Region III PDL sides get into full swing with packed weekend

The region III sides kicked off last week in the PDL but it's early days and many have yet to start their 2013 campaign.

All six Mid South divisional sides were involved last weekend with Austin being the only side to emerge victorious with the three points over a resilient Oklahoma in their USL opener. Laredo Heat, El Paso Patriots, Houston Dutch Lions and SockersFC all ended up tying their season openers, giving a real tight look to the league and making every point earned vital in a division that annually depicts how strong the participating teams are.

Last season's Eastern conference champions and 2012 PDL championship runners up Carolina Dynamo kicked off this season with a well rounded 3-0 victory over Virginia Beach Piranhas in the South Atlantic Divisions only match, setting the standard and raising the bar for all others in the division to aim for. Goals from Brandt Bronico, Hakan Ilhan and James Smith secured Carolina's opening victory of the season in front of 1432 supporters.

In the Southeast division, the only match taking place saw new boys SW Florida Adrenaline take home a resounding 5-1 victory over Fort Lauderdale Schulz Academy in front of an impressive 536. Goals from Xavier Silva. Scott McCoubrey, two from Damian Vincent and Lewis Hilton secured the victory for the Florida side in their inaugural PDL outing - Donovan Henry scored the consolation goal for Schulz Academy.

Upcoming fixtures this weekend:
VSI Tampa and Ocala Stampede both kick off their campaigns on Friday May 17th with a 7.30pm ko ET at Plant City Stadium in the Southeast division. Meanwhile across in Texas, 2012 Mid South divisional champions Laredo Heat welcome SockersFC to Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex with a 9.15pm ko.

Saturday evening sees the following matches taking place:
Carolina Dynamo visit Northern Virginia Royals, 7.30pm ko
SC United Bantams welcome Virginia Beach Piranhas, 7.30pm ko
Houston Dutch Lions visit Austin Aztex at House Park, 8.30pm ko
Oklahoma City host their first PSL match to El Paso at Stars Field, 8.30pm ko

Sunday sees the final match of the weekend with IMG Bradenton Academy visiting Orlando City u23s as both sides open their 2013 account looking for a victory to start the season on a high.

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Orlando City face double header but rewards could extend league lead to 10 points

Orlando City go into Friday nights match looking to extend their lead at the top after Charleston Battery lost out by a goal to nil in Tuesday nights game against Charlotte Eagles.

The Lions come off the back of three victories on the trot, bagging 12 goals in the process which culminated in Tuesday nights win over Seattle Sounders MLS reserve side. A win tonight over Harrisburg will allow them a point lead over second placed Battery who are without a match this weekend.

The Orlando side could further extend their lead at the top with their second game of the weekend on Saturday evening away at Rochester Rhinos, and a win could potentially see the Florida side take a massive 10-point lead after 10 games played.



v City Islanders, Friday May 17th, 7pm ko ET, watch live by clicking the image above.















v Rochester Rhinos, Saturday May 18th , 7.05pm ko ET, watch live by clicking the link above.

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Michael Hitchcock joins NPSL as Commish

Michael Hitchcock has joined the NPSL but what does it mean?

Certainly, the most important factor that the Playbook Management International executive’s appointment brings is credibility and Michael, with his newly appointed title role of Commissioner for the fourth division league has that in bucket loads.

Michael has years of experience within the game of soccer in the USA travelling through MLS clubs  D.C. United, Colorado Rapids, LA Galaxy and FC Dallas before being instrumental in the birth and growth of NASL side San Antonio Scorpions.

He is also well known and more importantly, well respected throughout the soccer fraternity, which can only bode well for the continued growth of the league and awareness of its structure and teams.

NPSL Chairman Andy Zorovich said, "We are very excited to announce that Michael Hitchcock will serve as the new NPSL Commissioner and feel that with the addition of Michael and his company, the NPSL is on the verge of great times ahead."

