The 2011 Southern Derby Cup... by Jim Gregory

Jim Gregory aka Bribetaker joins No Quarter as our first guest blogger.  He has a great way with words and is a welcome addition. 

The Southern Derby turns 12 this year….in the global world of football, a baby…..but in the world of US Soccer, an old man.  Half of the current MLS teams weren’t even kicking a ball in 2000.  Kasey Keller & Brad Friedel still had hair. 
  

When you say “derby” to a soccer fan, they might think of the great derbies in Spain, Milan or London.  But what does a US fan think of?  If you’re my age (50+), you grew up watching hot chicks on roller skates in roller derby.  Or maybe old cars cruising on a figure 8 track crushing each other in a demolition derby.  If you’re in Kentucky, maybe horses and mint juleps………mmmmm, sweet minty bourbon drinks..….now where was I?   Oh yeah, derbies.  If you look up the word in a dictionary, you actually do get most of the examples above, it’s not till #3 or 4 that you come upon a derby is a match between 2 local soccer teams.

 

The Southern Derby was born in 2000 when fans from the Raleigh Express, Atlanta Silverbacks and Charleston Battery had a wild sex orgy in Dan Barnes basement and birthed the Southern Derby.  Well, maybe it was on Dan’s website, www.USLdiscussions.com…..I forget, kinda blurry after all the mint juleps.

But come on now….you can’t just make up rivalries…either you have them or you don’t….you have to be born into that kind of hatred, you can’t just have a meeting and decide to hate somebody!  It’s too contrived. 


Well….I have a secret for you…..Dorothy, you ain’t in Spain, Milan or London.  You’re in the good ‘ol US of A and you ain’t even in MLS.  You’re in the lower bowels of US Soccer playing in the USISL, USL, NASL or whatever alphabet soup league you’re gracious owner has pony’ed up his/her hard earned wedge of cash to play in.  


Be thankful for what you got.

The first Southern Derby was won by Raleigh and they went 1 and done.  Kaput after 1 year.  That was an omen of things to come.  

Entering its 12^th year, this year represents the 6th different lineup of teams.  Kinda like the leagues we play in….always bobbing and weaving and morphing into something different.  Still with a pulse mind you…..just with a different beat and rhythm.

That’s really the story of the Southern Derby.  It was started by fans…yes, to pimp our teams, but in the end, it’s our cup.  It’s our contribution to helping our team be something bigger than the rest of the US considers soccer to be.  Yes, we’re in the lower leagues playing before small crowds, usually in crappy stadiums with limited concessions and no press.  But as a fan, we have more access to our players and the club’s staff than most any other league in the world, including MLS.  Don’t like something your club is doing?  Ring them up or see them at the next match and talk about it.  They’ll listen a lot longer to you than they would if you were in Spain, Milan or London.  

A small group of fans from 3 clubs started something in Dan’s basement back in 2000.  It’s wasn’t much then and yes, it’s something that no one outside the teams playing for the cup in 2011 give a tinker’s damn about.  But those fans took an idea by the scruff of the neck, breathed life into it and made it a reality and it’s still alive and kicking today. 

That’s the real story of the Southern Derby.  That’s the beauty of soccer at a small club…..the fans have more say than we should.  Don’t like something?  Do something about it.  Want to do something cool?  Make it happen.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make a difference at your club.

But back to the derby…where’s the hatred? You can’t have a proper derby without hatred.  But look at other sports you’re involved in.  Isn’t it sweet when you beat your brother in golf?  Or your old man in cards?  Or your friends in the 9 v 9 adult league?  It’s always better when you beat your friends than total strangers ……  where’s the fun in that?

So, wherever you are and whatever acronym league your favorite team plays in……drink it up…..cause you never know how long it will last.

The 2011 Southern Derby Cup will be contested between the Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles and the Wilmington Hammerheads.  A committee of supporters from each club agreed the following regular season matches will be Southern Derby Cup dates:

 Charleston @ Charlotte 4-29
Charleston @ Wilmington 5-21
Wilmington @Charlotte 6-11
Wilmington @ Charleston 7-14
Charlotte @ Wilmington 7-23
Charlotte @ Charleston 8-12

3 pts of a win, 1 pt for a draw, 0 pts for a loss.   If tied at the end, it breaks down to Goal Differential, Goals For, then goals against.
 

