Juventus Drops Out of Friendly against United

D.C. United statement regarding July 28 match

Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2012) – D.C. United issued the following statement regarding the Herbalife World Football Challenge match with Juventus FC, scheduled for July 28:

“We’ve received word that Juventus FC will no longer be playing in Washington, D.C.  While we’re disappointed with the news, D.C. United is already in discussions with another, major European team to fill that date and will share opponent and ticketing details as a deal is finalized.”

World Football Challenge 2012: D.C. United (MLS) vs. Juventus (ITA) July 28

D.C. United will be host to Italian Champions Juventus on July 28th at RFK Stadium. The international friendly is part of the 2012 World Football Challenge.

Be sure to be a part of this surely once-in-a-lifetime event right here in Washington, D.C.

BUY TICKETS HERE

WFC: D.C. United to host Juventus on July 28 at RFK

Hotspur Recap, Weekend matches vs Royals and Piranhas

Hotspur vs Royals

Fredericksburg drop pair of games over weekend

By Tom Leiss
For Fredericksburg Hotspur: www.fasahotspur.com


FREDERICKSBURG, Va.—The Fredericksburg Hotspur Premier Development League team got off to a quick start this season, going undefeated in the team’s first seven games.

Unfortunately, the side has hit a dry spell that resulted in the team’s first two loses of the season over the weekend. On Sunday, Fredericksburg fell 1-0 to the Northern Virginia Royals at the University of Mary Washington. That followed a 3-1 setback against the Virginia Beach Piranhas the day before at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.

The Hotspur (5-2-2) created an abundance of chances both days, but were unable to get the key goal when needed as they came away with their first two loses of the season.

“I think we are playing well; we have the chances, we just can’t finish now,” Fredericksburg captain Karel Manrau said after Sunday’s game. “So, I think it’s a matter of going back to practice and doing some finishing this week.

“I’m not worried in the sense of we are putting the effort into the game. You can have like 90 percent of the possession; you can have like 50 shots on goal; at the end, you just have to have one goal more than the opponent. So, there’s not a lot of mystery about why we don’t perform lately, we just need to score goals. I’m confident we can come back.”

Coach Keith Marine echoed Manrau’s thoughts and added that the rigors of the seasons may also have caught up with the team a bit. The team only had three field players available as substitutes for Sunday’s game due to injuries and players that were unable to be at the game due to prior commitments.

“We’re playing great soccer, we’re just not finishing,” Marine said. “Sometimes you go through a stretch like that where the goal seems like it’s a Pug goal—2-feet wide, 2-feet tall—and you try too hard and eventually it just comes. Then the goals come a little easier and then you don’t think about it so much, but now it’s on our minds.”

NORTHERN VIRGINIA AT FREDERICKSBURG
Sunday’s game against Fredericksburg’s northern Virginia rivals started out well for the Hotspur. The home side linked together some good passing plays offensively and the defense held firm, allowing only a couple long shots from the Royals.

Despite Fredericksburg controlling possession early, it was Northern Virginia (3-3-2) that would break through first.

In the 33rd minute, A.J. Sheta sent a pass through the right side of the defense to Seth Rudolph. The forward took a touch before slipping a shot past Hotspur goalie Colin Newcity to give the Royals a 1-0 advantage.

Northern Virginia would create the best chances the rest of the half, but the Hotspurs were up to the task. Manrau slide at the last second to block another opportunity in the 37th minute and Newcity came up with a huge point-blank save in added time to keep the Fredericksburg within one at the half.

The Royals’ best opportunity to double their lead after the intermission came only 90 seconds after the restart. Speedy forward Stan Kaweesi broke in free, but was once again denied by a last-second slide tackle from Manrau.

Later, Fredericksburg’s Tishan Hanley got off a 10-yard shot that was saved in the 51st minute and substitute Demar Stephenson continually created havoc for the Royals’ defense.

The Hotspur looked to have leveled the match in the 77th minute when fellow substitute Gene Daniels flicked a nifty pass to Todd Wharton. The midfielder put the ball past Northern Virginia goalie Joel Helmick and into the net, but it was all for naught as the play was waived off due to an offside call by the assistant referee.

Wharton had one last chance in the 80th minute, but tired legs after two hard-fought games in 24 hours took over and his 15-yard shot sailed over the crossbar and the Royals were able to hold on for the win.

Manrau said the losses are tough, but that he thinks the team will be able to recover.

“We’re trying not to panic, trying to come back at the beginning of the week working hard, practicing hard and it’s going to come back” the defender said. “We know we are good enough to be a top team in this division.

