This week I'll draw the curtain on the grades for this season. We'll get a good look at how things went for the Central Conference. The Central really was one of the slightly more predictable races of the year as most picked Richmond and Charleston as the class of the division. There was a pair of surprises with the late struggles of what initially appeared an improved Cincinnati squad while the Charlotte Eagles played, arguably, over their heads. So, on that note I'll get on with the grading (and once again the preseason grades are in parentheses).
1. Richmond: A (D-) The Kickers polished off the Central Conference in style this year by being consistent at both ends of the field. Kevin Jeffrey continues to come into his own and filled in nicely for the loss of Dwayne DeRosario to MLS. Jeffrey will likely remain in Richmond this year, as there doesn't appear to be enough interest from the top flight to take him. If he and the core of this team stick around they could walk the Central next year with Atlanta and Charleston both looking to break in new coaches.
2. Charleston: C (B-) The Battery really had a revolving door on their roster toward the tail end of the season and it took its toll on having any continuity heading into the playoffs. Alan Dicks was let go right after their playoff exit and now the team is in a state of flux. Rumors abound concerning who is heading where or what their fate will be. It's urgent that the Battery find their man soon because the club that has one of the highest payrolls in the league demand results.
3. Charlotte: A++ (C) They didn't sign a bunch of players or go in the tank. They merely did what they always have previously in the D3. They played their hearts out and stole a few while they were at it. I mentioned it earlier in the year and I'll say it again, if you don't know who Dustin Swinehart is now you'd better find out because every team in the league will learn to fear this guy. He's not flashy and he's not the fastest but he scores goals, lots of them when he's healthy.
4. Nashville: B (C+/B-) The Metros wound up having a very solid year in which players like Jaymi Bailey, Jakob Fenger, and Chris Houser stepped to the forefront. The coach, Brett Mosen, also raised his stock significantly by succeeding in the Music City. Sadly, this team won't likely be together in this incarnation ever again after seeing their franchise rights sold off to Hampton Roads. Here's hoping that a great group of people in Nashville will continue to find some modicum of success in the future.
5. Atlanta: C (A) The Silverbacks were starkly average after making some solid moves during the offseason. Jason Annichero is a keeper, unfortunately, he's not the specific kind of "keeper" they were in dire need of for most of the season. After drafting Taly Goode and Henry Ring and picking up Billy Andracki it seemed John Dugan wouldn't be sweating for good goalkeeping but that wasn't the case. Dugan was dismissed after getting these apes into the playoffs for the first time so the question now is what will be enough for any coach to feel safe in "Hot-lanta"?
6. Indiana: C (C-) The Blast were hamstrung this year much like every year by financial obstacles. They still were a competitive and exciting team thanks in large part to the efforts of Rodrigo Costa. A solid core build around Kevin Legg, Costa, and Andy McDermott helped this year but more youngsters will have to prove their worth if this team will continue to be somewhat competitive. It all hinges on the finances as rumblings of financial demise have been heard ever since the close of the regular season.
7. Cincinnati: D- (C+) My feelings on the 'Hawks have been fairly well documented but as far as grading them goes it has to be said that they were fairly disappointing. A meltdown in midseason really dropped their stock and showed a lot of people that the positive strides that had been made weren't quite enough. Notice has to be given that attendance appeared to be slightly up over last season and hopefully the criticisms that have been leveled at the club could help them make changes and improvements in the future.
So that's the end of the grades for this year. Now we're steam-rolling towards the final with the last four narrowing down to the two combatants for the league championship. Vancouver were demolished by a Hershey squad that many thought were not strong enough to handle their Western foes especially at Swangard. Milwaukee gave up three goals in their loss to Rochester but it's hard to count them out after scoring a huge road win at Richmond last weekend. This is the payoff for the marathon of a season so let's all get out to the park if we can and enjoy some of the best soccer the A-League has to offer.
Losing A Friend
While I never had the chance to talk to Mickey Trotman and only had a scant few opportunities to watch him play I can honestly say that he did give a good bit back to the teams he played for. The Rhinos, the Dallas Burn, the Trinidad and Tobago national set-up, have all lost a friend. He spent the majority of his career playing in the United States and as he helped his career grow he helped the fledgling leagues in the U.S. grow by representing them whenever he pulled on the black and red of T&T. I just wanted to take a little time to acknowledge a man who has done his share for our game and express my condolences to his family and friends. The soccer community mourns the loss of one of its own.
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