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.