 4 Life facebook page

Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is coming to Miami and matches are set to play at FIU Stadium on June 10. The games will be :

Jamaica vs Guatemala at 7:00 PM

Granada vs Honduras at 9:00 PM

Major League Soccer players that may be involved are:

Jamaican National team
Dane Richards New York Red Bulls
Omar Cummings Colorado Rapids
Ryan Johnson San Jose Earthquakes
Shavar Thomas Sporting Kansas City
Shaun Francis Columbus Crew
Lovel Palmer Houston Dynamo

Guatemala National team
Carlos Ruiz Philadelphia Union

Honduran National team
Marvin Chávez FC Dallas
Roger Espinoza Sporting Kansas City
Mauricio Castro New England Revolution

For ticket information visit Gold Cup.
You can also join the page on  facebook

Bornstein's Boots Score For Haiti

Jonathan Bornstein's boots raise $1,725.00 with 100% of the total going the American Red Cross. This donations along with others will help in the relief effort for the people in Haiti and around the world.

Jonathan used his head scoring what might be the most important goal in the history of Honduras. With seconds remaining in stoppage time on Oct. 14th he scored the equalizer against Costa Rica. This goal allowed Honduras to qualify for the World Cup. It is only the second time ever and the first time in 27 years.
In a selfless and thoughtful act Jonathan gave from his heart the boots from this match. Kudos to Jonathan Bornstein and the American Red Cross!

Enclosed is the eBay listing posted for this item for your viewing. Click on picture to enlarge and read text. Anyone wishing to help with a donation to the America Red Cross be sure to read the final paragraph for help directing you to this cause

100% of the final sale price will support American Red Cross (Small deduction may apply. Learn more)

About this nonprofit: You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by supporting the American Red Cross, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need around the world. This is an eBay Giving Works charitable listing (Administered by MissionFish)

U.S. Men's National Team defender Jonathan Bornstein’s last gasp goal against Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying aided Honduras in their quest to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and now he’s hoping the shoes he wore that night will give a bigger assist to relief efforts benefiting Haiti.

Bornstein has autographed and donated the shoes he wore during the historic match for an online charity auction on eBay, with 100 percent of the money raised to be donated to the American Red Cross to aid in their relief efforts in Haiti.

The auction begins today (Friday, Jan. 22) and will run through Wednesday, Jan. 27.

“The devastation and suffering in Haiti is a tragedy for everyone,” said Bornstein. “One of our teammates, Jozy Altidore, is the son of Haitian immigrants and still has many family members there. It’s heartbreaking to see what is happening, and we hope to be able to help in any way we can.”

Authorities estimate that the devastating earthquake that struck near the capital of Haiti has affected three million people. Hundreds of thousands are feared dead; many more people are injured or without basic supplies or shelter. The Red Cross is part of an enormous relief operation in Haiti following the massive earthquake there on January 12. It will be a long-term recovery effort and the Red Cross will be there throughout.

Fans interested in donating directly to the relief efforts can text the word HAITI to 90999 to contribute 10 dollars to the Red Cross or visit RedCross.org to make a donation.

A Great Gol and Video by Burrito

Today Burrito bring you videos!

Here is a golazo scored by catracho Maynor Figueroa! In case you carnales didn't see this over the weekend check it out!
Now Burrito bring you video of guy with mucho ability!
WARNING: Kids do not try at home! This vato is a professional!

South Africa's World Cup has its 32 teams

On Friday December 4th we will find out how the group stages will look for the XIX World Cup to take place in South Africa next Summer.

We now know the 32 countries that qualified for the world Cup:

For CONCACAF it was The United States, Mexico and Honduras.

For CONMEBOL it was Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

For Africa it was Algeria, Camerun, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and the host South Africa.

For Asia it was Australia, North Korea, South Korea and Japan.

For UEFA: England, Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Greece Serbia, Portugal, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands,

Oh and Last but not least New Zealand.

There are really no "Virgins" that will participate in the South African World Cup though some might argue Slovakia and Serbia are first timers. The Slovaks were part of Checoslovakia and the Serbs have a long tradition with Yugoslavia and the last WC played as Serbia and Montenegro.

Who will win? My bet is with Spain and Brazil!

Ultras part of Sam's Army? Free Miami FC Open cup game, USA watch party and more

After their dismal performance against Costa Rica this past Wednesday, the United States gets ready to face Honduras Saturday June 6, 2009 at 8pm.

