Miami FC plays the Carolina RailHawks for the USL-1 Championship on Saturday

Published on June 12, 2008 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release


Miami, June 12, 2008 - Miami FC (2-6-5) put an end to their goal scoring drought at home Tuesday night in grand fashion, by posting a 4-2 win against the Bradenton Academics of the PDL in opening rounds of the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Miami will now play the Atlanta Silverbacks on June 24, at 8 pm, in Tropical Park Stadium but before, the Blues will be looking to catapult from this victory back into USL-1 play when they take on the Carolina Railhawks (3-1-4) at Tropical Park Stadium on Saturday, June 14th at 7:30pm (ET).

"Obviously we are very pleased with this victory, and are looking forward to our next game against Atlanta," remarked head coach Zinho after Tuesday night's win. "However, we are still very much alive in our USL-1 play, and hope to use this momentum as a staging point to turn a corner in this season, as soon as this coming Saturday, when we play the Carolina RailHawks."

Saturday will also feature a doubleheader with Miami FC's U-18 team taking on the AFC Lightning at 4:45pm (ET). All Patrons who enter the stadium before 6pm will be granted free entry and be allowed to stay for the Miami FC game against Carolina, however be advised that there is a policy of no re-entry.

There will be a lot more activities going on this Saturday for the fans. The Brazilian Explosion Band will be playing before at half-time and after the game Miami FC vs. Carolina RailHawks. As a celebration of Father's Day (next Sunday), every dad accompanied by his son or daughter pays only 10 dollars for both tickets.

Paramount Pictures will be promoting their new feature film The Love Guru, with the presence of the Guru himself and the distribution of free tickets for a pre-screening of the movie.

Also, DeVry University will organize half-time activities where the public can win a lot of prizes and have the chance to win the Ultimate Miami FC Fan Experience: a trip for two to see the Miami FC vs. Seattle Sounders in Seattle, including pre-game activities with the team, a ride to the game on the team bus and front row seats.

However, Miami FC fans have a lot to be excited about for this Saturday's game regarding the match itself. For one, the team came from behind twice against Bradenton, possibly exhibiting the chemistry that many critiques complained they lacked in the first half of the season. Secondly, the brilliant play of new signing Leo Inácio is really starting to bring the Miami midfield together, creating many more scoring opportunities for hit man Alex Afonso and Sean Cameron. In addition, Saturday night's game against the RailHawks presents a great opportunity to climb in the standings, with a win propelling the Blue's up two spots to be tied with the Minnesota Thunder (4-4-2) for 6th place.

The RailHawks however, in only their second year of USL First-Division play, have already emerged as a credible team by not only reaching the postseason in 2007 but also reaching the Semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, including a stunning 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire of MLS. This year they are led by USL-1 assist leader Kupono Low and striker Daniel Antoniuk.

Both have proved that they are formidable threats to any defense, and will be looking to create problems for Miami.

Miami's defense however appears to be up for the challenge, as it has not given up a single goal against its USL counterparts since a 3-1 loss back on May 24th; against the same Minnesota Thunder it is trying to catch in the standings. This is a squad that has recorded a total of six shutouts in 2008, four of which came in their last four appearances. A big part of that equation has been the stellar play of goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for his contributions.

Both teams last met on May 4 in Tropical Park Stadium, with the RailHawks coming out on top 1-0, the dagger coming from a late strike by forward Daniel Antoniuk. It was a hard fought game that could have gone either way, but the Blues will be looking to come out on top this time.

Season tickets are currently on sale by visiting www.miamifc.com or by calling 305-728-2612. Single game tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-866-57-MIAMI. Watch all games live on USL Live!

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USL First Division Stories from June 12, 2008


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