In keeping with a company that are one of the most admired and respected sports management companies in the country, Playbook Management have bases in Frisco, Gaithersburg, Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale and boast a worldwide clientele of sports clubs. The NPSL being added to this list is a major coup for the league setup and can help catapult them into a bigger and better respected organisation throughout the country.

There has always been a sorry stigma attached to the NPSL about being the poor side of the fourth division in the United States soccer pyramid, with the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League being the more fancied and richer partner in this tier of soccer. With this new management partnership, it appears that the NPSL have brought on board a commissioner that at first glance, has wiped away that stigma and invigorated the league in one fell swoop!

The news will be a sure fire boost for the 57 league clubs as a whole and with 18 Region III sides currently participating within the league setup, timing is crucial as they look for growth and expansion in a time of economic downturn.

It will be interesting to view the changes that Hitchcock has in store for the NPSL but one thing’s for sure; people have suddenly sat up and took notice of the league whereas they were previously nonchalant about the structure.

In that respect, he has already done his job!

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10-man Aztex romp past Rayados in 2013 US Open Cup

Austin Aztex took to the field at House Park in front of 635 supporters looking to kick start their 2013 US Open Cup campaign knowing that a victory would see a visit from USL PRO side Willmington Hammerheads next week in the second round.

However they would need to overcome North Texas USASA side NTX Rayados on Tuesday May 14th in order to make that date with the next round and after the 90 minutes of play, their influence and skill on the field took it's toll on their Texas opponents as they ran out 3-0 winners.

It only took the PDL three minutes to state their intentions on this match and if the Rayados had any difficulties in grasping how difficult a task lay ahead of them, Kris Tyrpak nearly shattering the crossbar after such a short time on the field would have cemented the enormity of the achievements required to overcome Paul Dalglishs' side.

Andres Cuero however was to open the Aztex account after collecting a rebound to knock it over the line despite the Rayados keepers best attempts to keep the ball out on 14 minutes.

An avalanche of goals was probably expected to follow but NTX Rayados were stalwart in their defending and becoming difficult to break down.

NTX Rayados suffered a stroke of luck on 24 minutes which could have swung the game in their favour with the ejection of Aztex defender Aaron Guillen for a foul on keeper Raul Herrera but after a rejigging of players on the pitch, the Aztex re-tooled themselves for the onslaught that would come but instead of capitulating to the attack, they struck back at the heart of their visitors and grabbed another goal.

This time it was a stroke of misfortune that would hurt the Rayados as a Tyrpak deflected shot squeezed home to give the Austin side a 2-0 lead with a little over 30 minutes played to this point.

Rayados, who had qualified via the USASA qualifiers in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, struggled to make any head way into the Aztex lead and produced very little in front of goal throughout the remainder of the game.

The Aztex for their part continued to play their normal game, frustrating their visitors at every turn and pushing forward in numbers when in possession.

This play allowed them to add another goal shortly from the end when Tony Rocha picked up his own rebounded shot to slot home at the second attempt, giving a final score of 3-0 in favour of his team.

Aztex Head Coach Paul Dalglish said, "It was a very mature performance, I have got to be happy with them. Great credit to the players for great character. That is two games now that we have faced adversity and come out triumphant. That’s real character building and a good sign towards the future because we’re only going to get better."

Austin Aztex now look forward to another couple of home games coming up, firstly league duty welcomes Houston Dutch Lions to House Park on Saturday May 18th before they embark on the second round of the US Open Cup with the visitation of USL PRO side Wilmington Hammerheads on Tuesday May 21st. The winners of that tie will progress to the final 32 sides in the competition alongside 16 MLS sides.

Final score from House Park, Austin Aztex 3 NTX Rayados 0



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Carolina Dynamo & Chattanooga FC fight out barnstorming US Open Cup tie

As if the first round of the US Open Cup doesn't carry enough weight to encourage the teams and players to give their all in order to progress, this match had added significance as the old rivalry of PDL v NPSL reared it's head once again.

