Reeves' Army

Continuing their dominance of the end of the season–with the Commissioner’s Cup, American Division title and Golden Glove thus far–Orlando City has had six players named to the USL Pro All-League Teams, more than any other club.

Four Lions are on the First Team: goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo, defender Rob Valentino, midfielder Yordany Alvarez and forward Max Griffin.

Two Lions are on the Second Team: midfielders Lewis Neal and Jamie Watson.

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The team will be making the rounds tomorrow, with FOUR radio appearances throughout the day:

Phil Rawlins and Adrian Heath will both be on Monsters in the Morning on Real Radio 104.1 at 7:30am.

Phil Rawlins will be on Crash and LT in the Morning on WJRR 101.1 at 8:20am.

Adam Soucie will be on Captain and Company on OldSkool101.com at 11:30am.

Rhil Rawlins will be on The Philips Phile on Real Radio 104.1 at 3:50pm.

In addition, Rawlins will be on Open Mike with Mike Bianchi on 740 the Game at 7:15am on Friday morning.

Tickets for the 2011 USL Pro Championship Game are now on sale. Orlando City will be looking to seal its first league title and a double with it, while Harrisburg City Islanders will hope to overcome red cards in their Division Final to win their second third-tier title. The match, of course, is on Saturday, September 3, at 7pm at the Citrus Bowl.

As with the previous playoff matches, the ticket prices are the same as the regular season: $12 for the south end Supporters’ Section (Sections 113-127), $20 for the sideline ends (106, 107, 111, 112, 128, 129, 133 and 134), and $25 for the midfield areas (108-110, 130-132).

Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster. You can avoid Ticketmaster’s fees by calling the Orlando City office at 855-ORL-CITY (855-675-2489). 2011 Season Ticket holders can buy their tickets for the Championship Game and as many extras as they need for the discounted prices of $10, $17 and $22.

As I mentioned in Twitter, for those wishing to come in from Harrisburg for the match, MAKE YOUR ARRANGEMENTS EARLY. Round-trip flights on AirTran Airways currently are in the $250-$300 range from Harrisburg to Orlando and back for next weekend. These are the cheapest you’ll find, and the only nonstop flights between Harrisburg and Orlando. In addition, Rosen Plaza Hotel, the official hotel of Orlando City, has a $99/night special for Orlando City and visiting fans.

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2012 Season Tickets for Orlando City are also on sale.

Next year, the Supporters’ Section single-game price will rise from $12 to $15. Sideline End and Midfield single-game prices will remain the same at $20 and $25 per game each, respectively.

The lowest prices for season tickets are available now. These are $125 for the Supporters’ Section, $159 for the Sideline Ends, and $219 for Midfield. These discounts are all over 40% off full face value. These season tickets will cover 15 games–which I suspect will cover the regular season, two friendlies, and the first playoff match.

These prices, however, are only available through Labor Day, Monday, September 5. On September 6, prices will increase to $150, $199 and $259, respectively. While this discount is still in the 30% range over face value, you can save $25-$40 by buying now.

Season tickets can be purchased by calling the Orlando City office, or visiting the season ticket tables at the USL Pro Championship Game on Saturday night.

Just letting everybody know, I have transitioned Reeves’ Army’s comment system from the on-board WordPress comment system to Disqus. I myself like the Disqus system; I find it far more intuitive, and enjoy joining discussions anywhere that has it.

I will probably be looking at a different theme for the blog soon.

I’d totally forgotten to begin covering the new seasons for our sponsor clubs.

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Burnley got a big road win over Derby County yesterday, 2-1. Both goals were by Charlie Austin in the second half (49′, 74′).

The Clarets are currently 1-2-1 with 5 points through their first four matches. They have next weekend off, then host Middlesbrough on September 10.

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Monterrey also got a big win over Santos Laguna, 2-0. Goals by Luis Perez off a corner kick (28′) and Humberto Suazo (67′).

Los Rayados are 4-0-3 in the 2011 Apertura. For the 2011-12 season, Mexico is dispensing with “groups”, and will now play a single ladder with the top 8 advancing to the playoffs. Monterrey were 6th place out of 18 going into this weekend; they’ll undoubtedly be higher.

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Stoke City have 2 points out of their first 2 matches, and play at West Bromwich Albion this morning at 10am. The match is on Fox Soccer Plus, Channel 621 (621-1 for HD), which DirecTV has a free preview for this weekend.

If it’s any consolation, the Potters have more points than Arsenal right now.

Orlando City turned on the afterburners after some early sluggishness and destroyed Richmond Kickers, 3-0, to advance to the 2011 USL Pro Championship Game.

Richmond controlled the momentum for the first 15 minutes or so, but began to falter in the center of the half. A deflection off a defender led to a goal by Luke Boden at 19′ to turn the tide in the Lions’ favor. They took control from there, catching up on shots, and surprising the defense with a goal by Mechack Jerome at 45+2′ to close the first half.

