Blues fall to Red Bull

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:14:29 -0500

By Pieter Brown - On a rainy day Red Bull New York came to South Florida and challenged our Blues. New York fielded what looked like a solid line up that has been playing together for 6 weeks. Miami FC fell down a goal early in the first half but held it together and had a respectable half.

Miami FC has only been playing together for about 8 days and it showed in the second half. Red Bull dominated the entire second half and finished off the game with a 3-1 score.

Edward Santilez scored the lone goal for the Blues in the first half, but all the hard work came from Brian Perez. This years squad for Miami looks to be very promising. The front office took forever to put a team together, but it looks like they were holding out for some promising talent. There is a lot of former MLS talent on the Blues that should be able to hold their own against any team in USSF 2nd Division.

Miami FC will next face Lynn University in a closed door scrimmage Saturday, March 14th @ 10am.

CLICK here for more pictures from the game

Edward Santeliz joins the Blues

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 16:51:50 -0500

Fox Sports in Spanish
Updated Mar 4, 2010 6:41 PM ET
CENTURY CITY, USA -Edward Santeliz's dream became a reality. To play abroad, but more then that, to make history in becoming the first Guatemalan to play in the NASL with Miami FC.

Santeliz makes history in Guatemala and becomes the first in the NASL with Miami FC

Previously, two Guatemalans had played with the Blues, "Mario" Loco "Rodriguez and Willie" Jet "Sims, when this team was part of the USL.

The new men's professional football league second division announced its formation a few weeks ago and will begin play from spring 2010, The North American Soccer League (NASL) is a familiar name to followers of Soccer in the United States and Canada.

"I'm very proud to be part of this project and this team already had two of my countrymen and of course, ex world cup players Zinho and Romario in their ranks. It is a true honor to be representing Guatemala abroad. This is only the first of many goals that I have drawn, "said Santeliz after his signature for one year with the Blues.

"Soccer here is played using the first-touch. Not like what we practice in my country where I played with Deportivo Suchitepéquez. In Guatemala everything is slower, two or three touches. The good thing is that I was born and raised in Chicago and I know perfectly what is expected of me in America, as I have already played at the amateur level here, "he said.

"I invite all Guatemalans to follow Miami FC, who incidentally, is identified with the chapines (term used gor Guatemanlans), as we knoe Mario and Willie Sims played here," he said

Edward now becomes the fourth Guatemalan player Legionnaire this season to go abroad, joining Marco Pablo Pappa (Chicago Fire, USA), Guillermo Ramirez (Marathon of Honduras), Carlos Ruiz (Puebla de Mexico). His coach will be Victor Pastora, of Nicaraguan origin.

Santeliz comes from the ranks of Deportivo Suchitepéquez and will dress in the Blues number 10.
http://msn.foxsports.com/fse/mls/story/Meta_cumplida

Miami FC Announces Two Preseason Games

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:35:42 -0500

OFFICIAL MIAMI FC PRESS RELEASE:

The Blues confirm preseason matches with FIU and the New York Redbulls

MIAMI, March 4, 2010- Miami FC made its way back to the pitch, beginning its preseason with practices on Wednesday, March 3 at the Holiday Inn’s soccer complex in Sunrise. A preseason matchup with Florida International University’s men’s soccer team is slated for Saturday, March 6 at 10 a.m. at the FIU soccer stadium. The Blues will also face the New York Red Bulls on Friday, March 12, 2010.

The Blues’ match against FIU’s men’s soccer team will be free to the public. This will be the first of numerous matches to be held between now and the season opener in April 10 against the Rochester Rhinos at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m.

The team will also take on the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in a scrimmage at the Holiday Inn in Sunrise on Friday, March 12 at 11 a.m. The event is also free and open to the public.

The rest of the preseason schedule is still in the process of being completed and will be announced in the days to come.

Miami FC Blog

Miami FC also continues to make strides in making its fans feel like they are part of all the action with the introduction of the official team blog.

