Gavin Glinton attacks the goal against the Islanders on June 27. (Photo by Rich Bostwick)
Well, two days ago we were pretty pessimistic about the RailHawks’ chances of regaining second place after losing to Puerto Rico 2-0 on Tuesday. We noted that in order for the RailHawks to grab that spot back from the Islanders, they would have to beat Puerto Rico this Saturday, Sept. 12, AND some help would be required from either of Puerto Rico’s two remaining, nonplayoff-bound opponents.
What’s curious about a closer inspection of Puerto Rico coach Colin Clarke’s lineup is that he chose to rest his key players. Left off the starting lineup were such mainstays as forwards Nicholas Addlery and Kendall Jagdeosingh, midfielder Jonathan Steele, goalkeeper Bill Gaudette and defender Christian Arrieta. The latter two, both frontrunners for All-USL-1 honors, were left off the lineup entirely. (Among the squaddies who got a chance to start last night: ex-RailHawks phenom Martin Nuñez, now seeing limited minutes under his full name of Pablo Martin Nuñez.)
So, call Clarke crazy, but he seems to have calculated that it was best to keep his best players in reserve for Saturday night’s matchup against the RailHawks.
The stakes are very high for this game. If Puerto Rico wins, they clinch second place. If the RailHawks win, they move into second and can secure it with a win next Friday against Montreal.
And why all the fuss over second place, anyway? It means not facing the powerful Portland Timbers until the final round of the playoffs, of course.
Game on at 7 p.m. tomorrow. And no, you can’t go see N.C. State play Murray State instead—unless you’re Triangle Offense’s Joe Schwartz and Rob Rowe. Visit here for RailHawks ticket info. Also, tomorrow’s game is the occasion for a fundraiser to benefit The Magnificent Mile and the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation. The press release contains details after the jump. Continue reading »
The Islanders, of course, are the pride of the USL-1, having marched to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League—where they are presently ahead of Cruz Azul 2:0 after the first leg. Colin Clarke’s side is also home to ex-RailHawks Jonathan Steele (who was last year’s league MVP with the Islanders) and Martin Nuñez (who was a finalist for league rookie of the year with the RailHawks).
However, don’t expect to see too many minutes from McClellan: The Islanders have one of the better keepers in North America and the Caribbean in Bill Gaudette, who was last year’s USL-1 goalie of the year.
Santiago Fusilier, the tough, tenacious Argentine winger who provided more than his share of highlights on last year’s sluggish team, has dropped off the RailHawks roster.
His departure comes in a week when the team announced the signings of two veteran performers, Sierra Leone international Mustapha Sama and Turks and Caicos Island international Gavin Glinton. (Glinton, however, has a green card, which means his presence on the roster doesn’t count against the league limit of seven international players. The RailHawks presently have six internationals. See comment thread here.)
A spokesman for the team declined to comment on Fusilier. Continue reading »
Obviously, RailHawks fans and observers can’t and won’t spend all of the 2009 season pining for the quicksilver winger Martin Nuñez, but we can’t help but note the following: In a preseason exhibition on Thursday, Feb. 12, Nuñez’s new squad, the Puerto Rico Islanders, defeated last season’s MLS champs, the Columbus Crew, 2-0.
You know where this is heading: The game’s first, and winning, goal was scored by Nuñez.
Within the first minute of the game, former Carolina Railhawks‘ Martin Nuñez (from Uruguay) found a loose ball in front of theCrew’s goal and scored the first goal of the preseason for the Islanders.
Just for old times’ sake, we’re re-posting Nunez’s last goal as a RailHawk. (Thanks to Jarrett and Veoh.com for the video. For context, see our post here.) Online Videos by Veoh.com Video courtesy of Jarrett at trisoccerfan.com and Veoh.com.
Last night we ran down the official RailHawks roster, as it now stands. We noted two significant absences: forward Dan Antoniuk and winger Martin Nuñez.
There’s still no news of Antoniuk—and he’s not training with the team right now—but Nuñez, last year’s co-offensive player of the year and a finalist for USL-1 rookie of the year, will not be playing for the RailHawks this year. Instead, he has signed with the powerful Puerto Rico Islanders, who finished atop the league in 2008 (but lost in the playoff final to Vancouver). The Islanders are also still playing in the CONCACAF Champions League (although it’s not clear Nuñez will be eligible for those games.)
