The Sports 'Burger

When a Draw Feels Like a Win: City Islanders Prove Their Mettle

Soccer Nobody — Mon, 20 May 2013 03:44:52 GMT

Photo courtesy USL Soccer

A funny thing often happens in sports: despite roster turnovers, teams frequently develop a mystique. Some seem to be cursed when playing a particular opponent, while others find a way to win no matter the circumstance. The City Islanders’ opponent on Friday night, the Orlando City Lions, has one of those mystiques. Orlando City had never lost to Harrisburg, and with the franchise becoming a possibility for MLS expansion many assume the Lions will again hoist the USL-PRO championship trophy in 2013. After all, Orlando City boasted a 6-1-1 record and the league’s top scorer in Dom Dwyer (10 goals in 8 games) entering the contest.

This year’s City Islanders squad certainly boasts the talent to rival Orlando City, but there is an air of invincibility that surrounds the franchise. From the opening whistle, Harrisburg was on its heels, and the Lions controlled possession and demonstrated why their acquired this reputation in the first place. But then, in the 17th minute, the City Islanders somehow jumped out to the early lead. Near midfield, Cristhian Hernandez headed the ball to Yann Ekra who quickly sprayed a through-pass to Don Anding on the left wing. Anding delivered a low cross to the far post where Sainey Touray was waiting, unmarked, for the goal. Many, including Touray, expected an off-sides call to negate the goal as had happened minutes earlier to Orlando City, but no such whistle blew and Touray celebrated by running up the stairs at midfield to hug his injured teammates.

The lead would not last long, however. Just five minutes later, Dwyer proved why Sporting Kansas City owns his rights, striking a killer restart from 25-yards out, a left-footed blast that evaded the diving Nick Noble. The game was even at halftime, but shortly after the intermission Dwyer struck again. In the 55th minute, a loss cross from Bryan Burke on the right wing entered the box. It seemed to strike Greg Jordan in the back of the leg as he and Noble scrambled to clear the ball, but an unlucky deflection landed right to Dwyer who easily buried his 12th goal of the season. Despite trailing, the City Islanders continued to compete, and a tying goal came courtesy of Yann Ekra’s grit and determination. In the 72nd minute, Ekra took the ball, got fouled but maintained possession. He juked past a defender and struck a left-footed blast from the top of the box into the far corner for the tying goal. This amazing effort epitomizes what Ekra brings to the club, he must be the strongest player on the ball in the USL-PRO, and his effort is never questioned.

Neither team was able to break the deadlock after 90 minutes, and many fans were relieved that the City Islanders were able to take a point from the league-leaders. The contest demonstrated how talented both squads are and featured good sportsmanship from both clubs. It’s hard not to respect both franchises, Orlando City for its ambition and success, Harrisburg for remaining competitive for a decade despite being such a small market. A nice crowd of nearly 1,900 attended the match on a beautiful night at the Skyline Sports Complex. A few injuries remain for the City Islanders, as Tom Mellor again missed action due to assorted ankle injuries. Lucky Mkosana (3 goals, 1 assist) remains coach Bill Becher’s favorite substitute, but with Morgan Langley (2 goals) having a tough game on the right wing, one can’t help but wonder if Lucky should see more playing time. Becher prefers to start Touray (5 goals, 3 assists) centrally and then slides him to the right when Lucky enters the match, and this strategy has certainly worked thus far, but Langley could be more consistent. He has scored two goals this season with his excellent pace and good positional awareness, however his touch often betrays him in key attacking situations. Greg Jordan and Coady Andrews held up well against Orlando’s talented attackers, but there could be better communication between the backline and midfielders when tracking defensively. In fairness to the City Islanders, the central midfield position has been cursed with injuries this year. Jason Pelletier missed the season’s first few games due to injury, Andrew Welker was lost to a season-ending cruciate tear in the opener, and Tom Brandt has missed action too. It’s tough to develop chemistry and consistency when the holding midfielder seems to be a different player every week, so hopefully Pelletier remains fit and Brandt returns soon to solidify things centrally.

Regardless, Harrisburg must like where they are as a team at this point in the season. With a record of 5-1-1 and 16 points, the City Islanders stand alone in third place, seven points away from Orlando (7-1-2, 23 points), who’s played three more games than Harrisburg, and just two points behind Charleston (6-2-0, 18 points), who also has one more game than the City Islanders. Separation is starting to occur in the league standings, with Orlando, Charleston, Harrisburg, and Richmond (4-0-3, 15 points) playing the most consistent soccer and vying for the top of the table. Ranking fourth in goals scored (17) and tied for second in goals allowed (7), the City Islanders appear to have the depth and talent to make a serious run at the championship. The team drew a tough path in the U.S. Open Cup, however, and now must travel to an outstanding Reading United team that will contend for the PDL championship. If they survive that tricky fixture, a road trip to the top team in the MLS Eastern Conference awaits, the New York Red Bulls.

Photo courtesy USL Soccer

Scouting Reading United
For those who aren’t familiar with the Premier Development League (PDL), the setup is quite simple: NCAA players on summer vacation comprise rosters of amateur squads. PDL teams allow NCAA players to retain fitness in advance of the fall college season, and the Philadelphia Union’s PDL affiliate is Reading United. United has earned a reputation for being the premier organization in PDL. Coached by the Union’s own Brendan Burke, United challenges for the PDL title annually and their alumni features prominently in MLS rosters. This season has been no different as Reading United crushed the Westchester Flames in their league opener, 8-0, defeated Lehigh Valley United Sonic, 2-0, in the U.S. Open Cup First Round, and then bested the New Jersey Rangers, 3-0, on Sunday. Sonic was the defending NPSL champion, a league structured like the PDL that features NCAA players, and perhaps the best team United has played so far in 2013. For Harrisburg, this is a tough draw because Reading United is arguably the best amateur team in the tournament.

Reading United is led by Georgetown University’s midfield captain, Steve Neumann. Neumann tallied 10 goals and 13 assists while leading the Hoyas to the College Cup Final in 2012, and he displayed his prodigious talent against Sonic on Tuesday. He scored a tremendous goal from a nearly impossible and dominated the midfield. Neumann distributes the ball nicely, strikes it with pace and precision, and tackles well. Neumann will likely be one of the top picks in the MLS Super Draft next year. Beyond Neumann, United features dynamic attacking players like Mario Pinto, a Division II All-American who has scored 34 goals and 10 assists in two seasons at Lincoln Memorial University and was recently named PDL player of the week. Larry Ndjock, a rising sophomore from Loyola University who scored 13 goals and 3 assists in 2012, and Darius Madison, a sophomore from Virginia, combined for the second Reading goal against Sonic and provide pace and muscle up top. Manolo Sanchez (2 goals, 6 assists from Clemson in 2012, 2 goals, 1 assists for Reading in 2013), impressed on the right side of midfield, while Ben Sweat of South Florida (1 goal, 2 assists for Reading) comes forward well from his left back position. As fans might recall from Harrisburg’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Reading in the Open Cup in 2011, United is no pushover and should provide a tough challenge. The game kicks off at 7:30 pm at Don Thomas Stadium in Exeter Township.

