December 1

After having spent four days of Thanksgiving celebration, one might think that I should feel full and stuffed from all the food that I have eaten over the past few days, but that is not the case. Do not get me wrong here, I ate more food in four days than I usually do in a week and former Dolphin player Jordan Stanton and his family treated their guests, me and Stefan Runeman, like kings.

The emptiness I feel in my stomach has nothing to do with a lesser intake of cuisine, it is has to deal with something far greater than that.

Soccer is no longer a part of my life - I do not belong to a team nor do I have future seasons and goals to look ahead. Altogether, soccer is something that has been part of my daily life since I was around six years old and now it is time for me to walk the streets of this planet without looking forward to the excitement of the next game, all the banter in the locker room, and all the celebrations after a good game.

Our season ended about a week ago. We failed to write another chapter in our season saga and the tale of JU men’s soccer team year 2008 ended on a cold field in Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC won with one goal to zero and even though we were extremely close, we failed to pull out another last minute miracle.

I will not discuss this last game in this blog because I have already played it over and over in my mind over the last few days. Instead I will write about some things that I strongly remember from this season.

This year has been the most successful year in JU men’s soccer history. We made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and everybody on our team should pat themselves on the back because this was nothing less than a team effort and everybody, starter, non-starter, fourth string keeper or first string keeper, injured or healthy, should be proud of what took place over these past four months.

What made this season possible was the fact that we played as a team and that we fought for each other. One great player does not make a team good, but 11 good players can make a team great, and that is exactly what we did.

We had a tough start to the year and we experienced problems in the squad. Several players battled injuries but we found a lineup to compete with and in the end we had built a strong team that could give any other program in the nation a good game.

Of course, there were individual performances over the past season that helped us achieve what we did. Some of them that come up in my mind are: Ramak Niakan Safi and his last ten or so games. Remy caught fire and scored some amazing goals, many of them game winning.

Stefan Runeman‘s two great free kick goals, one which made it possible for us to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Tony Taylor’s brilliance one-on-one - what amazed me the most was his second goal against Gardner-Webb. Gosh, that was freaking amazing.

Kristian Lassen and his performance in the conference tournament is also something that sticks out.

Jonathan Jackson and his constant battle on the left or right flank is also something that significantly helped us this year.

We also had a great back line, whether who was playing: Kelly Gill, Nurrdin Hrustic, Eddie Munnelly, Philipp Meyner, Oliver Klingenstein, or Patrick Rundio, we always knew that we had a strong defense and we could put a lot of trust in them. Allowing Campbell to only take three shots in 90 minutes in the A-Sun final is an insane achievement. We also had great goalkeeping and leadership in Joey Sanchez, but also great trust in Matt Gilman on the bench.

We also had performances of the bench. Wesley Lartey game in against Georgia and scored twice, Nedim Hrustic scored two very important goals coming in off the bench. I will never forget his celebration run after his overtime game winner against Louisville. I quote the Louisville Courier Journal: “Hrustic went wild racing around the track portion of the stadium as if he were Carl Lewis”.

Riley Butler played solidly whether he started or not. Conner “Simba” Vogel got the chance to play on the right midfield position in the first half against Alabama A&M, and he scored on his first and only shot on goal.

Those were all individual performances over the past season that helped us as a team, and also formed us as a team and made us stronger.

Regarding myself I know that I could have, should have, and would have performed a much better individual performance if I it were not for all the injuries that have hindered me over the past four years. My left knee has gone through many surgeries and I can only hope that ending my career will at least make my knee feel a lot better.

Over my four years of college soccer here in the US, I have only been able to take part in one spring season. I forced myself to be healthy after my meniscus surgery in August and I was able to take part in all the games this season, and for that I am very happy. I was very close to throwing in the towel twice over the past years, but with this season in mind, I am glad and proud of myself that I never quit fighting and continued to find a way to come back to the field.

I have played almost 80 games during my college career, starting all but six, scored 12 goals and assisted 18.

I will never think “what if…” I would have not gotten injured during my freshman year, well, then I would have never been a part of this great team and I never would have experienced the comeback win against Campbell, the penalty kicks against Lipscomb, or last but not least, our win in Louisville.

I have had the best time of my life over the last four years and in the end that is all that matters. Good results on the field or not, my pursuit of happiness has been successful and I think I speak for all my teammates when I say that this season will be a memory we all cherish throughout our lives.

This being my final blog I would like to say a few final words:

First, I would like to thank everybody that has read my writings over the past months. I have enjoyed all your compliments and comments.

A big thank you goes to Joel Lamp for making this blog possible. I would also like to thank Brian and Josh for all the good time spent in the office. Keep that good music going, Josh.

Another big thank you goes out to all of you that have followed us and watched us play these past seasons - parents, family, friends, students, and regular fans. I have enjoyed your cheering and keep it up next year.

My teammates of course. I will always remember this team and I wish you all the luck in the future, both off and on the soccer field.

A sincere thank you goes out to assistant coaches Terry Peak and Kenny Mukasa along with trainer Blas Ruelas. I have had a great time with all of you and I wish you all the luck.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank Coach Mike Johnson for these past three years. First, thanks for making them happen and thanks for all the motivation you have given me and my teammates. I believed you when you told me three years ago that we could build a championship team and reach the NCAA Tournament. We became A-Sun Champions, twice, and we reached the NCAAs. For that I am always greatly thankful. If you ever need an assistant coach in the future remember that a phone call to Sweden is not too expensive.

It has been a pleasure!

Sebastian Lindholm

November 24

As you all know by now, we won over Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For the second time in a row the final score was set 4-3 in favor of JU. Once again we won the game by playing a really good second half.

We scored four great goals by four different people and it is really important to have good performances all over the field in games of this magnitude. We cleared three balls off our own goal line, stopping Louisville from scoring and even though they outshot us, we managed to win the game by scoring the final goal one minute into the first ten minute period of overtime.

This past week has been extremely busy and I cannot go into as much detail as I would have liked to about our past game against Louisville; this since it is past midnight and I need to catch some sleep before tomorrow’s (Tuesday) big game against University of North Carolina.

Our trip up to Raleigh, North Carolina, went great and we enjoyed a good practice session at their game field today. The Sheraton Hotel is treating us nicely and I speak for all of us when I say that we are really excited for tomorrow’s game. UNC is ranked in the nation and received a free pass from the first round, this should not matter though. We know we have the capability to give any team in the nation a good game and tomorrow will be no different.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we take on the Tar Heels at 6 p.m. 32 schools are left in the country and Jacksonville University with its student body of 3500 people is one of them.

Go Dolphins!

November 20

We have just enjoyed a really pleasant meal at TGI Friday’s in downtown Louisville. Tomorrow, Friday the 21st of November we will play the Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

So far preparation has been flawless and Mohammed Ali’s hometown has treated us very well. It is really cold here but we have received head gear and gloves that we can use during tomorrow’s game. It was snowing for a while earlier today and some of the Florida natives went berserk trying to catch their first glimpse of the weird white powder like substance that fell down from the sky.

We also got the chance to watch a videotape of our opponents. They looked athletic and very solid in the back. They played really defensively with a non-technical type style of attacking. Tomorrow’s game will be very interesting to say the least.

I hope that all of you out there cross your fingers at around 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

I have a lot of faith in this team and I know we have the ability and skill to win this game. We need to show the determination and will to make that happen tomorrow. A little bit of luck will not hurt either.

November 18

The show must go on.

T hose were the words of the late Freddie Mercury of rock group Queen. This time the show has continued to go on but for the first time since 1998, Jacksonville University is a part of it.

As Atlantic Sun Champions, we received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Tomorrow, we travel to Kentucky and on Friday night at 7 p.m., we will face our biggest challenge this year - Louisville. A win there and we play University of North Carolina on Tuesday.

I am sure that that many of you watched our final game against Campbell online at A-Sun TV. For you that did it, congrats, that must have been one of the most exciting games ever. For you that were not able to enjoy the big battle, here is a review of the 90 minutes of soccer that earned us the title “Atlantic Sun Champions.”

Instead of me analyzing our performance I will present to you an unbiased evaluation. Thanks to Joe Mauceri from Online Soccer Site Pro Player Pipeline.