The blog, Behind the Blues, will feature posts by different members from different areas of the organization, from management to the athletes, to give fans an in-depth look at Miami FC throughout the course of the season. To check out the newest Miami FC blog click here.

Miami FC will open the 2010 season on April 10 at 7:30PM at Lockhart Stadium against the visiting Rochester Rhinos.
For real time updates, don’t forget to follow Miami FC on twitter www.twitter.com/miamifc.

Copa Latina kicks off Saturday

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 21:07:49 -0500

By Pieter Brown - An awesome local Miami soccer tournament, The El Nuevo Copa Latina, kicks off this Saturday, March 6th at 7:30 pm. This tournament is a World Cup style tournament with 32 teams from Miami’s multi-cultural communities.

Copa Latina is in their 18th year and has become the most successful adult Hispanic soccer tournament in the Unites States. The annual attendance has grown to over 30,000 fans a year. The Latin Cup has received massive amounts of coverage in the Hispanic media, but has not gotten much in the non-hispanic media. This year we will strive to fill that void.

Many players that have ties to Miami FC have played in Copa Latina and this year will be no different. Come out and cheer on former Blues John Pulido, Luchi Gonzalez, Nacho Calcagno, Jamil Jean Jacque and Pedro Powers to name just a few. Other notable players that have taken part in this tournament are George Weah, Diego Serna and Walter Ramirez. So come out and see who shows up on the field.

Parade starts at 7:30pm with fireworks following. After that defending champions Honduras 5 Star will take on Mexico Starlight. Sunday there is a full slate of games starting at 11am, 5 games will be played on this day.

Copa Latina starts Saturday and games will be played every weekend through April 11th.

Join the crowd and see what all the hype is about.

Ted Hendricks Stadium 4800 Palm Ave, Hialeah,FL

It’s Official MFC will become Strikers

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:26:50 -0500

By Pieter Brown - It’s been one of the worst kept secrets for awhile, Miami FC will become the Strikers in 2011. MFC will call Lockhart Stadium home for the 2010 season with the hopes of moving into the Strikers Football Academy in 2011.

My sources have told me it is still being debated on whether or not they will call themselves Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, South Florida Strikers or Strikers FC. No matter which version they choose something will need to be done with the name of the new WPSL team South Florida Strikers. I can’t see two separate organizations in the same area with the same moniker. Of course it would be ideal if they formed some sort of partnership.

Broward County has proven once again it is the best location for soccer in South Florida. It makes perfect sense since it is smack dab in the middle of the tri-county area. People refer to all of South Florida as Miami after all.

Lockhart will prove to be a stadium that can give our team a real home field advantage. The stadium can have the same amount of fans as FIU Stadium but it seems to be wilder and crazier. That stadium bleeds soccer. This year the Ultras will have their own reserved section for us to call home. We will not need to worry about people around us being upset about the noise we bring.

2010 is shaping up to be an exciting soccer year with 2011 promising to be much better.

Miami FC Signs Kyle Veris

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:20:58 -0500

MIAMI FC PRESS RELEASE:

Miami, FL February 24th 2010- The Blues announced today the signing of Kyle Veris. The American central defender has played in Major League Soccer (MLS), the Norwegian first division and the CONCACAF Champions League. Terms of the signing were not disclosed.

“Kyle is a strong physical back that will solidify our back line. He has the experience and talent necessary to boaster what we believe is an already strong defensive unit," said General Manager Luiz Muzzi. "We are very excited to have a player of this level join the club.”

The Ohio native began his career with the Mid-Michagan Bucks of the Premier Developmental League before playing for the University of Akron and Ohio State University. The 6’3, 195-pound defender was drafted in the 2006 MLS Superdraft by the LA Galaxy, where he went on to play two seasons, logging over 1200 minutes for the Galaxy defense. After a one-year stint with I.L Hood Futbol Club of the Norwegian first division, Veris signed with the Puerto Rico Islanders. During his time with the Islanders he played 20 matches in the USL and also played during the knock out stages of the CONCACAF Champions league.