Courville or Veilleux Should be Next Bears Head Coach

Eric Lord — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:00:00 GMT

Photos courtesy Jeremy Drey / The Reading Eagle and The Sun Gallery

With the end of Mark French’s four year reign as head coach of the Hershey Bears confirmed, the search for his replacement is underway. PennLive listed Bears assistant coach Troy Mann, former Bears defenseman and assistant coach Paul Jerrard, former Bears assistant Mike Stothers, former Bears forward Eric Veilleux, former Bears forward Larry Courville and Norfolk assistant Mike Haviland as potential candidates. In truth, there should be only two candidates, Courville and Veilleux.

Courville played 49 games for the Bears during the 2001-02 season and has been the head coach of the ECHL’s Reading Royals the past four and a half seasons. This season, he led the Royals to the best record in the ECHL, going 46-19-3-4, and has the Royals in the Kelly Cup finals. Courville has dealt with a lot of roster upheaval in Reading this season. He has used seven different goalies, including bringing former Bears goalie Frederic Cassivi out of retirement for an appearance. He lost several defensemen to the American Hockey League and had players go up and down to Hershey consistently.

Through it all, the Royals kept winning. Courville has not let the Royals use the roster change as an excuse. Instead, he used it to motivate players to take advantage of their chance to play and they responded. They had their coach’s back and he had theirs. If Courville felt his players were being wronged by the referees, he let the refs know about it. That is something Mark French has not done enough of the past two seasons. He stood and nodded agreement to refs when his players were getting wronged. Courville will not let that happen. If the Bears hire Courville, it would be a promotion as the Royals were affiliated with Bears and Washington Capitals this season and will be again next season.

Like Courville, Veilleux is a former Bears player. He played for the Bears for two seasons and as a key member of Hershey’s 1997 Calder Cup Championship team. Veilleux took over the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) during the 2005-06 season. In the 2008-09 season, he led the Cataractes to the QMJHL finals. Last season, Veilleux was behind the bench when Shawinigan beat London to win the MasterCard Memorial Cup.

After winning the Memorial Cup, Veilleux left Shawinigan and became the head coach of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He led the Drakkar to the QMJHL finals, where they lost to the top-seeded Halifax Mooseheads. Veilleux is a passionate coach and that would serve him well as Bears head coach. An incident in this season’s QMJHL’s semifinals shows how passionate Veilleux is. The Drakkar were playing at the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in game four. After dropping a 4-3 decision to the Armada, a bench-clearing brawl broke out. As time expired, a player from the Armada taunted a player from the Drakkar and chaos followed. Veilleux did not stand by during the brawl. He was seen in a heated argument with the head coach of the Armada, sticking up for his players. Veilleux was suspended for the next two games, along with seven of his players. He showed his team that he had their backs and they responded by winning the next two games of the series to the advance to the finals.

The Bears seemed to lack fire at times the past two seasons under French. It is often said that a team mirrors their coach’s personality. Courville and Veilleux display fiery personalities and their teams play the same way. French’s personality is more laid back and the Bears have played the same way too often the past two seasons.

After losing in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs for the past three seasons, Hershey Bears fans would welcome fire and passion to match their own passion. Courville or Veilleux would provide that. This is why the Bears need to hire either Larry Courville or Eric Veilleux as their next head coach.

Union and Affiliates Kick Off Busy Week in Style

Soccer Nobody — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Sainey Touray leads Harrisburg with 4 goals and 3 assists
Photo courtesy Harrisburg City Islanders

Three games, three wins, thirteen goals scored, three clean sheets. Not a bad weekend for the Philadelphia Union and its affiliate clubs. The successful weekend kicks off a packed week of soccer in Pennsylvania that features interstate rivals in the U.S. Open Cup, the top two teams in the USL-PRO, and MLS powers in Chester. Before looking ahead to those matches, a look back at the dominant performances from this past weekend.

Harrisburg City Islanders 4 – Antigua Barracuda 0
After smiling upon Harrisburg for the first two home matches of 2013, the weather gods again punished City Islanders fans. Thunderstorms delayed the match nearly an hour, but when the game finally kicked off, it was Antigua that was struck by lightning. Sainey Touray scored two goals and notched one assist as the hometown City Islanders rolled 4-0. Morgan Langley and Touray each scored within the first three minutes of a match that was never in doubt. The City Islanders outshot Barracuda 16-7 and had fourteen corner kicks compared to one for Antigua. New Philadelphia Union loan player Leo Fernandes scored the final goal, while Nick Noble earned his second straight shutout. With the win, Harrisburg improved to 5-1 on the season, good enough for second place in the standings, while Antigua dropped to 0-7, dead last in the USL-PRO.

Philadelphia Union 1 – Chicago Fire 0
Whereas the City Islanders dominated their opponent, the parent Philadelphia Union found themselves winners despite losing the battle of possession and chances. One-time City Islander Jack McInerney scored his MLS-leading seventh goal of the season, and a makeshift Union defense held firm despite being outshot by the hometown Fire 15-9. Chicago carried fifty-two percent of the possession but could not beat Zac MacMath. In the 75th minute, Sebastian LeToux played a quick restart to the streaking McInerney who beat keeper Sean Johnson on the breakaway. It wasn’t pretty, but the Union improved 4-3-3 and maintained its position among the playoff contenders.

Reading United 8 – Westchester Flames 0
Yes, that scoreline is correct. Reading United has built a reputation for being perennial contenders in the PDL while producing MLS talent. In their season opener, United proved 2013 will be no different with an utterly dominant performance. Mario Pinto Neto scored a hat-trick, Manolo Sanchez tallied two goals and an assist, and Ben Sweat recorded one goal and two assists in the rout. Reading outshot Westchester 19-4, and the only doubt in the game was whether the fog would stop United before the Flames’ defense. Keep an eye on Mario Pinto, a 5’11" Division II All-American from Lincoln Memorial University. The Brazilian-born attacker has scored 34 goals and 10 assists in two seasons for the Railsplitters, and if his Reading debut is any indication, goals will follow him wherever he plays.

Fog envelops Don Thomas Stadium in Reading
Photo courtesy Reading United

The Week Ahead

• Tuesday, May 14: U.S. Open Cup First Round: Lehigh Valley United Sonic at Reading United – This match pits two of the top teams in their respective leagues and is the first time they’ve played despite their geographic proximity. Lehigh Valley United Sonic won the NPSL last season, and their roster for 2013 is loaded with Division I players in a league often populated by DII and DIII stars. Reading United is deep and talented as well, so the clash should be electric. As added incentive, the winner will host the Harrisburg City Islanders in the U.S. Open Cup Second Round on May 21.