Buies Creek, NC - #2 seed Jacksonville overcame a two goal deficit in the second half to beat #1 seed Campbell 4-3 in the Atlantic Sun tournament championship. Campbell played a terrific first half on the way to a disastrous second half that may have ended their season except if they receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament. With a 14-6 record and a RPI of 38, Campbell put the bub in bubble.

Simplistically, Jacksonville won because while they played the entire game, Campbell played just a superlative first half.

After torrential down pours for several days, the field was very muddy for a 10 by 40 yard swath down the near side line. Additionally, it was slippery throughout but it didn’t impact the score.

Jax observations:

Senior Sebastian Lindholm holds and distributes the ball to his wide midfielders well. Lindholm and senior Ramak Niakan Safi combined well slicing the Campbell defense to shreds. It was a problem that was occurring throughout the game that Campbell never solved.

These two combined for the first goal of the game in the 12th minute by a Lindholm surgical through ball that Safi shot from behind the Campbell defense with a hard accurate low shot.

Sophomore forward Tony Taylor was the difference maker. When he was introduced into the game in the 30th minute, he changed the game. He was dominating in the second half. He drove into the box and was tough for Campbell to knock off the ball. Taylor has speed, strength and technical skill. He’s someone that should be watched next year.

Taylor contributed a goal and an assist in the second half. In a replica of the first goal except with different players, sophomore Nedim Hrustic made a small pass to put Taylor behind the defense and Taylor slotted the ball past the GK in the 57th minute. This was a critical goal, because it gave Jacksonville hope and it made Campbell even more tentative. At this point, Campbell lost their confidence and were trying to hold on rather than playing their game. Today, their game was victim - because that is how they played.

The tying goal was scored in the 75th minute and the game was over at that point. Some may have not admitted it, but it was just a matter of when. When - the 89th minute. The second half was similar to watching a sand castle at the beach. The ocean starts knocking down the outer walls and streams up the sides before a large wave crashes onto the castle and destroying it.

Junior goal keeper Joey Sanchez did not make a save. He lost confidence after allowing the 3rd Campbell goal on his misplay. If Campbell applied more pressure, Sanchez would have crumbled.

I must say that this game was the most emotional and the hardest played game I have played thus far here in the US. Winning the game and the tournament gave me a feeling of being around 12 years old again - 12 years and totally in love with the game of soccer. When I was young, all I cared about in life was that one soccer game I played every weekend. This feeing came back to me this weekend in North Carolina. The success of the team was all that mattered.

The feeling of winning against Campbell after losing 3-1 in halftime was overwhelming. Last weekend will be a dear memory that I cherish for life.

I am very proud of being part of this team and all we have achieved in the three years I have been here at JU. Hopefully we can make this season last yet another week.

November 14

The JU men’s soccer team with its players and staff has reached the Atlantic Sun Conference Final for the second year in a row.

Our semifinal game against Lipscomb was as intense and ardent as only a game of soccer can be. It was a brutal battle for 110-plus minutes and here is a short review of what exactly took place in the deepest parts of North Carolina.

The game started off in a good pace with Jacksonville keeping most of the possession and most of the attacking movement. We scored our first goal after a great attack where Jonathon Jackson played the ball wide to Patrick Rundio. “Poldi” drove the ball down towards the end line before crossing the ball towards the center of the box. I met up with the ball, but instead of shooting it, I let it run through my legs to an unmarked Kristian Lassen. “Tissemand” made no mistake and banged the ball into the net of the goal. We were up one goal to nothing and we got exactly the start that we wanted.

The game continued to move in a good tempo with a lot of attacks on both sides of the field. Riley Butler had two good opportunities, but was unlucky with the finishes. Before the end of the first half, Lipscomb had equalized our lead by scoring of a through ball played in-between our backline and our goalkeeper Joey Sanchez.

The game was tied at halftime and we were all very positive during our mid-game talk in the locker room. We were all very optimistic about the outcome of the game and we started second half by creating a good free-kick opportunity. Instead of us taking the lead, Lipscomb counter attacked us and got a one-on-one run against our keeper after their striker had made a run with the ball for 50 yards. Their forward made no mistake and rolled the ball pass Sanchez. We had now gone from being up 1-0 to trailing the game, 2-1.

Lipscomb, now being up a goal, changed their tactics and started to play with a really low backline. We tried to create chances but did not generate good looks to score. It took us until the 87th minute before we could tie the game. Once again it was Jay-Jay Jackson who played the ball wide; this time to the left side of the field. I received his pass and played a low cross towards Lassen. Once again Super-Dane-Lassen relied on his right foot and placed the ball behind the Lipscomb keeper. We had tied the game and gained some momentum with less than three minutes left of the game.

The two 10-minute extra time periods remained scoreless and the game would therefore go to penalty shoot-outs. We won the coin toss and decided to take the first kick. Defender Oliver Klingenstein placed the ball in the lower left corner with out of reach for their keeper. Their number ten striker, Michael DaSilva, was set to take their first penalty kick. Sanchez decided to go to his left and this proved to be a great move because he came up big and saved DaSilva’s kick. Our second and third takers, Philipp Meyner and Stefan Runeman, scored with impeccable confidence. Their third kicker hit the crossbar and that put the destiny of the game in the hands of our fourth kicker, Ramak Niakan Safi. “Remy” was cold as ice and placed the ball into the lower left corner.

Victory was ours and in a 25-man pile of madness, with Sanchez at the bottom, we celebrated our sixth consecutive win against Lipscomb. We stood as winners after a real thriller of a soccer game, and once again showed great team spirit and dignity. This team and its players have showed that you can never count us out. This time we were down, but when the ref had counted to nine, we stood up and found a way to win.

Tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 15, we will once again play Campbell University for the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship and a place in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Tomorrow is departure day. Around Noon, 20 brave souls will travel north to conquer the land of North Carolina.

Thursday is D-Day. We will encounter the winner of Mercer and Lipscomb. Two teams we have already beaten this season. D-Day will continue until Saturday when around five o’clock the final whistle while echo over the battlegrounds in Buies Creek and only one team will remain standing.

We have a healthy squad and during yesterday’s team scrimmage everybody on the team that has been playing from time to time this season was available to play. We need to have a good session today and then continue on and prepare properly while in North Carolina.

This is the last competitive soccer I will ever play and I am thankful for the opportunity I have had here in America. I hope for the sake of myself and for the great people and players on our team that we finish this season in style - I know we have the talent and skill to win this tournament.

For some reason I do not know what more to say. Maybe it is a sense of solemn importance that has overwhelmed me, but I do not have that much more to tell you. Everybody on the team knows that THIS IS IT. Many on the team experienced what happened one year ago, when Campbell won over us in penalty kicks. Some experienced what happened two years ago when we lost to Stetson in the semifinal. This year it should be our turn to win it. We should manage to do it. We need to. We have to. End of discussion.

We are a week into the month of November and in less than seven days we will play the semifinal of this year Atlantic Sun Tournament against the winner of Lipscomb and Mercer. It is the third year in the row our team goes to the A-Sun semifinal and it will hopefully be our third consecutive year in a row that we win the semifinal. A lot of people on the team are eager to play this upcoming week and I have a good feeling about our chance of winning the A-Sun Tournament.

Yesterday, we had a team exhibition where we played the starting eleven against the non-starters. We played two 30 minute halves and the starters won with six goals to zero. We had some really good attacks, and most of our goals were scored after some good passing combinations. I had a hat trick in the game and I could not but think about my old coach in Sweden who once told me: “Sebastian, you are a good player in games, but when it comes to practice you are [Swedish curse word] great player”. It is absolutely not a compliment, rather the opposite, but I thought back then, and I think now, that he had a good point in what he was saying.

After having today off we start back on tomorrow morning with a practice session at 10.30. We have another scrimmage on Sunday night and then a regular practice on Monday before we leave for North Carolina on Veterans Day. The season is on its final stretch and it seems like we will have a completely healthy squad when we go to the tournament. Everything is in our own hands now and we have a good chance to make this happen.

Campbell has a winning streak of eleven games and a shutout streak of eight games but everybody knows that a bubble is bound to burst…

November 5

It is the day after the election and more than half of the people in this nation are suffering from a political hangover. We have been bombarded with information from the media, the advertising industry and our peers but now it is finally over. The presidential race has come to an end and I must say that this was so much more exiting compared to 2004 when I was a freshman and George W. Bush got elected for a second term.

