Courtesy of Charlotte Eagles

2008/08/22
Eagles Prepared for Final Step on Eve of Championship Match

Final Training
Eagles look on during drills Friday morning

Cleveland, OH - Friday could have been labeled many things based on the events that took place for the Charlotte Eagles. Despite that, there was only one thing that mattered to them at the end of the day; they were hours closer to the game they have waited for since March.

The Eagles' day began with their final training session and walk-through before tomorrow's game at Krenzler Field. The training session was light. Just hours before Head Coach Mark Steffens was announced the 2008 Coach of the Year, the hall of fame coach did not say much about tomorrow's game at this training session. He didn't need to. This was where his team expected to be. They were loose and focused, but not overconfident. That fact was evident at the media luncheon following their morning training session.Steffens Media Luncheon

"Cleveland is a class organization, and they have played us well ever since they entered this league," remarked Steffens at the luncheon in City Hall. "We are looking forward to a great battle on the field, but more importantly, we hope this game can also be used to impact lives in an eternal way."

The media luncheon included complimentary remarks from both teams and USL Executive VP, Tim Holt. It also featured an appearance by the City of Cleveland's Mayor, Frank G. Jackson. There were also a few humorous moments brought on by the emcee of the event, Jon Loufman. As Loufman asked Eagles captain Dustin Swinehart to come up to the podium to say a few words, the Cleveland News personality admitted to not knowing very much about Swinehart. "As Dustin comes up here, I have to admit I don't know much about you but you are on the list and you are the Eagles' captain so you've got to be a pretty good player," said Loufman.

It didn't take long for Loufman to become familiar with the name Dustin Swinehart. He saw the Eagles' veteran forward several times after that as Swinehart collected four pieces of hardware, including the 2008 USL-2 MVP Award.

The Eagles were then lead to Mayor Jackson's office for a brief meeting with the Mayor and a team picture. The greetings weren't quite over yet for Charlotte as Fox Soccer Channel then conducted several interviews with the team. Soon after, the Eagles retreated to their team hotel before getting a late dinner and finishing the night watching some Olympic highlights.

With the interviews done, compliments traded and awards given out, the final step approaches. At 8pm on Krenzler Field, the Charlotte Eagles will get their chance to complete their season the way they had hoped. The City Stars await with their home crowd. The Eagles have faced challenges all season long. This will undoubtedly be the greatest challenge. Mark Steffens did not say much about that to his team. His team is ready.

The USL-2 Championship game will kick off at 8pm at Krenzler Field, and will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel at 10pm ET (tape delay).