Eagles Home Semi Final Saturday Night

Published on August 15, 2008 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release


For 16 seasons, or the first 410 times the Charlotte Eagles took the field for a USL competition, there has always been someone better. They were not the team to beat, until now.

For a team as successful as the Eagles, avoiding that label for more than a decade-and-a-half was quite a feat, but when the 2008 USL Second Division Semifinal match between the Eagles and Crystal Palace Baltimore kicks off at 7:00 PM EDT on Saturday, August 16 at Restart Field in Charlotte, the Eagles and their league best 13-2-5 regular season record will be in everyone's crosshairs.

"We didn't do a whole lot differently this season," said Eagles Head Coach Mark Steffens, now in his 12th year. "We were able to get our continuity a bit earlier than in the past because we kept our core players from last season. Those veteran guys were more consistent, especially on defense. After three or four regular season matches we hit our form and have been playing well ever since."

"If I had to attribute it to something it would be three things: our personnel, a concentration on defense and being a little more possession orientated," added Steffens.

If anyone outside the locker room had to attribute it to something it would be Dustin Swinehart, who just exploded this season, scoring a career-high 16 goals in 19 games. Swinehart, at 33, also tied his third-best output in assists this season with seven ('99).

"It is hard to see something like that coming, especially when a guy just explodes like that," said Steffens. "You hear all the talk about the age factor, about how he has to have lost a step, but with Jacob Coggins going to Carolina [RailHawks], Dustin was our guy this year. He felt that extra pressure to put us on his shoulders and he stepped up and played like a leader. He is our spiritual leader on and off the field."

Swinehart looked to be on the decline the past two seasons, netting five goals and four assists in 2006, and six goals and three assists last season, but now, as the 2008 USL Second Division Scoring Champion, his career looks far from over.

"Before the season I heard this was going to be his last year," said Steffens. "But I have heard that before. It gets hard with four kids, but I think he will be back."

Aside from Swinehart, an obvious difference between the 2007 and 2008 Eagles would be their home pitch.

"We are really happy about the move we made to Restart Field," said Steffens. "We could do without the turf but it is quality turf. It has also allowed us to play a much stronger possession game. The grass we played on in the past was bumpy and it crowned a bit in the middle. Restart is wider where at Waddell we were forced into a tighter space."

The new field helped to implement Steffen's possession game and took a bit of the pressure off the Eagles back line. The results have been staggering as Charlotte's goals against average was cut in half this season.

"Brady Bryant, who was not even playing soccer last season, has been huge for us in the back," said Steffens. "He was playing arena league football last season.

"We were short in the back during camp, so we gave him a shot," said Steffens. "He just flourished. He rarely loses possession. He is fast. He is very good in the air and he is strong but not overly aggressive to the point that he is giving up free kick opportunities. He is a real unsung hero for us. Normally center backs do not get enough ink, he deserves it."

Across the field on Saturday, Crystal Palace's hero behind the scenes, Valdemar Teixeira will be in direct contrast to Bryant.

"Valdemar has been huge for us," said Crystal Palace Manager Pete Medd. "Lately he has just been terrorizing defenders. He does not score all the goals or even get credit for many assists, but he has been a leader for us all year long. He creates several scoring opportunities every game."

While Teixeira flies under the radar, the guy Steffens is worried about is Gary Brooks.

"They were missing Brooks both times we played them season, so we really have no idea what they are like on the attack," said Steffens. "One player like that can bring a whole team up, and, not having a guy like that can also really bring a team down. I am expecting a much different game than before. Even without him, the match in Baltimore could have gone either way. The score line really does not reflect the type of match that was."

Medd agrees.

"Once that final whistle blows and a match is over, it does not have any bearing on the next game," he said. "We are not thinking about the previous two games against the Eagles because when you get beat like that motivation is never a problem going back. Our guys are ready to prove we are better than we showed in the first two meetings."

"We have been inconsistent this season, but when we turn it on we can really do some damage," added Medd. "That was evident this year when we beat Red Bull New York [2-0] and when we tied the New England Revolution through regulation in the U.S. Open Cup."

Brooks added the insurance goal against the Red Bulls to send Crystal Palace to the Quarterfinals of the tournament.

"Having Brooks [on Saturday] is immeasurable," said Medd. "He is a guy who can go out and get you a goal at any time, even against the run of play. Having that threat limits what other team can do because they will drop a few more guys back to help defend. He will really change the look of this game. He is the reason we are not worrying about the results of our first two matches against Charlotte this season."

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