When I watched CNN last night I actually felt a bit proud to witness history in the making. It was with much joy I saw the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, hold his winning speech in Chicago. It was also with much respect I watched John McCain as he held his final speech in Phoenix. Two very adequate parties have fought long and hard for the number one spot. This time the Democrats came up big at the end. Next time it might be different.

We started off our week of practice yesterday with a half-field scrimmage. We played upper classmen against our freshmen plus Joey Sanchez in goal and assistant coach Terry Peak as their left back. Like so many times before, our upper classmen gave our younger class a lesson in how to play the game of soccer. The final result was set to 3-2 in favor of the old folks. It was a fun practice and I have always believed that scrimmage is the best way to play a team together and it is the best way to prepare a team for a game, just because it is the most game like feature you can do.

The Atlantic Sun Tournament is one week away and it will surprise me a lot if the final does not consist of the two teams that have been better than the rest for the entire season: JU and Campbell. Both teams have played very good soccer at times and Campbell, now being ranked 24th in the nation, must be considered as the favorite. But I know what our team is capable of and I hope and believe that we will come up big at the end of the A-Sun tournament.

November 3

It is the day before The Election of 2008, but for once you will read something on the Internet that does not deal with politics! I am sure you will find this pleasant since Change is something we all need in life. Yesterday’s game against Lipscomb marked the end of many things - it was the final home game for four JU seniors (I, Ramak Niakan Safi, Andy Vassilo, and Philipp Meyner), it was the final game of the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season, and it was our final game before the A-Sun Tournament.

Our weekend started off with a game against Belmont - a game in which we could have secured the second seed at the A-Sun Tournament. Instead of doing what we came for, we failed to execute and Belmont won the game after scoring twice on set pieces. Once again, our winning streak ended after three games. We have never, in my three year career here at JU, won more than three games in a row.

We had a light practice session on Saturday and everybody seemed to be really focused on our mission for Sunday: to win against Lipscomb and clinch second place of the regular season and therefore get an automatic spot in the semifinal of the tournament.

Senior Day became a success and after scoring three times in less than fifteen minutes in the second half, victory was ours. Ramak Niakan Safi celebrated his final home game as a Dolphin by scoring twice. Jay Jay Jackson scored our third goal after a great pass from Patrik Rundio.

For the second season in a row we end conference play with a 7-2 record and a total of 21 points. This time it was not enough to get first place, but we should be proud of ourselves and make sure we are prepared to face regular season champion Campbell in a possible tournament finale.

We have more than a week until our next game and it should be enough time to recharge our batteries and get energy for the playoffs. Hopefully we can get another three game winning streak, since that would make us tournament champions. If we win our tournament, we only need to win five more games to become national champions. Seems like a piece of cake.

October 31

It is a big weekend for the city of Jacksonville and our school. Georgia vs. Florida brings in tons of spectators and The Landing down town will transform into The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party before, during, and after the football game tomorrow (Saturday). Yesterday was Senior Night for women’s soccer and the game against UNF turned out to be a great ending for the seven seniors. JU won 1-0 after a great volley goal by freshman Jessica Hurtado.

On Sunday at 1 p.m., we have our Senior Night game (Is it still called Senior Night even though the game is at broad daylight?). We play Lipscomb and hopefully we can have the same grand ending as the girls had.

But before our Senior Game we will play in the Tank under the Friday night lights one last time. Tonight, the men’s team can secure the number two spot in the Atlantic Sun Regular Season and with that a bid in the Conference Tournament. We need to bring our A-game to the field and perform at a high level if we want this to happen. We know from last year that Belmont is a good team and two years ago they won 2-0 against us here at the Ashley Sports Complex.

Add a lot of Halloween celebrations to that and you have a very eventful weekend here in Jacksonville.

We are 6-1 in conference play and if we win out this weekend we have acclaimed even more points than last year, a year in which we won the regular season championship. Being 8-1 when we travel up to North Carolina for the A-Sun Tournament would be huge for us and it would be a great winning streak that we can build on upon when we enter the tournament.

We have the outcome of this weekend in our own hands and hopefully we will not let anybody down. I hope we can show some soccer tricks and treats to the fans coming out to watch the game tonight and on Sunday.

Happy Halloween everybody!

A cold front has struck Jacksonville and as I exit my apartment on my way to the Athletic Department building I almost feel like I am back home again…and this causes a bitter shiver to go down my spine. The cold temperature in the air reminds me of how much the weather and environment in which we live in plays a part in our daily life and how one feels.

I am sure there is a correlation rate between bad weather and depression. Take Seattle for example - the city in America with the most days of precipitation is also the city with the highest suicide rate. Thinking about this makes me wonder why people actually settled in areas in the north. It also makes me think that maybe I should try to figure out a way to only spend four months a year in Sweden (May, June, July, August, of course) and the rest of the year somewhere else, somewhere a bit more pleasant. I need to make a plan for that.

Enough about the weather, let’s talk about soccer. We started off this week with a practice session yesterday. We played short-sided games and the intensity was good. It was a fun practice and hopefully we can make the rest of the sessions this week short and qualitative.

The season is coming to an end and so does my career as a soccer player. It is with mixed feelings I see this happening, but more about that later on, when my athletic career is actually over.

We need to end this season in style and we can do so by winning out this weekend. Last year we ended the regular season on the road. We secured the A-Sun title by winning over Lipscomb and Belmont as we had traveled west to the city of Nashville. This year they come to us and this should be an advantage for us. The game on Friday is against Belmont and if we win that match we will secure second place in the regular season and also a bid in the A-Sun tournament…a tournament we will do anything to win.

Sunday’s game against Lipscomb is Senior Night and is of course special for many of our players and not just myself. For Andy “Ducky” Vassilo, Ramak Niakan Safi, Philipp “Pippo” Meyner and I (Joey Sanchez is listed as a senior but is actually a junior and will play for one more year), this is the last competitive game we will play at the Ashley Sports Complex and I am sure that I speak for all of us when I say that we want to win big one last time in front of our great home fans and at our school. I encourage all of you to come out and take part of Senior Night on Sunday.

Now it is time for me to go out and get ready for practice. The temperature here in Jacksonville is still chilling, but some days of cold weather is nothing to complain about; especially if you compare it to other places in the world.

Let us take my native country for example, Sweden has eight months of this type of weather and four of those months are completely dark with no sunlight and sometimes snowy and freezing. England has heavy winds, a lot of rain and the city of London is often filled with clouds of smog. Another example of a city with bad weather is, as I stated earlier, Seattle. 250 days of rain a year and a way colder average temperature than the one we have here in Jax.

With this in mind. I can’t stop myself from smiling when I read the big soccer news story of the day. Swedish superstar Freddie Ljungberg has signed for the MLS team Seattle Sounders. Freddie comes to Seattle after having spent nine years with Arsenal FC, before that he had spent 20 years in Sweden. Have fun in Seattle, Freddie!

I hope you do not stay sleepless.

Oh well, I am sure the $5 million deal he just signed will make him able to go away for some vacation weeks on an island in the sun.

Less than 24 hours ago, we reclaimed the title of the best soccer team in Jacksonville as we won over our rival, North Florida, in the SunTrust River City Rumble. A crowd of 650 people got to see a one-goal game, but the game was far from close.

We dominated the game in all aspects of the field and outshout our opponents by far. It was a comfortable victory in a game that meant a lot to everybody involved.

It was good to play in front of a big crowd and the atmosphere was great. UNF had some loud fans, but unfortunately for the fans, the team they cheered for was not up to the task. I had expected more from UNF, especially in a game of this magnitude. Their defense line played extremely low and did not put any pressure on our team, even when we were one goal up. They did not connect more than two passes in a row and their goalkeeper kicked at least five goal kicks out of bounds. UNF needs a lot of improvement if they want to be in the race for the A-Sun Championship next year.

Once again we kept a clean sheet and Ramak “Remy” Niakan Safi had our game-winning goal. “SuperSub” Safi headed the ball into the upper left corner off a cross from Philipp “Pippo” Meyner. It was a great goal and it should not have been the only chance that turned into a goal, but one goal is enough if you do not let your opponents score any at all.

