Fern Mc Costigan

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Colorado ready to mount a competitive campaign

For the Colorado Rapids, after having one of their worst campaigns since their inception in Major League Soccer, this upcoming 2018, they are aiming to deliver results.

After the end of the 2017 campaign the Colorado squad directives went on the task of building a competitive squad and among one of their first steps were to bring a new manager and players.

By putting behind that disastrous 2017 campaign, for the Rocky Mountain squad first steps are to set their goals in elevating their game to new levels filled with a more competitive approach.

So far, with new arrivals in several international players that could boost this squad initial eleven in the campaign giving it a more broad approach to last campaign game lacking dynamic and attack.

The arrival of several international players with an impressive career in Europe and South America will be one of the reasons that this club can make a flashy return to occupy the top spots in the Western Conference.

After the regular campaign folded in league play and the postseason in its full peak, the Colorado Rapids missing the grand fete, the club front office was full at work thinking ahead of how to make a break in 2018.

In the midst of November, many of the MLS squads being in their winter break and planning their campaigns ahead, the Rapids were to announce their first player to reinforce this club on the eve of the new campaign.

With Johan Blomberg from Sweden and this country top-flight club AIK Footbol, the Rapids announced their first reinforcement and one that will boost their attack, after last campaign being nonexistent.

However, the club long awaited announcement came two days later when the announcement of their tenth manager in club history was to be Anthony Hudson a native of Seattle, Washington and an impressive career overseas.

The Rapids new manager comes from managing aboard the Bahrein national teams U-23 and the senior teams with various accomplishments, also with New Zealand delivering in 2016 a pass to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and in 2016 OFC Champions.

Also with new faces in a trio of New Zealand international defenders in Kip Kolvey, Tommy Smith and Deklan Wynne to reinforce this club defensive backfield.

Other additions to the club were forward Jack Bean- LA Galaxy, defender Edgar Castillo- Monterrey, Mexico, midfielder Jack Price- Wolverhampton, and center back Danny Wilson- Ranger Glasgow.

The Colorado Rapids in the draft they acquire forwards Alan Winn North Carolina and Frantzdy Pierrot Coastal Carolina University and Niki Jackson Grand Canyon University, goalkeeper Thomas Olsen University of San Diego and midfielder Brian Iloski UCLA.

With the preseason under way, the Colorado squad and its new man at the helm Anthony Hudson will have his hands full in order to make an instant impact with his squad to make them an all-around contender.

The outlook for this squad looks very promising and if their new players adapt immediately to this club and its new manager strategies work out the Rapids finish among the top six spots.

Photos Credit and Property of Colorado Rapids Football Club 2018

Friday, January 26, 2018

De Town ready to a competed 2018

Forget 2017, after a disastrous campaign displayed by the Dundalk bunch, for manager Stephen Kenny this upcoming campaign is business as usual and looking forward to assemble a competitor.

As we are on the eve of what seems to be another contested campaign in the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland, the Lilywhites are looking forward to return to their rightful place in the league top.

By seeing, some of their notable players that made this club an armada that after winning three league of Ireland shields consecutively and making a first for a squad of this league to make a wondrous presentation in the UEFA Europa League.

The departures of Andy Bolger and Darryl Horgan going to England’s Championship side Preston North End and Ciaran Kilduff to American side Jacksonville Armada in this country second tier the NASL.

As these players, being a notable part of Kenny’s attacking scheme, for this campaign seeing David McMillan going to Scottish side St. Johnstone, Patrick McEleney to Oldham and Tommy Stewart to Larne.

All of these player are notable absences in Kenny’s initial eleven and on the eve of another contested campaign the man is on the task of rebuilding the squad from A to Z with youth, newcomers and retuning players we may have a contender.

Leapfrogged by their archrivals the Rebel Army of Cork City and denying them a fourth consecutive League of Ireland shields as well the Daily Telegraph FAI, after losing to the latter ones in this edition.

To stop the exodus of seeing more of their important players leaving Oriel Park to other squads and leagues, the Lilywhites directives firstorder of business became to retain some of its important players.

So far, John Mountney, Robbie Benson, Gabriel Sava, Sean Gannon and manager Stephen Kenny extending his contract to 2020, the Lilywhites have been busy at work with brilliant results.

With newcomers in Ronan Murray, Stephen Folan, Patrick Hoban, Dean Jarvis, Georgie Poynton and Karolis Chveduvas looking forward to make an impact by assuring a spot in the squad initial eleven.

As the preseason starts on the right foot for the Lilywhites against Cabinteely, the next stop will be the Jim Malone Cup showdown against Drogheda United in another edition of the Louth Derby.

In addition, other exhibition matches will follow and be a base to define this squad starting eleven.

Another plus of this squad future looks as bright as ever with a new ownership from a Chicago based Peak6 Sports a boost to this club success in the forthcoming years.

In Kenny we trust, many of this club followers cannot wait for the start of the new campaign and beloved De Town once again display their one of a kind and spectacular game filled with a lot of dynamism.

Ready or not Dundalk FC is up and ready to make a run to the league top and maybe making a decent run in the knockout stages in the UEFA Europa League to get to the stage group and see an encore of that glorious 2016.

Photos Credit and Property of © Dundalk Football Club 2018

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Under a new era the Portland Timbers aiming to a stellar 2018

The Portland Timbers Giovanni Savarese officially started his tenure in Rose City with an interesting press conference, his first of many to come, showing his usual charisma and optimism ahead of his first campaign managing in MLS.

This past Monday January 22, after his first ever press conference as the Portland Timbers manager, stating his readiness to kick off his first preseason camp in Tucson, Arizona.

Gio is looking forward in building a new and spectacular Portland squad.