“I think if you never have to fight during a season, the first time you’re in trouble, you don’t really know how to react. So, I think it’s good to experience—also the fact that we have a lot of young players; it’s different to experience being in a more negative situation. We’re going to get better after that and going to trust our kids to play hard and win the next game.”

FREDERICKSBURG AT VIRGINIA BEACH
On Saturday, Fredericksburg’s possession game was running on all cylinders and the Hotspur looked dangerous the entire game.

However, outshooting and out-possessing a team doesn’t always earn you a win. The Piranhas (2-6-2) were outshot 16-5 by their guests, but took better advantage of their opportunities to get a victory on their home field.

In the 31st minute, Earl Floyd got around Manrau, who had slipped on the Sportsplex’s turf field. The forward then crossed a ball in front that Jerjer Gibson headed home before Hotspur goalie Ryan Taylor could corral it.

Fredericksburg was not deterred and continued to create chances, the best of which came in the 43rd minute when defender Nick Rich rang a 22-yard free kick off the left post.

The Piranhas doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time. Floyd cut across the top of the goal area from the left and slipped a pass to the right where Devin Pierce one-timed a shot past Taylor to make it 2-0 at the break.

Fredericksburg’s Ryan Sappington said if the missed opportunities had gone the other way; it could have gone a long toward changing how the game played out.

“It’s unfortunate, but it would have been a completely different game,” Sappington said. “ We’ve gotta jump on teams early and when we get the chances, we’ve got to put them away because once we get down we put ourselves in bad spots, we put ourselves in a hole that we have to dig out of.”

Fredericksburg came out pressing after the intermission, and putting more of its shots on target than in the opening 45 minutes. But Virginia Beach goalie Tyler Benham repeatedly came up with big saves to keep them off the scoreboard.

However, Sappington’s hustling play finally paid off for the Hotspur in the 68th minute.

The midfielder ripped a close-range shot from the left that Benham dived to block once again. But Sappington outworked everybody to get to the rebound first and put it away at the right post to bring Fredericksburg within 2-1.

Marine said the play was just a typical example of how Sappington has played all season.

“Ryan always plays with energy. He’s always a positive influence on the other players,” Marine said. “You always know what you’re going to get with Ryan Sappington; you don’t have to worry about that.”

Two minutes later, Hanley broke in free behind the Virginia Beach defense and was taken down in the penalty area by a late slide tackle from a Piranhas’ defender. But instead of awarding a penalty kick opportunity that could have tied the game, the referee showed the Hotspur forward a yellow card for diving.

Marine said the controversial call was a major factor in the final outcome of the game.

“I totally disagree with the yellow card on Tishan,” the coach said. “I think that was a big change in momentum of the game. If that’s a PK instead of a yellow card on a flop, it totally changes it because after that Tishan changed. His game was different.”

Minutes later, Virginia Beach retook its two-goal advantage. After a miscommunication between Taylor and one of his defenders, Gibson raced in and put the loose ball away giving the Piranhas a 3-1 lead with 14 minutes to play.

The Hotspur continued to press, but were continually unable to capitalize, often being denied by Benham (seven saves) as Virginia Beach held on for the win.

Marine said he thought his team outplayed the Piranhas, but that’s not always the deciding factor in a game.

“I just felt we played a really good game and the game can be cruel sometimes and unfortunately we were on one of those today,” he said. “We deserved that victory … we deserved those three points by the way we played.”

Sappington was thinking along the same lines and added: “We just had a few mental lapses that led the breakdowns and goals. I just think it wasn’t our night. We’ve been undefeated up till this, but every team has setbacks and it’s going to be important to see how we bounce back.”

Fredericksburg is back in action on Wednesday with an exhibition game against the D.C. United U-23 team, at 6 p.m., at UMW. The Hotspur return to PDL play on Friday when they host the Real Maryland Monarchs (4-3-2) in a key South Atlantic Division showdown at 6 p.m.

Ever dream of playing in an MLS stadium?

Have you ever dreamed of playin soccer inside an actual MLS stadium? Here is your chance.

Play on the Pitch, a coed 5v5 adult soccer tournament will take place Saturday, Sept 15th in Falls Church at Congressional Schools of Virginia.  The tournament  finals take place Sunday, Sept 23rd on RFK’s stadium after D.C. United’s match against Chivas USA.

Updated: EVENT DETAILS

Each team, consisting of 5-10 players, will raise a minimum of $2,500 to participate. Awards will be given to the winning team, as well as top fundraising team.

Register Your Team Today!

