Alavanja Injured, Out Of Lineup

Lazo Alavanja - Image From Charleston Battery Website

Ironmen forward Lazo Alavanja sustained an injury during a match on July 19th and has been out of the lineup for his Charleston Battery since.

Alavanja was subbed out in the 8th minute against the Portland Timbers after he "fell awkwardly" to the turf, according to the Battery's match report. The report did not elaborate on the nature of the injury.

Alavanja was not in the starting lineup nor listed as a reserve during the Battery's recent two game road swing.

We are yet to find official word on when Alavanja will be returning to the lineup. We here at the Local Fe26 will keep you updated as soon as specific details are known.

Irons in the USL (Weekly Update)

Sorry for the slight delay with the update this week. I've been trying to shake off a cold these past few days.

It was a relatively quiet week for Ironmen players, who failed to make their way onto the score sheets for the first time since the beginning of the season.

John Krause's Puerto Rico Islanders were the big story this week. Los Islenos rode their five-game win streak to within a point of the co-leading Vancouver Whitecaps and Charleston Battery. Their latest win came against Frederico Moojen and the Minnesota Thunder on Sunday night.

The Islanders have a game-in-hand on both the Whitecaps and the Battery.

The Battery had a disappointing week as they were only able to earn a single point in two matches. The Battery played the Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw on the road Tuesday night, but then fell in Seattle 1-0 on Saturday.

New League Structure Still In The Works

A number of you have recently asked us about the status of the new league. The last we heard, a committee had been formed and a decision regarding the structure of the new league would be made within a couple of weeks. However, that was the beginning of June. So what has been going on since?

Owners have been focusing on regionalizing the league. Under this structure, the majority of a club's games would be played against teams from a specified local region. Teams would crossover and play inter-regional games, but there would be fewer meetings. This structure would allow the league to become more economically streamlined as travel costs would be reduced.

However, the new league structure has not been finalized because owners have yet to determine the number of scheduled league games. The Ironmen front office has told the Local Fe26 that the team is still intent on playing 15 home games next season. If the number of league games are reduced, Ironmen officials are considering the possibility of scheduling friendlies against international clubs to make up for the lost home games.

The Ironmen front office has also told us that the start to next season will most likely be pushed back as a result of the delay in finalizing the new league structure. League owners will formally announce the new structure once all details have been hammered out.

The Ironmen expressed that they are looking forward to the upcoming season and thanked the supporters for their patience while the matter gets worked out.

As always, we here at the Local Fe26 will keep you updated as soon as anything develops.

Islanders Continue Winning Ways (Irons in USL Update)

John Krause (Left) and Teammates - Image From Puerto Rico Islanders Website

The Puerto Rico Islanders won their fourth straight match when they shutout the Carolina RailHawks 2-0 Friday night. Ironmen John Krause played the duration of the match on the defensive back line for the Islanders. Fellow Ironmen teamate Dan Antoniuk went 67 minutes for the RailHawks and registered one shot.

The win allowed the Islanders to continue the hottest streak in the USL. Los Islenos have come out on the winning end seven times in their last nine matches. John Krause has been a mainstay on an Islanders defense that has conceded only six goals and earned five clean sheets during the streak.

The Islanders sit in second in the USL-1 standings. They are only three points behind the Charleston Battery who defeated the Portland Timbers Saturday to retain sole possesion of first.

Ironmen To Take Part In Soccer Night

The Ironmen will be on hand for the New Jersey Jackals' "Soccer Night" promotion, which takes place Sunday July 20th. The game is slated to begin at 5:05 PM at Yogi Berra Stadium on the campus of Montclair State University.

Members of the Ironmen dance team and forward Nebo Stamenkovic will be appearing during the game to sign autographs and hang with the crowd.

Sounds like a good reason to catch a baseball game. Look for members of your Local Fe26.

Alavanja Stays Hot; Islanders Cruise On (Irons in the USL Update)

Lazo Alavanja - Image From Charleston Battery Website

Lazo Alavanja scored for the third straight game when his Charleston Battery took on the Puerto Rico Islanders Saturday night. Alavanja got the Battery off to a great start when he sent a laser of a shot into the upper 90 of the goal frame from 30 yards out.

Despite Alavanja' spectacular goal, John Krause and the Islanders' defense were able to shutdown the Battery attack for the remainder of the game. The Islanders would eventually cruise to a 3-1 victory.

The win at Charleston was the Islanders' second of the week. They downed the Portland Timbers 2-0 on Thursday. The Islanders have now won six of their last eight contests and sit second behind the Battery in the USL standings.

Elsewhere in league play, Dan Antoniuk picked up his third goal of the season in the Carolina RailHawks' 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Frederico Moojen notched an assist when the Minnesota Thunder played Antoniuk's RailHawks to a draw earlier in the week.

Alavanja Scores in Upset; Palace Comes Close

Lazo Alavanja - Image From Charleston Battery Website

The Charleston Battery pulled off a major upset last night when they knocked off FC Dallas of the MLS in the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup by a score of 3-1. Ironmen forward Lazo Alavanja was a key contributor in the Battery's win. He opened the scoring for the Battery in the 29th minute when he chipped the ball past an onrushing Dario Sala.

Alavanja left the game in the 70th minute. However, his night was not done. A few minutes after being subbed out, Alavanja threw a water bottle cap in the direction of the referee, which promptly lead to a sending off. The ejection will mean that Alavanja will not be available for the Battery's semifinal match with the Seattle Sounders.

