David Fellerath ·
25 Nov 2009, 10:52 AM ·
1 Comment
WECT of Wilmington, N.C., reports that despite flickers of optimism that a buyer could be found for the troubled USL-2 Wilmington Hammerheads, those hopes appear to be dashed and the USL is proceeding with the 2010 season without this North Carolina market.
This brings the number of teams apparently playing in the USL-2 next season to eight, a figure that reflects last week’s announcements that the Charleston Battery would self-relegate to the lower division, and that Tampa and Crystal Palace Baltimore would jump from the USL to the upstart, revived North American Soccer League.
The disappearance of the Hammerheads is a loss for the USL-2, certainly, but it’s also a loss for North Carolina soccer fans. Wilmington is a solid small market with an excellent stadium, and a healthy intra-state rivalry emerged last season between the then-USL-1 Carolina RailHawks and the Hammerheads. Jamie Watson, last year’s USL-2 player of the year, played in the Port City for a season, scoring 12 goals in 16 appearances. He’s now under a two-year contract to the Austin Aztex of the USL-1, which currently consists of either five or six teams (Austin, Rochester, Puerto Rico, Portland, the expansion FC New York and, perhaps, Cleveland).
According to WECT, David Irving, the highly regarded coach of the Wilmington Hammerheads for the past 12 seasons, is now free to seek other employment.
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer David Irving, Jamie Watson, USL-2, Wilmington Hammerheads
David Fellerath ·
18 Jun 2009, 8:21 AM ·
5 Comments
Mark Schulte's throw-ins resulted in two extra-time goals. (photo by Rich Bostwick)
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—What happened Tuesday night? That’s the question. The U.S. Cup dream—an important priority for the RailHawks organization—is dashed for this season, thanks to the gutsy, irreverent and opportunistic play of the Wilmington Hammerheads. There’s no doubt that the RailHawks took Wilmington seriously, but still—no one thought they’d actually lose this second-round game.
And now the only way the Chicago Fire will come near Cary is if they have to connect to Wilmington at RDU.
The game itself was a wild one that featured 33 shots, with at least three that clanged off the cage. Wilmington scored first, and after the RailHawks equalized, Wilmington again took the lead in extra time. But after the RailHawks rallied for the second time—on a Gavin Glinton goal from an Amir Lowery flick of a Mark Schulte throw-in—and went ahead 3-2 in the 118th minute, fans and media began packing it in.
I folded up my notebook and walked down to the field to wait for the final whistle. I wasn’t the only one: Aside from the moans of the 50-strong contingent of blue-clad Wilmington supporters, the atmosphere was one of relief that the home side had survived this second-round scare. An unexpectedly long Tuesday night seemed to be drawing to a close with the rightful winner prevailing.
But there was one problem: The Hammerheads were still playing. Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Austin Aztex, Caleb Patterson, Daniel Paladini, David Irving, Jamie Watson, John Cunliffe, Martin Rennie, U.S. Open Cup, Wilmington Hammerheads