Incidentally, Nuñez spent time training with RBNY prior to becoming a RailHawk. Another participant in the game was Mac Kandji on the left wing for RBNY; Kandji was briefly and technically the property of Carolina. A third player in the game, for PR, was Jonny Steele, who played for the RailHawks two years ago before departing for the Islanders, where he would become league MVP in 2008.
Nuñez was a popular, flashy player and a huge crowd favorite. On the other hand, the current team is loaded with midfield signings. Later today, we’ll have a camp report by Chris Gaffney.
In another addition to a burgeoning midfield, the RailHawks added Daniel Paladini, veteran of the MLS side Chivas USA. Paladini, 24 years old, appeared in eight games for Chivas last year, starting five and scoring one goal (that’s only four fewer than teammate Sacha Kljestan!). (h/t to Jarrett for the first video link)
Paladini has spent his entire career in California, from his hometown of Northridge to his alma mater Cal State-Northridge to his drafting by the Los Angeles Galaxy to his most recent stint with Chivas.
It’s the second signing, however, that catches us by surprise: a high-profile keeper, and one who—like recently signed defender Mark Schulte—has a history with Martin Rennie. Continue reading »
The RailHawks announced today the signing of 26-year-old midfielder Josh Gardner, a veteran of three journeyman seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy and two considerably more productive seasons with the Seattle Sounders. With the latter squad over the last two seasons, Gardner scored 7 goals in 52 appearances, playing on the left side.
We asked the RailHawks if there are any updates on last year’s midfield mainstays of Matt Watson, Martin Nuñez and Santiago Fusilier and were told to “stay tuned.”
Martin Rennie, with publicist Marco Rosa (left) and owner Brian Wellman
The Carolina RailHawks announced Scotsman Martin Rennie as the team’s new head coach. Rennie comes to the Railhawks from the Cleveland City Stars of the USL’s Second Division. At Cleveland, Rennie compiled an impressive record, taking the Stars to the USL-2 semi-finals in his first year and winning the league in his second year. This is clearly a coach who knows how to develop and implement functional tactical systems. Rennie is also noted for his ability to maximize player potential. A high percentage of his acolytes went directly into the MLS or foreign professional leagues following their stint in Cleveland.
Rennie comes to Cary with Europe’s highest coaching qualification: the UEFA “A” license. This is an unusual accomplishment for someone who has yet to begin plucking grey hairs before press conferences. Rennie also carries the UEFA youth license, which will be a huge asset in identifying and developing local talent to bring through the RailHawks’ fledgling development system. He has significant connections with professional teams in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean and suggested that he will immediately look to add to the international character of the RailHawks’ squad.
During today’s well-attended press conference, RailHawks owner and president Brian Wellman identified the synergy between the RailHawks organization and Rennie saying “we are here to deepen our roots in the community, promote a family-friendly soccer environment, and put a championship team on the field. Martin will bring us consistency, a winning attitude, and a proven track record of success.” Wellman was also very clear that the RailHawks are not content to just compete in USL-1 but will continue to bring in top Mexican and MLS teams, and will target the new CONCACAF Champions League which would bring meaningful (and lucrative) international competition to WakeMed Soccer park. Continue reading »
Martin Nuñez, the RailHawks’ flashy, diminutive 21-year-old midfielder, is a finalist for USL-1’s rookie of the year award, the team announced this afternoon.
Nuñez is a finalist along with Osvaldo Alonso of the Charleston Battery and Vicente Arze of the Vancouver Whitecaps. All league award winners will be announced at the USL First Division Championship banquet.
From left: Antoniuk, Nuñez, Watson, Sanfilippo, Fusilier
Prior to last Saturday’s home finale, the Carolina RailHawks announced their team awards, citing five players for excellence during a rocky season that nonetheless ended with a 5-2-1 record over its last eight games, good for 16 points.
Probably the biggest surprise was the choice for Most Valuable Player: midfielder Matt Watson. Continue reading »
Kyle on "UNC holds off pesky NCCU with big second half, awaits selection committee": Mike Potter does Triangle sports fans a wonderful service by providing a unique perspective of events that may not otherwise receive media coverage. Thanks Mike for all you have done and continue to do in your outstanding career as a journalist and an ambassador for the Triangle.
caniacgirl on "Peters and pipes pickpocket a peck of prickly Penguins": I absolutely love the headline! Games like this one definitely reignite the little bit of playoff hope I have left in me. It should be an interesting few weeks that's for sure.
Greg Nccu Student on "Miller leads NCCU to 11th victory": There are a lot of Rumors on Campus about Joanna Miller leaving NCCU next year. Please Coach Robinson, We need to keep this player from gong to another College.