Crystal Palace Baltimore came close to upsetting the New England Revolution, but ultimately fell on penalty kicks. Gary Brooks had an active match for Palace before being subbed out in the 81st minute. Ibrahim Kante did not suit up for Palace because of a red card in the third round. His absence was felt in the penalty shootout as Kante is one of Palace's regular penalty takers.

Ironmen in USOC Quarterfinals

There will be two Ironmen players in action when the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinals gets underway tonight.

Gary Brooks will lead the Crystal Palace Baltimore attack when the team travels to New Britain, Connecticut to take on last year's USOC winner, the New England Revolution. Ibrahim Kante will not play in the match due to a red card that he drew in Palace's shock win over Red Bull New York in the third round. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 PM.

Lazo Alavanja will also see quarterfinals action when his Charleston Battery look to upset FC Dallas on the road. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:30 PM at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

Both games can be seen or heard online. Check the US Open Cup website for details.

Alavanja's Goal Bolsters Charleston (Irons in USL Weekly Update)

Lazo Alavanja and Teammates - Image From Charleston Battery Website

Welcome back from the holiday weekend. It was certainly a busy time for Ironmen players as there were six USL-1 games in which they took part.

Lazo Alavanja arguably enjoyed the best week out of all Ironmen players. Alavanja registered the only goal of the match when his shot from 30 yards out beat the Seattle Sounders' goalkeeper. The goal allowed Alavanja's Charleston Battery side to pull four points ahead of Vancouver for first place in the standings.

Dan Antoniuk also had a productive week. He set up the Carolina RailHawks' first goal in their 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders. Antoniuk has picked up assists in his last two matches.

Elsewhere, John Krause anchored a Puerto Rico Islanders defense that only conceded one goal in two games this week. The Islanders dropped the first match to Miami FC 1-0, but came out on top against the Montreal Impact in their second match.

Ironmen In U.S. Open Cup (Third Round Update)

We already reported on how Ironmen players faired in Crystal Palace Baltimore's improbable 2-0 victory over the pitiful Red Bulls. Now let's move on to the other three U.S. Open Cup matches in which Ironmen players took part.

Dan Antoniuk's Carolina RailHawks put up a spirited fight against the Kansas City Wizards, but eventually fell in extra-time by a count of 4-2. The RailHawks got on the board first with goals in the 43rd and 57th minute. Antoniuk picked up an assist on Carolina's second goal when his header into the 18 yard box found Kurt Morsink who beat the keeper to the left side of goal. Unfortunately for the RailHawks, the Wiz woke up and scored in the 68th minute and again in the 85th on a penalty kick to send the match into extra-time where they would add two more goals.

Mauricio Salles and the Rochester Rhinos pressured MLS giant DC Untited for most of their match and even managed to control the game at points. Salles came close to getting the Rhinos on the board first when one of his shots in the second half skimmed over the crossbar and caromed off the net support stanchion behind the goal. The Rhinos were able to hold United scoreless until 78th minute when Marc Burch finally found net. Burch would add another minutes later to end the scoring at 2-0 in favor of United.

Lazo Alavanja's Charleston Battery were far more fortunate in their match with defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo. The Battery came out strong and controlled the pace of the match for most of the first half. Alavanja set up a scoring chance with a flick-on header to a streaking John Wilson whose shot flew just outside the post into the sidenetting. Alavanja would have a go a few minutes later when he turned on a pass inside the box and sizzled a shot that forced a save from Houston 'keeper Tony Caig. Alavanja played 59 minutes in the match.

The Battery scored first on a Marco Reda goal in the first half. But the Dynamo were able to equalize in the 89th minute when the Battery were reduced to 10 men by a straight red card that was issued a few minutes prior. However, the score would remain 1-1 throughout extra-time and the Battery would go on to knock off the Dynamo on penalties 4-3.

Charleston will now travel to Dallas to take on FC Dallas in the quarterfinals. Check the US Open Cup website for details.

Ironmen Players Help Palace Shock Pathetic RBNY; Local Fe26 Returns Home

Gary Brooks - Image From MetroFanatic

Some of us from the Local Fe26 made the trek down to Annapolis last night to help the Empire Supporters Club cheer on Red Bull New York in their third round matchup against Crystal Palace Baltimore in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. We endured hours of crawling traffic delays on I-95 only to witness our team stink up the field with one of the most inept and uninspiring performances that many of us have ever seen. Despite being up a man for most of the match, the lackluster Red Bulls were unable to generate any sustained pressure and ultimately fell by a count of 2-0 to a lively Palace side that looked well organized. Palace's victory is even more shocking considering that they play in the USL-2, which is two levels below the MLS on the U.S. soccer pyramid.

It was, however, nice to see Ironmen players assume staring roles for Palace in their win. Gary Brooks proved to be a handful for Red Bull defenders for most of the match. Brooks sealed the Red Bulls' fate in the 75th minute when he banged a cross from the left wing past a diving Zach Thornton for Palace's second goal of the night. Brooks led the way for the Palace offense with three shots on target.

Ibrahim Kante anchored the Palace defense before being sent off with a straight red card towards the end of the first half. Kante spent most of his time marking Mike Magee and Chris Megaloudis, who were both rendered ineffective throughout the match.

On the other side of the ledger, former Ironmen and newly signed Red Bull Gordon Kljestan started in the midfield and played the first half before being subbed out in favor of John Wolyniec.

Palace's win sets them up for a quarterfinal showdown with the New England Revolution in New Britain Conn. Check the US Open Cup website for game time and exact venue location.