Final
Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012
RFK Stadium

Tournament
Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012
Congressional Schools of Virginia (Falls Church)

Preview: Kickers vs. Eagles at Home Saturday

KICKERS HOST CHARLOTTE SATURDAY

Veteran Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale Named USL PRO Player of the Week

RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, June 6, 2012) – The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium this Saturday, June 9 to host the Charlotte Eagles at 7 p.m. 

The Kickers claimed four points on the road last weekend during a two-game trip to Harrisburg and Rochester.  Defender Shane Johnson notched his first professional goal in the 1-1 draw against the City Islanders before Luke Vercollone registered the Kickers lone tally against the Rhinos the following day.  Veteran goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale posted 19 saves on the weekend to preserve his second shutout of the season, taking USL PRO Player of the Week honors.

“We really need to continue the positive momentum into the Charlotte weekend,” commented Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Head Coach and Director of Soccer.  “We still need to treat every game as a cup final if we are to qualify for the playoffs.  Charlotte's position in the league standings is very misleading and by all accounts they are a very accomplished team this season.”

Despite posting a 2-7-2 record and eight points during the regular season, the Eagles are coming off a remarkable 2-1 overtime win against the San Antonio Scorpions in last night’s U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round game.  Knocking off Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas one week earlier, the Eagles advanced to the Quarterfinals for the first time in franchise history when Mauricio Salles converted a 116^th minute penalty kick to oust the NASL team from this year’s tournament.  One of three USL PRO teams to make it through to the next round, the Eagles will travel to The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA to take on Chivas USA on June 26.     

The Kickers and the Eagles meet for the first time this season, having exchanged 2-1 victories during the 2011 campaign.  After suffering a loss during a rain-soaked marathon in Richmond, the Kickers sought revenge 24 hours later in Charlotte.  The dramatic back-to-back weekend ended when Kickers midfielders Luke Vercollone and Edson Elcock registered in the second half before Charlotte midfielder Darren Toby pulled a goal back in the final minute of regulation. 

With an all-time series advantage of 19-9-9 over the Eagles, the Kickers’ extensive rivalry dates back to the club’s inception in 1993.  In addition to heated regular season matches, the perennial Championship contenders have a long history of battling in high stakes games.  The two clubs met in the 2007 USL-2 Semifinals when the Kickers came away with a 2-1 overtime win, boosting Richmond to their third consecutive appearance in the finals.  In 2006, the Kickers hosted Charlotte in the Championship when the same scoreline fell to the home side in regulation, granting the Kickers their third league title in franchise history.  Three years later, the rivals met again in the title match, when the Kickers rallied from a one goal deficit to reclaim the USL-2 crown, 3-1, over the Eagles in 2009.

Following Saturday’s contest, the Kickers swap home field advantage with the Eagles when they travel to Charlotte Christian Stadium on Saturday, June 16.  Next month, the two teams face off in back-to-back matches on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, to conclude the season’s four-game series.

Players to Watch

Kickers:  Stalwart defender Shane Johnson (#3) has played every minute of every game during the 2012 campaign, netting his first goal with the Kickers against the Harrisburg City Islanders last Friday, earning USL PRO Team of the Week honors.  Integral on both sides of the ball, the Longwood University product contributed to the Kickers second shutout of the season against the Rochester Rhinos 24 hours later.  Midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama (#9) made his first start of the season against Rochester, setting up the lone goal of the night inside the first five minutes.  With professional experience extending to four continents, Hiroyama unleashed a 20-yard curler to the far post that was destined for goal but instead rattled the crossbar, allowing Luke Vercollone (#4) to finish the rebound with a diving header.  A former New England Revolution midfielder, Vercollone has played all but three minutes during the 2012 campaign and reached his 100^th appearance with the Kickers against the Chicago Fire during last year’s U.S. Open Cup Semifinals.

Eagles:  Late heroics by Mauricio Salles (#27) boosted the Eagles through to the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals this week when he converted a 116^th minute penalty kick to upset the San Antonio Scorpions, 2-1.  The experienced forward has added one goal during the regular season, to avoid a shutout in the Eagles 2-1 loss to Harrisburg in April.  Colombian midfielder Jorge Herrera (#10) led the Eagles in 2011 with four goals and seven assists for 15 points on the season.  Picking up where he left off, he has registered two goals and an assist during the 2012 campaign, most recently notching the game-winning goal against Harrisburg last month. In his tenth season with the Eagles, Josh Rife (#29) continues to anchor the defense, which shutout Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup Third Round last week.  The veteran defender has received All-League honors multiple times, and was named USL-2 Defender of the Year in 2005.