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.

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.

We don't hold grudges, really

So last week, the USL version of the Tampa Bay Rowdies unveiled their new logo and website. As a fervent Striker Liker you would expect me to bash whatever these guys came up with, but I must say, I am at a loss for words.

I'm actually sad. The logo is so bad I feel sorry for the Rowdies fans. The icing on the cake is the reasoning behind this logo on their new website here. You know, they actually paid someone to do this!

Now the original Rowdies logo wasn't the Mona Lisa, but at least it had spunk. It was a kick in the grass as they used say.

One thing is for sure, the Strikers already look cooler than the Rowdies will ever be. Ha-ha.

Striker Liker, out.