It was a great win for us. We are now 6-1 in conference play and have won every conference game on the road. That is a great achievement for our team and the school as it shows that we are ready to once more hit the road - this time for the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.

I want to thank everybody that drove out to watch the game at Hodges Stadium. I heard and saw some old JU players in the crowd (Greg Fernandes and Bryan Meyer) and it is always good to have old teammates and friends support, especially when you are in a hostile environment like the one we were in last night.

In conclusion, winning the River City Rumble and the Dennis Viollet Memorial Cup was a great ending of this weekend. It was also great to be able to celebrate the win afterwards, especially since it was my birthday as well.

October 24

The rain is pouring down and filling The Tank with water. Our afternoon practice set for 3:30 is likely to be a wet affair, if Sunday’s game against UNF will be the same I do not know.

What I do know is that it is a big deal for this school, the soccer program and all the players on the team - therefore we need to bring it and we need to bring it big time.

UNF has good facilities and their turf is almost as good as ours. I am sure that with all the build up around this game there will be a pretty good crowd when the referee starts the game on Sunday at 7 p.m. I encourage everybody here at JU to come out and cheer us on as we reclaim the title as the best soccer team in town, winners of the Dennis Viollet Cup and the River City Rumble.

We prepare for Sunday’s battle with a morning session at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. I have played in a lot of teams for a handful of coaches and I am amazed that all of them make sure there is a really early practice the day before a big game. I wonder why they do that?

On another note, I have been lucky to score some tickets for some of my favorite bands at some of the coolest and most well-known venues around the western world. Therefore I will take the advantage to share some of the great performances these bands have done in the past.

I will see: Neil Young, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and Oasis at the Madison Square Garden in New York in December. Next summer I will see Oasis (again), Kasabian, and The Enemy at Wembley Stadium in London.

Feel free to kill some time by watching these clips:

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Rockin’ in the Free World (Live 1991)
Ryan Adams – La Cienega Just Smiled (Live)
Oasis - Turn up the Sun (Live Manchester 2005)
Kasabian – Club Foot (Live Glastonbury Festival 2007)
The Enemy – Had Enough (Music video)

Enjoy, wish us luck on Sunday, and be ready for a new blog entry on Monday.

October 22

After our win against FGCU on Sunday we have had two days of rest. It has been really good to be able to rest my body and especially my left knee. My knee has been bothering me a lot for the last month and tends to swell when I run and play soccer. There is not much left of the season, so hopefully my problems will not increase any further.

All in all, the team is healthier now than we have been all season and I speak for everybody when I say that we look forward for some days of good practice before we take care of business against UNF on Sunday.

The games against UNF are always tough. Last year we lost the River City Rumble in extra time. It was probably one of our worst performances of the year, and we owe it to ourselves and the school to make sure it will not be repeated. One of our season goals is to win the Dennis Viollet Cup and everybody who has played against UNF before knows that it will not be an easy task.

The last time we played a real game at their home field was two years ago (we did play an exhibition there during last year’s preseason, but that does not count). It was a very close game that was extremely rough and hard. The game featured four red cards (3 for UNF and 1 for us). Our former captain and my great friend, Patrik Werner, was sent off, after according to the referee; having screamed obscenities on the field. Before Patrik had to leave the field, several other things had taken place: our former goalkeeper Chad Comroe had been head butted by a UNF player, which resulted in a red card for the Osprey.

When Comroe hit the ground a huge scramble occurred and the situation was rather bizarre. Hopefully none of this will take place on Sunday, but if something like this does happen we need to keep our calm and make sure we walk off the field with our heads held up high.

In conclusion, it will be an intense game with a lot at stake. It will be a great game to watch from the stands as well as to play in.

We are blessed with one of the best defenses of the Atlantic Sun and once again we have gotten recognition for it. This time it was Joey “Big Man on Campus” Sanchez that was given the Defensive Player of the Week award. He has played really well this season and has stopped several offensive Sanchez, sorry, chances, from our opponents.

I must say it is hard to play on a good team because often two good players fight for the same spot and not all the time it is possible to play both players. We have two great keepers in Matt Gillman and Joey and it feels good to know that any one of them can step in and do a great job.

Now I will go and watch a bit of Champions League action before I had out to the Ashley Sports Complex and our first practice session of the week.

If you want to read more about former Manchester United soccer star Dennis Viollet visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Viollet

October 20

When we came back to Jacksonville around midnight yesterday, there was a cool breeze in the air and the temperature was lower than it has been all year. But when we played Stetson on Friday our team was on fire.

We started off the game fairly well and had most of the possession and created a few good looks around the Stetson goal. It felt good being back in DeLand and the field that hosted last year’s A-Sun tournament, a season that abruptly ended after losing on penalty kicks against Campbell.

Midway through the first half, Stetson counter attacked us and scored the first goal of the game. It would show that the goal would be there only goal of the game.

As soon as they scored we told each other to keep on playing and keep our heads up high, we know we are a better team than they are and it showed on our body language and how we handled the situation.

After one of our attacks, we were awarded with a corner kick. I took the corner from the right side. Oliver Klingenstein got to the ball and played it to his fellow German brother, Philipp “Pippo” Meyner. “Pippo” made no mistake and placed the ball with his right (!) foot into the goal. The game was now tied. Before halftime we had also taken the lead after sophomore Tony Taylor scored his third goal of the season.

Second half started off much like the first one. We were in control of the ball and the game and it did not take long until we had taken a 3-1 lead. Once again Tony made an outstanding play and took on several Stetson players before shooting a long range shot that found the net. A great play by him and it definitely settled the game. Before the final whistle Nedim Hrustic scored a goal off a set piece taken by “Pippo”. Stetson had basically given up and an unmarked Hrustic could easily place the ball into the goal.

It was a great start of the weekend for us and a great win for our school and the soccer program. It has been a long time since JU won over Stetson at Stetson and it felt really good to on the field and over the team that beat us in the Atlantic Sun Conference semifinal in 2006.

The upcoming day the team continued to travel west towards Florida Gulf Coast University and Ft. Myers. We had a good dinner and went to bed early to prepare ourselves for Sunday’s game.

The field at FGCU was huge. This created a lot of space but it also made us play with an unnecessary distance between our different parts of the team. This altered our attacks and we did not play up to our capacity. Even though we had problems, we managed to score before halftime. Tony Taylor played a through ball to Ramak “Remy” Niakan Safi. “Remy” finished with a great shot and once again we walked off the field in halftime being up a goal.

The second half was not played with greatness or finesse, but we held on to the lead and played very comfortable in our backline. In the 86th minute, we ultimately secured the win by scoring our second goal of the game. I got the ball on the left side of the field and saw an open Nedim Hrustic inside the box. My cross found him and he headed the ball pass the FGCU goalkeeper.

This was a great weekend for us and we took six important points in the race for the two top spots. Unfortunately, Campbell won twice as well. This means that they are ahead of us in the listings with a total of 18 points. We are close behind with 15.

After our win, we entered the bus for a long ride home back to Jacksonville. Unfortunately for the team the DVD-system on the bus was dysfunctional, which made the movies only show in black and white. I suggested that we ought to put on Schindler’s List and see if that one would be in color. Surprisingly no one in the team (including the three Germans) had brought along the Steven Spielberg masterpiece, so the chance was lost.

With no chance of watching a decent movie I decided to turn to my great interest here in life - music. My iPod, featuring 6000-something songs became, like so many times before, my best buddy for the upcoming hours.

I must say, listening to music, seeing the sun set outside your window while cars pass you by is a pretty powerful feeling. Your life becomes like a slide show and you see new scenarios even though the world and your life on it still remains the same. When the day finally turned in to night and the last chorus of Neil Young’s “Keep on rocking in the free world” faded away in my head phones, I finally fell asleep feeling that is exactly what I will keep on doing - rocking in the free world.

October 17

In approximately one hour we take off for DeLand and our Friday night battle against Stetson. Yesterday, our biggest rival, Campbell, won over Lipscomb and makes our game even more crucial. If we want to be in the race for the number one spot we must win tonight’s game. Campbell was down 3-1 last night, but managed to come back and win the game. I find it very hard to believe that they will lose points in the regular conference play, especially if they continue to play with that type of winning mentality. We need to make sure, that if they do drop any points, we will be right there to pass them and take over the number one position.

