Look Again, It's Not What You Think

No, it's not a professional soccer game in South Florida, actually the attendance here might exceed that of some Miami FC games. No, this is the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. This pic is from the Italy vs. Paraguay match. I wonder how South Florida would fare in staging this game. Sellout crowd at FIU perhaps?

Ah, to dream. September officially marks the end of Miami FCs season, so live professional soccer is now in the closet with the moth balls as we get our soccer fix through espn360, justin.tv, foxsoccer, setanta, etc., etc., etc.

But in an offseason there are always 'talks'. What these 'talks' will lead to no one can really tell. Let's hope they don't end up with the, "let's fold the team" scenario. If that be the case, then maybe this Striker Liker will move to Seattle and deal with the winter.

But for now, the middle of October is the finishing line for World Cup Qualifiers, who will fill out the draw and which heavyweight will watch South Africa 2010 from the comfort of their couch?

A Bright Idea

This week, MLS announced a list of prospective parties trying to get a franchise. That list included a team for Miami with a management group consisting of FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure.

Marcelo Claure is the CEO of Brightstar, a wireless solutions company in Miami that specializes in customizing mobile technologies (mainly cell phones and related accessories).

Their proposed plan uses FIU's new "The Cage" stadium, which according to reports is "soccer ready".


Any hope this new team will be called the Strikers and completely overshadow the recent rebirth of the Tampa Bay Rowdies? Not likely. Marcelo Claure has a background working with the Bolivian National Team and FC Barcelona may want to open up their brand here ala Chivas USA.

But look closely, the FC Barcelona crest has Striker Stripes (see upper right hand corner of logo). That is enough hope for me to start digging out some Striker Liker bumper stickers.

Good luck, gentlemen and give a Striker Liker a chance.