The Ebb and Flow at Liverpool- What Does It Take To Right The Ship?

If you are a fan of English football, you cannot help to find yourself captivated by the ongoing drama at the historic, unarguably prestigious, and currently floundering club located at Anfield. The constant disappointment with the club has sent the anti-Reds into fits of hysterical happiness, and the fanatic (like myself) asking the Mrs. to please wake them up in May.  Liverpool FC is the most successful team in English history and now they have become a talking point for every soccer fan around the world...but for all the wrong reasons. What exactly has happened to this club over the past few seasons? So much has been written about this issue over the past few days, weeks, months, and yeah, its become a couple years since the decline started....  But if you want the whole history of the situation, please read up somewhere else. I plan to editorialize here for a bit and try to leave the history and journalism to others. I said I'd try...but no promises... However, I will hold back some of the frustration.

For the past three years, Liverpool has seemed like they just picked up and moved to a time slot just after the News at Noon and before General Hospital.  The daily drama off the pitch has overshadowed any achievements made by the team (albeit there have not been many crowning moments in the past 3 seasons) on the pitch.  I guess the story begins in 2007 with the new owners.  I believe that Tom Hicks, Jr. and George Gillett bought the club because it seemed like the en Vogue thing to do at the time.  "Hey, I got some money ya'll. Let's buy us one of them there soccer teams from England!"  Hmmmm....they seemed to be genuinely excited about the future of the club. And over the next couple seasons, Liverpool was continuing to play consistently good football. After the 08-09 season, it looked as though the team was going to entering a truly golden era, having placed 2nd in the EPL. They had the players on the pitch, and the manager with a proven record...Liverpool looked to be on top of the Premiership in no time.  After a wonderful start to the new millennium, things looked promising.

 However, the two owners seemed to continually get in the way of the club's progress. The two eventually "splitting" apart for the "good of the club".  The fans had become quite annoyed with the constant yammering coming from the front office. Criticizing each other over the delay in building the new stadium, fighting amongst themselves over Gillett bringing in Klinsman for talks to replace Rafa, these two Yanks certainly didn't seem to get that they were messing with some of the most ardent supporters the world of football had ever known.  They were getting it all wrong. 

Very soon into 09/10, the writing was on the wall. Rafa was on his way out, the team was playing with zero inspiration, and the fans were busy planning a good old Texas style Bar-B-Q!  In comes Martin Broughton as chairman and soon we see the yanks go with the purchase of the club by NESV.  Which is an American group. Wait a minute...now aren't we...right...back...where...we started?  Not sure what to expect, ya'll? Me niether.

So flash-forward to today...sure I am glossing over some bits and pieces of the past, but frankly, it all makes me quite ill re-hashing it. I am a Liverpool fan and this has been a trying time for me. One would think that being a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Redskins, and DC United, that I would be quiet well adjusted to disappointment. (To make clear, DC United have only faltered in the only as of the last few years...hey that's just like Liverpool...I wonder if there is some weird cosmic connection...maybe I am the connection...damn.)

Woe is me. Woe, Woe, Woe is Liverpool.  Am I using Woe correctly? If not, then woe is my grammar.  With John Henry and NESV now in charge of the club, they secured the "successful" manager of Fulham, Roy Hodgson.  After an 3 seasons at the helm of Fulham, Roy was picked to become the boss for the Red's.  Personally, I couldn't figure this appointment out. Roy did well with Fulham and got to the final of Europa, while Fulham only finished 12th in the league. The prior year the team stormed into a 7th place finish. The year before that, Fulham was almost relegated.  So the question was asked by many, many people: Does this man have what it takes to be the manager at a club with the recent tumultuous history, the legendary accomplishments, and the most faithful supporters in the world?   What is the answer?  Liverpool has had some great performances,
but they are so few and far between.  I read somewhere that recorded tapes of Liverpool games are being prescribed to people with insomnia to help them get to sleep.  And with Roy's recent comments about the fans not supporting him from the beginning, it seems that he is most definitely on his way out.