Two match weekend for the Battery

Battery will wear pink Saturday night

Charleston have two matches this weekend.  Friday night brings on the Charlotte Eagles away and then back home on Saturday night for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.  Back to back matches are rare in most parts of the world but nearly a financial requirement here in the United States as an effort to cut travel cost. 

Charlotte are still looking for their first win (0-2-1, 1point) of the season and will be looking to revenge the earlier 1-0 defeat to the Battery.

Charleston (2-0-1, 6 points) looked out of sorts in the earlier match between the two but seemingly have turned it around and are looking better.  The match will be played in Rock Hill, South Carolina  at Winthrop College, about 40 min from Charlotte's "home" stadium.  No reason was given in the Charlotte press release but the location is closer for fans that are traveling up from Charleston and it big improvement over the high school stadium Charlotte normally plays at.  The biggest advantage is that it will be a natural turf as opposed to Charlotte's old synthetic turf.  Players have said in the past that it was hard and the ball seemed to have strange properties, bouncing awkwardly and inconsistent speed on the ground.

The match will also be the first match of the Southern Derby Cup between Charleston, Charlotte and Wilmington.  Look for an article on the Southern Derby coming soon but for now here is the wikipedia link with the history and details on the competition. 

Predicting the squad is tricky in these back to back situations.   You would assume Auggie will rest some players for one game to be fresh for the second match the next night.  But who will they be?  I feel we will see a similar starting line up as we have in the past couple matches, but with two or three changes and some liberal subsitutions coming in maybe as early as half time.

What we do know is Andrew Dykstra will be out for a couple more weeks.  He injured his foot in training prior to the Richmond match.  Armstrong was rumored to be nursing a calf strain and Jon Gruenewald, who hasn't featured this year, is still recovering from a sports hernia.

The match will not be shown on USLlive but will be available to listen to online via the Battery website or locally on 1340am. Pregame starts about 6:45pm.

Saturdays match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Blackbaud Stadium is being promoted heavily and looks to have a good attendance.  Pittsburgh will bring with them former Battery players, Jason Kutney and Justin Evans, now head coach and a new daddy!

It will be the Battery's Kick of a Cure match and the Battery will wear a special pink jersey for the match to raise money for the Susan G. Komen fund.  There will be several other Pink initiatives, including pink food and drink specials, pink lines on the field and the auction following the match of the players jerseys.

You can watch Saturday's match live on www.usllive.com.  Kick-off is at 7:30pm EST

The Battery will looking for six points from these two matches to keep up with league leaders Richmond.

Tailgate Info

The Regiment will be tailgating prior to the match near the East Stand Entrance from about 5 pm.  Feel free to join us.  The Regiment will be providing brats, hot dogs and sausages (and maybe some other goods!),  just bring a side dish or some beer for the community cooler.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round...

Doing what we do on the bus.  ATL 2007

...Round and Round, Round and Round!

The Regiment have booked a 55 passenger bus for the first match-up of the 2011 season between Charleston and Wilmington on May 21st.

Regiment bus trips have a history for being great fun, where you can leave the driving to someone else, sit back and enjoy the company of fellow Battery fans.

The trip will leave Blackbaud Stadium Saturday, May 21 around 1:30 pm for the three and a half hour trip north to Wilmington's Legion Field.  Once the bus arrive, there will either be a tailgate or we will partake in a few beverages at one of the local pubs.  After the match has concluded, the bus will load back up and head back to Charleston.

The cost is only $25 for Regiment members or $35 for non-members and includes the bus trip and ticket to the match.

Still not a member? What are you waiting for? Stop by the Regiment table before a Battery home game or during halftime and sign up.  Memberships start at $20 and include a Charleston Battery Scarf, Regiment label pin, 10% discount in the pro-shop, tailgates and invites to the player appreciation picnic at the end of the season. The premium kit includes a Regiment logo polo shirt in your choice black, yellow or red instead of the scarf and goes for $20.

Call Kyle Jones at (843)971-GOAL ext 215 to reserve your seat.  Kyle will take your credit card information to hold your place but it is likely that the cards will not be run and cash or checks will be collected on the travel date.

We encourage everyone to bring something to eat and your drink of choice while on the bus.  Please limit the size of your cooler as space is limited on the bus.

Don't miss this opportunity and call soon to get your name on the list!

Up the Battery!!!

Kickers overcome the Battery

A 90th minute goal by the Kickers sealed the Battery's fate in Richmond as they loss 2-1.