Last season's PDL losing finalist Carolina Dynamo hosted 2012 NPSL Southeast Divisional winners Chattanooga FC so a 'Battle Royale' was bound to ensue; the supporters were not to be disappointed!

Carolina opened the scoring in Greensboro for the home side when Alex Martinez (brother of RSL Enzo Martinez, ironically is currently on loan at Carolina Railhawks who the winner would meet in round 2) fired home from a free kick outside the box on 22 minutes.

Despite many opportunities for goals at either goal area, another goal was not to be added prior to the half time break and the second half onslaught of scoring was still unknown to the paying supporters who had turned out.

The goals started to rain in just seven minutes into the second period, this time with visiting Chattanooga grabbing the equalizing goal through Luke Winter to tie the score at 1-1.

Winter was to turn provider for Chattanoogas next goal as he assisted Charney to make the scoreline 2-1 in the favour of the NPSL side on 66 minutes but the scoring was far from finished and CFC added yet another to place a 3-1 score on the board that had seemed unlikely at the half time break after a stramash in the box ended with the ball in the net .

The score seemed unassailable with less than 20 minutes remaining to play but Dynamo grabbed a lifeline with 14 minutes left to play when Hakan Ilhan dispatched a dubiously awarded penalty kick to give everyone a nervous and tempestuous last 14 minutes to play as Chattanooga tried to hang on to their lead whilst Carolina looked for the goal that would put them back in the game.

As time was running out, Chattanooga were sucker punched with an 88th minute goal from the home side, again from Ilhan which was enough to take the game to the extra time period of 30 minutes.

It really was a war of attrition in the extra time play with neither side giving any quarter - or asking for it. Players looked exhausted - but play continued. Players were falling like flies - but kept returning for more.

The first period of extra time produced no more goals but the score board still had more to do before the end of time.

With little more than five minutes to play, Chattanooga looked like they had scored the winner when Fynn Glover met a corner with his head to offer his side what looked like the deciding goal at 4-3 but Dynamo struck back once again and it could only have been one man that would equalize once again. Hakan Ilhan grabbed the late late equalizer in regulation time, he was to do so again in extra time, this time on 118 minutes to round off his hat trick and send this tie into penalty kicks to decide the winner.

CFC looked demoralized by this late goal and their spot kicks maybe resembled the sight of a team low on morale as they had penalties two and three saved by Peyton Ford while Carolina continued to score their attempts to run out 4-1 winners to progress as match winners.

"It was an absolutely thrilling game,” said founding Board Member, Krue Brock who flew out to see the game at the last minute.

"The guys played their hearts out and played great soccer. While this loss might sting, there's no reason to not be proud of the performance tonight.”

Carolina Dynamo now move onto next weeks second round match with the exciting tie against fellow state side and current NASL table toppers Carolina Railhawks with the winner proceeding to the third round and final 32 alongside the MLS sides.

Final score from MacPherson Stadium, Carolina Dynamo 4 Chattanooga FC 4 (Dynamo win 4-1 on penalties).


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Region3SoccerUSA: VSI Tampa Bay require penalties to overcome Orlando U23s in US Open Cup

VSI Tampa needed penalties to overcome Orlando u23 side in last nights US Open Cup first round match.

Full details here.
Region3SoccerUSA: VSI Tampa Bay require penalties to overcome Orlando U23s in US Open Cup

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VSI Tampa Bay require penalties to overcome Orlando U23s in US Open Cup

Tampa Bay made the trip to Orlando's Seminole Soccer Complex to try and overcome their USL PRO rivals PDL side and in front of an impressive 535 fans, found the match a difficult one to navigate despite taking a one goal lead into the half time break when Budnyy finished a Freitas cross early in the game.

Nick Russo for Orlando equalized in the last minute with a header after picking up the rebound from a magnificent Svatesson strike that had been parried by the Tampa keeper to send the game into extra time and although both sides had opportunities to score the winning goal, neither had the cutting edge to finish the game and the game went to penalties.