I urge all Soccer fans to come out and support the US Men's National Team at Fritz and Franz located at 60 Merrick Way in Coral Gables.

Did you guys know the Miami Ultras are in the process of becoming a part of Sam’s Army? Check this out:

The Miami Ultras have been avid supporters of U.S. Soccer since our inception in February of 2008 (One-year and four months ago). We are currently in negotiations with Sam’s Army, the insane unofficial fan club of US Soccer since 1994, to become a brigade.

For more info on this and the tailgate go here

Talk about Ultras, Julio Caballero wrote a great piece on the importance of Marketing at the Miami Ultras site. Be sure to check it out, a must read. Go here

Since we are on the Marketing subject, our new friend and future Tampa Bay Rowdies fan Jim Willis has a new blog called Against the Run of Play and he wrote a post titled "Marketing 101 according to Miami FC". It's short but worth the read. Jim also tells me a group of Tampa fans are thinking of making a road trip to either the Gold Cup or a Miami FC game.
Come on down guys, let's get the rivalry started!

South Florida Soccer Fans can look forward to FREE Soccer, you read it, FREE Soccer this coming Tuesday June 9, 2009 8pm at Tropical Park as Diego Serna and Miami FC take on Lynch's FC of Jacksonville for the US Open Cup! There are no excuses, lets fill up the stadium and support our team! Time to Bleed Blue!
Vamos Miami! Let's go Blues!
Pictures taken from the Miami Ultras site

Miami FC and Traffic signs at the USA vs Costa Rica game

Everyone saw them and if you didn't you are blind. I found myself looking at them more as the game progressed, every moment that passed. Anything to take my mind off of the horrendous game I was watching.

USA got beat up like the little fat kid that no one likes in the neighborhood. In the end not even Landon Donovan's penalty kick could hide the damage that was done. Blame the Turf, the weather or the fans. It didn't matter. I hope we do better versus Honduras.

Now back to the signs. I think it's a good thing to see Miami FC and Traffic signs all over the stadiums. It's not the first time we see them in CONCACAF games. At least it makes people wonder and gives international attention to our team. Does it do anything to help us get peoples butts to the stadium? Could the money spent on the signs go to other forms of local advertisement? At the end of the day it's great to see those signs, it fills me with pride that the world (or at least Costa Rica and the U.S.) know my team exists. But, will it make a difference? What do you think?
Time will tell... Vamos Miami!
condron.us

Miami FC Fan Robert Scorca in Honduran News

Robert Scorca is a member of the Miami Ultras and has missed maybe one or two Miami FC games since the team started. He was also a devote Miami Fusion fan and was broken hearted when the Barcelona Miami bid for MLS fell apart. But one thing that many might not know about him is his love of the Honduran National team.

Robert was recently interviewed by the Honduran newspaper site Diario DIEZ in an article titled "Robert Scorca, apasionado por la Bicolor". Here is a little I translated:

Robert Scorca is a 53 year old American who has followed the Honduran national team since 2003, his love of Honduras is thanks to the Miami Fusion. “Alex Pineda Chacón, played for the Fusion he is my friend and is a humble person, he keeps in touch with me. Since then I started to identify with Honduras and I am always following what they do and when they come here. I consider myself a Honduran"
Robert says is best friend is "Samuel Caballero, too bad he was not called to the team this time. But I can't just name one player because they all say hello to me when they see me."

Many Honduran Soccer Fans left over 30 comments, most think Robert is a U.S. spy! Here are a few:

Carlos says: "As a Honduran we should learn, many are against the national team, this man from another country follows this team with his heart... Thanks for supporting Honduras..."

Albertini writes: "Ok, I hope you are not a spy!"

Catrachito: "Wow! How I envy him with all those cards of players, right when I was wondering how I could obtain posters of our warriors. I'd love to have a huge poster of our national team with Costly, Pavon, Suazo, Palacios, Guevara, Valladares etc. VERY WELL DONE Mr. Scorca!"

LUIS: "He is a great person I met him at many Honduras games here in Miami. he knows more about the national team then most Hondurans."

Noemi: "For those that say Robert is a spy, don't say things that are not true, you should learn from him and support our national team with your heart. Keep it up Robert!"

Note: Some Honduran fans have even started a campaign to help Robert finance his trip to watch the U.S. vs Honduras match to take place in Chicago on June 6.

Read more of the article and comments in Spanish here

If you see Robert at the next Miami FC game let him know he is famous and buy him a beer!
Hell, buy me a beer too!