Look Ma! I'm a Winner!

Should we be bitter? Yes.

We give FIFA too much power.

Colorado Foxes, I Mean Rapids Win MLS

The MLS seems just so far away doesn't it? The closest teams playing in New York, Philadelphia and Canada. This week the Colorado Rapids hoisted the MLS Cup for the first time with a dramatic final victory over FC Dallas on an own goal, in overtime.

It was fun to watch, exciting atmosphere all around. But for some reason, with every MLS season, it feels like it's played in a different country.

Yeah, we get the MLS combine and a nice on boat dinner with MLS coaches every January, but what about real games? We need real games.

Chi Chi Chi - Le Le Le

Trapped for days. Deprived of the comforts of today's living standards. The Chilean miners left their cave-doom and resurfaced like a crazed pack of, well for a lack of a better term, South American soccer fans.

One miner even waved the flag of Chilean powerhouse club Colo Colo as he was escorted off to a medical area.

Point I'm trying to make is that South Florida is full of South American soccer fans. We've been in a cave for almost 20 years without top flight pro soccer, could even be 30 years if you consider the NASL's first Strikers as our last top-rate club (apologies to the Miami Fusion, but who were you again and what did you do with my pro soccer?).

Also of note, I will be taking with me my Fort Lauderdale Strikers pennant whenever I go mining.

Striker Catalog Photoshoot? Let's Do It

Here is a look at Bayern Munich's yearly apparel catalog. It's got all the goodies from unis to scarves and everything in between. Click here for the whole thing and you tell me what's so scary about it.

Can't wait for the Strikers version!

Congratu...This Hurts!

Winning the World Cup is an amazing achievement. Mix in the factors that only a few nations have ever won the tournament and the fact that it is played only once every four years and the odds are rarely in anyone's favor (unless your German or Brazilian).

In any case, a new country joined the list this time around and Spain, after a bleak start to the tournament), silenced doubters and hoisted the cup. But it definitely hurt to get there.

Know what else hurts? Having to wait until April to see the Strikers play. When are we seeing uniforms?

We are so easy to please.

Making An Ass of Yourself

This is why they call it the beautiful game.

A New Beginning

Take a good look brothers. The Strikers are back!

In a recent post on their site, on facebook and at their last game, Miami FC officially reported that they will be 'honoring' the Strikers starting in 2011. Just a reminder, 2011 is only 6 months away!

This news is not shocking as we've been hearing the rumbles for awhile, but it is exciting to us Striker Likers who can now support a club that plays games. It's been a long time. Too long of a time.

It's Called Karma

As a Striker Liker its hard to put the Germans in their place. They were half of the star power that brought the Strikers to prominence, along with the Dutch in the late 70's. But I'm more of a fan of the late 80's Strikers, with their Argentine Three Amigos, so when I'm asked for sympathy for the Germans, I turn the other way.

So as Michael Ballack has his World Cup dreams destroyed by a non-sensical tackle in the FA Cup by a Ghanian international, I have no tears. So what you missed your shot at the final when you collected too many yellow cards in '02 to play the last game and you watched on the sidelines helpless as Ronaldo and Brazil had field day.

This is all just pay back for that ugly handball non call that would have given the US a chance to tie their quarterfinal game with the Germans in South Korea/Japan. Oh what a difference that would have made.

But back to the story, time will only tell if the Ballack-less Germans can make their way through a not-so-easy group against Australia, Serbia, and Ghana. They might be making Prince Boateng a king.

I heard Thierry Henry is coming to MLS too.

Soccer Development League

Just a reminder to those of you who don't know, this year's Soccer Development League (SDL) is in full swing and it is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons to date. The league, which was founded in 1978 here in South Florida gives our local High School and College athletes a chance to to keep their skills during those long summer vacations away from school.

Over the years, the SDL has been a breeding ground of sorts for many players and often times you will find college scouts and coaches on the sidelines looking for talent. Players such as Jamaican International Tyrone Marshall and US National Mark Chung as well as other standouts such as Bobby Boswell, John Pulido and Cory Gibbs have played in the SDL .

This year, Miami FC Strength and Conditioning coach Rodrigo Dias plays with the Academy, a multiple time winner of the SDL.

Check out SDL for more info.

Please Refrain

It just doesn't feel right. It looks horrible. It may be one of the worst ideas in man's history. Next to having ten best movie nominations at the Oscars®, playing soccer in a baseball stadium is the most horrible thing Americans have done since folding the Miami Fusion.

But all joking aside, shoving soccer fields into baseball stadiums make watching a soccer game unbearable. You can do it with American football because the field is thinner and because you can play football on clay. Soccer is played on grass. So as most baseball fans abhor the world's game, let's not try to put our round peg in their square holes.

Latest culprit, FC Tampa Bay (are they officially the Rowdies?). Currently playing in the Yankees Spring Training home, these numb nuts are falling into the same trap soccer in this country has been falling into for years. So thank you Tampa Bay, way to really step it up. I don't care if you are building a new stadium. Never play soccer in a baseball stadium, it's part of the cardinal rules of living behind getting 10 hours of sleep per night, never playing poker with a guy whose name is a city and dating a girl with a tattoo of a dagger on her person.

I'm just saying.

Super What?

That's right, it ain't a party til this guy shows. You know your home team has arrived when THE Super Mario is checking out your home field.

All joking aside, the rivalry game did live up to some sort of potential. The tailgating was present, a live band greeted fans as they entered the field and there were opposing fans in somewhat large numbers (too many for my taste).

The game too was exciting! Tampa Bay had a few more chances early but late in the first half the Miami FC took the lead, almost out of nowhere. I say out of no where because the cops were busy trying to handle the rowdy Rowdies fans. Not too hard, they are forced to wear puke green and yellow, so it makes them hate themselves just as much as they hate living in Tampa.