For those that listened to the broadcast of the match on 1340am locally or online via the Battery website, the Battery started off the game lively, creating several chances in the opening minutes including one that came off the post.

Levi Coleman scored his first of the year for the Black and Yellow in the 15 minute and the rest of the half seemed to be dominated by Charleston but they couldn't stretch the lead.

In the second half, Richmond came out rejuvinated and scored the equalizer in the 61st minute from a corner kick.  The continued the rally and pressed the Battery hard.

The winner came in stoppage time after intense pressure from the Kicker squad.  You can watch the Kicker's goals if you are up for more punishment on Richmond's Facebook page

Reported during the radio broadcast is that Andrew Dykstra injured his foot in practice last week and will be out for two to three weeks. Stephen Armstrong also didn't dress for the second match in a row.  Not sure what the status of his injury.



Battery Billboard for the match against Pittsburgh

 The Battery travel to Charlotte Friday night for the first match of the Southern Derby for 2011 and then return home on Saturday to take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at the Kick for the Cure night at the Baud.  The players will be wearing a special pink jersey on the night and will immediately auction off the jersey following the match.

Also on the horizion is the Regiment's Bus Trip to Wilmington for the Battery v. Hammerheads match up on May 21st.  Look for an article about that later this week.

Until then Up the Battery!!!

Battery take on Kickers

No Quarter is back after a short jaunt to our nations capital, Washington DC.

In our absence, Charleston defeated Dayton 2-1 with Nicki Paterson scoring his first Battery goal and Colin Falvey scoring from a set piece delivered by Paterson.

You can watch the match HERE.

Paterson was recognized for his play by making the USL Pro Team of the Week.

The Battery showed us a sneak peek at the pink jerseys to be worn at the April 30 home match against Pittsburgh for the Kick for a Cure night at the 'Baud.


The Battery Boys travel this weekend to take on the Richmond Kickers in a rematch of the 2010 USL2 Championship match.  The Kickers are hot right now winning all three of their matches with Matthew Delicate scoring one goal in each of them.

The Battery played Richmond five times last year, including the 2010 USL2 Championship match, winning three and losing twice.  Both those losses were away in Richmond.  The Battery have played Richmond  41 times through the years, with the Battery winning 19 matches, Richmond 18 and four ending in a draw

Expect the Battery to line up with the same starting back line of Marples, Falvey, Wilson and Zaher with Dykstra in goal.   It should be a good test for the defense as Richmond has scored five goals in its three matches and key to winning this match.

In the center of the field, Nicki Paterson should have done enough last week to earn a starting spot.  Armstrong didn't make the roster for the Dayton, but if he is healthy, he gets the start.  The New Zealand international Peverley seems to be solid in the midfield as well and No Quarter would include either Prince or Mack to the starters as both added to the attack.

Up top,  Kelly and Bah's speed have caused issues for back lines so far but without prolific results.  Coleman will likely start partnered with one of the two.  Richmond has only given up one goal in its three matches but from accounts their last two matches have been pretty evenly contested affairs.

There won't be live video of the match but you can listen live at 1340am or listen online at www.charlestonbattery.com.  The Battery and Richmond will also be tweeting match updates if you follow them on Twitter.  This match has an early kickoff of 5pm EST so tune in early!

Up the Battery!

Battery hits the road to take on Dayton Dutch Lions

The Charleston Battery will face their first road trip of the 2011 USL Pro season as they travel more than 670 miles to Ohio to take on the Dayton Dutch Lions.

Even though the Battery won their home opener against the Charlotte Eagles, they will be looking to improve there overall form in the match against the Dutch Lions.

Overall I expect a similar starting line up to the first match with maybe a couple switches.  Colin Falvey should available after serving his suspension for the red card received in the championship match.  Falvey will only improve the back line that looked solid against the Eagles. 

In the center of the field Nicki Paterson did well coming off the bench and put a spark into the offensive.  Auggie may choose to bring him on a sub again but I would like to see him from the start.

Up top I think Coleman and Kelly get the starts, but Kelly was slow coming off the pitch and not sure if he may have picked up a knock or not.  Bah appears to be the swap for Kelly but I would like to see JC Mack come in late as well.  There speed could cause problems for a team that maybe tiring late in the match.