Miami FC’s Open Tryout

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:22:57 -0500

By Robert Scorca - Saturday I was able to get a ride with Pieter to watch Miami FC's Open Tryout. When we got there Pieter informed me he would appreciate if I can do an article on the event. He also informed me I might appreciate a ride home. When Pieter the Great speaks the fellow Ultras listen!

We pulled into the parking lot at roughly 9 a.m. Shortly after the players formed up on the field. Miami FC was utilizing two fields with each game lasting 45 minutes. Ignacio informed me there were a total of 150 applicants on hand.

Pieter told me that he heard roughly 30% of the roster would come from this group. That would translate to 5 or 6 players for the 2010 Miami FC club would come from these two days.

I was fortunate enough to speak with Miami FC General Manager Luiz Muzzi prior to the event kicking off about the importance of the open try out. He told me the team also held an open tryout on the west coast in 2006. I inquired about how many players came out of the open tryout and he was able to come up with 13 off the top of his head. It is common knowledge that Zourab "Zee" Tsiskaridze came out of last years open tryout. Of the first 3 years which netted 12 players total players of note were Chris Doyle, J.P. Rodriguez, Stephane Guillaume, Walter Ramirez, and Jarryd Goldberg.

The Miami FC staff and coaches were on hand in full force. The only person I do not recall seeing was Aaron Davidson. Several members of the staff were wearing jackets and hats with the NASL logo. Even though the offical NASL logo has yet to be revealed this serve as a reminder of bigger things to come.

I also got to speak with Fernando Clavijo. He said "Tryouts are a big part of what American soccer is all about. No one else in the world does this kind of evaluation. We feel this is an opportunity for many soccer players to have a chance to show their qualities on the soccer field. Last year Miami FC signed a player that would not be in the league if not for the open tryout."

I was only able to attend Saturday's open tryout. No player jumped out that had me saying to myself "We got to sign this guy." I believe that Miami FC was using this to add depth to a roster that is closer to being completed than most people realize. I also believe that there are several positions that are being targeted. This last paragraph is more my feelings than anything that was mentioned to me.

Miami FC adds 2 more

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:51:31 -0500

MIAMI FC PRESS RELEASE

Miami, FL February 2nd 2010- Miami FC continued to build its roster for the 2010 season with the signings of JP Rodrigues and Jarryd Goldberg.

The team is going back to its roots with defender JP Rodrigues, a member of the inaugural Miami FC team who also played during the 2007 and 2008 regular seasons. In that span, Rodrigues played in 51 games and had one goal in over 4,500 minutes of play.

The Tampa native was Miami FC’s first ever draft pick in 2006, when the team had the first overall pick in the USL-1 draft that year.

Rodriguez has nine caps for the Guyana national team and is expected to add some experience to the Miami FC back line.

Jarryd Goldberg will continue to occupy the midfield for Miami FC this season after earning himself a reputation for being a hard worker and a great competitor in his first two seasons with the team.

Goldberg played in 25 games last season while logging in 1,730 minutes on the pitch. This upcoming season will be his third with Miami FC.

“We are very excited to have both of them back for this season,” said Miami FC Director of Soccer Fernando Clavijo. “They have been the type of players that any team would be fortunate to have on a roster, and we believe they bring the kind of experience necessary to take us to the next level.”

All signings are pending USSF approval. Terms of the signings were not disclosed.

Miami FC good and bad

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:32:34 -0500

By Pieter Brown - In recent weeks there have been many negative comments about our one and only pro soccer team in South Florida. Some people have gone so far to say that Traffic/Miami FC does not care about their fans or community. This could not be farther from the truth.

I am not going to sit here and say that Miami FC has done everything right. There have been many missteps and mistakes. I have been one of their biggest proponents and one of their biggest critics. They have yet to properly advertise this team. Majority of South Florida has no idea Miami FC even exists. For the last several seasons they have behind most teams in the league as far as player acquisition. Mistakes have been made, but some of you have made Traffic/MFC sound like the devil.