We have a good week of practice behind us and a healthy squad for the game tonight. If we do not get a result tonight, there is no one or nothing we can blame it on. It is all in our hands and up to us to get the result we need.

Last year’s tournament was played at Stetson’s home turf and we have both good and bad memories at their facility. I am sure we can manage to make this night fit in among the better ones.

On Sunday, we play Florida Gulf Coast. But that is something we have to start to thinking about around 9 p.m. tonight since we need to take three points from Stetson first.

October 15

We are halfway through our week and yesterday we had a good practice with a lot of intensity and fierceness. Before our session, we had a meeting with the leadership council group and it feels like we all know what is at stake here. We are 3-1 in conference play and can still make the number one spot, with a lot of determination and some luck. Campbell, just like us, has a tough weekend. They face Belmont and Lipscomb while we take on Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast.

Yesterday we almost had our entire squad on the pitch. Captain Eddie Munnelly is out with the flu and Nik Cruz and Kristian “Tissemand” Lassen are still out due to injuries, but other than that we were a big group. It is important that everyone in the team realizes what is at stake here. We have less than a month before the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and it is time to fight through minor bashes and injuries, and try to ignore the regular pain here and there. We need everybody fighting this weekend, whether you are slightly injured or not.

When we take a look at the standings we can see that it is a really tight table with only Campbell having won all of the possible 12 points. Stetson has a must-win-weekend and needs to take 6 points in the upcoming five days if they still want to be in the race for the first spot. It is our task to make sure this does not happen.

Campbell has ETSU and Upstate left on their schedule. Their toughest two games come this weekend and an ultimate result for us would be if they tie both Lipscomb and Belmont. With this happening all three teams would lose a total of four points, which would be a huge loss for any team trying to retrieve the number one spot.

For more information about the Atlantic Sun Conference check out: http://www.atlanticsun.org/msoccer/

Hopefully you all got a better insight about the standings of our conference and the fight for the A-Sun title. Now it is time for us to prepare properly and make sure we get three points when we enter the field in De Land, FL, on Friday night.

October 13

Our clash against Campbell did not turn out the way we had hoped for and once again we fell short against them. Campbell won, 2-1, even though we were up 1-0 with less than 20 minutes left in the game. History tends to repeat itself and in my three year career at JU we have now lost to Campbell four out of four times. Campbell is to Jacksonville soccer what Lex Luthor is to Superman.

For everybody on our team, this was a real heartbreaker to once again fall short to the team that ended our season last year is of course a very tough thing to battle back from; but battle back is something we have to do.

We need to make sure that we win the rest of the games in the A-Sun regular season. If we do this we will have 24 points, and I find it very hard to believe that Campbell will win all of their remaining games. If they lose one game and tie one, or tie two games, and we win our games, we will end up as regular season champions.

The game was ruled by the referee who was equally bad for both sides. He did not seem to know that soccer is a contact sport and called fouls like Angelina Jolie adopts babies. I find it very hard to believe that the ref actually once played soccer, and without having played the game you are suppose to control, it is very hard to give it a just chance. The ref was very influential in the contest and it came as no surprise that two out of the three goals were scored on free kicks.

Stefan Runeman scored our goal on a greatly placed free kick from the left side of the box. We had several chances to increase our lead but: Riley Butler’s header was misplaced, a long range shot by me hit the crossbar and another free kick by Stefan hit the crossbar. The ball did not bounce our way and all we can hope for is that this changes when we enter the conference tournament, a tournament that is hosted by the Camels.

We had yesterday off and today we are going to watch a video of the game and go for a light jog and stretch. I think it is wise that we regain our energy level and make sure everybody is healthy for next weekend - our final weekend on the road.

October 10

My knee is swollen, my body aches, and it feels like I am twice as old as my age reads…but I am happy. Yesterday we won our third straight conference game and we are now at the top of the A-Sun after having played a third of our conference season.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we face our biggest game of the season. It is the clash of the titans, Jacksonville versus Campbell. Last year, the Camels won the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament after winning on penalty kicks against us. We scored on four out of five attempts but they, somehow, managed to make every single penalty kick.

Tomorrow we will get a chance to redeem ourselves and show them that last year was a one-time-thing. We have not played Campbell at home for almost four years and we know we are strong here at The Tank.

The Camels have also started the season strong and have the same record as us. Tomorrow’s game will be an early final of the Atlantic Sun and will most likely determine who wins the regular season championship. If we win tomorrow we can look forward on putting on another ring on our finger when the season is over with.

Last night’s game was not well played nor extremely exiting, but it was important. Mercer did not create any chances at all and we did not play up to our limit, but we did win and in the end it is all that matters.

Our goal came with less than a minute left of the first half. Ramak “Grandpa” Niakan safi came in off the bench and scored an unassisted goal. He made a run with the ball on the left flank and passed three Mercer defenders before placing the ball in the goal. A great goal and just what we needed.

Mercer was unable to retaliate and when the clock had reached 90 minutes the score was still the same. It was a good win for us and a good boost for the confidence of the team before our big battle tomorrow.

Everybody that played the A-Sun finale almost a year ago knows that tomorrow’s game will be nothing like the one we played yesterday. We need to raise our level of play, attack with numbers, be more efficient, and ultimately, finally win over Campbell.

Once again I encourage everybody to come out and watch us play. Kick-off is at 4 p.m., so come out to the Ashley Sports Complex and witness an early final of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

October 8

It is Wednesday morning and the day before our big home coming weekend and two big conference games. We finally get to play at home again. After months on the road, we are back where we belong - back to defend The Tank.

I will make this blog a short one because I do not think there is much more to say than that we have our biggest weekend so far ahead of us. We play Mercer on Thursday and Campbell on Saturday - two games that can make or break the season. If we win both we are definitely considered for the top spot of the Atlantic Sun regular season title. If we lose them both, well, then we have a long journey before the conference tournament in November.

I encourage everybody to come out and cheer us on during these upcoming days.

On another note, we congratulate Nurdin “Sasquatch” Hrustic for being honored to play for the Bosnian U-21 national team. Nurdin will miss our games against Campbell and next weekends’ game against Stetson. We have a big squad and I am certain we can fill his place without making it noticeable.

Good luck bud and say hello to Europe from me while you are at it.

On Friday I will be back and review our game against Mercer as well as reflect upon our weekend battle against Campbell.

Our weekend in South Carolina and Tennessee ended just as we had hoped - we won both games and got a perfect start of the conference season.

We started the Atlantic Sun regular season by playing USC Upstate in Spartanburg, SC. The field and weather was perfect, our start of the game was not. They tallied the first goal early in to the game when a cross from the right side found its way into the net behind our keeper Joey “Big Man on Campus” Sanchez.

We kept our heads up high and found a way to battle back. We created lots of chances and scoring opportunities. Our equalizer finally came when Kristian “Tissemand” Lassen let a long range shot sail away en route for the goal, the shot was deflected on an Upstate defender and the game was now 1-1.

We should have had a penalty call, but the ref denied it (we are more than halfway through the season and there has not been a single penalty kick so far, very strange). Before halftime they once again found the back of our net. Their second goal was scored on a counterattack when we were a bit too nonchalant in our defense.

At halftime, we had a good talk and I think I speak for everybody when I say that we very much believed that we would win this game, even though we were down a goal. We started the second half with a lot of confidence and created plenty of good looks, but it took a while before the game was equalized. Nedim Hrustic, back again from his quad injury, scored the much important goal that saw the game tied, 2-2. After receiving a cross from Riley Butler, Nedim beat an Upstate defender before shooting the ball pass the goal keeper; a very nice goal.

Our game-winning goal came with about five minutes left in the game. We got a free kick outside the right side of the box. This time it was the other Hrustic twin to step forward. “Sasquatch” came up big on my cross and headed the ball into the net.

This was not just a big win because it was on the road and the first game of the A-Sun Conference. It was also a big win because we finally came back from being down a goal. And we did it twice. We have not done that for a long, long time and we finally showed ourselves that we have the capacity to do this.

On Saturday we traveled west towards a final destination that read - Bristol, Va. We lived about forty minutes away from the East Tennessee State campus. Once again the field and facilities were great, but once again it took us a while before we could feel comfortable in our win, in fact it took us almost 90 minutes.