With other mid-table managers' names being thrown around like Coyle, O'Neill, and even Big Sam Allardyce...are they going to come in and (as Roy would say) wave their magic wand about to fix all the problems?  Is the answer coming in just a few days with the opening of the transfer window?  Who knows?

I was happy with the transfers made this Summer. How I read some of the movement was that some older, experienced guys would come in and show the youngsters how to do the job. With players like Poulson, Cole, and Miereles. I was happy to think of the great professional experience and knowledge of the game that would be shared and taught to the Red youth. All the while practising what they teach by grinding out impressive performances, trouncing the competition, and showing how it is done. (One can dream, right?) But Poulson and Cole are minor players in Roy's line up.

As pointed out by a fellow fan, one week Roy says that the youth need more exposure, then the next he says they are to blame for the failures. Roy is starting to contradict himself so much, he may very well need to be fearing placement in a geriatric center.  Someone check the dosage on his meds, please.

With the current roster, I know that Liverpool can compete with any team in Europe. It all lies within the spirit of the team. I saw the same thing with DC United falling flat this past season.  The boys look like they just had there ice cream money taken by a bully. And the bully gave them all really hard noogies and indian burns at that.  But "come on, they are professionals" I hear the cynics cry, and "Let them wipe their tears with their paychecks".  Whatever. These guys need to feel some love. Plain and Simple. They have got to feel like stars and know they can do it in their hearts if they want to have a good performance. They are not robots.

I am curious to see what happens in the window. Not sure who is going to help. Not sure if another managerial upheaval is going to help. I haven't heard any reports by the press of players mouthing off against Roy. One thing I am really interested in seeing is if Rafa is offered anything to come back. I was happy to see him go since he didn't seem interested in the club anymore. It's hard to stay positive on a listing...almost sinking ship. I know that some fans want him back, but that is just silly to me.  I enjoyed his tenure on the surface of things, but as another friend/fan said, "He just bought his players and did nothing to develop the Youth Academy."   Just gonna have to sit back and support my team and hope for the best.  

So I am calling on the Spirit of Shankley ( the man, not the supporters) and hoping the leadership at the club get together in "The Boot Room" and make the right (hopefully not drastic) decisions needed to pull this once great club up by the bootstraps and back on the feet again.  After all, This is Anfield. YNWA

Futsal?! What is this thing called Futsal?

Futsal was created by a Uruguyan named Ceriani. He wanted to develop a "mini-soccer" game for youth competition that could be played in the local YMCAs. The basketball courts were a perfect fit for the 5-aside game. And with courts available outside and in, the game was able to be played year-round. Unlike the more common indoor soccer leagues that had developed in hockey rinks, this game did not use walls. Futsal has grown to become a worldwide sport played under the regulation of FIFA. With international tournament play starting in 1965 in what was known as the South America Cup, we now have a Fifa Futsal World Championship that occurs every four years.

Starting with Ceriani in Montevideo, the game became wildly popular throughout South America. It spread like wildfire and really took hold in the soccer powerhouse of Brasil. Many past and modern day Brasilian soccer stars attribute their skills and success to learning the game of futsal. Having seen the likes of Robinho and Ronaldinho on the futsal court, it is easy to see how their special abilities transfer from the court to the pitch. Here are a few videos that highlight the skills of futsal players and what it means to Brasilian players.

Ronaldinho - Joga Bonito


Her are some other highlights of the technical ability learned from playing Futsal:


A long clip, but worth a watch. From the great soccer series Ginga:


It's a fact,  Futsal has a huge impact on the development of Brasilian soccer players.  It has got to be one of the main reasons for their success found year after year.  How many World Cups have they won? Well, if there is any correlation at all, they have won over 30 various Futsal championships since 1969.

Back in 1989, our US Futsal team placed 3rd in the Fifa Futsal World Cup and 2nd in 1992.  Only spotty relationships formed in 1995 and again in 1999 between US Futsal and US Youth Soccer to promote the game as the "official choice for indoor soccer". Since then, there is almost no progress to be found.