After trading goals in the penalty shootout, it was Orlandos fourth that was saved by Tampas Dave Martin between the sticks and when Mauricio Salles stepped up to stroke home his sides fifth, the match was won.

Orlando Head Coach Paul Shaw said, "We worked extremely hard and gave everything we had, we haven’t been together long so I can’t fault their effort and work rate but I think overall we did well in our first competitive match."

VSI Tampa Bay now progress and now find themselves with a interesting home tie against city rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies from the NASL next Tuesday May 21st with the eventual winner of that tie progressing to the final 32 alongside the MLS clubs.

Final score Orlando u23s 1 VSI Tampa Bay 1 (Tampa win 5-3 on penalties)

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Region III sides stamp authority on 2013 US Open Cup

Tuesday May 14th proved to be a Region III stamping ground for the clubs involved in the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, with six of out ten first round participants proceeding to the second round to be played next week.

With a massive 21 Region III sides competing in this years competition, our influence was always going to make an impact, unfortunately the four sides that departed after round one were in the unfortunate position of facing fellow Region III competitors so one way or another, we were going to lose at least four sides. In the two matches that only involved one Region III side, our clubs won through to face higher level clubs in next weeks round of matches.

Teams from across all spectrum of leagues were participating, USL PRO, PDL, NSPL and USASA all had sides that had been granted entry to the first round with the hope of making an impact and progressing as far as humanly possible.

First round results:

Carolina Dynamo (PDL) 4-4 Chattanooga FC (NPSL) Carolina win 4-1 on penalties
VSI Tampa Bay (USL PRO) 1-1 Orlando U23s (PDL) Tampa win 5-3 on penalties
Red Force (USASA) 2-4 Ocala Stampede (PDL)
Austin Aztex (PDL) 3-0 NTX Rayados (USASA)
Georgia Revolution (NPSL) 4-3 Real Colorado Foxes (PDL)
Laredo Heat (PDL) 2-0 PSA Elite (USASA)

Second round schedule:

Carolina Railhawks (NASL) v Carolina Dynamo (PDL)
VSI Tampa Bay (USL PRO) v Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)
Ocala Stampede (PDL) v Orlando Soccer Club (USL PRO)
San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) v FC Tucson (PDL)
Austin Aztex (PDL) v Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO)
Charleston Battery (USL PRO) v Portland Timbers u23s (PDL)
Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) v Seattle Sounders u23s (PDL)
Georgia Revolution (NPSL) v Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) v Laredo Heat (PDL)

At least six Region III sides will progress to the third round after this group of matches are played with the possibility of a total of nine going through to join our two MLS clubs in the final 32.

Second round matches being played May 21st 2013.

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Carolina Railhawks sting ten man San Antonio Scorpions five times

Carolina Railhawks fired themselves into top spot of the NASL rankings on Saturday 11th May with the victory over San Antonio Scorpions in a seven goal stunner at WakeMed Soccer Park. 

In front of a crowd of 6,708 goals from Brian Shriver, Zach Schilawski and Floyd Franks enthralled the home support who had turned out to cheer on their unbeaten side as they chased top spot.

It was unlucky 13 for the San Antonio side still looking for their first league victory as Franks opened the scoring with a wonder strike from 25 yards but the Scorpions equalized less than seven minutes later when Hans Denisson scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.

San Antonio's defensive failings this season has been part of their downfall in attempts to win their matches and once again they handed a goal to their hosts for the night, this time on 37 minutes when Pat Hannigans attempted clearance allowed Zach Schilawski to pick up the loose ball and stroke it home for a 2-1 lead that the Railhawks would take into the half time break.

The start of the second half was to prove fruitful for the Carolina side with a goal from Shriver just three minutes into the half and then Schilawski added his second goal of the night on 50 minutes to give their side a seemingly unassailable 4-1 lead with 40 minutes left to play.

The Scorpions weren't dead yet though and pulled a goal back through Nikola Vaslic when he fired home after picking up the rebound from goalkeeper Fitzgeralds initial save but the Scorpions were to push the self destruct button with a red card when captain Kevin Harmse was issued his marching orders after going in hard on Da Luz.