How can an organization that wants to make a 10 year commitment to create a soccer academy be evil? No other company or person has stepped up to make such a strong commitment to building soccer in South Florida.

It is no secret that most South Florida Soccer Fans want MLS to return to the area. I too have dreamed of such a return. But let’s face it folks MLS is not returning anytime soon unless someone like Beckham steps up to the challenge.

Marcelo Claure is not coming to the rescue. So far Claure has done nothing but talk, no one other than Traffic have put up any money for pro soccer in South Florida. My sources have told me that Don Garber was very happy that MLS Miami fell apart. He does not feel this area is ready for MLS. Nothing other than a full stadium for MFC is going to change Garber’s mind.

I have gotten to the point where I don’t care if we have MLS or NASL. I just want the best level of soccer to be played in my hometown. Right now that is MLS, but by the time MLS is ready for us NASL could be a very strong league that can give MLS a run for its’ money. NASL may never become that, but we can help the possibility by supporting our local team. And in the end if MFC is supported well and NASL does not become the next big thing then we may have gotten the attention of MLS.

I spent this weekend hanging out and talking to most of Miami FC’s front office. I spoke to everybody from Fernando Clavijo to the coaching staff. My relationship with MFC is that I am totally upfront with them. I don’t hold anything back. I printed out some of the most venomous posts from you guys and showed them to everybody at MFC. They were not happy to see these comments, but I felt they needed to. I don’t agree with the hatred some you have for Traffic, but some of you do have some good points. I told MFC brass that they have done a very poor job so far running this organization. A lot of them agree with some of your complaints and are prepared to make changes in the future. To say MFC does not care about it’s fans and their opinions is totally false. They admit they have made mistakes and are in the process of fixing them.

Miami FC will not agree with everything we say, but they will listen. They also read this website constantly.

One thing a lot of you may not know is that MFC/Traffic have been the architects of the new NASL. They have spent the majority of this off season creating a league for our club to flourish. I do feel that they have forgotten about the club to some extent. Once the league is set you will see a whole new level of dedication to the club and the soccer academy is a major step in that direction. The teams in NASL that have done the best, like Tampa, have not been involved in building the league so they have been able to fully focus on their club. Don’t get me wrong I am envious of what Tampa, Vancouver, Montreal and St. Louis have done. I wish Traffic had increased the MFC staff so that they could take care of the league and build up the club at the same time, but that didn’t happen. They are not perfect, far from it, but are working very hard.

On this website we will continue to support Miami FC. We will be supportive but will not give them a free pass either. They need to be held accountable for their decisions, good and bad.

If you want to share your opinions about soccer in South Florida we welcome it. We are always looking for new writers and opinions for this site. You can send any and all articles/opinions to articles@miamisoccerfan.com. We have only two rules; keep it clean and keep your opinions constructive. On this site we will not write anything that says Traffic is destroying soccer in South Florida because it is just not true.

Traffic is not destroying our chances for MLS, those venomous posts are. Lack of support for Miami FC will do more harm to our MLS dreams than Traffic could ever do. Nobody else has stepped up so far and Traffic has never tried to stop anybody. If new investors want to come Traffic will welcome it. They did not try to block Claure/Barcelona, they did the opposite. Traffic is invested in South Florida and does not want that investment to fail. They proved their commitment to the area already by buying Copa Latina and they have big plans for that tournament.

If you are looking for a website or a group to bash Traffic/Miami FC without showing them some support, then this website may not be for you. But if you want a group that will cheer for it’s team in the good and bad while at the same time holding them accountable then we are for you.

If you want Traffic to listen to your thoughts then you need to go to the games and meet these people.The Traffic decision makers are always walking around and are very approachable. Go to the games and hold signs of support or dissent. But to sit on your computer and do nothing but post negative comments while not going to the games is worthless. In my opinion those that do not support our local team are doing the most damage. So step away from your computer and come out and see MFC and share your feelings. If you are loud enough Miami FC will listen.