In the second half, the Lions did not relent. Dennis Chin came in at 65′, and was fed by Lewis Neal 5 minutes later to give Orlando their third at 70′. They refused to back down, and Richmond added insult to their injury when Henry Kalungi drew a straight red at 89′.

Attendance was 8,304, and we’re looking for even more for the 2011 USL Pro Championship Game. The match is next Saturday, September 3, at 7pm at the Citrus Bowl. We will be facing Harrisburg City Islanders.

One half of the USL Pro Championship Game has been decided.

Harrisburg City Islanders suffered two red cards, but still managed to beat Rochester Rhinos on the road, 2-1, to win the National Division Championship and advance to the USL Pro Playoff Final.

A laser shot off a cleared-out corner kick from 35′ by Stephen Basso got the City Islanders the lead very early at 5′. Play got chippy in the middle of the first half, and it culminated in a fight that led to a double-red, with Tony Donatelli of the Rhinos and Andrew Marshall of the City Islanders both getting sent off. The battle continued, including a very close free kick for Harrisburg that some thought should’ve been a penalty. Eventually, David Schofield stole a Rhinos attack and blasted it in for the ultimate GWG at 38′.

More controversy when Harrisburg’s Brian Ombiji was sent off at 42′. That led to the Rhinos’ sole goal at the end of the first half, by Isaac Kissi at 45′. Harrisburg got so heated at the officiating that their head coach, Bill Becher, was sent off as well. The second half was simply ugly, as Rochester simply could not take advantage of their man-up position. Harrisburg was able to escape with the division title.

Harrisburg will be on the road next week, regardless of whether they face Orlando City or Richmond Kickers in the Championship. And they will do so without their head coach, a defender and a key midfielder (unless the league reviews their red cards, which seems unlikely). So their backs will definitely be against the wall from the start next weekend.

The march to the USL Pro Championship resumes tomorrow night as Orlando City hosts Richmond Kickers.

The Kickers started out dominant, but sputtered down the stretch, sinking to the third seed in the American Division. But last weekend, they proved they can still be dangerous. Are we still the dominant force in USL Pro?

Adam Soucie has the match preview. The match will not be on TV, but it will be on radio in Spanish on 1340 AM Onda Mexicana Radio.

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The United Soccer Leagues has asked Orlando City’s supporters to cut it out on the streamers. As a result, the team has placed limits on when they can be thrown.

Streamers now will only be permitted prior to kickoff, following goals, and after the final whistle. They may not be used to interfere with actual play.

As it stands, Hurricane Irene has been accelerating, but its track has pulled further east. As it stands right now, Florida is expected to have some transitory effects (some rain, maybe weak tropical storm-force winds) through Thursday evening to Friday evening, but it is expected to be out of our way for Saturday.

As it stands, Saturday night’s Orlando City playoff game looks to be in the clear. Current forecasts show a reduced rain probability of 30% with a high of 91 on Saturday.

Friday night, Charleston Battery didn’t have enough juice for extra time as Orlando City prevailed, 3-1, to advance to the USL Pro Playoff semifinal.

I (center) had my own taste of the regular season title by day, while (clockwise from upper left) The Ruckus and O-Town Hooligans, the Iron Lion Firm, Los Guerrilloz, and the "Purple Guys" had the action going through the very end and beyond. (all photos mine)

Charleston held the Lions locked down in their offense for most of the first half until broken through when Max Griffin took a pass from Lewis Neal to have the first word at 44′. Orlando continued to push hard in the second half, but a mistake allowed a Charleston goal by Nicki Paterson at 64′. Charleston locked it back down, and pushed the match to extra time.

Charleston’s defense lost its step as the match wore on, and at 100′, Dennis Chin fired a goal in off an assist from Ian Fuller to take the lead for good. The Battery doomed themselves when Dane Kelley got a straight red at 102′ for an out-of-box attack on Miguel Gallardo. Lewis Neal put the last nail in the coffin off a Jamie Watson pass at 118′.

With that win, Orlando City will host the USL Pro playoff semifinal–the American Division Championship–this Saturday night, August 27, at 7:30pm. They will be hosting Richmond Kickers, who beat Wilmington Hammerheads 5-4 in penalty kicks following scoreless regulation and extra time on Friday night. In the National Division Championship on Friday night, Rochester Rhinos will host Harrisburg City Islanders.

Tickets are on sale for the City match on Saturday night, at the same prices as the regular season, through the City ticket office (855-ORL-CITY) or Ticketmaster.

The day of reckoning is almost here. The team has been hard at work preparing for tomorrow’s playoff match against Charleston Battery.

We go rain or shine, ready to flood the Citrus Bowl with a sea of red.

Adam Soucie has the match preview, and Chris Jones goes by the numbers.

Limited edition merchandise, including a special edition t-shirt, will be available. The Ruckus will be tailgating like never before. And we’ll show our City just what we’re made of.