Why can't the USA figure this out. Our Futsal program is virtually unseen, unrecognized, and surely undervalued in the US Soccer system. With the clear benefits of the sport's ability to raise the level of play of American soccer on the pitch, what exactly is the problem? 

So what is holding futsal back? The lack of knowledge. The local sports community needs to be educated. In the setting of an inner-city, the focus on basketball as a way to "get out" of the hood is very apparent. The sport is flooded and not everyone is good enough for a college scholarship or a ticket to the NBA draft. So why only focus on B-Ball? Dunno. Bring in futsal and you have another option for the kids. Its another team sport that teaches cooperation, creativity, agility, humility, quick-thinking, and decision-making.  The sport is so easy to play. The rules are so easy to learn! There is never going to be an argument for offside. With the lack of bodily contact and no slide tackling allowed, there are much fewer injuries than in the outdoor game. And with the game being 5-aside, with no real positions, players have many more touches on the ball and end up developing as all-around players.  I can't find any negative aspect of the game. Can you? This game should be played across the country. Especially in the cities, where the kids need & want to play.
Everywhere I look we have soooooo many basketball courts, city gyms, YMCA's, church gyms, school gyms, etc. that are ready to host a league. In fact, they are just itching to bring in the money, right?  The problem is that they have no clue of the added revenue that could be rolling in. The basketball lines are used as the futsal court lines, just add a couple of futsal goals and voila...there you have it. Your very own ready-to-go Futsal court.  Just add kids and watch the talent grow.  Maybe we need to develop a study, make a short film, and get the story to the news stations or something.

The City of Charleston has many opportunities throughout the city to install futsal courts. they are very easy to maintain and very inexpensive to put together.  Using the same dimensions as a full basketball court, and building the goals into the fence, you have a futsal court set up in no time. These would take up a very small space. Installed at the local parks, they would add a wonderful recreational option for our citizens. And I believe that the courts would be occupied from dawn to dusk on the weekends for sure. With minor supervision, the cit could easily organize leagues and find another source of income for the recreation dept. Or a few rules laid out, the courts can be self-governed by the players. 

I call for a meeting of the soccer minds. I say that we get together and come up with some plans, cost-estimates, and locations for possible outdoor courts. Let's get organized and do our best to see this through.  Public Futsal courts...I like the sound of that. Hey, the city is a progressive one. And so is our Mayor. It's worth a try for sure.  And while we are at it, does anyone else see those Upward Basketball magnets on the back of minivans around the Lowcountry? Why don't we come up with a plan and invite the Church's into the game. If they have the space, I don't see why they would oppose the new stream of revenue into the church coffers.

Here is a great example of futsal benefiting urban youth.  From an article linked here, US Soccer and Sport Court donated two futsal courts in DC after holding a fundraising event. It was done in partnership with Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign encouraging youth to get out and play for at least 60 minutes a day. 

You see! We already have a wonderful example of futsal/urban sports development to throw in the face of naysayers. So who is with me? Let's get this ball rolling....

And if you still have no clue what Futsal is, come out to watch the Charleston Indoor Soccer League on Friday nights starting at 7pm at the Arthur Christopher City Gym in downtown Charleston. It's located in between the Riverdogs Stadium and Johnson Hagood Stadium.

Every once in a while, you just have to watch this. This is why we love this game. Enjoy!

Emergency Post!! Lowcountry Soccer Drops the Ball and so does the City of Charleston! No Copa Charleston and (GASP!) No Lowcountry Soccer Festival!