• Wednesday, May 15: L.A. Galaxy at Philadelphia Union – Does the Galaxy really need an introduction? Two-time defending MLS champion, Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Omar Gonzalez, enough said. While the Galaxy has struggled early in 2013, and Keane might not make the trip, this team remains a challenger with some of the top resources, talent, and coaching MLS has ever seen. The Union has been a pleasant surprise, with McInerney blossoming into a first-rate striker and the team grinding out some good results. Can Philadelphia string together a winning streak? Will the Galaxy break out and win consistently?

• Friday, May 17: Orlando City at Harrisburg City Islanders – This is the match the Harrisburg organization circled as soon as the regular season schedule was released. Orlando City has established itself as the dominant power of the USL-PRO ranks. With a large, passionate fanbase, a renowned English coach, and several of the top scorers in the league, Orlando has flirted with MLS expansion. They lead the table (6-1-1, 19 points), and boast the league’s top goal-scorer, Dominic Dwyer (10 goals in 7 games), and assist-man, Jamie Watson (4 goals, 5 assists). Did I mention they defeated the City Islanders in the 2011 USL-PRO championship final? Motivation won’t be an issue for an excellent Harrisburg (5-1, 15 points) squad that features Sainey Touray (4 goals, 3 assists), Lucky Mkosana (3 goals, 1 assist), and Cristhian Hernandez (2 goals, 2 assists), all of whom rank among the top scorers in the league.

• Saturday, May 18: Chicago Fire at Philadelphia Union – Philadelphia closes a busy three-match week by hosting the return leg of their showdown with Chicago. The Fire will want to avenge last weekend’s loss, a match they controlled but failed to win. Familiarity breeds contempt, and these two foes are certainly familiar adversaries. Can the Union handle such a busy fixture list to extinguish the Fire once again and remain in the playoff hunt?

• Sunday, May 19: New Jersey Rangers at Reading United – While Reading cruised in their season-opener, New Jersey struggled to a 0-0 draw in their PDL debut against the New York Magic. Can Reading maintain its high standard with three games in one week after training together for only one week? United failed to win the Mid-Atlantic Division in 2012, and winning at home will go a long way toward capturing another division title.

• Sunday, May 19: Buxmont Torch at Hershey FC – The home debut for Hershey’s new NPSL team, Hershey FC. In their first-ever match last weekend, Hershey knocked off the Reading Revolution, 3-1. Kenny Fultz, Tyler Whitmer, and Dave Miller scored goals while Mike Butala earned the win in goal. Will the Hershey-Harrisburg market embrace a second minor league team, especially one several tiers below the City Islanders? Will the new team challenge in the competitive Keystone Division of the NPSL?

Coaching Decisions Cost Bears

Eric Lord — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:51:19 GMT

Photo courtesy Glenn Osmundson / The Providence Journal

Players decide the game on the ice. While that is true, coaches can make it easier or harder for a team to succeed. Unfortunately for the Hershey Bears, the coaching staff made it harder and in the end, the Bears did not come out on top in their first round Calder Cup series against the Providence Bruins. Decisions made by the Bears coaching staff came back to hurt the Bears.

Playoff series are often about adjustments. Providence head coach Bruce Cassidy made the adjustment of inserting former Bear Graham Mink into the lineup after a game one loss. The move paid immediate dividends as Mink scored twice in game two and only Philipp Grubauer’s brilliant goaltending allowed the Bears to escape with a 5-4 overtime win. This is where Bears head coach Mark French made his biggest mistake.

After coming back from Providence up two games to none, French chose to stay with the same defense he played in the first two games. This seems like a natural move considering the team won the previous two games. However, French ignored the facts from the second game. The Bears surrendered 58 shots on goal in game two and had trouble transitioning from defense to offense. Grubauer’s goaltending won that game, not the defense. The simple solution to this issue was to insert veteran defenseman Patrick McNeill into the lineup. Moving the puck out of the defensive zone and transitioning to offense is one of the strengths of McNeill’s game.

French went with the same defense and again, the Bears struggled transitioning from defense to offense. There were far too many turnovers in their own zone. Overall, Hershey played their worst game of the series in game three. This is a logical time to shake up the lineup. This was the time to tell the team the effort in game three was unacceptable and that they had to be better. Instead, French chose to go with the same lineup in game four. Thus, the horrible effort went unpunished. While the effort was better in game four, the same problems existed among the defense. The Bears lost game four as well, surrendering two late goals to grasp defeat from the clutches of victory.

Now, there was a winner-take-all, game five in Providence. After two straight losses and more struggles on defense, it was time to put McNeill in the lineup, right? Wrong. French had planned to go with the same defense until Dmitry Orlov, who struggled during the series, came down with an illness. McNeill time? Again, no. Instead, Chay Genoway was inserted into the lineup. While the insertion of Genoway was not a bad move (he is a good puck-mover), the decision to not play your most-experienced defenseman in McNeill is a baffling one. In truth, McNeill and Genoway should’ve both been in the lineup during the series. Orlov and rookie Nate Schmidt had a lot of difficulties in their own zone. Orlov wasn’t the same player since coming back from his concussion and Schmidt, while talented offensively with a bright future, is still adjusting to the pro game and had some issues in his own end.

Although he didn't make the right changes on defense, Coach French made two changes at forward for game five and they were both curious moves. First, he elected to play Matt Pope over Ryan Stoa. Pope had two goals during the season and one during the playoffs. Stoa had a goal in the series and has a better chance of scoring than Pope does. The other move, quite simply, was baffling. French chose to scratch Jon DiSalvatore and play Dane Byers. The decision to play Byers was not a bad decision. The decision to scratch DiSavatore was. DiSalvatore had two goals in the series, including the overtime game winner in game two. If Byers was going to be inserted in the lineup, Boyd Kane should have been the veteran scratch instead of DiSalvatore. Kane had no points and was a -8 for the series, including a -2 in the game five 3-2 loss. Kane was ineffective all series long and better option to scratch than DiSalvatore.

Players decide the game on the ice, but a coach has to put the right lineup on the ice for the team to win. Mark French did not do that and as a result the Hershey Bears season is over.

Bears Need to Play Game 4 Like it is a Game 7

Eric Lord — Sun, 05 May 2013 13:13:54 GMT

Photo courtesy Carl Minieri / Lancaster Online

After two big wins on the road, the Hershey Bears returned home Saturday night with a chance to sweep the top-seeded Providence Bruins. As expected, the Bruins came out and played with desperation. After all, their season was on the line. The Bears failed to match that desperation and a result allowed a dangerous team to stay alive.

