Cedar Rapids Preview and Game Notes
Published on December 31, 2016 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Cedar Rapids Rampage News Release
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA- It's chilly in Cedar Rapids, but the Rampage arena soccer team is red hot, having won their last six games. The expansion Florida Tropics are coming to town, but their first season has been anything but sunny. The two teams will do battle for the first time this Saturday, at a special 2:05pm New Year's Eve kick-off time. The Rampage will be playing for the first time in 13 days while the Tropics will be playing their second game in less than 24 hours.
The Tropics, led by head coach Clay Roberts, arrive with a 3-6 record having just ended a four-game losing streak Friday night. While that record looks bad on paper, three of the losses came at the hands of Eastern Division powerhouse Baltimore, who outscored them by a combined 19-2. Another lowlight was blowing a 5-2 lead, on the way to an 8-6 loss to the 1-7 St. Louis Ambush on December 9.
Their three wins, however, were impressive. The Tropics won their home opener in Lakeland 6-5 over the San Diego Sockers while rallying from a 4-1 deficit. Florida also held on for a 7-6 win in Syracuse on November 26. Friday night, the Tropics scored two shorthanded goals in the fourth quarter and beat the Kansas City Comets 8-7 on the road.
While more than half their roster had no prior professional MASL indoor experience, player/assistant coach Freddy Moojen is a star veteran who scored 39 goals for Dallas two years ago before signing with St. Louis and then moving on to Florida. Hoping to shorten the learning curve the Tropics also recently lured former Blast midfielder Robbie Aristodemo out of retirement. Marco Rodriguez has been used more on the defensive end, but the rookie midfielder possesses crowd-pleasing footwork.
Florida's gritty goalkeeper Piotr Sliwa, who played with Gordy Gurson and Bobby Hurwitz in Seattle and St. Louis, has started all nine games for the Tropics.
The Rampage, looking for their seventh straight win are led in scoring by Gurson, who has 19 points this season, and points in 25 straight games. Player/coach Hewerton Moreira broke out of a mini-slump with two goals in St. Louis.
Goalkeeper Brett Petricek is the reigning MASL Goalkeeper of the Week and leads the league with seven wins. Defender Charlie Bales will miss his second straight game, but hopes to be back in the lineup on January 6.
The Rampage return home on January 6 for a big rematch with the Chicago Mustangs. Tickets are on sale starting at just $9 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or the U.S. Cellular Center box office.
What: Florida Tropics (3-6) at Cedar Rapids Rampage (7-2)When: Saturday, December 31 2:05 PM CST
Where: US Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
All-time series: First meeting
Players to watch:Cedar Rapids:Gordy Gurson (12 goals, 7 assists, 19 points in 9 games)Hewerton Moreira (9-4-13 in 9 games)
Florida:
Freddy Moojen (5-5-10 in 9 games)
Marco Rodriguez (1-2-3 in 9 games)
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from December 31, 2016
- Ambush Finish 2016 with 8-5 Loss - St. Louis Ambush
- Cameron Brown Breaks Record for Goals in Consecutive Games - Dallas Sidekicks
- Chiles Breaks Scoring Record (299) as Sockers Win 10-6 vs Ontario Fury - San Diego Sockers
- Ontario Fury Can't Stop Sockers in Fourth, Fall 10-6 - Ontario Fury
- Cedar Rapids Preview and Game Notes - Cedar Rapids Rampage
- Dallas Sidekicks Fall to Soles De Sonora Friday Night - Dallas Sidekicks
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