We started the game in a 4-5-1-formation. This caused us to have a lot of possession, but in our own half of the field, and you do not score a lot of goals from fifty yards out. In the first half we did not create half of the scoring opportunities we did against the Spartans and it was in the second half when we started to play with two strikers that we got close to score a goal.

Riley Butler had two unsuccessful one-on-one attempts against their goal keeper, Ramak “Remy” Niakan Safi had a great chance from a pass of Nedim Hrustic, but the ball sailed high over the crossbar. It was only our team captain, Stefan Runeman, that hit the ball in between the posts. Stefan received a through ball from Jonathan “JJ” Jackson, and Runeman made no mistake and hit a cracker that made the net of the goal look like an ice-cream cone. We held on to our lead and the bus ride back became as pleasant as a nine hour bus ride can be.

To summarize it, we are at the top of the table in the A-Sun and we need to make it stay that way.

Our stretch of weekends on the road is coming to an end and we are soon back to play our third home game of the season here at JU and at the Ashley Sports Complex. But first, we head north to face our two first Atlantic Sun regular season opponents; UNC Upstate and East Tennessee State.

After nine non-conference games we are now starting the part of the season that really matters. The mentality right now needs to be “now or never” because that is exactly what we are facing here. If we do not succeed in conference play, the season will soon be over and our goals and expectations will be just only goals and expectations, instead of actuality and veracity. There are 10 teams in the Atlantic Sun and when those 10 teams have played nine games each, we need to make sure that we are at the top of the table. To make this happen we will need approximately 21 points, which is seven W’s. When we come back to Jacksonville on Sunday night we ought to have 6 of those 21 points.

We’ve had two practices so far this week and once again we are faced with injuries: Dane Kristian “Tissemand” Lassen has problems with his ankle, so does Ramak “Remy“ Niakan Safi, Captain Stefan Runeman is still out due to his shoulder, Germans Patrick “Poldi” Rundio and Oliver Klingenstein are coming back from injuries and should be 100 percent for the weekend. Alex Perrea and Andy Mikeska have left Injured and are now ready to compete. Hopefully this will be the case for Nedim Hrustic. He has been out with a quad injury since our weekend in Las Vegas and is set to be back when conference starts on Friday.

Tomorrow our biggest rivals for the A-Sun ring, Campbell and Stetson face each other. A draw in that game would work well as an early Christmas gift. Speaking of winter times… it has now been a week since I asked you what one snowman asked the other snowman. I think that is enough time for you all to figure that one out. So here comes the answer: I smell carrots.

For those of you out there that can’t wait for our return to the Tank and are in desperate need to watch some good soccer I can recommend the ESPN showings of the European Champions League. On most Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:45 p.m. you can watch the best teams of Europe fight for the championship title. Each week two games are being aired live on ESPN2.

I will be back on Monday with a reflection on how our first conference weekend went; should be exiting stuff. Wish us luck.

Hello fellow blog followers, here is yet another Monday morning message from the first soccer blogger in JU history.

I wish I could give you some good news about our weekend but that is unfortunately not the case. We lost, twice, and got, once again, some players injured. The shots that last year went post and net are now hitting just the post. We have not been fortunate, but good teams make their own luck. We have now lost six games. We have lost six out of nine games. That is one defeat less than last fall and this with only being halfway in to our season. We are in a tough position but we can still make things happen. Conference is the real deal, and it starts in less than a week.

Our game against College of Charleston was yet another game we should have won. They scored the game winner, 1-0, with three minutes left in the second overtime period. We had played over 100 minutes of scoreless soccer when they put the ball in the net behind our keeper Joey Sanchez. We created a lot of chances but just like against University of South Carolina, we failed to execute. We are not good enough in the final third of the field and hopefully this will take a turn to the better when we start of our regular conference on Friday.

Our second game this past weekend was played against Alabama A&M. We took the lead after 44 minutes when sophomore Conner Vogel scored his first college goal. Despite being in the lead we lost that game as well. With 15 minutes left Alabama equalized and with less than five minutes left they scored the game winner after we lost the ball in our own backline.

We were playing without team captain Stefan Runeman and halfway through the second half, our other central midfielder, Kristian Lassen got injured. Runeman dislocated a shoulder against CofC and hopefully he will be back in time for conference play. We are not blessed with a healthy squad and it is time for the players that are available for competition to really step forward and for the injured players to get back as soon as possible.

This was our second and final tournament in South Carolina and I must say that we have not been as successful as I had hoped for and as I believe that we could have been. We have only won one out of four games and we failed to score in two of those games. Despite the loss team captain Eddie Munnelly and I made the all-tournament team; this for the second tournament in a row.

Hopefully you all got a good outlook on how our weekend was. We now have nine games left of our regular season and they are all conference games. As I stated earlier, we need to win at least seven of them to win the Atlantic Sun regular season.

Hopefully we will look each other in the eyes and make sure that this will happen; because it should happen. We have the players to make it happen. In the end we will only have ourselves to blame if we fail to succeed. Every team will face tough times, and injuries, but only a good team will tackle these issues and step out as an even greater team. We need to make sure to handle it this way. I believe we should do it, I believe we can do it and I believe that we will do it. “Yes we can” as a famous American senator would say.

On another note, I am receiving a lot of emails from players that want to try out for our team or high school kids that want to include JU in their future life. There is not much I can do, therefore I think it is better to email Coach Johnson instead.

His email is: mjohnso@ju.edu

If you have concerns or comments about the blog, feel free to email me at:slindho@jacksonville.edu

September 24

In a couple of hours Jacksonville University Soccer team get on the road and head north towards South Carolina. This time our final destination reads Charleston. The historic city that saw the first battle of the American Civil War will now host another clash, this of four universities: JU, College of Charleston, Alabama A&M and Stetson.

The quality of this tournament is really good. CofC is a really good team that always fights for a NCAA bid. We know the treats and traits of Stetson since we have them in our conference. Alabama A&M is a bit of an outsider, they are not that constant but when they do perform they are a really tough team to beat. We face CofC on Thursday at 7.30pm while our game against Alabama A&M is set to be played on Saturday at noon.

This is the second time I get the chance to play the Nike Classic Tournament in Charleston. In 2004, I took part in the tournament with my former school, South Carolina. That time we won over Alabama A&M but lost in double overtime to Coastal Carolina. I made the all-tournament team, hopefully something alike will happen this time. Although I would rather see us win two games than me getting a spot in the all-tournament team. The facilities up there are great and I believe that this weekend is a great chance for us to take a big step towards conference play and enter the A-Sun regular season with a positive 5-4 record.

Since we will be away on Friday I will not update the blog until next Monday. Until then, try to figure this one out:

What did the snowman say to the other snowman?

September 22

The after-the-weekend-blog is becoming somewhat of a tradition and this time I have only joyful things to report. Our only game over the weekend, our clash with Georgia Southern, ended as we had hoped. We took a comfortable win scoring twice and keeping a clean sheet in the back. We are on our way back to a .500 record as we are now 3-4.

We dominated the first half and should have scored more than once. We missed a lot of final passes and were not as accurate and precise as we could have been in the final third of the field. Sophomore Charles “Wes” Lartey came in as a sub and scored our first goal after a corner kick. We had several attempts to score a second but at halftime the score was still 1-0.

We entered second half a bit flat and Georgia Southern took the game to our half of the pitch. They had almost all the possession of the ball and created a few good chances. Our keeper, Joey Sanchez, who registered his second shutout of the season, had problems with his quad and was unable to take our goal kicks. Therefore we had to have a defender taking them. This caused us to play with a very deep backline and because of this we got pushed back towards our own goal.

Wes came in as a sub in the second half and history tends to repeat itself. After being on the field for less than five minutes he scored his and our second goal of the game. We had several attempts to score a third goal but their keeper made a few good saves and 2-0 was the score after 90 minutes.

In conclusion, we played some decent soccer from time to time, but we should have won over this team with at least the double. We are on our way to conference play and things are looking better, much better, than they did at the beginning of the season.