Copa Charleston IV is not going to happen?!?!  Such a sad bit of news to hear this morning. But not surprised by it at all. Those of us that have had dealings with Lowcountry Soccer have had many highs in the past and just as many lows to talk about. You could almost call my experiences as manic. The focus there is clearly on the money side of things and not the soccer side. Of course it is a business and I used to work for them. But the business is just that, a business. Hey, we all gotta make money, I understand. But for me, it's all about the soccer. Promoting it, growing the tournament, spending the time to make it special and relevant...that will reward you with the paycheck in the future.  If you provide a good experience now, you will reap the future rewards.  But to let it die out just a couple of weeks away from the start is unprofessional and shows a complete lack of focus and care for the players and fans. Without player interest, you have no respect.  Without respect you have no following. Without a following...you have no support for your business. No advertising, no emails, not any communication at all concerning the Copa Charleston at all this year. When I helped to develop this tournament, I spent many hours calling and talking to managers, finding sponsors, volunteers, and lining up the teams and referees that would make the Copa successful. Obviously, that kind of nurturing is needed to get the turnout from the elite soccer players in the lowcountry and the sponsors to make the whole event worthwhile.  So instead of reaching out to those of us in the soccer community to help pull this off...ehhhh...whatever. Nothing surprising and nothing new about that kind of behaviour from Lowcountry Soccer. Hopefully a winter tournament can still be organized quickly.  I will be making some calls tomorrow to try to salvage the Copa.

The Copa has a great history so far. Full of drama on the field, it was just as much fun and exciting to watch as it was to play.  Here is a snippet from the Post and Courier a couple of years ago. Check out my previous post for videos and pictures of the past Copa Charleston tournaments.

Another ridiculous news item that saddens not only the Lowcountry soccer community, but the greater Southeast region...the City of Charleston has cancelled their support of the Lowcountry Soccer Festival. This tournament was held over Memorial Day Weekend.  A 20+ year running event, it attracted teams from all over the US and International teams alike to our city. Cutbacks have forced the city to toss a great tournament into the dustbin of history. However, there is another page to this story...

Lowcountry Soccer has stepped in to host the Charleston International Cup. Given what we know about the business side of Lowcountry Soccer...this could be good or could be awful. I am going to have to shake my head a bit and clear the negative thoughts. Since this tournament is a HUGE money maker, you best believe that the mind behind Lowcountry Soccer will be hard, and i mean ROCK SOLID HARD at work to promote and make this tournament what it has the absolute potential to be. The biggest change to the tournament besides the name is the fact that CA$H PRIZE$ are awarded to the top flights. Only downside I see so far is that the entry fees are astronomical. In past years, the local teams were allowed in for $300. Now we have to find $650 to enter. This is a $150 raise in the entry fee from what the City charged out-of- towners last year.  If this is going to work, it is going to need to have a lot of exposure and the confidence from teams that they will have a good experience. I am hoping that it is successful. I definitely back Lowcountry Soccer in putting on this event. I have seen the success in growing the James Island Cup (among other youth tournaments) from year to year...but what happened to the Copa Charleston, a tournament that teams talk about all year long and embodies the soul of local competition, is unforgivable.

Why Is There A Women's Professional Soccer Team In Columbia?

Alright...It seems like a great idea. I think that it's fantastic that we are going to have a professional women's team in our "local" area. They will probably fill the stands with fans and attract local sponsors that have a vested interest in seeing the sport grow. That's what they need if they are going to last. With the Fifa Women's World Cup 2011 just around the corner, one would and should expect a great response and heavy following to the start of a women's professional team in South Carolina. So the timing seems to be perfect and well-planned. From the looks of the Central SC Cobra's website, the groups seems extremely well organized for the start of their 2011 campaign in the Atlantic Division of the USL's W-League. Please take a look and become a supporter.  And if you add your email to the mailing list, fair  warning...just hit the go button once. It will capture your address. I hit it like 7 times thinking it wasn't working.

So why do I ask the question? Why Columbia? Well....my confusion, or ignorance, or disappointment, or well...umm...I'm not sure exactly, but I definitely feel something about the above announcement that just leaves me scratching my head. Just a few months back, I found myself super excited about the prospect of a totally different women's team in the Lowcountry dubbed the Charleston Heat.

