Once Again I'm Back

Re-did my contract like Mike Vrabel, now the Chief is back...

What's new on the soccer front... well, first and foremost:

If you follow soccer and don't already know this, yes, Bayern Munich took the home/away Champions League series from Sir Alex and Manchester United on away goal margin with a terrific display of what I can describe as nothing but true grit. After falling behind 3-0 Bayern refused to put their heads down, and rallied for two goals of their own in a 3-2 away loss, good enough to give them a 4-4 aggregate score which saw them through to Europe's version of the Final Four with an away goal advantage of 2-1. French club Lyon awaits the German giants, and 2 years removed from an all English final, England now has no representatives in the final four teams of the CL.

On the US soccer front, Clint Dempsey is again sidelined with a recently sustained leg injury which forced him out of today's Europa League win, but the injury does not appear to have any long range implications, he should return before long and have time to prepare for South Africa. Charlie Davies is by all reports looking great in his recovery and at this point is a good bet to be a World Cup participant, and if you've missed it Maurice Edu has been scoring some goals of late in his return to action for Rangers. One of the more interesting stories is the late push for consideration by Herc Gomez, who has been scoring goals for fun in Mexico. Tomorrow I will post my current prediction for the US World Cup final roster as well as MLS updates.

Jonathan's Army and US vs Honduras

In tonight's 8:30 EST friendly between the United States and Honduras, expect one player to have more fans in attendance from the opposition than he perhaps has from his own nation. Jonathan Bornstein has battled and proven himself to be a viable option at left back on the international level, and perhaps the US team's best option there come South Africa this summer. In Honduras, however, he is much much more. In a country that hadn't qualified for a World Cup in 27 years, Bornstein is somewhat of a hero for scoring the last minute goal against Costa Rica that would send Honduras into World Cup SA. Many Honduras fans have made the trip to California for this tune-up game, and are expected to cheer at least one American if he is introduced as a starter. I'll get into details for tonight's match later, but for now let's relive the final seconds of that US/Costa Rica matchup.

HIATUS

hi⋅a⋅tus
–noun, plural -tus⋅es, -tus.
1.
a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.
2.
a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.
3.
any gap or opening.


Yes folks, StRW has taken quite a break from the world of soccer blogging. My first year of my career and first year of home ownership changed my priorities a fair amount, and when you throw in coaching two youth teams, well I'll just say the days are not long enough! Anyhow, with the new year fast approaching I shall make the resolution to return, and none too soon with the MLS Draft coming up and World Cup South Africa less than a year away. I will also dig more for local stories to mix with the larger scene, so if you have any exciting news on local teams or players, by all means send me an e-mail. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season, I'm glad to be back with you all.

High School Game of the Week

Friday night featured one of the more anticipated matchups in local high school soccer as 9-0-1 Webster Thomas (now 10-0-1) downed the now 11-2-0 Brockport Blue Devils by the score of 1-0. Taylor Smith scored just after the halftime break to give the home side the only goal it would need to remain undefeated against a Brockport team that looks to be Thomas' chief adversary this season. While Brockport improved on their previous 4-1 loss to Thomas in the season opener, the win for Webster was certainly a statement win, sweeping the season series. Brockport, who has beaten every team it's faced not named Webster Thomas, will likely head into sectionals as the team most likely to down the so far undefeated Titans.

In other Friday night action, Greece Arcadia downed West Irondequoit 3-1, Rush-Henrietta held off Churchville-Chili 1-0, Brighton topped Eastridge 2-1, Fairport rolled on Gates-Chili 5-1 and Jared Toth tallied 4 goals in an 8-0 romp over a Greece Odyssey team that looked very tame despite their 7-4 record.

As the season winds down and sectionals approach, it's starting to come to do or die for many of the fringe teams. Let's hope the teams can stay healthy and all the real stories are played out on the field down the stretch. Will a surprise team step up for crunch time, or will powerhouses such as Thomas and Brockport steal the show? Let's hear your take on where the teams stand.

Rhinos Learn of Individual Honors

After staying within 1 goal in Charleston to secure their spot in the USL-1 semifinals, the Rhinos have now learned that two of their players have also been named Second Team All League. The fiesty and trustworthy defender Scott Palguta was one of four defenders named to the Second Team and crowd favorite Johnny Menyongar was named as a midfielder after playing in all 30 of the team's games and tallying 6 goals and 5 assists.

Now we must wait and see what Scott, Johnny and the rest of the Rhinos have in store for the semifinal round Friday night!

High School Updates

After watching the Brockport-Spencerport matchup in the rain last night I decided it was time to post an update on the local high school scene.

Last night in Brockport, I watched a strong looking Brockport team jump out to an early advantage over Spencerport with a nice mix of short passing and long balls opening up the game and leading to a nice individual effort opened the scoring. Spencerport would pressure late in the first half, but the last pass in the final third was lacking. Brockport goals were scored by Christian Zale, DJ Barnhart and Andrew McGinnis while Shane Dobles scored the loan Spencerport goal in the 3-1 game.

Also in action Tuesday were Webster Thomas and Webster Schroeder, with Thomas emphatically claiming bragging rights in a 8-1 thrashing.

These results left Brockport and Webster Thomas to remain ahead of the pack in Monroe County, as Brockport stands at 11-1-0 while Webster Thomas is the only undefeated team at 9-0-1. Fairport sits a small margin back at 8-1-2 overall.

I'll be back after the weekend to check in with sectional standings and comment on each team's shot at glory for 2008.

Rhinos Head South With Lead

In Friday night's playoff showdown between the Rhinos and Battery both teams would play conservatively in search of a positive result. Aside of a shaky moment or two on Battery crosses, the Rhinos seemed to have the better of play, but were unable to get on the scoresheet for most of the match. Vallow also bailed his team out early in the second half. On a night where the rain held off, the Rhinos seemed destined for a disappointing 0-0 draw in their home leg of the first round. Determined not to head down to South Carolina as equals, the Rhinos forced the game in the late stages, and came away with a pair of late goals to put themselves in prime position to advance. Guppy struck first in the 86th on an assist from Menyongar, and Delicate added a second after a poor clearance from Charleston in the 90th minute to wrap up the game.

The Rhinos will defend their two goal advantage in a 7:00 PM kickoff at Blackbaud Stadium on Sunday. Expect some conservative play from the Rhinos leading to a low scoring affair, as the Rhinos need only to stay within a goal of the hosts to advance to the second round. Check in tomorrow evening for a running commentary.

Here is another photo of Blackbaud:

High School Roundup

It's been awhile since I've posted an update as to where the local high school teams stand. Heading into the last week of September, it's the Brockport Blue Devils (8-1-0) and Webster Thomas (6-0-1) boasting the most impressive records. Fairport, Webster Schroeder, Spencerport, Churchville-Chili, Pittsford Mendon, Pittsford Sutherland, Penfield, Greece Odyssey, Greece Athena and Victor round out the Monroe County league teams with .500 records or better.