There was a lot of other sports action this weekend…

Chelsea and Manchester United tied 1-1 in the Battle of Britain Clash #1 in the English Premiership. From what I heard the Blues dominated the game and Sir Alex Ferguson and his Red Devils should be really happy being able to grab a point on the road. Women’s soccer won both of their away games, congrats. JU Volleyball won as well. Jaguars took their first win of the NFL season as well.

The only let down was our football team losing to UNCP. JU came close losing by only one point, 21 to 22, after being up 21 to 3.

Now it is time for me to go and grab some lunch, hopefully I do not choke on a piece of pizza or something.

Another week is over and another weekend is ahead of us. This time we only play one game instead of the regular two. We face Georgia Southern on Sunday and will travel there the same morning. Conference is coming up and this is the first game in a series of three that we have before the A-Sun Conference gets going.

Once again we are faced to play a game without the chance to use our entire roster. We have been bothered by injures the entire season and this weekend is no exception. Tony Taylor and Nedim Hrustic both have quad problems, Germans Oliver Klingenstein and Patrick “Poldi” Rundio have not been in practice so far this week. Alex Perea and Andy Mikeska have both been out for a while, and it seems like they will not be back any time soon.

Against South Carolina we played our best soccer of the season, and that was without having all players available. I am certain we can face this problem professionally and make sure we prepare properly for Sunday’s game, and when it comes down to it, we execute and win.

In our locker room we have a framed poster which features our goals for the season. Of those goals, all but one is still intact and we need to make sure we do not let anything slip. The season has been going on for almost a month now and we have already lost a game at home. Being undefeated at the Ashley Sports Complex was something we aimed for. We did not succeed with this, but we need to make sure we do not fail our other ambitions and goals.

We have made progress in practice and the last game was a step forward compared to the first games of the season. It feels like we are getting closer and closer to being perfect and in time for conference, we should and need to work as a well oiled machine. We have a good team spirit and the general feeling and attitude among the teammates seem to be the same: we are going to win the A-Sun Championship.

Preparation for a game can be a big impact in how well you play and how focused you are. I like to listen to music before the game to get in the right mood.

Before this upcoming game against Georgia Southern this will be my playlist:
Beatles – Revolution
The Pogues - Fiesta
Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums
Mando Diao – The Band
Oasis – The Shock of the Lightning
Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
Kasabian – Club Foot
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run

Oh yeah, Barack Obama is in town Saturday. Hopefully more Americans get struck with Election Fever than four years ago. The voting turnout is a disgrace in this nation and I encourage everyone to make their voice heard on November 4.

The week is passing along in its regular tempo. Yesterday’s practice session was long and tough. We stayed on the field for almost three hours and the players that did not participate in the games this past weekend had to stay for some extra fitness.

Before our practice I was able to watch the first half of the Champions League game between Chelsea Football Club and Bordeaux that was aired on ESPN2. I was thrilled that Chelsea, a team I have cheered for since I was a toddler, outplayed the French opponent and ultimately won 4-0.

I have seen Chelsea play live three times; twice in Sweden, and once on their home turf on Fulham Road in London. I encourage every American that goes to Europe or South America to attend a soccer game. The atmosphere is amazing and when being in the right setting you realize how much the game of soccer means to the people of the country. Some people say soccer is all about blood, sweat, and tears, some might say it means much more than that.

Since it is midweek and I do not have that much to talk about I will tell you all a story from the past. This story features a real Dolphin hero, the extremely tiny, but great former player and Jacksonville alumnus, Greg Roytman.

Roytman played his fourth and final year of college soccer in 2006. When I came to JU as a transfer student from South Carolina, Greg was one of the first people I met. He does not look like much to this world, being short, stocky, and a bit obscure. But I realized right away what a great person he was.

Greg was always telling jokes but when others tried to be funny, Greg was always the one being picked on, yet he always responded with laughter. Greg was one of those players that every team needs. He did not start in the games or act as a leader off the field. But he was one of those persons that everybody in the team likes, one of those individuals that always light things up when practice gets hard, games are being lost, and so forth. Every sports team needs a Greg Roytman.

The story of Roytman as a soccer star starts just when it was about to end. Senior Night, fall season of 2006. JU plays at home against Georgia Southern. Greg, being a senior, is set to start the game. Having not started a single game for the entire season he will now get his chance, a final chance of redemption towards all the people that disbelieved in his abilities as a soccer player.

Greg had stood up to criticism from both teammates and coaches over the past few years, without complaining or blaming his failures on others. He will now have 90 minutes of soccer to prove that he is more than a joker, more than a team clown.

It is the last home game of the year and for the seniors it is their last game in front of family and friends. Greg, being an immigrant from Ukraine, did not have his parents at the game but his younger sister was there to cheer him on. What she did not know was that she was attending history in the making and perhaps the plot of a future cinematic blockbuster.

Greg started the game as a center mid and the rest is history. About 20 minutes in to the game he gets the ball in midfield. He takes a few quick steps forward before he passes the ball along to a teammate. He makes an offensive run in behind their backline and gets the ball back. One-on-one with the keeper he humiliates the Georgia Southern stopper by placing the ball through his legs. Greg scores his first collegiate goal in his last collegiate game.

And what a goal it is.

When seeing the ball roll into the net, Roytman takes off running towards the crowd and the home bench. The 500 people in the stands erupt in a ferocious scream. Suddenly Greg halts his running and stands still, he screams out, what sounds as: “Roytman!” The mass in the stands take his scream as an order, and starts to sing: “Roytman, Roytman” over and over again.

JU wins the game with three goals to one and Roytman is saluted as a hero. When the game was over and the team had gathered in the locker room I asked Greg: “Why did you scream Roytman after your goal?” “I didn’t,” he responded. “I screamed showtime!”

That summarizes what kind of man Greg was - a showman. His college career ended like a Hollywood movie. I wonder who will play the role of the microscopic man in the filming of this story. Danny De Vito perhaps?

September 15

It is another Monday morning in the city where Florida begins. Our trip to Columbia must be seen as a step forward and a progress towards our final goal - winning the A-Sun Conference and going to the NCAA Tournament.

We started the adidas Gamecock Classic by playing Presbyterian on Friday. Kickoff was at 5pm and at halftime we were up, 1-0. We did not play well in the first half but we created a good goal and being up at halftime is something we need to see more of in the forthcoming of this season.

We started of the second half in great pace and created many chances. We scored two goals fairly quick and being up 3-0 after 65 minutes allowed us to rest a few players. Senior citizen Ramak Niakan-Safi scored twice, first from a cross from “Pippo” Meyner and the second on a pass from myself. Our third came after “Remy” played a through ball making me one on one with the keeper.

After the game, we watched the first half of the South Carolina-Lehigh game. Neither of the teams impressed me and I believe that everybody on our team was certain that we could win Sunday’s game against the Gamecocks and therefore win the tournament all together.

We had a good day’s rest on Saturday: laying by the pool, watching TV, and eating a good dinner at Olive Garden. When Sunday came, we were ready to play for the adidas Gamecock Classic championship. Earlier on that day Presbyterian had won over Lehigh and coming in to this game both USC and us were tied with one win and three goals scored.

We started the game well and had most of the possession, creating good chances from the sound of the first whistle. “Pippo” had a shot that bounced off the crossbar and down towards the goal line (it looked as the ball bounced inside the goal but the linesman said the opposite). Kristian Lassen had a shot inside the box that the Gamecock keeper somehow saved. The game was tied 0-0 after 45 minutes and our halftime talk was really positive.

“We are better than this team.”

“If we just score once they’ll be done.”

“Keep on fighting.”

Commands came from both players and coaches and we were all determined to go out and win the game in the second half.

Second half started much like the first one. We kept possession and created most of the chances. We did everything right except scoring a goal. With six minutes left in the half, the game took a complete turn when the referee called a highly doubtful foul on central defender Nurdin Hrustic. The Gamecocks were given a penalty kick in the 84th minute.

Their striker executed the kick and the injustice had been served. We pushed forward with every man; they countered and scored a second goal. After the final whistle the scoreboard read: Jville 0, SC 2.

We outshot them, we outplayed them, we had more corners then they did, but ultimately they won, and we are back on a .333 record being 2-4 after six games.

Soccer is a crazy game and the best team does not always win. This was definitely shown during this game. If we play that game over again, we win eight out of 10 times, but good teams are often fortunate, and we are not a good team, yet.