This will be Dayton Dutch Lions first match as a professional club.  Last season, the Dutch Lions plhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2619649367199343318ayed in the USL PDL and turned a few heads with their professionally run program as well as some decent attendances (1250 average last season)

The Dutch Lions will be looking to give their fans a win and make a statement to USL Pro that they want to be contenders.

Dayton has a close relationship with FC Twente in the Netherlands and have several Dutch players on their team.  Unfortunately not a lot is know about the squad with the exception of one player that trialed with Charleston earlier this year; George Davis IV.  Davis is a very quick wing player that likes to take-on players and isn't afraid to shoot from outside the box.  This may cause problems for the Battery who seemed content to let Charlotte bring the ball forward with little pressure and was slow to close players down at the top of the box.

The Battery will have support in the stands there.  The JRROTC unit that volunteers at Blackbaud will be in the area for a drill competition and will be attending the match.  Look for some Battery flags and banners if you watch the match live on www.USLlive.com.  Kick off is at 7:30pm.

Charleston v. Charlotte 4-9

Missed the match, want to watch it again? Here it is.

The match takes a few moments to load and the match starts around 48 minutes into the broadcast.   Watch Johnny's awesome goal line save and the Battery win!

Sean Flatley Signs Contract

Sean Flatley photo by Kim Gregory

The College of Charleston website is reporting that Sean Flatley has signed a contract with the Charleston Battery.

Flatley is out of Virginia and started his college career at the University of Maryland before transferring to the College of Charleston two years ago. 

A stable in the Cougars back line,  Flatley performed well at the USL Pro combine and then again with the Battery's invitational combine.   He landed an extend trial with the Battery and was solid during the Carolina Challenge Cup and other preseason matches.  He is very good in the air and communicates well.

"It was a bit of a relief signing, but I still have a long road ahead of me." said Flatley in a CofC press release.  "I'm happy to have signed my first professional contract but understand it is a small step towards the bigger goals I have set for myself. I have Troy [Lesesne], Ralph [Lundy], and Keith [Wiggans] to thank, as well as my teammates for their support throughout my two years at the College. There is still a lot of hard work ahead of me and I am excited to face those challenges."
 

Also inking their first professional contract is midfielder, Justin Fojo.  Fojo signed with Orlando City F.C. who former Battery midfielder, Ian Fuller, is now an assistant coach.

"We are so proud to have two of our seniors sign professional contracts with top level clubs in the USL Division," said CofC head coach Ralph Lundy in the release. "It is extremely difficult to earn a pro contract and for two of our players to accomplish this speaks volumes about what our program is doing."

Battery defeat the Eagles 1-0

It wasn't pretty but the Battery took the win in front of 4083 at Blackbaud Stadium Saturday night.

Charleston seemed a little sloppy but defensively held the ball up well and starting goal keeper Andrew Dykstra registered 6 saves on the night

But the biggest save had to come from Johnny Wilson.  Minutes before the half Dykstra came out and cleared a ball at the top of the box.  The ball went directly to a Chalrotte player who lobbed a ball over the keeper.  Fortunately, Wilson was back peddling and made a spectacular jumping header off the line, falling flat on his back in the process.  There was tense moment or two when Wilson didn't jump directly up but luckily he was up in moments.

the Battery goal came off a some good hustle from Battery new comer Nicki Paterson in the 58 minute.  Paterson slipped a ball through the Eagles defense to Jamaican Dane Kelly.  Kelly  nearing the touch line crossed a powerful ball across the face of goal to Levi Coleman.  The Eagles defender beat Coleman to the ball but deflected it past the Eagle goalkeeper Eric Reed.

Quotes from the local newspaper The Post and Courier

"I thought we showed some nerves tonight," Coach Mike Anhaeuser said. "It was a sloppy effort. We didn't have a ton of possessions and there was some miscommunication between our forwards. At first we did a good job of getting the ball wide and switching the field, but we didn't keep that up. We've got to learn from this game and move onto next week."

"I thought for the most part we kept our shape defensively and kept them to the outside," said Anhaeuser. "Charlotte did a good job of keeping some pressure on us, but it didn't get many scoring chances until the very end of the game.  We got the shutout, we got the own goal and we got the three points and you've got to be happy with that."

Overall, No Quarter was pretty close on the line up.  Colin Falvey was unavailable for the match due to the red card that was held over from last season championship match.  New Zealand international Cole Peverley got the start in midfield along side Armstrong, Jackson, and Prince. 