Hershey gets another chance to eliminate the Bruins Sunday evening, but things need to change for the Bears to be successful. First, the Bears have to win the special teams battle. They won the battle in the first two games, going five for ten on the power play and holding the Bruins to just one power play goal in seven tries. In game three, Providence was two for four on the power play and a perfect six for six on the penalty kill, which included a full two-minute, two-man advantage for Hershey in the second period. The Bruins won the special teams battle and won the game.

Second and most importantly, the Bears need to change their effort. They need to match Providence’s desperation. The Bruins know their season is over if they lose. On Saturday night, the Providence won every battle and played a physical game. The Bruins had all four lines going. They got to every loose puck. They always had someone in front of Bears’ goalie Phillipp Grubauer. The Bruins had the jump they needed to keep their season alive.

In contrast, the Bears were caught standing around far too often and had little jump. The only line Hershey had going was the Michael Latta-Garrett Mitchell-Nicolas Deschamps line. Besides the Latta line, the only players that played with a physical presence were defenseman Patrick Wellar and rookie Tom Wilson, who was playing in his first professional game. The Bears seldom had anyone in front of Providence goalie Niklas Svedberg.

The Bruins will most likely come out and play desperate again on Saturday. The Bears need to play the same way. They have to match Providence’s desperation. They need to play like it is a game seven. Hershey needs to play like their season is over if they lose. If they do that, the Bears will advance to play Springfield in the second round. If they don’t, the Bears will find themselves returning to Providence for an unwanted game five.

Battered: City Islanders Drop First Game of 2013

Soccer Nobody — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:21:58 GMT

(Photo courtesy USLSoccer.com)

"You can’t always get what you want," famously declared the Rolling Stones, a song that certainly applies to the City Islanders’ disappointing loss to the Charleston Battery last night. At 3-0, the City Islanders were off to their best start in franchise history and another beautiful night greeted a small but lively crowd at the Skyline Sports Complex. Harrisburg had played some great soccer, and despite some injuries, confidence was high for a talented and deep squad. Enter the defending USL-PRO champion Charleston Battery, a tough, seasoned group that was content to defend and counter-attack in numbers. When the final whistle sounded, Harrisburg tasted defeat for the first time in 2013, dropping a hard-fought 2-1 decision.

The Battery seized control of the match in the game’s first ten minutes when Michael Azira uncorked a phenomenal volley to beat Nick Noble at the far post. It was a stunning strike that put the City Islanders on notice that Charleston would be no pushover. Harrisburg fell even further behind when a handball was whistled against Coady Andrews, a tough break since the ball bounced up and hit his hand unintentionally. Former City Islander Nicki Patterson buried the ensuing penalty, although some uncertainty surrounded the play because Patterson’s shot had actually slipped through a hole in the net. It was the third time Harrisburg had conceded a goal to a former teammate—in addition to Patterson, Jose Angulo (Pittsburgh) and Bilal Duckett (Rochester) have scored against the City Islanders in 2013—and for the first time all season, the City Islanders found themselves behind by more than one goal.

The deficit would be halved just moments later when Cristhian Hernandez buried a beautiful left-footed shot from eighteen yards out to make it 2-1 at the half. Despite carrying the bulk of possession, Harrisburg struggled to generate quality chances, and when they did, a combination of poor finishing and solid keeping by Odisnel Cooper prevented them from equalizing. Charleston frequently threatened on counter-attacks and proved a far more physical, technically savvy squad than those the City Islanders have faced in 2013. Harrisburg missed several key players, with Yann Ekra, Tom Brandt, Jason Pelletier, and Damani Richards injured. In addition, coach Bill Becher gave some players a break after playing on Saturday, so Sainey Touray, Don Anding, and Jimmy McLaughlin all appeared as substitutes, giving Jamiel Hardware, Morgan Langley, and Andrew Ribeiro starts. With so many different players, the City Islanders lacked the cohesion they demonstrated in the first three games this season, and sloppiness plagued the team throughout. Hardware strikes the ball well and occasionally sprayed good passes around the pitch, but Ribeiro struggled with his distribution and needs to complete a higher percentage of his passes. He tackled and positioned himself well defensively, but there were too many unforced errors. Langley had a forgettable night, he took a stupid yellow card for unnecessarily running into the keeper and otherwise failed to influence the game. Hernandez and Tom Mellor both played well offensively, while Noble made several sensational saves to keep the score close.

Despite the loss some positives emerged from the result. For one, the City Islanders refused to quit and demonstrated some of the grit that Becher’s squads have been known for. The team rallied behind each other, protesting the referee’s decisions as a unit and exhibiting a remarkable solidarity for a team with several loan players and numerous youngsters. Some of these newbies received an eye-opening introduction to the physicality of the USL-PRO, and this experience might help the team retain its focus going forward. And despite falling, the City Islanders never seemed rattled and continued to play their game, a smooth possession-oriented offense that stretches defenses with pace, overlapping runs, and interchangeable attackers. Perhaps last night’s match will prove a good learning experience, because as the Stones reminded us, "If you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need."

Throw-Ins

• The first two rounds of the U.S. Open Cup have been scheduled. The City Islanders have a bye into the second round, which will be stage on May 21. Locally, Reading United will host Lehigh Valley United Sonic in a first round match on May 14 at Don Thomas Stadium in Reading. United is making their fifth straight appearance in the Open Cup, a record for amateur teams in the modern era. Lehigh Valley United won the NPSL last season as F.C. Sonic and the match will be the first time the two intrastate sides have met. Reading is 1-6 all-time in the Open Cup, while LVU Sonic lost in their sole appearance last season.

A year later, the Bears in a far Better Position Coming Home

Eric Lord — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy Providence Journal

Like last year, the Hershey Bears found themselves on the road to start the Calder Cup Playoffs. That is where the similarities end. Last season, the Bears found themselves heading home down two games to none. This season, they head home up two games to none. What a difference a year makes.

In last season’s first round series, the fifth seeded Bears barely showed up in the first two games at fourth seeded Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They mustered just a combined eight shots in the first period in the first two games of the series. The power play was non-existent and the penalty kill was ineffective. Goalie Dany Sabourin tried to keep the Bears in game one, but got little help. For example, Sabourin made 11 saves in the first period, surrendering only a power play goal. The Bears mustered three shots. Game two wasn’t any better as the Bears gave up three goals and took only five shots. As a result of their lackluster efforts, the Bears limped home down two games. The Bears rallied to win games three and four at home, but lost game five in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Fast forward to this season and the picture is completely different. The Bears eked into the playoffs on the last day of the season as the eight seed in the Eastern Conference and were paired off with American Hockey League’s top team, the Providence Bruins. On paper, this series seemed like a mismatch. The Bruins are a fast and a deep team that was also good defensively. Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg was the top goalie in the AHL this season. The Bears struggled to score for much of the season and barely made the playoffs. Luckily for the Bears, the games are not played on paper.

