I know most of you have no interest in USA football or women’s football in the UK, but to me this has been a great week:
1. The Rovers beat Cambridge;
2. The Belles striker, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk, won the FA WSL2 “Golden Boot" for her 25 goals, and also “Player of the Year";
3. The Portland Timbers won the Major Soccer League Cup – in the USA the equivalent of winning the Premier League.
The Timbers have succeeded without playing expensive, over-the-hill, European talent – our most expensive player is an unknown from Argentina. We do have Liam Ridgewell who many of you will remember from when we beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the League Cup.
It is wonderful to live a city that has won a National Championship (the lasses at Portland Thorns did it two years ago in the inaugural year of the new women’s professional league, but this, even in the USA, was minor as compared with the men), and the town really celebrated with the first ever victory parade in MLS history, and in typical Portland rain:
http://www.kptv.com/Clip/12059141/portland-timbers-victory-parade
I’m not sure if the link will work without pasting into your browser – and at first you’ll get an advert for a tyre company – can’t get away from commercialism is the USA.
For me it will always be RTID, but I’ve now added RCTID – Rose City ‘Till I Die" (Portland is called the Rose City because of our international rose test gardens – there is even a Yorkshire Bank Rose!)
Soccer City USA
posted on 10/12/15
Well I'm interested at least! It was particularly pleasing for the Belles this year after their appalling treatment by the FA. Rovers on the up too. Though ,as you well know, we are a fickle lot and a couple of defeats will see calls for SOF (Son of Fergie) to go no doubt. I'm exciled in Wales so only go on the reports here and in the media. Rovers still look to be a work in progress and I'd be pleasantly surprised if we make the play offs this year but confident we will at least avoid the drop.
posted on 10/12/15
Oh not forgetting probably the most successful team in Doncaster at the moment . The Knights, second in the ERU championship.
posted on 10/12/15
Well done Micky, you have been over here many, many years and that gives you the right as still a Rovers supporter to post whatever you like. Congratulations to the Timbers, I watched the second half on Sunday and, to be honest they should have had more.
You of course had Freddie Piquionne a few years back an ex Rover from the bad era, who many Rovers fans followed as he scored a few goals for the Timbers.
We could have done with the Chain Saw man at some of our games when Dickov was here, he may have put the fear of God up some of Dickov's referee friends.
By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Pauline.
posted on 10/12/15
Micky: Yes, the link to the video worked on my machine and it's good to see the US fans enjoying "our" game. I watched a big chunk of NY Red Bulls vs Columbus Crew a week or so ago on Sky Sports and the standard was better than League 1 with several good quality ex-English league players who I knew taking part.
The ground struck me as having more in common with its typical old fashioned English equivalent than an American sports stadium which was kind of heartening.
posted on 10/12/15
...and there were European players too including one who I think played for Real Madrid or Barcelona who was really good - probably these 2 clubs are amongst the big spenders.
posted on 11/12/15
NY, I well remember Piquionne. Unfortunately he did little for the Timbers in League games, just 1 goal in 21 games (only started in 7). However, I think he holds the record of most goals in one game since the Timbers entered the MLS. He scored 4 in a US Open Cup third round game in May 2013 against Wilmington (in UK terms, a non-league club). As this was near the start of his time here, we had high hopes of him. He did seem to like the US Open Cup as he scored the winning goal in our quarter final win that year.