This didn't deter the visitors from attacking and could have pulled another back on 63 minutes but for a ready and alert Fitzgerald between the sticks who tipped a ferocious strike over the bar. This only delayed the inevitable though as the game looked all but over as time ran out.

The final call of the match was to go the way of the hosting side when Shriver added his sides fifth for the evening when he simply collected a cross ball to knock it home, finishing the game at 5-2 in favour of Carolina Railhawks.

RailHawks coach Colin Clarke said, "There were a lot of good goals and a lot of great passing and there’s a lot to be happy about. It’s a great result and any time you score five goals you’ve got to be pleased, but I don’t like the number two that’s also up on the scoreboard. We’ve got a good squad of players and we’ll continue to look to improve."

Scorpions coach Tim Hankinson said, "We came out and our touch was nervous and they were putting a lot of pressure on us and instead of just playing the ball out we gave the ball away. Until we stop beating ourselves it’s going to be difficult."

With other results going their way, the Railhawks now sit atop the standings all on their own on 11 points after five games played. San Antonio Scorpions - although starting to play better - are bottom of the pile with just the two points from five games played thus far.

Next up for both sides are games on May 18th with Carolina Railhawks travelling to play Atlanta Silverbacks at Atlanta Silverbacks Park 7.30pm ko, San Antonio Scorpions host Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Toyota Field with a 8.30pm ko.

Final score from WakeMed Soccer Park - Carolina Railhawks 5 San Antonio Scorpions 2

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Aztex leave it late to overcome Oklahoma in 2013 PDL season opener

The Austin Aztex started their new season with a trip into the unknown on Saturday May 12th when they travelled to face Oklahoma City in the USL PDL Mid South division, probably more in expectation of a win than a certainty but left it late to secure the points.

Oklahoma in their inaugural PDL year, were always going to be a difficult opposition to face and they proved to be so when they took the lead against their more illustrious visitors on 20 minutes when Adam Black scored direct from a free kick to give his side a deserved lead.

Oklahoma were more dominant in the early stages and after the goal, Austin made a tactical change to try and counter the excellent work being played by their hosts for the day.

Pushing Tucker Hume up front made an impact but Austin still couldn't break down the strong defence as the sides went into the break with the score remaining 1-0 in favour of the PDL new boys.

Despite altering play to a long ball style, they were still trailing after an hour of play and moved Kris Tyrpak up front to try and add some bite as well as height into the offensive line. Despite these changes their equalizing goal came from a dead ball when Tony Rocha watched as his free kick deflect goal ward and bulge the back of the net on 77 minutes.

It was a great relief to last season Conference finalists to grab this goal but they were far from finished and proved that the game is never over until the fat lady sings!

Yet more height was added to the Texas capital's side with Walker Hume and Oumar Djiba being added to try and force a winning goal as time ran down on the game.

It was Hume, who at 6ft 5", dominated anything in the air, that was to get his head on the ball with two minutes remaining to fire home his effort into the far post to win the game with moments left on the time clock.

It was the win that the Aztex would have perhaps expected before proceedings began and sets then up once again as one of the main contenders for the divisional title.

For Oklahoma FC, it was a result that maybe wouldn't have been unexpected but now the initial game is over with, they know how high the bar is set and the standard required to compete in this division. With this excellent starting performance, they have also sent out a message to their league rivals that they will be anything but a pushover in this initial PDL year.


Austin Aztex now head home for their US Open Cup First Round match v NTX Rayados on Tuesday 14th at House Park, kickoff is at 7.30 pm before hosting Houston Dutch Lions next weekend in the PDL.

Oklahoma FC will again stay at home for their second PDL match, this time welcoming El Paso Patriots to Stars Field on Saturday 18th with an 8.30pm ko.

Final score from Stars Field, Oklahoma FC 1 Austin Aztex 2


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