Unlike last season, the Bears came out flying in game one. They had 14 first period shots (more than the first two games combined last season) and led 1-0 after the first 20 minutes. The Bears did not let up and scored the next three goals and led 4-0, chasing Svedberg from the game. Providence fought back and scored twice, but the Bears won 5-2. The Bears power play scored three times and the penalty kill was a perfect four for four and added an empty net shorthanded goal.

Game two was different from game one, as the Bruins dominated much of the game. The Bears were outshot 25 to 8 in the first period, but made their shots count and found themselves up 2-1 at the end of the first period due to play of rookie goalie Philipp Grubauer. However, all of the offensive pressure paid off for the Bruins and former Bear Graham Mink put Providence up 4-3 with 6:42 remaining in the game.

That would not be the final though, as the Bears again took advantage of their chances and Joey Crabb scored the equalizer with Grubauer pulled and 1:29 left in the contest. Grubauer had to make a few more key stops to send it to overtime. In overtime, the Bears caught a break when the Bruins took a penalty early in overtime. The Bears did not generate much for most of the power play, but struck as the man-advantage was winding down. Jon Disalvatore took a pass from Peter Leblanc and fired the Bears to a 2-0 series lead. It was the Bears second power play goal of the series and fifth of the series. Last season, the Bears scored only four power play goals the entire series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Grubauer had 54 saves in game two and kept the Bears in the contest when Providence dominated. His team capitalized on its chances and rewarded him for his stellar play. That is a big difference from last season when Sabourin’s game one effort was wasted. As a result, the Bears are coming back to Hershey in a much better position.

Last season, the Bears came home trying to survive. Now, the Bears come home with a chance to send the AHL’s best team to the golf course.

Home Cooking: City Islanders Thrash Rhinos in Home Debut

Soccer Nobody — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Jimmy McLaughlin beats Kristian Nicht
(Photo courtesy Paul Chaplin / PennLive)

For once, the weather gods smiled on the Harrisburg City Islanders in their home opener. In 2011, flooding and high winds forced the home opener to be postponed twice, while in 2012, thunderstorms delayed the first home match for 90 minus. But this season, a picture perfect night—clear with temperatures in the low 70s—greeted over 1,800 fans as they poured into the Skyline Sports Complex. In addition to the beautiful weather, the home crowd was treated to an offensive explosion as the City Islanders thrashed the Rochester Rhinos 5-1 to earn the franchise’s 100th victory. The game demonstrated the incredible talent and potential of the young City Islanders while another terrible performance marked how far Rochester has fallen.

The Rhinos opened the match well, pressuring the City Islanders and forcing much of the possession into the Harrisburg defensive half. The City Islanders struck first, however, with Yann Ekra using his great strength to repel defenders and send Jimmy McLaughlin through to the goal with a fantastic pass. McLaughlin deked around Rochester’s veteran goalkeeper Kristian Nicht before depositing the ball in the back of the net. Harrisburg nearly tallied a second but Sainey Touray smashed a shot off the post. Things then turned sour when the Rhinos’ Blake Brettschneider was issued a red card just before halftime for a bad tackle on Touray.

Despite being a man down, the Rhinos tied the match early in the second half when former City Islander Bilal Duckett headed home a restart, the second time this season a former Harrisburg player had tallied against the City Islanders. Undeterred by this turn in events, Ekra again muscled through the Rochester defense, gathering a Coady Andrews deflection to give Harrisburg a 2-1 lead four minutes later. With his team leading and up a man, coach Bill Becher inserted speedster Lucky Mkosana who exploited a fatigued backline. Left back Don Anding played a terrific through pass to Lucky who banged home a shot off the far post. Five minutes later, another wing back, this time Colin Zizzi, send Touray through who likewise beat Nicht on the breakaway. The rout was sealed in the 90th minute when Touray and Lucky broke through together, with Lucky finishing Touray’s generous helper. When the final whistle blew, the City Islanders had erupted for four goals in twenty-four minutes, an impressive run of play where their superior speed and clever counter-attacking buried the Rhinos’ defense.

Photo courtesy Paul Chaplin / PennLive

The City Islanders improved to 3-0 on the new season, the best start in franchise history. Not only have the results been encouraging, the quality of play from a very young squad indicates how far this team might go. Harrisburg boasts an abundance of talent—from speedy forwards like Morgan Langley, Touray and Mkosana, to talented passers like Jamiel Hardware, Cristhian Hernandez and Tom Mellor, and clever attackers like McLaughlin and Ekra—this might be the deepest attacking group ever assembled on City Island. Not only does Becher have speed up top, but wingbacks Anding and Zizzi get into the attack frequently, even Andrews and Greg Jordan have good mobility. The talent on this squad is deep. Despite injuries to Andrew Welker, Garret Pettis, Stephen Basso, and Jason Pelletier, Becher seems to have more options than his opposition. A clear sign of how many weapons Harrisburg has is that Mkosana doesn’t even start despite scoring 3 goals in 3 games. The backline has been a little suspect at times in conceding a goal a game, but they’ve done enough to earn three straight wins. Becher might have some tough decisions when Basso and Pelletier become healthy because this team is playing very well and you don’t want to damage the excellent chemistry the young City Islanders have developed.

While the sky seems to be the limit for Harrisburg, things are falling apart rapidly for the Rochester Rhinos. A proud franchise that once had MLS aspirations and is the only non-MLS team to win the U.S. Open Cup since 1996, the Rhinos fell to 0-4-1 on the season. What’s worse is that Rochester has been outscored 15-3 in the process. They’ve had a player ejected in consecutive games, and yielded 3 or more goals 4 times in 2013. To be fair to the Rhinos, all five matches occurred on the road and going a man down twice exacerbated the scoreline. In addition, they lost to some of the USL’s best in Orlando, Richmond, and Harrisburg, but this start is not what the city of Rochester expects. Affiliated with the New England Revolution of MLS, the team has too much talent to be this bad. And to make matters worse in Rochester, the Flash of the National Women’s Soccer League, is 0-2-1.

Throw-Ins

• The City Islanders return to the Skyline Sports Complex on Wednesday to host the defending USL-PRO champion Charleston Battery. The Battery are 2-1 this season and led by a dynamic group of international that include Ugandan Micheal Azira (2 goals in 2013), Jamaican Dane Kelly (1 goal), and three Cuban defectors: Maikel Chang, Odisnel Cooper (2-1, 1.33 gaa), and Heviel Cordoves (1 goal). For a great story about their defection to America, check out this piece by Andrew Miller of the Post and Courier.