Before his arrival, the Rose City squad directives have been busy at work, building a new squad and reinforcing it in every position, as the man from Venezuela is looking forward to build a contender.

Not that he is inheriting a losing entity as the Portland Timbers who had an amazing run last campaign despite some oddities the club experience in the middle of the campaign with injuries and rebounding alter to lose in the league postseason semifinals against Houston.

With a talented group of individuals in its majority of its veterans making their return in Alvas Powell, Zarek Valentin, Diego Chara, David Guzman, Sebastian Blanco, Faneando Adi and the team talisman player in Diego Valeri.

The Portland directives are doing a one of kind job in bringing the right group of players to incorporate them to the squad and build another campaign with a run into the postseason.

By strengthening the midfield, Portland is looking forward to cover this area considered of utmost importance in every squad attack, so far the club has brought the arrivals of several players.

Especially after Darlington Nagbe going to Atlanta United in a trade that brought a good source of allocation monies that this club has been using in getting the ideal players.

One of them Andy Polo with participations in the leagues of Peru, Colombia and Mexico, the Peruvian International to being a part of his national team in the upcoming World Cup and touted as the ideal substitute for Nagbe in the number 7 position.

With another international in Costa Rican center back from this nation giant Saprissa FC, Julio Cascante will lift the level of competition in the defensive backfield held currently by Larry Mabbiala and Liam Ridgewell the absolute starters in last campaign.

In the league, draft the selection of forward Foster Langsdorf as their first one and becoming their Homegrown Player the incorporation in latter rounds in defender Caleb Duvernay- NC State, forward Tim Mueller- Oregon State, forward Stuart Houlthusen- University of Akron and forward Mamadou Guirasi- New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Another additions in to their homegrown core joining Marco Farfan last year sensation and missing the whole campaign via an injury, draftee Foster Langsdorf, and new arrivals in midfielders Eryk Williamson and Andres Flores.

As these latter ones in Williamson coming via a trade from DC United a promise to uplift the attacking game in the midfield with his youth and with stunning referential as a U-20 USMNT participant, so do New York Cosmos midfielder and international in El Salvador Andres Flores.

Another set of newcomers in recently announced in defender from the USL Tulsa Roughnecks and chile's giant Colo- Colo Moudou Jadama and re-sign the likes of New Zealand International Bill Tuiloma.

With another set of rumors and so far the club in the negotiating table with Mexican side giants Club America for Paraguayan international another midfielder in Cristhian Paredes, the 19 year old is being sought by the Portland club as a loan.

As the club is looking forward to an ambitious and contested 2018 adding to its depth with new players but looking for their future with several new players ages averaging from 19 to 23 years old, the club is thinking of its future.

The Portland Timbers under its new era under manager Gio Savarese in its helm he is looking forward to rebuild a contender in his new club and looking forward in its bright future with an investment in youth combined with experience.

In conclusion, his aims to develop this squad core in its young players getting the experience and wisdom from the current crop of veterans that one day will be leaving the club and that its solid base will depend largely in the new generation.

Being these to continue the reins of seeing ahead a competitive squad many of its followers being accustomed to see in the Mighty PTFC, for now a stellar 2018 will be among of Gio’s new goals to meet.

Photos Credit and Property of Portland Timbers Football Club and Craig Mitchelldyer 2018

Is Wilmer Cabrera ready to take the league by storm with his Dynamo?

With a return campaign to the league postseason and above the top six spots in the Western Conference, the Houston Dynamo is in business to return to its old glory days.

After a convincing way by taking out in one of the semifinals the all-favorite Portland Timbers their elimination in the Western Conference final against the Seattle Sounders, became a wakeup call to reality and exposing several needs of this club.

Still in the eyes of many experts, the run in the postseason for the Dynamo was a sort of a fairy tale.

For their second year, manager Wilmer Cabrera is business as usual and looking for more of his squad not to be mess with, it is why he and the Houston directives went on the task to reinforce it.

Still the way the Lone Star State squad and once back-to-back champions in their early days, this Dynamo is back and with an all-around determination in trying to go all the way to the league finals this 2018.

That is the reason this squad has been arduously in the task of reinforcing any position in the Orangemen to build another one of a kind campaign and see a continuance of his successful work in future campaigns.

The first step was to see a return of many of its most notable and important players these had in 2017 and were the cause of this club all around revival and returning to the league postseason.

To resign players of the likes of DaMarcus Beasley, AJ De La Garza, Dylan Remik, Alberth Elis, Juan David Cabezas, Eric Alexander, Boniek Garcia and Eric Bird from their filial squad RGV FC.

This considered as an essential step for this club encore of their 2017 performance that took them to the league postseason after being sometime absent.

Seeing a return of these vital players to the game plan envisioned for this 2018 by manager Cabrera along of newcomers in Chicago Fire midfielder and Houston native Arturo Alvarez and free agent in goalkeeper Chris Seitz.

By reinforcing their defensive side the acquisition of Venezuelan defender from Carabobo FC in the first division of this country, the arrival of Alejandro Fuenmayor will reinforce this club backfield.

On the eve of another contested campaign, Houston still has its sights on new players and looking forward to a repeat of last campaign successful run that enabled them a return to the postseason.

So far, the clubs directives are hard at work to see that their man at the helm has the right players and reinforce this squad on the eve of another contested campaign were all the clubs are arming themselves to give a new dimension in MLS of competition.

With the Super draft on Friday, Houston will make his moves to bring the best players that one day they can contribute to this club, very well seeing a player or two coming to BBVA Stadium.

My overall conclusion is that Houston Dynamo has all the elements of making a positive run and be in the league postseason and with a notable position at the end with a finish in third place.

Photos Credit and Property of Houston Dynamo Football Club and Houston Chronicle 2018