Strikers Derailed by Carolina, Tampa on the Horizon & Strikers Open Online Shop

We are just days away from the biggest rivalry in sports! Okay maybe not really, but who here isn't pumped to see the Fort Lauderdale Strikers take on the green and yellow puke from Tampa Bay?

First things first. The loss last night to Carolina may have been demoralizing after a decently successful road trip, but the announced crowd of around 2,000 makes it even worse. Carolina has a great team and it seems no one cares. But we care and this Saturday will be huge, we're hoping to see at least 10,000 fill Lockhart Stadium. Whispers have been flying around that the crowd will sing the national anthem, but as long as we just chime in at the end with a "HOME OF THE STRIKERS!", this Striker Liker will be one happy camper.

Also of note, you can shop for your favorite official Striker gear here. There are only a few items available but come on people! If you're a Striker Liker there isn't one thing on the site you shouldn't have.

If you want to be a hardcore Liker, visit the Football in Miami and Beyond here for a laundry list of the necessary items it takes to look the part of a real Striker Liker.

P.S. - A reliable source has confirmed that magicjack's owner has decided to coach the team himself.

Don't Forget About The Strikers

With so much going on in the world of soccer it's hard to focus on what's really important around here.

Have you been sucked into the quadrangle "clasico" that is Real Madrid vs. Barcelona?

Are you crying over spilled milk over Real Salt Lake's disappointing display and loss in the CONCACAF Champions League Final?

Can't get enough of top-notch women's soccer in your backyard?

Well get a hold of yourselves! A true Striker Liker must look past all those things and focus on his/her team. The Strikers have improved with their first three outings, besting themselves each time out, starting with a loss, followed by a draw, then a dramatic late win.

Now comes our biggest test. This Friday marks the real start of the season. The Puerto Rico Islanders, defending champions and undefeated thus far, they will show the Strikers if there are contenders or pretenders.

Watch the game live here.

Side note, we are a less than a month away from the Strikers homecoming, hosting FC Tampa Bay. See you all there!

2 Weeks Down!

Has it already been 2 weeks? I guess it has. 2 Weeks, 2 games, 2 goals, 1 point but most importantly: 10,000 fans!

That's right, backing up opening day's 6,000 was last Friday's 4,000 crowd that saw the Strikers hang on and find a way to get a goal back and tie NSC Minnesota.

It's a promising sight for us Striker Likers who have been clinging on the distant memories. Now we've got a future to look forward to.

Let's be critical of our disappointing start, but not discouraged. Remember this is a new team, although the core of the Miami FC still exist, there are a lot of new pieces and these first few games are still feeling like preseason games.

After this upcoming road trip be prepared to see a Striker squad welcome their instate rivals from Tampa Bay and give them a thorough bashing.

Timbers Army Sing National Anthem

I stayed up a little late last night to catch the opening minutes of the Portland Timbers as they played their first home game ever as an MLS side. To my complete giddiness and satisfaction, the Portland supporters (aka the Timbers Army) performed the national anthem and it was awesome!

Click here if you missed it.

For us Striker Likers, just having the Strikers back in town has been a huge accomplishment, if not a wish come true. But now we must focus and keep bringing that passion we showed last week to each and every Striker home game. We can have an MLS team again if we can prove we will support it.

Let's show the States what the Striker Likers are all about. See you all tonight, let's beat up on Minnesota!

One more thing, in the ASL/APSL days of the Strikers, when the national anthem was sung, we used to always it end off with, "and the home of the STRIKERS!" I did it last week in homage, and I'm gonna do it again tonight, who's gonna join me?

As One Sun Sets, Another Rises

The dark ages are finally over. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers have returned. They've eaten up completely what was Miami FC and have reinvigorated a market starving for professional soccer. And although it began with a loss, there was a feeling that everything was good in the world. The Strikers were back and that only means good things.

When this blog began inauspiciously a few years ago, we figured we could conjure up old memories and somehow put a spin on the local soccer conversation. But today marks a new era. There is a team now, real and made of living things. There is a team we must support, a team we must question and above all a team we must be proud to call our own. So although some may argue that we just have Miami FC in better looking uniforms, let this be a warning to you. When you call yourself a Striker Liker, you take on a responsibility to bring soccer into the future and to prove that South Florida is no retirement home.

So today we grieve over a season opening loss but to the fans, the community we scored a landmark victory. 6,402 was the announced attendance. It may drop slightly on Friday's follow up match against Minnesota, but there will be a presence in the stands. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are back and so are the Striker Likers.

Start the Season!

Next posting will be live from Lockhart.

See everyone tomorrow!

Thomas Rongen, Thanks for the Memories

It cannot be disputed that Thomas Rongen will always remain a legendary figure in the hearts of Striker Likers. He spanned two generations of Likers by playing here in Fort Lauderdale during the NASL days, then staying through to see the Strikers win their only championship in 1989 with the ASL/APSL version of the team.

Recently, his actions are a bit disappointing. In case you missed it the U-20 US Men's National Team fell 1-2 to Guatemala last night and were eliminated from qualification for the U-20 World Cup. Thomas Rongen is the coach of the U-20 US Men's National Team.

