Well, the announcements of the Commies went over well I take it since there wasn't a ton of feedback or hate mail from it. However, I was glad to see some fans in Pittsburgh and Charleston were excited about it. I know I enjoy counting up the votes each season and announcing the winners no matter how busy my schedule seems to keep me on other tasks. Anyway, enough about me for the moment, why not look at some of the things that happened in the season that was?
Here are some of the stories that I thought were important. First among them, the story that seemed to put a kink into my entire year, the controversy in Cincinnati where we all learned about the behind the scenes issues that dragged on for so long only to end in the fallout we've still yet to completely see. In the days, weeks, and months after this story broke there were plenty of hushed conversations and angry phone calls from many different corners of the A-League. Hopefully after this year's AOM the final
chapter of this story can be written.
Next up, how about the re-emergence of the Virginia Beach Mariners under Mike Field's ownership? The guy comes back to the area to resurrect this franchise by putting an extremely talented squad on the field for area fans to enjoy. Unfortunately the club has been dogged by rough weather and fans that haven't quite numbered in the tens of thousands. Yet things look bright for the future in Virginia Beach so long as the owner's wallet holds and people realize that guys like Pato Aguilera and Dante Washington really do want to win at this level.
There were new clubs succeeding and other clubs in dire financial straits. The new clubs, the Syracuse Salty Dogs and Milwaukee Wave United, acquitted themselves quite well, thank you very much, with one proving quite competitive in a division including Rochester and Montreal while the other went out and won the regular season championship. Meanwhile, on the flip side of those clubs you had the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Charlotte Eagles, and Calgary Storm.
The impending arrival of a team in Edmonton was able to make the League absorb the losses collectively so that Calgary could keep their team. Pittsburgh and Charlotte will still have teams to cheer for but unfortunately for the A-League the Riverhounds and Eagles won't be gracing it with their presence next season. They'll both be playing in other USL leagues next year. Here's to a quick return to the A-League for both of those clubs with people who are nothing but class working for them.
Speaking of the Riverhounds, though, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention their near miracle run to the playoffs after a rough beginning to their season. Some guy named Martins something or other only took the team on his back and tried to drag them into the playoffs only to barely run out of steam at the end of the race. Let's hope the team can get their off-field affairs back on track and some of their talented players can stick it out long enough to win something for the fans in Pittsburgh.
The Pacific Division was fun to watch to as they came down their annual three-way stretch run with Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver all vying for the top two spots. In the end Seattle and Vancouver left the Timbers behind in that race but overall the health of this former NASL rivalry could only be healthier if more fans jammed the stands in the three cities. Hopefully the Sounders will see an increase over their first season at Seahawk Stadium with their move to the NFL team's home being its own big story at the beginning of the year.
Speaking of the playoffs, how about the Battery finally winning it all? This is a story that's been covered pretty well in-depth by folks all involved with a-league.com but I had to mention it one more time since the Boys from the Baud finally won themselves the silverware their owners have always coveted.
Then there's the season ending news of the possible construction of A-League stadiums in Atlanta and Rochester. Everything appears set for the Rhinos to finally receive the PaeTec of their dreams. Meanwhile, down in the land of traffic tie-ups and Ted Turner, the Silverbacks have apparently broken ground on their own complex which could culminate in the building of a Silverbacks stadium but when that could happen is currently anyone's guess.
Sadly, the year's big stories also include those whom we lost this season. The foremost among them was Clive Charles whose iconic status in Portland was well-documented by our own Allison Andrews. If you haven't read her piece about Clive by now please do so now. He will be remembered and his influence will long be felt in U.S. Soccer circles.
In closing this out I want to ask you folks out there for what you thought the biggest stories of the past season were as well as what questions you would have for anyone that might be at the AOM this year. We might just be able to get some answers to your questions if you can get them to me soon enough.
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