This season has opened up in a stormy matter for the Irish men and women. The women kicked off the season by dominating Wisconsin. This all however was lost in a whirlwind of defeats in North Carolina. On Friday, the Irish dominated The Evil Baby Blue Empire in the terms of play. The Irish battled back from an early deficit and seemed en route to find another. Sadly, The Evil Empire got a golden goal to escape the Irish. Sunday was a different story. The Irish were removed from the game in a windstorm of goals by Duke. The women do have two weeks to prepare for redemption for this past weekend. They will be taking on likely #1 or #2 Stanford in Palo Alto. In between they will have Tulsa and Indiana at home for the ND Adidas Invitational.
The men, meanwhile, was a tempest on the Indiana defense. The men blasted the misconception that college soccer is "kick and chase" and "punt and pray." One of the historic teams in College Soccer was, to quote someone watching the game, turned into a team of scrubs. As the game progressed, Indiana abandoned their style for the kick and chase. Sadly, with all the beautiful play, the Irish could not find the back of the net. As the Vuvuzellas thundered their cacophony of monotonic sound throughout the stadium, the Irish made the Indiana half their home. Now certain articles report how Indiana matched the Irish in shots on goal. This stat deceives the reader of how one sided the match was. There were several Irish shots that went wide by inches, or hit the woodwork. The Irish have a chance to recover against historical power St. Louis and Dayton over the weekend. These matches will occur in Bloomington as a part of the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Better know a MLS Club
New feature coming soon where the Voice looks into MLS clubs and their stadiums, stay tuned
Thursday, April 7, 2011
No More Tea Time in Tottenham
However, this week's abhorrent display against Real Madrid suggests that Spurs may have reached their pinnacle, and a slow descent back to being the New York Mets of the EPL looks increasingly probable. Tottenham's league form hasn't been stellar recently (0-0s against West Ham and Wigan. Yikes!), and an alarming portion of the squad remains mired with injury. Additionally, many of these new superstars, like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, look likely to seek transfers if Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League next year. With Manchester City's deep squad and solid form, that grim reality draws ever nearer.
Some might wonder what Spurs can do. How could they sell Bale? Why don't they buy a star striker like Drogba? Well, in reality, while Spurs' revenues are high (6th highest in the EPL and 12th in the world LINK), the club is not swimming in pools of profit. The development of a deep squad has led the club to post a net loss over the year, and like any good owner, chairman Daniel Levy needs to ensure the financial security of the club. If selling a highly valued player like Bale brings the club
£40 million (or £80 million as old 'Arry thinks), then by all means the club should sell. It's simply common sense.
In any case, I don't really see Spurs' ship sinking to the depths of the sea. The club will be fine in spite of this Champions League disappointment. The future remains bright for Tottenham as long as wise decisions are made both on and off the pitch. This means keeping Mr. Redknapp at a far distance from the checkbook.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Voice is Back
After a very, very, very long hiatus, the Voice of the Supporters has returned with gusto. We will be bringing you news, opinions, and everything else that relates with Notre Dame Soccer. That being said, let's look ahead.
Spring Schedules
There seems to have been a delay in spring schedules for some unknown reason and everyday waiting on the und.com newsfeed to show "Irish Roll Out Spring Schedule" feels like forever. That being said, we at the voice have done our best Google search/investigative reporting to uncover bits and pieces of the spring schedule.
The women's schedule remains practically under lock and key. The only known game we have found is from a mention on Twitter or the fan chat and that is the Mexican National Team. For those who don't know, the Mexican National Team are the Champions of Concacaf, this means they beat the US National Team. We live in an age where we expect the US National Team to roll over the regional competition and battle it out with giants like China, Germany, Sweden, and Brazil. So expect a good match.
One can only assume that the CONCAChampions will play the Irish the Friday of the Blue and Gold game. This will be a high stakes game, even for an exhibition, considering the future USWNT players that suit up in the Irish kit.
The men's schedule is much easier to piece together. In the fan chat, Bobby Clark said who the opponents are, but never the when or where. As time went on, some of those teams released their spring games and allowed us to piece together a puzzle.
The first match is against Western Michigan on March 15. The next match is on St. Paddy's day with the Mexican U-17 side. This match is for the coaching clinic that will be occurring on campus.
The next match that appears is the Buck College Cup on March 26. This is a one day affair where 4 teams play two matches. The teams going are Oakland, Michigan, Akron, and the Irish. Now according to Oakland's and Michigan's respective schedules, we will be playing them and not the defending national champions. The Michigan game is at 5:30, leading us to assume that the ND-Oakland game is probably at 11 am. There is a potential for a road trip in this game.
The next set on April 10. This event is known is the Athletes in Action showcase in Xenia, Ohio. This event pits the Irish in 45 minute games against Akron and two other teams.
It is assumed that April 15 will have a match considering its the Friday before the Blue and Gold game.
Lastly, on April 20, Notre Dame will travel to Ft. Wayne to take on rivals Indiana.
