Showing posts tagged “John Cunliffe”
David Fellerath ·
14 Jan 2010, 8:51 AM ·
1 Comment
John Cunliffe, 2007 MLS Combine MVP, in a 2009 game against the Vancouver Whitecaps (Photo by Rich Bostwick)
No, the RailHawks aren’t picking players in today’s MLS SuperDraft, to be held in Philadelphia at 2 p.m. However, recent history shows that the RailHawks and other D2 teams can expect to see some of these highly touted first- and second-rounders in the next couple of years.
Thanks to a blog I encountered on the Internets, I now know that three players who performed so well in recent MLS combines that they were named MVP of the thing are now Carolina RailHawks. That’s right. Here’s the list of recent combine MVPs:
- 2005: Luke Kreamalmeyer (drafted by RSL, joined RailHawks in 2009)
- 2006: Brian Plotkin (drafted by Chicago Fire, joined RailHawks in 2009)
- 2007: John Cunliffe (drafted by Chivas USA, joined RailHawks in 2009)
- 2008: Eric Brunner (drafted by Red Bull New York, joined Miami FC, now with Columbus Crew)
- 2009: Stefan Frei (drafted by Toronto FC, made 26 appearances in 2009)
- 2010: ?
Obviously, being named MVP of a brief meat market scouting combine is no sure ticket to D1 stardom. (Indeed, in a post on Tuesday about the combine, Ives Galarcep made a passing reference to Kreamalmeyer’s award.) But the three future RailHawks all proved to be solid performers in D2 and could perhaps feature again in the MLS. And no doubt there will be a number of draftees today who will find their niche in D2 rather than the MLS.
In scanning the recent first and second rounds of the MLS draft, I see that a number of picks ended up with the RailHawks: Cunliffe (2007, No. 7 overall); Nate Norman (2007, No. 21); Plotkin (2006, No. 20—three behind Jozy Altidore!); Jack Stewart (2005, No. 10); Josh Gardner (2004; No. 13—five behind Clint Dempsey!); David Stokes (2003; No. 5); Chris Carrieri (2001; No. 1).
Let’s look at another sampling of future prospects: the history of Generation Adidas (and its forerunner, the Nike-sponsored Project 40): There are definitely some future stars there (Tim Howard! DaMarcus Beasley!), but there are others, of course, who went on to relative anonymity, including two who more or less ended their careers with the RailHawks: the aforementioned Stokes and Carrieri.*
What all of this shows is that forecasting which college stars will become top-flight first division pro players is a highly inexact guessing game science. Who knows how Danny Mwanga of Oregon State, who is projected as the No. 1 overall pick, will pan out for the expansion Philadelphia Union? Or Teal Bunbury, winner of the 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the best college player in the country?
Here’s another interesting local angle to today’s draft: Seven of the top nine projected selections featured in the 2009 NCAA College Cup that was held in Cary, NC, last month.
- Tony Tchani (Virginia)
- Ike Opara (Wake Forest)**
- Teal Bunbury (Akron)
- Corben Bone (Wake Forest)
- Zach Loyd (North Carolina)
- Blair Gavin (Akron)
- Zack Schilawski (Wake Forest)**
The draft today promises to be fun. And of course, it will be interesting to look back on it a year or two from now to see how today’s stars of tomorrow ultimately fared.
UPDATE NO. 1 (Jan. 15, 2010; 10:46 a.m.): The Richmond Kickers of USL’s second division announced Thursday that Carrieri, who played for them in a part-time capacity last year, will play full-time this season.
UPDATE NO. 2 (Jan. 15, 2010; 10:48 a.m.): Opara, a 6-foot-2 defender who went to Jordan High School in Durham and then Wake Forest University, was selected third overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes. Schilawski, a forward and native of Cary who had an illustrious career with CASL, Cary High School, the Cary RailHawks U23 PDL team and Wake Forest, was taken by the New England Revolution with the ninth overall pick.
Carolina RailHawks, NASL, Soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill Blair Gavin, Brian Plotkin, Corben Bone, DaMarcus Beasley, Danny Mwanga, Generation Adidas, Ike Opara, John Cunliffe, Luke Kreamalmeyer, MAC Hermann Trophy, MLS combine, MLS draft 2010, NCAA College Cup, Teal Bunbury, Tim Howard, Tony Tchani, Zach Loyd, Zack Schilawski
David Fellerath ·
28 Sep 2009, 8:10 AM ·
2 Comments
RailHawks midfielder Joseph Kabwe plays the ball as Ansu Toure defends. (photo by Rich Bostwick)
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—Bummer. It was a lovely evening for soccer, sunny and mild in early fall. Just as it’s a little early for the leaves to change color and drop from the trees, it was a little early for the RailHawks’ remarkable season to end.