• Reading United has begun assembling another impressive roster filled with NCAA talent. Georgetown University midfielder Steve Neumann (10 goals, 13 assists for the Hoyas in 2012) has been named captain and is joined by Jamaican youth international defender Damion Lowe (3 goals, 1 assist for the University of Hartford), All-Colonial Athletic Conference midfielder Dante Marini (1 goal, 5 assists for Northeastern University in 2012), University of Virginia forward Darius Madison (2 goals), Penn State’s Shane Campbell, and two more Hoyas: Keegan Rosenberry (3 assists) and Melvin Snoh (1 goal, 2 assists). In case you’re wondering about the abundance of Georgetown players, they advanced to the College Cup final last season and have attracted a lot of MLS interest. Reading United kicks off their 2013 season on May 11.

Game 23: Senators 1, Baysox 0

The Sports 'Burger — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:00:00 GMT

Senators 1, Baysox 0

A tale of two half-innings decided the outcome of Sunday afternoon’s contest between the Senators and the Baysox. Few at Prince George’s Stadium would have known that a seemingly innocuous second inning would pretty much be the only scoring opportunities either team would get.

Justin Bloxom led off with a double over Kyle Hudson’s head that the leftfielder couldn’t come down with on the warning track. Destin Hood followed with a slow tapper to third baseman Ty Kelly that allowed Bloxom to move up to third base. From there, Sandy Leon had a nice piece of two-strike hitting when he was able to elevate a flyball to centerfield deep enough to score Bloxom without even a throw home.

For the Baysox, Henry Urrutia led off their half of the inning with a double down the leftfield line. Buck Britton advanced the runner with a groundball to Jose Lozada’s right that he took himself for the out at first base. Aaron Baker strode to the plate with a chance to even the score in the exact same situation as Leon. But this time, Senators pitcher Blake Treinen worked the lefty outside and got him to ground out to Sean Nicol at third base.

It was an opportunity to score a run while making an out. The Senators succeeded where the Baysox didn’t and that made all the difference in the 1-0 victory.

Player of the Game: Blake Treinen

Game 22: Senators 4, Baysox 3 (13)

The Sports 'Burger — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy Murph’s Roadtrips

Senators 4, Baysox 3 (13)

Josh Johnson drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 13th and Aaron Barrett worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to secure a 4-3 victory over the Bowie Baysox and break the Senators’ six-game losing streak.

Harrisburg starter Nathan Karns was once again sharp as he tossed 5.2 innings allowing only two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out five. The bullpen was fantastic as Matt Swynenberg, Ian Krol, Michael Broadway, and Barrett combined to throw 7.1 innings and allow only one run to score.

Johnson was the offensive star of the night as he went 2 for 4 with a home run, double, and three runs batted in from the nine hole. Destin Hood also broke out of his recent slump with a 3 for 5 performance that saw him raise his batting average 25 points.

Player of the Game: Josh Johnson

Game 21: Baysox 3, Senators 1

The Sports 'Burger — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Baysox 3, Senators 1

Two weeks ago, the Senators went on their first road trip to Altoona and Reading in dire need of better starting pitching. Whatever they found on the way to Peoples Natural Gas Field has worked wonders since the rotation has surrendered five or more runs only twice in the last 13 games.

As the Senators head to Bowie and New Britain for their second road trip of the season, they are once again in desperate need of finding something. This time it’s a consistent offense that delivers when given the chance.

After the results Friday night at Prince George’s Stadium, the Senators better look somewhere else or harder. Harrisburg was held to six hits and plated their lone run on a Justin Bloxom sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. The Senators rarely threatened as they managed to put a baserunner to at least second base only twice in the entire game.

Player of the Game: Brian Broderick

Game 20: Fightin Phils 6, Senators 5

The Sports 'Burger — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy Christine Baker / PennLive

Twenty games into the young season and the Harrisburg Senators already find themselves at a crossroads. Recent games have been inundated with mental and physical errors. So much so that manager Matt LeCroy had a closed door team meeting after the game to address the issues.

“If you don’t come ready to play you’re going to get embarrassed. This is big boy baseball,” the skipper said, “You’re one step away from the big leagues and if you’re not up to it you’ll get exposed. If you’re not ready and prepared you’re going to get left behind.”

Things started out rough for the Senators right away as third baseman Justin Bloxom couldn’t handle a ball hit right at him and Ricky Hague let the next one go through his legs. LeCroy noted the lack of preparedness, “You have to be ready for the first pitch of the ballgame…We weren’t and they beat us. We battled and all that but if you don’t come ready the first inning you’re going to get beat.”

That wasn’t the end of the Senators’ miscues and troubles for the night either. LeCroy called it very sloppy and realized his team’s mistakes weren’t always on the scoreboard, “I mean we only had three errors but we probably could of had seven. When you look at the mental errors: we got picked off of second, Sandy’s play there at the end (running when a popup ruled as an infield fly was uncaught)…The way this game is if you’re not ready mentally, then physically you’re not going to be there either. You come up one run short.”

LeCroy made no bones about the passion and urgency he has with this talented team, “I challenged the kids to enjoy their day off and look at themselves in the mirror. It’s time to go. If you ain’t up for the challenge this game will eat you up. If you’re up for it and you go to war with each other and battle every night and be ready, it’s going to turn out pretty positive.”

Player of the Game: Aaron Barrett

Game 19: Fightin Phils 7, Senators 5

The Sports 'Burger — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Fightin’ Phils 7, Senators 5

The first inning couldn’t have gone any better for the Senators on Tuesday night at Metro Bank Park. Harrisburg starter Caleb Clay resumed his excellent string of outings as he set the Reading Fightin’ Phils down rather easily in order. In the bottom half of the inning, Senators’ leadoff hitter Brian Goodwin then launched a Seth Rosin offering out onto the right-center field boardwalk for his second home run and a quick 1-0 lead. Josh Johnson, Erik Komatsu, and Jerad Head all followed with singles and prompted a coaching visit to the mound by pitching coach Dave Lundquist. Rosin would get out of the jam but not before finding himself and the Fightin’ Phils in a 3-0 hole.

It was a lead the Senators would look to expand in the third inning when they put runners on second and third base with one out after Head hustled his way from a single into a double. With Reading’s infield in, Justin Bloxom grounded out to the shortstop and Destin Hood followed with a routine fly out to left field. “That’s what this game is about being able to take advantage of those breaks, and we didn’t do it,” manager Matt LeCroy said, “We let them back in the game after that. The momentum shifted. If we get a run in there we keep the momentum, but if we don’t they know they’re right there in that game.”

Reading chipped away with two runs in the fourth inning and chased Clay in the seventh with the tying run on second base. Reliever Ian Krol struck out pinch-hitter Ronnie Welty on three pitches and induced what appeared to be an inning-ending groundball, but Johnson misplayed the bouncer and the tying run scored as the ball trickled away into short left field.

