Showing posts tagged “Panama”
David Fellerath ·
1 Jul 2009, 8:15 AM ·
Comment
Caleb Norkus and Sallieu Bundu celebrate Brian Plotkin's goal. (photo by Rich Bostwick)
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—The RailHawks fielded a reserve-heavy lineup and beat a Panamanian national squad composed of same, 1-0, on a Brian Plotkin strike in the 59th.
I wasn’t there for the goal. I was at the office late, and only caught the last 20 minutes. Here’s Rachel Ullrich’s account in the N&O.
I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t there—about 2,000 other WakeMed regulars were missing, too. In truth, the party was elsewhere. Round 3 of the US Open Cup was being held, and MLS teams were going down in flames to teams from the USL:
- USL-2 Wilmington, which defeated Carolina two weeks ago, beat the Chicago Fire 1-0
- The Harrisburg City Islanders, also of USL-2, defeated New England Revolution 2-1
- The USL-1 Rochester Rhinos defeated the Columbus Crew 1-1 (5-3)
- The USL-1 Charleston Battery beat Chivas USA 3-1
Only D.C. United and Kansas City avoided defeat last night, and KC did so just barely, beating the Minnesota Thunder 3-3 (4-2). And tonight, the USL-1 has two more opportunities to knock out MLS sides. Both are regional matchups: USL-1 Portland Timbers versus the brand-new MLS side Seattle Sounders, and the expansion USL-1 Austin Aztex versus the MLS Houston Dynamo. The Portland-Seattle one will be a battle royale, and we plan to watch it tonight (DirecTV subscribers may even want to try hunting around on your back channels for the feed from local television in Portland). [UPDATE: The indefatigable Jarrett Campbell has tweeted: The game will be on channel 687, Fox Sports NW, at 10 p.m. ET] Continue reading »
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer Brian Plotkin, Chicago Fire, MLS, Panama, U.S. Open Cup, upsets, USL-1, USL-2, Wilmington Hammerheads
David Fellerath ·
30 Jun 2009, 10:48 AM ·
Comment
Tonight’s game in Cary was supposed to be against the Chicago Fire. The Wilmington Hammerheads forced a change in those plans two weeks ago.
Now the Fire are in Wilmington for the third round of the U.S. Open Cup while the ’Hawks play a recently scheduled friendly versus the Panama national team at 7 p.m. tonight. This will be the first time, team officials say, that the RailHawks have played a national team.
The Panamanians are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Honduras in a game that was played Sunday at WakeMed. Attendance for that game was modest, at 3,766, according to the RailHawks office, but still greater than the 2,783 who turned out to see the RailHawks-Puerto Rico game Saturday. (Attendance on Sunday surely would have been better had it not been scheduled on the heels of the U.S. men’s national team’s heartbreaker against Brazil in South Africa.)
Coach Martin Rennie faces an interesting dilemma in tonight’s game. On one hand, he has a struggling team that could use a quality opponent in a friendly to continue to work out kinks, both in the back and the front.
On the other hand, this is an opportunity to give certain performers some badly needed rest, while taking a look at other players—including, possibly, players that are training but not on the roster.
One could see it going either way: The RailHawks don’t play another league game until July 11, thus giving regular players plenty of time to recover even if they’re in the lineup tonight. We’re guessing new players, but we shall see.
The RailHawks play another friendly July 3 at 7 p.m. in Cary, against their good friends, the Wilmington Hammerheads.
Carolina RailHawks, Soccer attendance, Honduras, Martin Rennie, Panama, U.S. Open Cup, Wilmington Hammerheads
David Fellerath ·
15 Jun 2009, 1:30 PM ·
6 Comments
Announced earlier today: In preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which begins play in July, the Honduran and Panamanian national soccer teams will play at WakeMed Soccer Park on June 28, at 5 p.m.
There are no guarantees about who will be in the lineup, of course, but the Honduran side is especially strong and features two English Premier League performers, Wilson Palacios (Tottenham) and Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic). There are also Hondurans who play on first- and second- division sides in Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany.
The Panamanian side is a little less glamorous: Most of them play at home or in Guatemala. Colombia is the most-favored remote destination, although one player plays for the Israeli league.
The RailHawks have no Latino players this year, in contrast to the half-dozen of a year ago. It’s not clear to me if the RailHawks’ modest Latino fan contingent has shrunk since last year as a result. However, the big clubs from Mexico are a proven draw to Cary, and it will be interesting to see if this international friendly ends up being the biggest seller of the season at WakeMed.
Tickets go on sale ticket go on sale on Tuesday, June 16, at 10 a.m. at the LGFCU Box Office at WakeMed Soccer Park. The prices are $23, $28, $33 and $40.
Soccer CONCACAF Gold Cup, Honduras, Panama, Wilson Palacios