Not acceptable.

Thomas, we love you as a Striker, but please, this is embarrassing.

Vote Striker Likers as Best Sports Blog!

Striker Likers here is up for a Best of Blogs Award from Sun-Sentinel. If you like the posts you're reading, are a huge Striker Liker, or just love soccer, click here and vote!

And not to play sides, the wonderful folks over at Football in Miami and Beyond (who are fellow Striker Likers) are also nominated.

Get out there and vote! Let's show them soccer matters in South Florida.

We Americans May Be On To Something

Sometimes, ok most times, we are mocked around the world as not being part of the pure soccer tradition that exists planet wide. Because soccer is overshadowed by other professional sports in America, any involvement we have with the world's game is deemed insignificant.

But alas, take a real look at the history and at the state of the game today and try and tell me that Americans haven't had their influence on world football.

Performance wise, the USA finished third in the inaugural World Cup and in 1950 staged the biggest upset ever in the game.

Moving forward to the NASL of the 70s, we introduced "the Galacticos" a team of stars from around the world. That concept is commonplace these days, but the Cosmos did it first, so there.

Another gem to the world was the NASL ball, star studded for a reason, notice now how the UEFA Champions League has taken the concept for its annual tournament of club champions.

We statesiders deserve some credit, so with the launch of the new NASL (amazing logo by the way) and the re-introduction of classic NASL sides (Vancouver Whitecaps, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and now of course the Fort Lauderdale Strikers), history is coming full circle and the dark ages of American soccer shall be no more.

This rant is really just a reason to put out the thought that the new NASL should play with a cool looking ball. Anyone have any idea what they will be using?

Strikers Jersey is Upon Us!

Say what you will, and I hope you do, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2011 jerseys are here!

When the logo was introduced a few days back sans any black, I was worried that our team shorts would be the same charcoal grey, but behold the new Strikers kit, very classic and luckily for Joma, no need to redesign anything they had already in the production line.

At first glance anything Joma may not perk your fancy all that much, but let it sink in and enjoy the fact that we're back! We look damn good too!

From afar, the new logo has a very classic, european football look.

Next step, NASL Champions!

Sidenote: the FC Tampa Bay (we're not the Rowdies) are revealing their kits tomorrow. Let the rivalry begin.

Former River Plate Star Coudet Joins Strikers

Eduardo "Chacho" Coudet has recently signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers which gives a little more meat to the hungry Striker Likers out there waiting for opening day. Coudet, a bleached-blonde defensive midfielder is known for his take out the legs and ask questions later attitude. He peaked back in 2000 when he was an integral part of River Plate's early millennium success.

Most recently he's been a journeyman, last year spending the season with MLS debutantes Philadelphia Union.

One thing's for sure, his hair will continue to be bleached. Just kidding, expect to see some hardcore River supporters out there, and many other Argentines. Coudet played for a total of 5 Argentinean clubs including River Plate, San Lorenzo, Rosario Central, Platense and Colon.

Not a star signing by any means, but should be fun to watch as he throws elbows, goes into tackles with both feet and yells at the referees constantly.

New Fort Lauderdale Strikers Logo

Drink it in folks 'cause this is it!

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers unveiled their new logo this weekend and in doing so murdered the past history of the logo.

OK, that maybe a little harsh, but it's hard to see the similarities between this new venture and the classic logo from years past.

The new logo, designed by a veteran sports branding group, can explain each aspect of the logo, but it might take some time for this Striker Liker to swallow.

What do you think?

Making An Ass of Yourself

This is why they call it the beautiful game.

A New Beginning

Take a good look brothers. The Strikers are back!

In a recent post on their site, on facebook and at their last game, Miami FC officially reported that they will be 'honoring' the Strikers starting in 2011. Just a reminder, 2011 is only 6 months away!

This news is not shocking as we've been hearing the rumbles for awhile, but it is exciting to us Striker Likers who can now support a club that plays games. It's been a long time. Too long of a time.

It's Called Karma

As a Striker Liker its hard to put the Germans in their place. They were half of the star power that brought the Strikers to prominence, along with the Dutch in the late 70's. But I'm more of a fan of the late 80's Strikers, with their Argentine Three Amigos, so when I'm asked for sympathy for the Germans, I turn the other way.

So as Michael Ballack has his World Cup dreams destroyed by a non-sensical tackle in the FA Cup by a Ghanian international, I have no tears. So what you missed your shot at the final when you collected too many yellow cards in '02 to play the last game and you watched on the sidelines helpless as Ronaldo and Brazil had field day.

This is all just pay back for that ugly handball non call that would have given the US a chance to tie their quarterfinal game with the Germans in South Korea/Japan. Oh what a difference that would have made.

But back to the story, time will only tell if the Ballack-less Germans can make their way through a not-so-easy group against Australia, Serbia, and Ghana. They might be making Prince Boateng a king.

I heard Thierry Henry is coming to MLS too.