You can find photos of the match by Kim Gregory Here
Box Score and Battery's post match write up

If you missed the match or just want to watch it again, you can find it archived at www.USLlive.com

Next up for the Battery is a road trip to Dayton, Ohio to take on the Dayton Dutch Lions on Saturday.  you can watch the game live at www.USLlive.com

Battery v. Eagles preview

The Charleston Battery take on the Charlotte Eagles Saturday at Blackbaud Stadium to start off the 2011 USL Pro season.  Kick off at 7:30pm.

Charleston will be looking for a win to start the season but Charlotte is returning a majority of their 2010 squad.  The Battery defeated the Eagles three times, lossing once in 2010 but will be without the services of the attack duo of Tommy Heinemann (MLS-Columbus) and Lamar Neagle (MLS-Seattle).

The biggest question going into the 2011 campaign is will the Battery be able to replace attacking tandem?

It will be up to Coach Auggie to find the right mix between Levi Coleman, Seedy Bah, Dane Kelly, Brandon Massie and JC Mack.  All five played up top throughout the preseason with Kelly scoring a couple goals.  But all of them have looked dangerous and have the potential to put a few in the net.  Coleman scratched his eye during the match Tuesday against Puerto Rico and unsure if he will ready for Saturday's match up.

No Quarter expects the Battery to line up to look close to Tuesday's night, with a back line of Zaher, Wilson, Falvey and Marples and Dykstra in goal.  In the middle; Armstrong, Jackson, Evans, Prince and up top; Kelly and Coleman.  Bah will replace Coleman if he isn't ready.  We probably could start three or four different line ups and I would feel comfortable with either one.  Fortunately we have a deep squad and there are a couple other players I feel that could step. 

Give us your guess at the starting line up in the comment section.

The Regiment will be hosting a tailgate near the East Stand entrance and will be grilling up some shrimp and brats.  Feel free to come on by and join us.  Bring a side dish, or if you want, some meat for the grill.  Also bring some beverages for the community cooler.  We'll be setting up around 4:30 and imagine we'll start grilling around 5:00.

Charleston falls to Islanders, 1-0

The Charleston Battery loss to the Puerto Rico Islanders on a 76 min goal by Puerto Rico Islander forward Matt Bouraee. 

Around 500 to 600 fans enjoyed a chance to watch the reigning Division 3 champions the Battery take on the Division 2 champions, the Puerto Rico Islanders. 

Seedy Bah

The match started lively enough for the Islanders and they controlled possession for most the opening 10 minutes.  Puerto Rico Captain Delgado came off in the 15 minute limping and was replaced by the eventual goal score Bouraee.  

The Battery adjusted and started to find is groove, looking pretty dangerous in the middle of the field with Battery Captain Stephen Armstrong looking very sharp on the left side.  Armstrong created several nice moves on the sideline and crossed quite a few nice looking balls into the box.

Levi Coleman went down in about the 30 min with a finger to the eye and was replaced by youngster Seedy Bah. 

Osei Telesford

The final 10 minutes of the half the Battery limited the Islanders to their half for the most part.  Several decent chances came the first a freekick that went just over the bar.  the second a couple minutes later when Armstrong made a fine cross for Kelly he just couldnt connect with.  In the last minute the Battery had two more quality chances with a blast just outside the box from Cole Peverley and another one in the 45' form Dane Kelly.

In the second half the Battery immediately stepped right back into their rhythm with Armstong again making a strong cross to Kelly.

Puerto Rico finally had a quality chance on goal in the 54 minute but #9 Fana's shot when high over the bar.

The Battery thought they had scored in the 59' from a nice build up and cross from the right side but the linesman's flag was up for offside.

Islander goalie Burse stopped a 20 yard rocket of a shot from Seedy Bah in the 62' to keep things level

In the 65' both teams began to make wholesale changes with the seven subs coming in at once, two for the Islanders and 5 for the Battery. 

After the change the Battery seemed to be on the back foot and the Islanders stepped up their attack.  In the 76' first half substitute Matt Bouraee scored after what looked like a rare bit of confusion in the Battery defense.

Nicki Patterson

The Islanders had another good chance in the 81' but Second half substitute, Keith Wiggins saved the shot.

The Battery seemed to regain the composure quickly while the Islanders looked happy just to defend the lead.  