But end it did, as an exhausted and increasingly desperate squad failed to put the ball in the net against the seventh-seeded Vancouver Whitecaps, finishing with a nil-nil draw. The RailHawks needed a 1-0 victory just to get to penalty kicks, but the Cary XI closed their season by failing to score in 180 minutes and two home-and-home legs against a bigger and more experienced, playoff-hardened Vancouver side.
By the end, the RailHawks were in a 4-4-2 and throwing everyone forward. “We had chances in the first half and didn’t take them,” coach Martin Rennie said. “It made it a little more difficult. We started to go more direct.
“When you go more direct, you need the ball to bounce your way and it didn’t—which usually isn’t the way we play,” Rennie said. “We’re usually much more thought-through, much more precise. But once we weren’t getting the goal, I think maybe we began to panic a little bit, which made it more difficult to break them down.”
“You’ve got to credit Vancouver,” center back and captain Mark Schulte said. “They knew what they had to do: They had to shut us down—they sat in [on us].”
In truth, the RailHawks showed little of the squad that scored 43 goals in USL-1 league play. They launched 12 shots, but Whitecaps keeper Jay Nolly only needed to make four saves.
It was one save in particular that would prove to put the kibosh on the season. Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Amir Lowery, Andriy Budnyy, Brad Rusin, Brian Plotkin, Caleb Norkus, Daniel Paladini, Greg Shields, Gregory Richardson, Jay Nolly, Jeremy Tolleson, John Cunliffe, Joseph Kabwe, Josh Gardner, Lyle Martin, Mark Schulte, Martin Rennie, Matt Watson, Matthew Delicate, playoffs
David Fellerath ·
27 Sep 2009, 1:30 PM ·
Comment
Daniel Paladini, seen Sept. 18 against the Montreal Impact, will need to be on form this afternoon. (photo by Rich Bostwick)
After the RailHawks lost 1-0 Thursday night at Vancouver, they’re in the unenviable position of needing a two-goal victory margin to move on in the USL-1 playoffs without throwing themselves into the crapshoot of a penalty-kick finish. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park. Tickets here.
Against the Whitecaps on Thursday, the RailHawks attack was notably punchless despite having Matthew Delicâte in the striker role for much of the game. Of the seven shots mustered, only a second-half look from close range by John Cunliffe posed any real danger to Whitecaps keeper Jay Nolly.
However, the RailHawks would likely have shown more pace and threat in the final third if Joseph Kabwe and Gregory Richardson had been selected for the match. Although the USLLive.com commentators speculated that Richardson, a Guyanese international, had encountered visa problems, he did not make the trip (nor did Kabwe, Sallieu Bundu or Amir Lowery).
What’s apparent, then, is that coach Martin Rennie decided to keep some of his best legs in reserve for this afternoon’s return leg. He’ll need all the pace he can put on the field: The RailHawks have only been in one PK tiebreaker this season, and it was a dismal one, the sour finish at the end of Wilmington’s shocking equalizer at the last gasp of extra time in the U.S. Open Cup second round.
Prior to Thursday’s match, I looked at the RailHawks’ record of scoring goals on the road against the six other playoff teams. I discovered that the ’Hawks had been notably unprolific in this regard, notching only four goals in 10 games (although they extracted 10 points from those contests).
Unhappily, the RailHawks would not change this pattern against Vancouver last Thursday.
However, I got an interesting note from Tim Candon, RailHawks blogger and a far more astute observer than I am, in which he argued that I was paying insufficient attention to the quality of the RailHawks’ performances on the road. With his permission, I’m publishing his response here:
I like your deeper look at the RailHawks road record, but I will counter by saying look at more than just the results. Look at the performance, too, because that’s the focus for Martin. If the performance is up to snuff, the result takes care of itself.
Of the road matches against the other USL-1 playoff teams:
1. PORTLAND: The RailHawks got screwed in the first game. Josh Gardner was pulled down in the box in the 2nd minute. Not only was a penalty not awarded, but the ball was cleared off the line as it was about to trickle into the goal. If that call goes the other way, it’s a completely different game. Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Gregory Richardson, John Cunliffe, Joseph Kabwe, playoffs, Sallieu Bundu, Vancouver Whitecaps
David Fellerath ·
3 Sep 2009, 12:50 PM ·
4 Comments
USLLIVE.COM—Before a midweek crowd of 11,173 at Montreal’s Saputo Stadium, the Carolina RailHawks conceded an early goal when the Impact’s Leonardo Di Lorenzo, unmarked inside the 18, took a cross from Adam Braz (the same Adam Braz who notched a similar assist against the RailHawks Sunday) and fired a shot past Eric Reed.