Harrisburg’s shortstop would gain redemption in the bottom half of the inning when he singled Sandy Leon home to regain the one-run lead. The score would remain 4-3 in favor of the Senators into the ninth inning when Pat Lehman was called on for the save situation.

The first two pitches Lehman delivered in the frame were both knocked for singles and the Fightin’ Phils were threatening with runners on the corners. After the 6’3″ reliever struck out Edgar Duran, he was one pitch away from getting out of the mess if he could induce a double play ball. Unfortunately, he was one pitch away from surrendering a three-run bomb off the bat of Zach Collier that cleared everything in right field. Reading would tack on yet another run and the Senators’ chances appeared slim facing a three-run deficit with only three outs left in the game.

But these Senators are a “never say die” team and they loaded the bases on two walks and a single with one out. A balk by Reading reliever Mauricio Robles plated a run and moved everybody up 90 feet and put both tying runs into scoring position. What few fans that remained were sent home disappointed when Johnson flew out to shallow right field and Komatsu struck out to end the contest with the Senators on the losing end.

Player of the Game: Brian Goodwin

Game 18: Fightin Phils 3, Senators 2

The Sports 'Burger — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Not Jesse Biddle
Photo courtesy Harrisburg Senators

Fightin’ Phils 3, Senators 2

Even though the temperature on the scoreboard read 56 degrees at first pitch, the wind made it feel much colder than that…or maybe it was just the breeze from all the swings and misses as the Senators and Fightin’ Phils combined to strike out an astounding 32 batters.

Fightin’ Phils starter Jesse Biddle bewitched, bothered, and bewildered the Senators for the second time in less than a week. The Phillies top prospect threw perhaps the most dominant outing I think I’ve seen against Harrisburg in the last couple of years. He carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished his night allowing a lone hit while striking out 16 batters and walking two. “He didn’t change (the gameplan). We didn’t force him to change,” manager Matt LeCroy said about Biddle’s back to back starts against his club, “We didn’t hit the fastball and he kept throwing it right by us…You’ve got to tip your cap. The guy has got good stuff and he has every pitch. He was throwing everything for a strike.”

Harrisburg starter Paul Demny matched Biddle zero for zero until Troy Hanzawa singled and Zach Collier clubbed a home run to give the Fightin’ Phils a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. An inning later, Demny would allow another run and Reading held a commanding three-run lead as the Senators were forced to go to the bullpen. Reliever Matt Swynenberg was lights out as he held Reading to just one hit over three innings of work while striking out seven of his nine outs.

It wasn’t until Reading reliever Kyle Simon entered the game for a two-inning save did the Senators’ bats make any noise. A Brian Goodwin double and a Sean Nicol ground out plated two runs to bring Harrisburg to within a run in the eighth inning. The closest the Senators would get to tying the score was stranded 180 feet away as Josh Johnson grounded out to end the game.

Player of the Game: Matt Swynenberg

Game 17: Curve 4, Senators 1

The Sports 'Burger — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy Harrisburg Senators

Curve 4, Senators 1

Harrisburg’s Blake Treinen and Altoona’s Casey Sadler fashioned themselves a pitcher’s duel on Sunday afternoon in front of 3,352 fans at Metro Bank Park.

The Curve got on the board first when Matt Curry went the opposite way for a solo home run in the fourth inning. They added another run in the sixth when leftfielder Jose Lozada misplayed a routine single as it scooted past his glove and Andy Vasquez scored all the way from first base.

The Senators got one back as Brian Goodwin led off the bottom half of that inning. The Nationals #3 rated prospect turned on a 3-1 pitch to hit his first home run of the season and cut the deficit in half. It was the closest the Nationals would get as it was the lone mistake Sadler would make on the day.

Altoona tacked on two insurance runs in the 8th inning on a series of misplays and timely hits. Leading off the inning, Carlos Paulino was plunked up and in when a curveball got away from Treinen. Things went downhill from there when the pitcher slipped and fell fielding a bunt to put two on and the top of the order due up. Vasquez roped a single through the right side of the infield that plated Paulino and that was it for Treinen who was relieved by Ian Krol. The first pitch the southpaw delivered to Gift Ngoepe was bunted towards third and Sean Nicol threw the ball past Francisco Soriano who made a nonchalant effort at the wayward throw. The error plated Altoona’s fourth run of the day and it was more than enough for the Senators’ injury and promotion depleted lineup.

Player of the Game: Josh Johnson

Game 15: Senators 4, Curve 1 & Game 16: Curve 9, Senators 7 (11)

The Sports 'Burger — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy @Terrasha79

G1: Senators 4, Curve 1

Before the Senators had a chance to bat, the Altoona Curve got on the board thanks to back-to-back doubles by Matt Curry and Andrew Lambo. Those were the only two hits Altoona would get all game as starting pitcher Nate Karns dominated the Curve lineup over the last six innings on his way to a complete game 4-1 victory.

For the final six frames, Karns faced only one batter over the minimum as he walked opposing pitcher, Francisco Liriano, to lead off the third inning. The 6’5″ righthander struck out a career high 13 batters going the distance for his first Double-A win.

Offensively the Senators were propelled by a three-run home run off the bat of Randolph Oduber and an RBI single from Justin Bloxom. Catcher Sandy Leon added two hits on the night including a double.

Player of the Game: Nate Karns

G2: Curve 9, Senators 7 (11)

After digging themselves into a 6-1 hole after just 2½ innings, the Senators plated six runs over the next two frames to tie the game up at seven. That’s how the score would remain into extra innings until Charlie Cutler delivered a two-run double over Brian Goodwin’s head to give the Curve a doubleheader split.

Justin Bloxom was a one-man wrecking crew to get Harrisburg back into the game as he drove in five runs with a pair of doubles. The big blow to the Senators chances came when they were unable to score after loading the bases in the ninth inning with no one out. Randolph Oduber struck out badly on three pitches and Ricky Hague lined one back to the pitcher who easily doubled Jose Lozada off of third base.

Harrisburg’s sixth pitcher of the game, Marcos Frias, collared the loss as a leadoff single and infield error would come back to bite the reliever.

Player of the Game: Justin Bloxom

Game 14: Senators 5, Curve 4

The Sports 'Burger — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy Harrisburg Senators

Senators 5, Curve 4

The last time Caleb Clay took the mound was six days ago in Altoona against the same Curve team he would face on Thursday night at Metro Bank Park. At the time, the Senators pitching staff was reeling after getting shelled in their previous series and Clay stepped up as the stopper to throw six scorless innings allowing only four hits while striking out five.

It would be difficult for him to replicate the performance less than a week later against the same lineup. After all, the more familiar hitters are with a pitcher’s repertoire and approach, the greater chance that they’ll have an advantage. That was even the conversation Clay and pitching coach Paul Menhart had prior to the game, “He (Clay) asked if he should change what he did last time.”