Brandon Massie made a great run down the right side and beat his marker, made a great cross that a diving JC Mack just missed.  In the dying minutes of the game, the Battery nearly got the equalizer when College of Charleston product, Sean Flatley, beat his man in the air and nearly headed a cross in to tie the match up.

The match ended 1-0 and over all it looked like a pretty even match, with the Battery having quite a few scoring chances and controlling the midfield for a large portion of the match but the Islanders scoring the goal and that the only statistic that matters in the end.

Overall the Battery looked sharp and ready to go for the Saturday. 

The Islanders seemed to have to make a few adjustments to their back line as Needham seems to yell at his defenders a lot and Clark was constantly telling Martinez he need to be faster and telling him to adjust his positioning, but did a good job keeping up with speedy Dane Kelly and Seedy Bah.

Adderly up top was quite for most the match but Fana who seemed to play behind Adderly was very lively.  He tracked back onto defense when needed and was quick put the Battery under pressure.  Burse made a couple good saves that kept the Battery off the score sheet.  Emory caused some problems for guys coming down the wings.

Here is the starting line up along with a list of the players that were subbed in.  I lost track who came in for who but I think you see a similar line up starting on Saturday.

Mike Zaher takes on goal scorer Matt Bouraee

Battery: Dykstra (GK), Zaher, Wilson, Dugoni, Marples, (D) Armstrong, Jackson, Peverley, Prince (M) Kelly, Coleman (F)  Subs: Bah, Wiggins(GK), Patterson, Wiltse, Flatley, Caskey, Mack, Evans, Rittmeyer.

Islanders: Burse (GK) Jones, Emory, Martinez, Needham (D) Delgado, Telesford, Hanson, Ptichkolan, (M) Adderly, Fana (F) Subs: Bouraee, Laurendi (GK) Ly, #19, #16, #28 #25 (sorry could get their names)

For more photos of the match, see Kim Gregory's album here

Defend the 'Baud T-shirts availble!

T-shirt are now available! 

The good folks at Objectivo  have produced a Charleston Battery supporters t-shirt!  Featuring a design by Mikey Buytas.  You can now order one (or more!) by following this link.  A portion of sales from each shirt ordered will go to the Regiment to support their goals for the upcoming season.

While your there, check out the dozens of other designs. 

Getting all professional

Most readers probably didn't notice but there has been a few little tweaks to the blog over the last week or so.

The biggest change is that we now have our own domain name!   We are now http://www.noquartersoccer.com/    The old URL address should automatically redirect you to the new address but the new one is a lot easier to remember.  So bookmark us, add us to your favorites and visit us often. With the season starting shortly, we will be updating this site as frequent as we can.

We have a few features that we are extreamely excited by and hopefully we can showcase them soon!  Also, we will be continually tinkering with the site for our readers so if you have any suggestions, comments, or something you would like to contribute, let us know!

Season preview

The folks at SC Soccer Blog have put together a four part preview for the 2011 USL Season starting today at 4pm with the Richmond Kickers hosting Orlando City FC.

Follow the links below for each part of the series

USL Pro preview: The International Division

USL Pro preview: the National Division

USL PRO preview: The American Division

USL post season predictions

Overall we agree with there assessment with some minor tweaks, but there are a lot of unknown teams out there this season and we feel Orlando will do well.  Also feel LA and Dayton will surprise a few teams this season.

One thing is for certain, Charleston is expected to follow up a great 2010 season this year. Auggie has assembled a team that should do well in the league and the US Open Cup. 

Let the games begin!

TV and USL live for 2011

USL has announced that more than 100 games will be aired on USLlive.com this year. 

Read the USL Press Release

Ten teams will air their home games, representing all three USL divisions.  Those teams are the Charleston Battery, Antigua Barracuda FC, the Dayton Dutch Lions, the Harrisburg City Islanders, the LA Blues, Orlando City, Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, the Rochester Rhinos and the Wilmington Hammerheads.  As we have seen in the past, the production quality of each teams broadcast may vary and I expect there to be some issues with the various broadcasts.

Regardless it will give fans a chance to watch away games and see some matches against teams they may not see much off.

The release also mentions that the final touches of a television contract are nearly finished.  Unofficially, we are hearing between 10 and 15 matches will be aired on Fox Soccer Channel this season. 

USLlive is entering its fifth year and will once again be free and will have full-length matches archived.

link for USLlive HERE