But then the second half came and it kinda ruined the party. One minute in, Miami FC's lone "star" player gets a straight red for a 'from-behind' tackle. From then on it was one way traffic albeit for a few Miami FC breakaways, but with 10 minutes to go the Tampons found the equalizer and the Miami FC are still winless (but they haven't lost yet either).

If the game were played 11 on 11, I'm pretty sure we would have had a Miami FC victory and a much happier fanbase. So why the straight red? Not only was it a buzzkill, but it basically ruined any chances for a Miami FC win. It doesn't even make sense. If the Miami FC can't win, then no one comes to the games, then the city loses the team entirely and these refs won't have any games to ref. That's why it's called home cooking. I think it's time we start stressing the need for this.

OK, rant done. There were many Striker Likers out there last night. Kudos to all. Keep the dream alive.

Armie Mauser sighting!!!

Live from Lockhart. Who do these Rowdies fans think they are? They are about to regret a very long drive to get here. Go Strikers!!! I mean go Miami FC.

A Kick in the Grass

So you're angry, you might be a little mad. You keep telling yourself how much you would want an MLS squad suiting up in your backyard. You want pro soccer. You want the pride of dressing up in hometown colors on Saturdays and going to a stadium to consume beer, salted pretzels, arepas and frozen lemonades. You want to be at that big rivalry game. You want to yell at visiting players and coaches and you definitely want to tell the referee he isn't worth his weight in anything. You want it all and you want it now.

Well wait no further.

This Saturday is your chance, if you decided to at least go to one Miami FC game this year, make this the one. It's early in the season so no one is out of playoff contention yet. The team may be still trying to gel but the excitement of a new season is still in the air (even though we are 3-4 weeks in). The cherry on top is that the Miami FC are playing the dreaded Rowdies. That's right, Tampa Bay has the gaul to put forth a team and come to our house.

I'm seething. I want a 4-0 thrashing and an attendance of at least 5,000. Who wants to dream with me?

It's Soccer Madness

Striker Likers, listen up. Here's a little history lesson for those who forgot the second coming of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This is the APSL Strikers, coached by Thomas Rongen and the only Striker squad to win a league championship. I grew up with this team and if I needed soccer gear I went to one place: Soccer Madness.

Soccer Madness held offices right here in Broward County and if you needed some new adidas Copas or that new Nike track suit, this is where you would go. The catalog they produced was a bible as it also displayed top-flight European stars in Soccer Madness gear.

That was a great time, just waiting for my Soccer Madness catalog in the mail, it was better than EuroSport, it felt like a magazine, and it was home grown.

Today, Soccer Madness is a faded memory, just like those 1994 United States national team uniforms. But, the soccer store institution is a growing one. Sure you can score some cheap cleats at the Sports Authority or even Wal-Mart, but devoted soccer stores are the true hotspots for soccer passion. You can find them more often than ever before, especially here in our back yard. With the success of these shops will come pro soccer, no question. So let's give Soccer Madness our respect, as well as the Soccer Connection, I miss you guys.

Just Shoot Me

SUN SENTINEL STRIKER PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO OPEN)

It was a weekend that a league called the NASL played and a weekend in which Lockhart Stadium saw soccer action. It almost feels like a Striker Liker's dream, but not quite. It is the Miami FC who currently call Lockhart home, but the Sun Sentinel know better. They've unleashed a glorious memory provoking gallery with Striker images from the NASL and the APSL days. So enjoy the slideshow.

Speaking of the Miami FC, they staved off the mighty Rochester Rhinos, but displayed the lowest attendance record of the weekend in the NASL. It's something to be aware of, but rest assured when the Rowdies come to town, that number should quadruple.

The memories are grey but they sure are coming back.

Where's Waldo?

Probably not the post you were expecting on the eve of NASL 2.0's opening weekend, but I had a friend recently move to Greece and when I noticed Freddy Adu not on the Benfica Europa roster against Liverpool I did some searching and found this. A happy coincidence.

Jokes aside, Adu obviously isn't what we Americans have hoped for but the kid is still 21. He's no Messi and if you believe an American will be coined best in the world at this game, you are a very optimistic person. I hope it happens in my lifetime, but truly I'm not holding my breath.

But back to more Striker Liker related issues. Miami FC (soon to be known as the Strikers) take on the Rochester Rhinos this weekend at the daunting Lockhart Stadium. Not a bad way to kick off the NASL in a comfy familiar setting. The Ultras and Southern Brigade have already claimed a section so it's going to be fun to see how the rest of the public reacts. It's also going to be interesting to see how Miami FC itself gets the word out. Their 'head shaving' stunt didn't really follow through last year, but I think the ten people who saw it have already forgotten it by now.

It is a new season, a new team, a new permanent home and new results better be on the way. A win this weekend could go a long way, but also some exciting action wouldn't hurt either.

Let's get our butts to the field!

May 1st Can't Come Any Sooner

The Tampa Bay Rowdies are coming to Lockhart Stadium. No double take necessary, it's actually happening. It's going to happen twice this year, so don't miss your chance to heckle and boo at Fort Lauderdale's most hated vermin.

Before I get into more details I must apologize for my long absence. It's been September since my last post. I have nothing to confess except that the Striker Liker is back, just in time for the re-emergence of the NASL and a newly revamped Miami FC.

So back to the Rowdies, May 1st is their first visit to Lockhart this season and I'm hoping to see a lot of red and yellow shirts there to greet them. If you don't have the gear you can find some here:

Zazzle

Also, did someone say that Miami FC will become the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011? Now almost all my soggy dreams have come true.