But Clay was even more impressive the second time around against the Curve. Yes, he let up a run keyed by a triple off the bat of Jarek Cunningham, but as manager Matt LeCroy said, “That was his one mistake of the game.” Clay threw six effective innings of three-hit ball and surely would have lasted longer if his turn in the batting order hadn’t come up in a key situation as the righthander only tossed 73 pitches on the night. In four of the six innings Clay faced the minimum number of batters and was a picture of efficiency and mastery.

As for the advice Menhart gave Clay when he asked about altering the gameplan, “I was like ‘Did they get you last time?’ You go until they prove they can hit you…They didn’t make an adjustment, so he didn’t need to make an adjustment.”

Player of the Game: Caleb Clay

Game 13: Fightin Phils 4, Senators 3 (10)

The Sports 'Burger — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy Terry Byrom

Aiming for their fifth straight win, the Senators struggled against the Phillies’ top prospect pitcher Jesse Biddle, but relied on late-game heroics by Sandy Leon to erase a two-run deficit with one swing and send the game into extra innings. Unfortunately, Harrisburg couldn’t cash in with a 10th inning rally and Reading walked off with a 4-3 victory two batters later.

Senators starter Paul Demny worked out of trouble numerous times and did his best to minimize damage as he allowed only 3 runs despite giving up ten hits in 5.2 innings of work. Relievers Matt Swynenberg, Ian Krol, and Aaron Barrett held Reading scoreless until the game went extra frames.

In the tenth inning, the Senators had a great chance as they loaded the bases on a fielding error, a hit batsman, and a base on balls. That brought Leon up with two outs and an opportunity to put the Senators up for the first time all night. A flyout to right field ended the threat and the top half of the inning. The Senators wouldn’t get another chance as Reading plated the gamewinner in the bottom half of the inning.

Player of the Game: Sandy Leon (2-4, 1 R, 3 RBI)

Game 12: Senators 4, Fightin Phils 0

The Sports 'Burger — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Photo courtesy BaseballStadiumReviews.com

The Senators used dominant pitching to hold the Reading bats all but silent in Harrisburg’s 4-0 victory.

In his third start of the young season, Blake Treinen looked like the pitcher that manager Matt LeCroy and pitching coach Paul Menhart saw during spring training. Treinen was aggressive early and worked ahead in the count as he scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out four. Neil Holland and Pat Lehman struck out the side in each of the final two innings to secure the victory and shutout.

The Senators used two-out rallies to get on the board first when Justin Bloxom singled home Anthony Rendon and again in the fourth inning when Sean Nicol dropped down a bunt that Reading pitcher David Buchanan threw away. Rendon added on to the 3-0 lead in the sixth inning when he launched a solo home run to dead centerfield just right of the flagpole. The four runs were more than enough on this night as the Senators notched their fourth straight win.

Player of the Game: Blake Treinen

Party Crashers – City Islanders Spoil Highmark Debut

Soccer Nobody — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:00:00 GMT

Sainey Touray battles for possession
(Photo courtesy Christopher Horner / Tribune Review)

One of the major storylines entering the 2013 USL-PRO season is the Pittsburgh Riverhounds’ new downtown facility, Highmark Stadium. Built with a seating capacity of 3,500 and spectacular views of the Pittsburgh skyline, Highmark Stadium is a major achievement for the Riverhounds organization and rapidly expanding USL-PRO. The Harrisburg City Islanders were selected to help christen the new stadium, with the Keystone Derby serving as the perfect opener for the City Islanders’ 10th season.

The match opened with numerous question marks for the City Islanders. Injuries deprived coach Bill Becher of several key cogs, including Stephen Basso, Jason Pelletier, and Garret Pettis, while many new faces continue to be incorporated into the lineup. Harrisburg welcomes four members of the Philadelphia Union on loan for the 2013 season, defenders Greg Jordan and Don Anding and midfielders Cristhian Hernández and Jimmy McLaughlin, while defenders Cody Andrews and Damani Richards, forward Jamiel Hardware, and midfielder-forward Matt Bahner signed following open tryouts. A solid core of veterans return, but make no mistake about it, this is a young team with an average age of 22.7 years and no player older than 28 year-old starting goalkeeper Nick Noble.

Considering that several newcomers were making their professional debuts, the City Islanders opened the match confidently and without nerves. Harrisburg controlled possession early and demonstrated an ability to distribute the ball efficiently and cleanly on Highmark Stadium’s artificial pitch. The Riverhounds occasionally mounted dangerous counterattacks, but Harrisburg carried the run of play throughout the first half. Despite a marked edge in possession, the City Islanders could not find net with Sainey Touray failing to capitalize on the first half’s best opportunity. It seemed as though old friends would come back to haunt Harrisburg, as former Islander Andrew Marshall delivered a crunching tackle on Yann Ekra that probably should have earned a booking. To make matters worse, another former Islander, Jose Angulo, broke the deadlock with a headed goal in the 70 th minute, leaping over Colin Zizzi to give the hometown ‘Hounds the lead.

The addition of these players indicates Pittsburgh’s ambitions for 2013. A new stadium generates new revenue, and those funds helped the team land Jhonny Arteaga, the USL-PRO’s leading scorer in 2011 and, like Angulo, a former New York Red Bull. Mike Seamon was a Seattle Sounder from 2010-12, while Ryan Kinne played for the New England Revolution before signing with Pittsburgh. Despite this MLS-caliber talent, the City Islanders continued to move the ball in the second half and found an equalizer seven minutes after Angulo’s goal when Jamiel Hardware fed the streaking Touray a beautiful through ball. The rangy Gambian nutmegged Hunter Gilstrap for the goal, a well-deserved reward for his dynamic running. A draw looked inevitable before Lucky Mkosana struck an incredible volley in the 90th minute to give the City Islanders a 2-1 win and spoil Pittsburgh’s coming out party.

One match does not make a season, but Bill Becher must feel good about his team’s performance. The new center back pairing of Coady Andrews and Greg Jordan were well-organized while Don Anding filled in capably for the injured Basso at left back. Cristhian Hernández orchestrated the City Islanders’ attack nicely, distributing passes and controlling the ball like a true #10 even if he wears #23. Morgan Langley and Tom Mellor offer speed and pinpoint crosses from the right and left flanks respectively, and Touray looked dangerous throughout. Tom Brandt did a nice job replacing the injured Andrew Welker at defensive midfielder, and despite a brief substitute appearance, Mkosana generated several scoring chances and netted the game winner with his left-footed strike. Harrisburg continues their season-opening roadtrip next weekend at the Colorado Rapids Reserves.

Photo courtesy Jeff Gamza