We have three more games until conference starts. That should definitely be enough time to prepare for our nine conference games; and out of those nine games seven wins should be enough for us to once again win the Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Championship.

So how was it for me to be back in Columbia, SC, the town where my U.S. adventure first began? Well, most things were the same. I saw my old dorm where I stayed freshman year, my apartment complex where I stayed during my second year. The soccer field was the same, and their coaches were still the same.

Last I want to reflect on what was written on the Gamecock website after the game:

The Gamecocks continued to dominate on both sides of the pitch through the majority of the set and after several failed offensive chances a Jacksonville foul in the box propelled Carolina to take the lead.

I know that there is a lot of crap on the Internet, but come on…

The weeks are flying by and tomorrow (Thursday) we leave for another weekend on the road. This time we are going to Columbia, S.C. It is not as exclusive as Las Vegas, Nev., but we definitely need a better result than we got in Vegas. Columbia is the town where I spent my first two years as a college athlete and I have a lot of great memories from that city. I am really looking forward for this trip and the games we are set to play. We take on Presbyterian on Friday at 5.30 pm and on Sunday we play my old school, University of South Carolina.

We had Monday off, but yesterday we had a good session with great intensity. Our record shows only one win out of four games but I know that we are so much better than what our record shows. If we can maintain the go we had in practice yesterday, pick up our communication on the field, and play more strategically sound in our defense, I am positive we can turn this downward trend around. Hopefully this has happened when we come back from South Carolina on Sunday night.

Yesterday our player council had a meeting with Coach Johnson. Our player council is presented by captains Stefan Runeman and Eddie Munnelly, sophomore Matt Gillman, junior Joey Sanchez, and myself representing the senior class. I think it is important that everybody is on the same page on the team, including the coaching staff and it feels like this is the case now. This is vital if we want to turn things around and I am sure this will be the case.

A perfect scenario for this weekend would be two “W’s” and us being back on track with a 3-3 record. South Carolina has a great field and hopefully there will be a good turnout of people coming to watch. Being located next to a cemetery, the field has gotten the nickname “The Graveyard.” The good thing for us Dolphins is that it is not a pet cemetery…and with that horrible pun I will leave this subject.

Tomorrows date is September 11. It has been seven years since the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The years, just like the weeks, are truly flying by. I remember my grandmother calling me and telling me about it. I was on my way to soccer practice. Soccer practice, seven years ago. Some things seem to never change.

September 8

Four games and only one of them have resulted in a “W”. The season has not started out like we hoped and thought it would.

Yesterday we were defeated by Florida Atlantic. For the third year in a row we lose to this team, and this time we were embarrassed. Five goals to one. Florida Atlantic scored five goals on us. At home.

We only have six home games this season and we lose one of them like this. I do not know what to say. First of all, I would like to apologize to all the people that came and watched us yesterday. What you saw was not a team; it was 11 individuals trying to make things happen, with no result. Today the upperclassmen in the squad will have a meeting, a sit down, and we will try to figure out what is wrong so we can solve this problem. Enough said about yesterday’s game, let us go back to Friday’s game against Gardner-Webb, a game we actually played as a team and fought hard in.

The game against Gardner-Webb was an intense one. After 90 minutes of soccer we stood as winners with the score of three goals against two. When the referee blew the final whistle we had nine players on the field, they had 11. In one of the most bizarre games I have ever played, we had to play with only nine players for over 50 minutes.

The scoring started with sophomore Wes Lartey coming in as a sub before he attained his first goal of the season. Shortly after this junior defender Eddie Munnelly went up for a header but was called off for a foul. The ref said Eddie elbowed the opponent and therefore was given a second yellow card.

Freshman Nurdin Hrustic protested against the decision and received his second yellow card as well. Two of our players got ejected, two defenders, in the same minute. We were up with one goal but losing two players this early in a game can be a disaster for any team. We fought through it and stood as winners at the end. Anyone who took part of this should be really proud of themselves.

We started the second half with a 4-3-1 formation. Tony Taylor played as lone striker and we sat back and tried to counter; a strategy that suited Tony perfectly. The Jacksonville-native scored twice in the second half and was a big difference maker in this game. His first goal was a header of a cross from Stefan Runeman and his second goal was a left footed bomb in the right corner of the goal. Our first win of the season came after a huge fighting effort and we need to regain the pride and focus we played with for future games.

Next weekend we are set to play in the Adidas Gamecock Classic at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. We have seven games on the road, in a row. It is a tough schedule but we need to fight through it. We need to find our style of play and fight together. I still have great hopes for this season and I think we will be more than ready when conference play starts.

This weekend was rough. The women’s team lost, 5-0. Jaguars lost. We lost. Sweden played a 0-0 tie against Albania in a World Cup qualification game.

Sometimes I wish my father would have given me a guitar instead of a pair of soccer cleats when I was five years old.

Tonight, we have our home opener against Gardner-Webb. We are 0-2 and if any game is a must win game this one is. We need to regain our confidence and to win all of our home games is a must if we want this season to be one to remember.

It is going to feel great to play under the Friday night lights at the Ashley Sports Complex. Kickoff is at 7p.m. and I encourage everybody to come and cheer for us.

The two last days of practice have been good. We have played with a lot of intensity and it feels like everybody knows what is at stake here. If we do not shape up and start to execute in the games we will have a big problem. We have been unfortunate with injuries and during yesterday’s (Thursday) session Tony Taylor, Nedim Hrustic, Andy Mikeska, and Alex Perra all sat out due to injuries.

In the two earlier games of the season we have let in five goals and only tallied one attack that lead to a goal. These stats need to be the opposite at the end of tonight’s game as well as at the end of the season. We need play safer and tighter defensively and offensively we need to create chances and execute when we get them. We need to be more dangerous in the offensive third of the field. And in the end, if we score once and they fail to finish we know that after this weekend we will be 2-2.

The team is also happy to welcome a new player to the squad. Danish native Kristian Lassen arrived last weekend and has been cleared to play. Lassen is an attacking midfielder and can hopefully be the link between the midfield and our forwards. A link we have been lacking with Nedim Hrustic being out with an injured quad. I am certain Kristian will be a great asset to our team both off and on the field.

After this weekend we have seven straight games on the road. Seven games on the road, in a row. That is a lot of travelling. We need to make sure that we go up to Columbia, S.C., with a 2-2 record. To make this possible we need to win against Gardner-Webb tonight and secure another three points against Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

Come out to “The Tank” and support us. A game is always more exciting to play with an intense crowd and we usually get a good number of people out there on a Friday night. You might as well pregame at a real game, if you know what I mean.

Our weekend in Vegas did not turn out as we had hoped. We are two games into our season and our record reads: 0-2. It could be the beginning of a long nightmare, but it could also be the wake-up call we need.

We came in to Las Vegas late Friday night. Our connecting flight in Atlanta was on time and we set foot in Sin City around 10 p.m. As you probably understand there was quite a few other individuals flying to Vegas for Labor Day weekend and this caused an enormous line at the rental car desk. We had to wait at least two hours to pick up the vans we had hired. This gave us a lot of time to check out the airport. If the first thing you see are slot machines when you come out of the aircraft, you know you are in Las Vegas. Some lads were already a few dollars down when we left McCarran International Airport.

We arrived at our hotel around midnight. We stayed at Microtel and it was located ten minutes away from The Strip and the UNLV soccer field. We had some problems when we came to the hotel, since not all of the players were assigned to a room. This caused a bit of unbalance in the squad.

Some younger players got their own bed while some seniors had to share beds, and this was not something the elders appreciated. These kinds of distractions happen during the run of a season and it is better to think positive about it. We can now learn about our mistakes and make sure that everything runs smoothly next time.

Our game at UNLV on Saturday night was that kind of season opener no one wishes they were part of. They got an early goal off a header and we did not come back from being down by a goal. We have talked a lot about the ability of responding while being down one or two goals and it is still something we struggle with.

I can’t come up with one game we have won, in almost three years, when we have been down a goal in halftime. UNLV played smart and countered us. We had most of the possession but struggled to create good chances. 2-0 came of a counter attack and with that goal they ended the game. Our hopes of a successful season opener was now gone. Time to reload our batteries and prepare for Monday’s game against Western Illinois.