Pics From XtremBol Soccer Tourney

A few of us here at the Local Fe26 made it out to the Ironmen's XTremBol street soccer tournament today in the Prudential Center parking lot. The event turned out to be a pretty good time despite the early rainy weather. Below are a few pictures that we took of the scene. Click on each image to enlarge.

Tony Meola, Goran Vasic and Nebo Stamenkovic greet the Master of Ceremonies

Jersey's Finest (maroon) and Master Railing (yellow) get ready for a set piece

Some of the festivities included music and food

Freestyle juggling

Some reggaeton flavor

The ref steps in

XSL Schedule Released (First Look)

The league schedule was unveiled last night on the XSL website. The Ironmen will open the season at home against the Chicago Storm on December 14th. The regular season will conclude on April 4th with the playoffs getting underway the following week. There is no word yet on the playoff format.

Most noticeably absent from the schedule are dates with NISL sides. It remains to be seen if inter-league matches will be added at a later time. We will keep you updated on anything that develops.

As for what we have now, the Ironmen will play 10 home matches and 10 away. They will meet with Chicago and Detroit seven times and with Milwaukee six. There will be 15 games played on a Saturday or Sunday, four Friday games and one Wednesday.

Here's how the schedule shapes up (home matches are in bold):

December 14: Chicago at New Jersey
December 20: New Jersey at Detroit
January 4: New Jersey at Chicago
January 9: Chicago at New Jersey
January 11: Milwaukee at New Jersey
January 16: New Jersey at Milwaukee
January 24: New Jersey at Milwaukee
January 25: New Jersey at Detroit
February 8: Chicago at New Jersey
February 15: New Jersey at Chicago
February 18: Detroit at New Jersey
February 22: Detroit at New Jersey
February 28: New Jersey at Detroit
March 8: New Jersey at Detroit
March 13: Chicago at New Jersey
March 15: New Jersey at Chicago
March 22: Milwaukee at New Jersey
March 27: Detroit at New Jersey
March 29: New Jersey at Milwaukee
April 4: Milwaukee at New Jersey

Ironmen To Host Street Soccer Tourney

The Ironmen will be hosting a 4-on-4 street soccer tournament this Sunday in the Prudential Center parking lot located on the corner of Lafayette and Broad Street. 12 teams will compete throughout the day in two enclosed cages. Games are set begin at 9:00 AM and end around 8:00 PM.

The event will feature music, food and other festivities. A few Ironmen players will be present throughout the event.

Sounds like an event worth checking out. Look for members of your Local Fe26. You can read more on the event on the Ironmen website.

Islanders Stun Santos, Take Group Lead (Irons In USL Update)

Image From Puerto Rico Islanders Website

The Puerto Rico Islanders scored another CONCACAF Champions League upset when they downed Club Santos Laguna at home last night by a score of 3-1.

Both teams had difficulty linking up in the opening minutes as the match began in a heavy downpour that waterlogged the pitch. The standing water hampered a Santos clearing attempt in the 15th minute that resulted in a shot that was deflected and then redirected into the net by Osei Telesford for the Islanders' first tally. Noah Delgado would add another one for the Islanders just before the break and Edwin Miranda tallied the third in the 50th on a wide open shot from well inside the box.

John Krause once again was a defensive standout as he effectively pressured the ball and closed down space to attackers inside the box.

The win allowed the Islanders to take an early lead in the group D standings. They have six points on a 2-0-0 record. Their first group win came against Tauro FC.

The Islanders next match will be away in Panama against CSD Municipal.

Islanders Take On Santos In CCL (Irons In USL Update)

John Krause and the Puerto Rico Islanders will be hosting Club Santos Laguna tonight in CONCACAF Champions League group D play. The match will air at 11:00 PM ET on Fox Soccer Channel.

The Islanders upset Tauro FC in their first group match. They opened up the tournament by shocking LD Alajuelense in the preliminary round.

Santos defeated CSD Municipal in their first group match by a score of 3-2 at home.

XSL Unveiled

As we mentioned earlier, The Xtreme Soccer League was officially introduced at a press conference in Milwaukee yesterday afternoon. Here are the main aspects that were covered:

• The league will consist of four teams: the New Jersey Ironmen, Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition and Milwaukee Wave.
  
• Each team will have a 20-game schedule broken down into 10 home and 10 away.
  
• The season will open up on December 1st and end late in March.
• Rules will be unchanged from last year. The multi-point scoring system will once again be in effect.
• All league games will be streamed on the XSL website. The site will also have a number of interactive features.
  
• The league will host 3 on 3 soccer tournaments for youth and adults throughout the year and expand their summer camp program.

Let's start with the positives:

The XSL website was well thought out. Online game streaming will make following the Ironmen much easier. Feeds for away games were nearly impossible to find last year.

The league also made a good move in keeping the same rules as last year. Although some purists might disagree, the multi-point scoring system is one facet that adds excitement and a sense of uniqueness to the indoor game.

Now our concerns:

The press conference was lacking in a number of ways. A four member league is obviously very small. It will be interesting to see how the league handles inter-league games. Matches against National Indoor Soccer League sides would allow teams to have a more diversified schedule. Meaningful inter-league matches would also help the Ironmen to establish a natural regional rivalry with the NISL's Philadelphia Kixx and Baltimore Blast.

The press conference also failed to address what teams will be playing for. Noticeably absent was any mention of playoffs or a league cup. A championship game or series between the XSL and NISL winners would be a very appealing prospect.

Hopefully the league will address these issues when they release more information in about a week. As always, we here at the Local Fe26 will keep you caught up.

Another Champions League Win For Puerto Rico (Irons In USL Update)

The Puerto Rico Islanders scored another upset last night when they downed Panamanian powerhouse Tauro FC by a score of 2-1 in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Former Metro Petter Villegas opened up the scoring for the Islanders in the 11th minute with a clinical finish to the near post from inside the box. Kendall Jagdeosingh added the second goal in the 26th on a shot from 25 yards out that caught the Tauro keeper off his line.

Aside from the one lapse that lead to a goal, John Krause and the Islanders defense were able to mark out Tauro attackers and absorb their pressure. The defense came up big late in the game after the Islanders went down to ten men in the second half.

The Islanders next Champions League match will be against Club Santos Laguna on September 23rd. Check the CONCACAF website for more information.