Please Refrain

It just doesn't feel right. It looks horrible. It may be one of the worst ideas in man's history. Next to having ten best movie nominations at the Oscars®, playing soccer in a baseball stadium is the most horrible thing Americans have done since folding the Miami Fusion.

But all joking aside, shoving soccer fields into baseball stadiums make watching a soccer game unbearable. You can do it with American football because the field is thinner and because you can play football on clay. Soccer is played on grass. So as most baseball fans abhor the world's game, let's not try to put our round peg in their square holes.

Latest culprit, FC Tampa Bay (are they officially the Rowdies?). Currently playing in the Yankees Spring Training home, these numb nuts are falling into the same trap soccer in this country has been falling into for years. So thank you Tampa Bay, way to really step it up. I don't care if you are building a new stadium. Never play soccer in a baseball stadium, it's part of the cardinal rules of living behind getting 10 hours of sleep per night, never playing poker with a guy whose name is a city and dating a girl with a tattoo of a dagger on her person.

I'm just saying.

Super What?

That's right, it ain't a party til this guy shows. You know your home team has arrived when THE Super Mario is checking out your home field.

All joking aside, the rivalry game did live up to some sort of potential. The tailgating was present, a live band greeted fans as they entered the field and there were opposing fans in somewhat large numbers (too many for my taste).

The game too was exciting! Tampa Bay had a few more chances early but late in the first half the Miami FC took the lead, almost out of nowhere. I say out of no where because the cops were busy trying to handle the rowdy Rowdies fans. Not too hard, they are forced to wear puke green and yellow, so it makes them hate themselves just as much as they hate living in Tampa.

But then the second half came and it kinda ruined the party. One minute in, Miami FC's lone "star" player gets a straight red for a 'from-behind' tackle. From then on it was one way traffic albeit for a few Miami FC breakaways, but with 10 minutes to go the Tampons found the equalizer and the Miami FC are still winless (but they haven't lost yet either).

If the game were played 11 on 11, I'm pretty sure we would have had a Miami FC victory and a much happier fanbase. So why the straight red? Not only was it a buzzkill, but it basically ruined any chances for a Miami FC win. It doesn't even make sense. If the Miami FC can't win, then no one comes to the games, then the city loses the team entirely and these refs won't have any games to ref. That's why it's called home cooking. I think it's time we start stressing the need for this.

OK, rant done. There were many Striker Likers out there last night. Kudos to all. Keep the dream alive.

A Kick in the Grass

So you're angry, you might be a little mad. You keep telling yourself how much you would want an MLS squad suiting up in your backyard. You want pro soccer. You want the pride of dressing up in hometown colors on Saturdays and going to a stadium to consume beer, salted pretzels, arepas and frozen lemonades. You want to be at that big rivalry game. You want to yell at visiting players and coaches and you definitely want to tell the referee he isn't worth his weight in anything. You want it all and you want it now.

Well wait no further.

This Saturday is your chance, if you decided to at least go to one Miami FC game this year, make this the one. It's early in the season so no one is out of playoff contention yet. The team may be still trying to gel but the excitement of a new season is still in the air (even though we are 3-4 weeks in). The cherry on top is that the Miami FC are playing the dreaded Rowdies. That's right, Tampa Bay has the gaul to put forth a team and come to our house.

I'm seething. I want a 4-0 thrashing and an attendance of at least 5,000. Who wants to dream with me?

It's Soccer Madness

Striker Likers, listen up. Here's a little history lesson for those who forgot the second coming of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This is the APSL Strikers, coached by Thomas Rongen and the only Striker squad to win a league championship. I grew up with this team and if I needed soccer gear I went to one place: Soccer Madness.

Soccer Madness held offices right here in Broward County and if you needed some new adidas Copas or that new Nike track suit, this is where you would go. The catalog they produced was a bible as it also displayed top-flight European stars in Soccer Madness gear.

That was a great time, just waiting for my Soccer Madness catalog in the mail, it was better than EuroSport, it felt like a magazine, and it was home grown.

Today, Soccer Madness is a faded memory, just like those 1994 United States national team uniforms. But, the soccer store institution is a growing one. Sure you can score some cheap cleats at the Sports Authority or even Wal-Mart, but devoted soccer stores are the true hotspots for soccer passion. You can find them more often than ever before, especially here in our back yard. With the success of these shops will come pro soccer, no question. So let's give Soccer Madness our respect, as well as the Soccer Connection, I miss you guys.

Just Shoot Me

SUN SENTINEL STRIKER PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO OPEN)

It was a weekend that a league called the NASL played and a weekend in which Lockhart Stadium saw soccer action. It almost feels like a Striker Liker's dream, but not quite. It is the Miami FC who currently call Lockhart home, but the Sun Sentinel know better. They've unleashed a glorious memory provoking gallery with Striker images from the NASL and the APSL days. So enjoy the slideshow.

Speaking of the Miami FC, they staved off the mighty Rochester Rhinos, but displayed the lowest attendance record of the weekend in the NASL. It's something to be aware of, but rest assured when the Rowdies come to town, that number should quadruple.

The memories are grey but they sure are coming back.