Moving on, there is an all important meeting on Thursday regarding the club it is highly recommended that you attend if you're a member. Additionally, the FIFA Tournament is on schedule and the advertising campaign will be in full swing by the end of break. Also TIFO creation will be one of our several goals before the all important Mexico match, so keep your eyes peeled for the TIFO e-mail.
Peace,
The Voice
Spring Schedules
There seems to have been a delay in spring schedules for some unknown reason and everyday waiting on the und.com newsfeed to show "Irish Roll Out Spring Schedule" feels like forever. That being said, we at the voice have done our best Google search/investigative reporting to uncover bits and pieces of the spring schedule.
The women's schedule remains practically under lock and key. The only known game we have found is from a mention on Twitter or the fan chat and that is the Mexican National Team. For those who don't know, the Mexican National Team are the Champions of Concacaf, this means they beat the US National Team. We live in an age where we expect the US National Team to roll over the regional competition and battle it out with giants like China, Germany, Sweden, and Brazil. So expect a good match.
One can only assume that the CONCAChampions will play the Irish the Friday of the Blue and Gold game. This will be a high stakes game, even for an exhibition, considering the future USWNT players that suit up in the Irish kit.
The men's schedule is much easier to piece together. In the fan chat, Bobby Clark said who the opponents are, but never the when or where. As time went on, some of those teams released their spring games and allowed us to piece together a puzzle.
The first match is against Western Michigan on March 15. The next match is on St. Paddy's day with the Mexican U-17 side. This match is for the coaching clinic that will be occurring on campus.
The next match that appears is the Buck College Cup on March 26. This is a one day affair where 4 teams play two matches. The teams going are Oakland, Michigan, Akron, and the Irish. Now according to Oakland's and Michigan's respective schedules, we will be playing them and not the defending national champions. The Michigan game is at 5:30, leading us to assume that the ND-Oakland game is probably at 11 am. There is a potential for a road trip in this game.
The next set on April 10. This event is known is the Athletes in Action showcase in Xenia, Ohio. This event pits the Irish in 45 minute games against Akron and two other teams.
It is assumed that April 15 will have a match considering its the Friday before the Blue and Gold game.
Lastly, on April 20, Notre Dame will travel to Ft. Wayne to take on rivals Indiana.
Moving on, there is an all important meeting on Thursday regarding the club it is highly recommended that you attend if you're a member. Additionally, the FIFA Tournament is on schedule and the advertising campaign will be in full swing by the end of break. Also TIFO creation will be one of our several goals before the all important Mexico match, so keep your eyes peeled for the TIFO e-mail.
Peace,
The Voice
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
Can anyone name me the only American sports tournament that, in its entire history gone without stopping? That means no strike, no war stoppage, no nothing, just a champion proclaimed every year.
The World Series? nope
US Open? nope
Stanley Cup? American sports tournament
Super Bowl? Surely you can't be serious
I am of course talking about the US Open Cup. Tonight at 10pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel the 96th edition of the Cup will put the Columbus Crew against the holders, the Seattle Sounders. While this tournament doesn't have much glitz, it is the one true piece of history American soccer possesses.
The USOC was stared in 1914 at the National Championship to American club soccer. The tournament covered all the soccer hotbeds of the country, from New York to Chicago to St. Louis. It never really had any participants come from south of Baltimore or beyond Kansas City until the past 50 years. Its winners include some of the greatest clubs in the world at the time including Bethlehem Steel FC and the Fall River Marksmen. Now you may tell me that there was no way these were the best clubs in the world, I say learn more about these clubs. Both toured Europe multiple times in their existence and only lost a combined three times, but I digress. This trophy embodies more of the Cup spirit than most domestic trophies. If you look at the winners engraved on the massive base, you see team names and places that don't exist anymore. It reminds you that nothing you see today will be permanent, but there will always be a memory somewhere that shows you it happened.
The World Series? nope
US Open? nope
Stanley Cup? American sports tournament
Super Bowl? Surely you can't be serious
I am of course talking about the US Open Cup. Tonight at 10pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel the 96th edition of the Cup will put the Columbus Crew against the holders, the Seattle Sounders. While this tournament doesn't have much glitz, it is the one true piece of history American soccer possesses.
The USOC was stared in 1914 at the National Championship to American club soccer. The tournament covered all the soccer hotbeds of the country, from New York to Chicago to St. Louis. It never really had any participants come from south of Baltimore or beyond Kansas City until the past 50 years. Its winners include some of the greatest clubs in the world at the time including Bethlehem Steel FC and the Fall River Marksmen. Now you may tell me that there was no way these were the best clubs in the world, I say learn more about these clubs. Both toured Europe multiple times in their existence and only lost a combined three times, but I digress. This trophy embodies more of the Cup spirit than most domestic trophies. If you look at the winners engraved on the massive base, you see team names and places that don't exist anymore. It reminds you that nothing you see today will be permanent, but there will always be a memory somewhere that shows you it happened.
So if you aren't busy tonight, take the time to watch the US Open Cup; watch 30,000+ fans filter into Qwest Field and two teams take on each other. Watch a piece of history when you have a chance and enjoy it, you never know how many chances you get.
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