Charlotte Hosts Baltimore Friday at 7pm
Published on April 29, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
Charlotte, NC - After battling Wilmington to a 2-2 draw in the unseasonable heat last Saturday, the Charlotte Eagles will face Crystal Palace Baltimore on Friday night at 7pm at Winthrop University Soccer Complex in Rock Hill, SC.
Friday night will be a rematch of the 2008 USL-2 Semi-Final between Charlotte and Baltimore where the Eagles came from behind at Charlotte Christian to defeat Baltimore 2-1 and advance to their seventh USL-2 Final. Fans can expect another great match between the two as Baltimore returns much of their roster from 2008.
Crystal Palace is coming off an impressive performance against Bermuda, beating the Hogges 2-0 with goals from Val Texeira and Dan Lader. It was the second shutout for goalkeeper Brian Rowland, who also maintained a clean sheet in Baltimore's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh two weeks ago.
"Crystal Palace has been a great addition to the league," stated Eagles Coach Mark Steffens. "They have already proven to be a great organization that is backed by a solid ownership group in England and the U.S., and they have matched that with solid teams on the field. They proved last year to be a great side with their success in the USL-2 and the Open Cup, and we expect a similar side this year to challenge for the championship."
Baltimore comes into 2009 for their 3rd season in USL-2 lead by former teammates Jim Cherneski (Sporting Director) and Pete Medd (Head Coach). The English backed side has proven it can be successful not only in USL-2, but also in U.S. Open Cup play as Baltimore defeated Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer in the Open Cup last year.
Charlotte comes into their second game Friday night after battling the Wilmington Hammerheads to a 2-2 draw in an unseasonably hot April afternoon.
Wilmington started the game pressuring Charlotte early, and forced the Eagles to turn the ball over several times which lead to a 1-0 lead going into halftime. The Eagles woke up in the second half responding with 2 goals, before Wilmington took advantage of another uncharacteristic turnover by Charlotte and tied the game 2-2.
Although the Eagles believed they had some chances to put the Hammerheads away in the game, the team did not come away with a negative outlook.
"The heat definitely played a factor in the game, but you can't take away from what Wilmington did," stated Assistant Coach Patrick Daka. "Wilmington is not the same team they were last year, and I think they dealt with the conditions a little better than we did early on. We had some very uncharcteristic turnovers that hurt us, and we had some chances to score that we should have done better with. I don't think anyone is concerned though. We'll fix those things going into Friday's game. It's going to be a long season in a vastly improved league, and getting any points will be extremely important."
So what can the Eagles take from their game last Saturday into this Friday's game? For starters, the Eagles potent offense still exists. Dustin Swinehart continued his goal scoring ways with 2 goals against Wilmington, as the Hammerheads focused much of their attention on Jacob Coggins.
Secondly, good things happen when Jorge Herrera touches the ball. Almost every time the Eagles got the ball to the Colombian on the flank, Charlotte was quickly involved in a scoring opportunity. Herrera assisted in Charlotte's first goal, and started the attack in the second goal.
Finally, the Eagles Brazilian flavor is already paying dividends. Brazilian Diego Martins showed moments of pure brilliance on the field Saturday, including his beautiful flick to Dustin Swinehart for the second goal. With Flamengo youth product Amaury Nunes fully recovered from the deep bruise that kept him out of last week's match, the Eagles now possess two skilled Brazilians that should add to their attack on Friday.
Friday's game will be played at Winthrop University Soccer Complex in Rock Hill, SC. Tickets for the Eagles game against Baltimore are on sale now at www.CharlotteEagles.com. Kickoff is slated for 7pm. Gates open at 6pm. All tickets at the gate are $10/adults and $7/students (ages 6-18). Kids 5 and Under are always FREE.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 29, 2009
- Harrisburg City Islanders Newsletter - Penn FC
- Charlotte Hosts Baltimore Friday at 7pm - Charlotte Eagles
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