 I heard a little bit here and overheard a little more over there.  And then one afternoon in between drills, one of my young ladies on a team I coach asked me about the new pro women's team in Charleston...so I thought that there most certainly must be something to this buzz. So I googled it. Didn't find a thing. Eventually, on Facebook, I find out that there is a team developing in Charleston. YES!!!! It's the Charleston Heat!! But not really. It is more of an idea. A concept that hasn't taken complete hold yet.  If you look at it's last Twitter Updates...they were posted in August '10.  If I seem like I have a negative tone to my writing here...please be advised...it is only my frustration with the lack of available information.  I believe that if you get the word out there and really start to promote the program, you would find out that the market for a women's team would quite possibly explode in Charleston!

Explode, you say? Yes, Explode. And here is how it would work. Partner up with the Battery! If you take a look at the WPSL teams, you see that we have absolutely no representation in this area. Now, take a look again at the W-League, which is part of the USL. Our area already has a strong tie to the USL-Pro league...in the relationship with the Charleston Battery.  What we have here with the Battery is most importantly, Blackbaud Stadium. More commonly known as Battery Park, it was the first soccer specific stadium built in the USA. Over the past 11 years there have been many other stadiums built throughout the country. However, unlike most of the bigger stadiums in MLS, the Battery's fans get to sit right on top of the action and experience the game as it was intended. The organization and stadium have garnered well earned national publicity and accolades for its beautiful pitch, leadership in environmental stewardship, and devoted supporters. 

 Okay...getting back on track now...  Back to the Exploding! 

Some ideas to help maximize the incredible potential of hosting a pro women's team (and the further exposure of the men's program and therefore more asses-in-seats for the Battery): 

1. Play the women's games during the daylight! Play the games before the men's team. This could save on energy costs due to the use of the Sun's glorious rays. How much would it really take to get the staff there a couple of hours earlier? How do we pay them?  My answer = Interns and volunteers!

2. Get involved in the community! Make sure that our players are out there in the offseason and in-season to gain more positive exposure for the club.  Take a look at how its done elsewhere. I get tweets and read about many pro teams everyday. It seems as though there is no offseason at all for the higher level clubs. Yes I understand that some of our players go off to keep fresh by playing in other leagues, but the ones that are in town should be doing appearances and keeping their profile very high. Viral marketing and Flash-Mob style events would be a lot of fun and would gain more publicity for the organization. Weave the organization into the fabric of our community. Let's get on the news for more than a total of 1min 30sec a season. Maybe a pickup game with a few stars in Marion Square on a random offseason/in-season afternoon. GET CREATIVE!  The key is to attract the casual soccer fan and suck them into our world. If only just for a minute, or 90, or every home game for the next season. I'm not necessarily a marketing  professional, but I am a thinker...

3.  Attract the finest women's college players out there! We are blessed to live in Charleston. The weather is amazing all summer and the beaches, shopping, night life, etc. has got to be very alluring to young women soccer players that are looking to keep fresh during the summer. Utilize our local attributes to bring in the really golden talent and it will pay off by filling the golden seats at the "Baud"! Thus turning the idea into a golden experience. We are already on the radar for USWNT, having seen them a few times here over the years. So maybe this can lead to a US Women's camp....dunno...what do you need to host a camp? Or at least a maybe we could host another sort of event like a W-League combine.  Just thinking here...

I would love to see the Charleston Battery franchise grow far beyond the success we already share currently.  Adding a women's program to the organisation may or may not work. Won't know until you try. Put the right people with a great amount of passion in charge of it and it may be a blessing to us soccer fans and a boost to the coffers in the front office.

Regardless if the Battery are interested in a women's W-league team or not, the Charleston Heat need to get the word out there a lot more and really drive the interest if they want to find success. We, the fans are here and we will support you. We just need to know what we can do and how we can support you.

To quote the great robot actor "Johnny 5" - "Need More Input..."

 (yes, i just quoted a 1986 Steve Guttenberg movie)

OK, If I am unaware of any current or recent news releases or insider info that ether supports, contradicts, or blows my ramblings out of the water...please feel free to comment. And to acknowledge my lack of knowledge is quite alright with me.  Always learning, we are. Like a sponge, I am.

The best two teams in US Soccer, a completely unbiased take, and So What Exactly Is The Coffee Pot Cup?