The second-half action was quite lively—players dropped left and right, pushing and shoving occasionally supplanted the kicking and running and, most strikingly, the RailHawks’ mild-mannered young coach Martin Rennie was sent off in the 68th minute for a water bottle kick.
The departure of Rennie seemed to energize his team. The final 20 minutes were a succession of furious assaults on the Impact goal—which was well-tended by Matt Jordan, who finished with three saves against eight Carolina shots. In a game that grew more violent as it approached the end, there were eight cautions; after Nevio Pizzolitto was shown a second yellow, the Impact were down to 10 men in injury time. The closest the RailHawks came to an equalizer was a Daniel Paladini rocket from distance that clanged off the right post in stoppage play. Stat box here. Match report here.
After the whistle blew, the scuffling continued as the Montreal-based USLLive.com commentators continued their game-long complaints about RailHawks thuggery and, more plausibly, weak-kneed officiating.
I wrote down some of the comments:
With respect to a non-call in the penalty box for Impact. “There are no courageous officials in this league… they get overwhelmed in the moment… The moon has to get full and then it has to land on the earth before a penalty will get called in this league.”
Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer cautions, Daniel Paladini, John Cunliffe, Leonardo Di Lorenzo, Martin Rennie, Montreal Impact, Ray Hudson, sending off, USLLive.com
David Fellerath ·
2 Sep 2009, 6:14 PM ·
Comment
Enough about the sale of the USL for now. The RailHawks, presumably refreshed from a couple of days of blissful francophilia (or would that be quebecoisophilia?), return to Saputo Stadium for a rematch of Sunday’s 1-1 draw. (Stat box here.)
At stake: Both teams are trying to solidify their spots in the playoffs. The RailHawks have sole possession of second place while Montreal, thanks to the recent collapse of Miami, seem safely in the playoffs. They’re in sixth place, but they’re fighting to stay ahead of Vancouver to avoid a first-round matchup with the RailHawks.
Sunday’s 1-1 tie was a tale of two halves. Those of us watching at home on usllive.com couldn’t help but notice the 12,000+ fans who were in attendance, but fortunately, that impressive turnout wasn’t enough to urge the Impact to victory. Montreal dominated the first, with Adam Braz exploiting a gap in the RailHawks defense to cross to the head of Tony Donatelli for their goal. John Cunliffe pulled one back in the second half on one of the season’s more dazzling displays of individual effort. After his 63rd-minute strike, he put his finger to his lips just like Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin and there actually was a critical mass of fans to be gratifyingly silenced.
The crowd will surely be smaller tonight, as even French-speaking people with superior health care need to work during the week. Eric Reed should be in the goal, but, aside from Mark Schulte and Jeremy Tolleson in the central defense, all bets are off on the rest of the lineup. Game time is 7:45 p.m.; watch it on usllive.com.
Notes:
- Forward Aaron King, who struggled to find traction in the RailHawks lineup this season, transferred to Miami over the weekend. He logged 195 minutes in six appearances, and also spent part of the season on loan to USL-2 Wilmington.
- Yesterday, Joseph Kabwe was named USL-1 player of the week, thanks to his hat trick in the 9-0 shellacking of Miami. John Cunliffe also made the team of the week after scoring two goals—one in the Miami game and one against Montreal Sunday.
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Aaron King, John Cunliffe, Joseph Kabwe, Montreal Impact
David Fellerath ·
27 Aug 2009, 9:01 AM ·
Comment
Edwin Miranda leaves the field under the glare of the Cary law. photo by David Fellerath
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—The 1,597 fans who showed up on the relatively mild evening saw an extraordinary sight: a soccer game with the preposterous score of 9-0.
That’s right. 9-0. The RailHawks’ match against playoff contender Miami FC Blues wasn’t a baseball game, but a soccer game.
But the lopsided result has us reaching for non-soccer comparisons: Perhaps the time the Chicago Bears won the NFL Championship (in pre-Super Bowl days) with a 73-0 win. Or perhaps if one were to go fishing and have fish hit your lure on every single cast.
But if we stick to soccer analogies, the RailHawks’ absolute dominance was reminiscent of some of Barcelona’s games last season, particularly the first half of their return leg against Real Madrid last May. Like Barça, so dominant were the RailHawks that the goal seemed to be a magnetic field for the ball, and on a couple of occasions the RailHawks nearly walked the ball into the back of the net.