    Christmas may be tomorrow, and sure we've been awaiting our gifts and surprises with great anticipation...But for me, my present comes in March. It comes to me in three parts. Three glorious nights in which to see my two favorite teams battle it out in the preseason and add another page or two in the soccer history books.

    After a season that on one hand was absolutely amazing and again (as in 1996 and 2003) showed the quality of both the organization and the players of the Charleston Battery by winning the USL-2 league in fine fashion. Those of us in the Lowcountry are very lucky to have such a fine stadium and team to support.

    The second season for me, or the other hand, is the one that has been scalded, stomped on, and almost completely chopped off.  With the trouble the my beloved DC United were in over the last two seasons, no one could have imagined the absolute breakdown in competent decision making from the Coaching Staff to the Front Office. With the dismissal of the coach, and what translated (to me) as the complete lack of passion on the field from the team...it became very easy to utilize my DirectKick package from DirecTV and watch another team like, I don't know...LA or NYRB!?!?!  Yes, that's almost blasphemy. But dammit, I had to get my soccer fix somewhere, and DC was not cutting it.  Better to watch the skillful finishing of Edson Buddle and the masterful play of Joel Lindpere, rather than continue to bang my head against the wall.  But...let us focus on where we are now. It all starts right here. It starts now with the offseason moving and shaking we see throughout MLS with the Expansion Draft, the first and second installments of the Re-Entry Draft, and the Superdraft (soon to be here on Jan. 13 @ noon in Baltimore).  The Expansion Draft pickup of Dax McCarty; 

The signing of Josh Wolff, a hero to USMNT fans;

the Re-Entry Draft aquisition of a veteran striker in Joseph Ngwenya;

the muti-year contract signing of our Homegrown talent, and ROTY, Andy Najar; The addition of a top notch Goalie coach in Pat Onstadt; and most importantly the signing of the man that all other men came to fear in MLS for ten years, #14 in our playbook but #1 in our hearts, the one and only, the man with the Heart of a Lion, the man they called Benny, the soul and strength and leader of DC United...BEN OLSEN as our head coach. (yes, i have a man-crush and i don't care who knows it) 

 Insert Chant Here: WE LOVE YOU OLSEN
[tune: We Love You Conrad (Bye Bye Birdie)]

We love you Olsen
Oh yes we do
We love you Olsen, it's true
When you're not near us, we're blue
Oh Olsen, we love you

We are making the moves to become a strong team that will once again find our way to the MLS Cup.  Sometimes you have got to hit rock bottom to find your way back to the top. Watch out MLS. So when March rolls around, you will find me cheering with The Regiment for the Battery when they play the likes of Chicago and Toronto. But I must warn you. I Bleed Black and Red. And no matter how much I have grown to love my Lowcountry home, my life, my friends, and the Charleston Battery..........Here's One More Chant For You:
UNITED 'TIL I DIE
[tune: Farmer in the Dell]
United till I die
United till I die
I know I am
I'm sure I am
United till I die

Carolina Challenge Cup, A History:
 (All information pulled from Wikipedia)

The Carolina Challenge Cup is a four-team round robin pre-season competition hosted by the Charleston Battery. It was started in 2004 and features teams from Major League Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues. The Columbus Crew edged out D.C. United on goal differential to win the 2004 competition, while the San Jose Earthquakes won the 2005 competition. San Jose's second iteration (although a separate team), the Houston Dynamo, won the 2006 and 2007 versions. The San Jose Earthquakes again won the tournament on their return to the MLS in 2008 while Real Salt Lake claimed the title in their debut in 2009.
Over the first few years of the tournament, the champion had gone on to win one of the two year-end MLS trophies, the MLS Supporters' Shield or MLS Cup. This streak ended in 2008 as San Jose Earthquakes failed to make the playoffs, consequently missing out on both titles