Joseph Kabwe led all scorers (there’s a basketball construction) with three goals, while Sallieu Bundu chipped in a late brace. Also scoring: Daniel Paladini, John Cunliffe, Andriy Budnyy and Gregory Richardson. Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Andriy Budnyy, Daniel Paladini, Edgar Miranda, Eric Reed, Gregory Richardson, Jack Stewart, John Cunliffe, Joseph Kabwe, Martin Rennie, Miami FC, Sallieu Bundu
David Fellerath ·
23 Aug 2009, 5:20 PM ·
Comment
USLLIVE.com-After an anemic 0-0 draw before a crowd of 7,758 in Rochester’s Marina Auto Stadium, the RailHawks are now six points behind Portland, with six games to play for each team.
The ‘Hawks aren’t going to catch the Timbers: Four of Portland’s last five games are at home, and four of Portland’s last five games are against Cleveland and Austin, the twin doormats of the USL-1. The RailHawks have already earned 16 of the 18 possible points from the City Stars and the Aztex; Portland’s pace at the top of the table is all the more remarkable given that they’ve held these four fixtures in hand all season.
Meanwhile, the RailHawks’ last six games will be a grueling stretch against three different playoff contenders, including three against the Montreal Impact—two of which will be on the road.
Last night in Rochester, Martin Rennie showed a lineup that was unusual in two respects: Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Caleb Patterson Sewell, Gregory Richardson, Jeremy Tolleson, John Cunliffe, Luke Kreamalmeyer, Martin Rennie, Portland Timbers, Rochester Rhinos
David Fellerath ·
22 Aug 2009, 2:58 PM ·
Comment
John Cunliffe, skimming on the Whitecaps (photo by Rich Bostwick)
The RailHawks and the Vancouver Whitecaps traveled an aggregate total of 10,000 miles in four days to emerge with two points apiece. Following Saturday’s 0-0 stalemate in Vancouver’s Swangard Stadium, the two squads battled fatigue and humidity Tuesday night in Cary for a 1-1 draw. After falling behind on a 66th-minute Vancouver goal, late sub Andriy Budnyy settled a ball from John Cunliffe and scored to salvage the draw in the 87th minute.
Here are video highlights, and here’s the stat box.
The thing of it is, it was a decent result for both sides. Vancouver got two points from a tough opponent to keep them in the playoff hunt. And, despite the results, the RailHawks are still in a strong second-place position—which some might consider a better prize than first place, with the first-round playoff bye that comes with it.
Right now, Portland is in the driver’s seat for regular season title, with 48 points to Carolina’s 44, with both teams having seven games to play. Here’s how the playoff contenders stack up, ranked by points-per-game. The top seven make the playoffs.
- Portland: 2.09 ppg
- Carolina: 1.91
Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Andriy Budnyy, Caleb Patterson Sewell, Jeremy Tolleson, John Cunliffe, Martin Rennie, Portland Timbers, Rochester Rhinos, Vancouver Whitecaps
Chris Gaffney ·
18 Jul 2009, 12:01 AM ·
1 Comment
Gregory Richardson made an impressive debut with the RailHawks, scoring in the 44th minute. (photo by Rich Bostwick)
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/CARY—The RailHawks deserved to win this game—which they did, 2-1—and the three points put them back in the thick of things at the top of the USL-1 table. Vancouver are never an easy side to subdue, but on this night the defending champions looked relatively pedestrian. The central midfield trio of Daniel Paladini, Brian Plotkin and Amir Lowery effectively stifled Vancouver’s attack throughout the match. When Paladini was able to find newly signed Gregory Richardson on the left wing positive things happened.
The much-improved RailHawks side showed moments of class during the match, though Plotkin and John Cunliffe were as likely to give the ball away as not. Paladini continues to show why he is Rennie’s first-choice attacking midfielder as he was able to go at defenders with pace and make intelligent passes. Richardson was electric on the ball and was always at the center of the RailHawks attack, so much so that one wonders who they played through before he arrived on the scene. He’s got pace, a light first touch, and his goal (though a bit fortunate as was off a defender and megged the keeper) showed a nose for goal. The 1,000 percent humidity must have reminded him of home in Guyana.
Tonight’s victory was exactly what good teams achieve. Carolina is now one of the top teams in the league. They play good, fundamental soccer even though they are prone to losing their way for stretches, and get the important points at home against solid opposition. If the goals start falling with a bit more frequency there’s evidence to suggest this team could win the league.
Attendance was 4,008. Box score is here.
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Amir Lowery, Brian Plotkin, Carolina RailHawks, Daniel Paladini, Gregory Richardson, John Cunliffe, Martin Rennie, Soccer, USL-1, Vancouver Whitecaps
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