Coffee Pot Cup
A highlight of the competitions that have been held so far is the Coffee Pot Cup, a game between D.C. United and the host Charleston Battery, making it a rare example of an MLS-USL team rivalry. The history behind this comes from a postgame incident after the Third Round of the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, where Charleston pulled a shocking 4-3 extra time upset at home over D.C. A news report from then:
"D.C. United apparently used the visitors' locker room to vent its frustration over losing to the Charleston Battery in last Wednesday's US Open Cup match at Blackbaud Stadium here. Members of the Major League Soccer team smashed two coffee pots and pulled off some showerheads, according to Battery officials. 'I think a bill will be sent to them,' Battery general manager Buckley Andrews said earlier this week. The US Soccer Federation website's match report on Charleston's 4-3 overtime win over the two-time MLS champion called it 'one of the biggest upsets ever seen in American soccer history ... It will surely go down as an Open Cup classic.'"
After a few years, supporters of both sides in the name of spirited competition decided to have an actual Coffee Pot played for between the sides as a friendly wager. The winner has the other team's supporters fill the Cup with beer for the winning team's supporters to enjoy. Supporters of both sides say that whenever the two sides play, they are playing for the Coffee Pot Cup (the two sides could meet in the U.S. Open Cup if drawn together, or in an arranged friendly). The inaugural winners of the Cup in 2004 were D.C. United after winning 2-1. In 2005 and 2006, the two teams played to a tie (2-2, 1-1), meaning no one had to pay for the beer to fill the Cup, but D.C. maintained possession.
Mainly due to their commitment to play in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, D.C. United were unable to play in the 2007 and 2008 versions of the tournament.
Most recently the teams competed in the final of the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, as D.C. United defeated Charleston 2-1 on September 3, 2008 at RFK Stadium.

• 2004, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 1
• 2005, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 2
• 2006, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 1, Charleston Battery 1
• 2006, Cary, NC Friendly: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 0
• 2008, US Open Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 1
• 2009, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 0
• 2010, Carolina Challenge Cup: D.C. United 2, Charleston Battery 0

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Some favorties of mine and my friends...

Charleston Battery Holiday Sale

(From http://www.charlestonbattery.com/)
Charleston, SC. Tickets for the 2011 Carolina Challenge Cup featuring Major League Soccer go on sale 9 AM Tuesday, December 7 with prices frozen at 2010 levels. The USL Champion Charleston Battery will be joined by Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire, D.C. United & Toronto FC for the week-long tournament, March 5 – 12, 2011.

Charleston and DC have a long history with Charleston actually knocking DC out of the US Open Cup (a couple of times? can't remember...blocked that out) and many meetings at the Carolina Challenge Cup. The rivalry is intense and came to a head at the 2008 US Open Cup Final with my team...yes I said, MY TEAM - DC UNITED winning the cup.  Of course I support my local club, But I bleed Black and Red. I am from DC and will always be a United fan til I die.


Las Olas Surf Shop  -  This is a shop owned and operated by a local soccer player Daniel James. They are the standard for Surf Shops. Only Shop HERE for your surf related gear.

Lloyd's Soccer  -  The best place to catch deals on all your soccer needs. Owned and operated by a wonderful family that is knitted deep within the fabric of our Lowcountry soccer community.

Soccer this Winter in Charleston

The most important soccer event coming up this Winter in the Charleston area is the Copa Charleston IV.
Founded four years ago by Alex Voelker and Kenyon Cook, this tournament is highly regarded as having the most intense matches of the beautiful game from the most competitive adult teams in the Lowcountry. 

The event is to take place January 13-16 at North Charleston HS.

The tournament is now fully in the hands of Lowcountry Soccer, a local company that is involved with leagues and tournaments for all ages of soccer players.  Their next step is to take over the now defunct Lowcountry Soccer Festival from the City of Charleston, which is held over Memorial Day weekend.

Registration and more information can be found at http://www.lowcountrysoccer.net/

The Winners of Premier and 1st Division receive cash prizes.

Copa Charleston III Highlights:

Copa Charleston III Pictures

Premier Division Winner - Outdoor Addiction

1st Division Winner - South Charleston Wolves

Interview with Jason Weber, Manager/Owner of Madra Rua Pub - primary sponsor of the Copa Charleston
http://www.madraruapub.com/