RailHawks head coach Scott Schweitzer was quoted Saturday night as saying "Not enough people care" in reference to his team's inability to get properly motivated to perform to their potential in league matches.

Well, here's a message for Scotty, and the rest of team from the Triangle Soccer Fanatics...



We expect Schweitzer and the RailHawks front office to set a leadership example, and guide the team out of this funk that has seen us win only one league game in more than two months. As dire as the situation seems, we are still in the playoff hunt, leading the Southern Derby, and have all to play for in the US Open Cup with the quarterfinals against Richmond next week. But now is the time for an intervention.

We'll be there on Friday showing that in fact, we care a lot! It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it.

Yes, those are my kids! :)

In a way, Saturday’s match between Carolina and Miami was over after the first five minutes.

Miami midfielder John Pulido’s fifth-minute header gave the Blues a 1-0 lead before the 4,949 fans could settle in their seats at SAS Soccer Park. Carolina entered the night 0-7 when it allowed its opponents to score first. Eighty-five minutes later, the RailHawks made it 8 for 8.

They briefly tied the game in the first half, but Miami scored three unanswered goals to hand Carolina a 4-1 loss, its most lopsided of the season and one that left the first-year club at 0-5-2 in USL-1 play for the month of July.

“We know how important every single game is, and we can’t come through,” said midfielder Kupono Low, who scored the RailHawks’ lone goal. “We need to find a way to win … There’s no excuses for tonight.”

No one offered excuses, but Carolina coach Scott Schweitzer didn’t mince words when it came to explaining the state of his team.

“Not enough people care,” Schweitzer said. “That’s all I can go into. Whoever they are will be found out and you probably won’t see them much on the field and you probably won’t see them here any more.”

>> Read Tim Candon's full story at CaryNews.com.

The Carolina RailHawks ended RailHawks Soccer Month with a loss Saturday night as they hosted Miami FC in front of a crowd of 4,949 fans. Despite having dominated most of the match, the Carolina RailHawks were not able to capitalize on the 22 shots on goal with the final score being 4-1 in favor of the visiting team Miami FC.

Next the Carolina RailHawks travel to Montreal to meet the Impact on Wednesday, August 1st at 7:30 PM. The RailHawks will return to SAS Soccer Park in Cary on Friday, August 3rd as they host the California Victory at 8:00 PM in the last of the nationally televised games for the Carolina RailHawks this season.

Miami FC: 4
Carolina: 1

Goals: Pulido (Zinho MIA 5th), Low (CAR 34th PK), Williams (Vasquez MIA 45th), Cameron (Fraser MIA 65th), Gonzalez (Zinho MIA 88th)

Cautions: Sanfilippo (CAR 23rd), Didouh (MIA 42nd), Steele (CAR 44th), (Dias MIA 61st), Cameron (MIA 74th), Dombrowski (CAR 90th)

Carolina RailHawks: John O’Hara, Philip Kutsu, Caleb Norkus, Chad Dombrowski, Frankie Sanfilippo, Chris Carrieri (Phillip Long 71st), Jonny Steele, Kupono Low, Joey Worthen (Santiago Fusilier 61st) Connally Edozien (Marcio Leite 68th), Anthony Maher (Mark Jonas 75th)

Miami FC: Pat Hannigan, Sergio Van Kanten, Chris Williams, Cristiano Dias, J.P. Rodrigues, John Pulido, Rachid Didouh (Miguel Guante 68th), Sean Cameron, Zinho, Sean Fraser (Ignacio Calcagno 74th), Eric Vasquez (Luchi Gonzalez 79th)

Source: Carolina RailHawks Press Release

This Sunday, July 29th, Premier Soccer in Cary will be hosting a Meet & Greet session for Carolina fans to come out and meet their favorite RailHawks players.

The whole team including Swoops will be available from Noon to 2:00 PM to pose for pictures and sign autographs for all soccer fans who visit the store. The first 100 fans will receive a full team photo and all Premier Soccer patrons who join the event will receive special ticket offers from the Carolina RailHawks Sales Office.

The Premier Soccer store is located at 219 Crossroads Blvd. in the Crossroads shopping center. Click here for a map/directions to the store.

As the playoffs near, and with the RailHawks on the outside looking in for a post-season spot in the league table, the Carolina RailHawks have traded their first overall draft pick Sola Abolaji to the Vancouver Whitecaps in return for striker Joel Bailey.

Bailey, 5' 11" native of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, began his indoor soccer career in 2003 with the now defunct Cleveland Force. During the 2004 to 2005 season, he was traded to the Baltimore Blast. He began his outdoor career with the Montreal Impact in 2004 where he finished fourth in scoring and helped the Impact win the USL First Division Championship. He re-signed with the Impact in 2005 signing a two year contact, but was waived at the end of the 2006 season. He signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2007 and has played 600 minutes this season for Whitecaps, recording a single assist and eleven shots during his time in Vancouver.

“It was a tough decision to let Sola go,” said RailHawks head coach Scott Schweitzer. “He has a bright future in this league but we needed to look at the immediate future and make a serious run at the playoffs. Joel is a skillful player that has proven himself in this league. He’s a fast forward that can score goals and we are very excited to have him.”

Joel Bailey is expected to arrive in the North Carolina this weekend and possibly make his debut on Wednesday August 1st in Montreal against the Impact.

The Carolina RailHawks soccer team took on Cruz Azul, one of the top professional teams from Mexico, Wednesday. The Cary-based team used the exhibition match to tap into soccer's popularity among the Triangle's Hispanic community.

More than two hours before game time, fans lined up outside SAS Soccer Park to see the teams play. “Cruz Azul is huge,” said Hans Burt. “For me, it’s a big deal,” said fellow fan Elmer Molina. he game caught the attention of David Reddy and his son Daniel, who drove down from Virginia. “We heard the team was huge, and we wanted to see for ourselves, and of course support the RailHawks,” David said. “I hope they do well, but we want the RailHawks to do better.”

>> Read the story or watch the video news report at WRAL.com

So much for a home-field advantage.

That vanished for the Carolina RailHawks the moment they opened the gates at SAS Soccer Park on Wednesday night, when a season-high 8,505 fans filed in, the vast majority of them Hispanics chanting "Cruz Azul! Cruz Azul!" while Mexican flags fluttered throughout the stands.

With that vociferous backing and six players with World Cup experience, the Mexican powerhouse still had to work for the 2-0 win, scoring on two deflected goals by Cesar Villaluz and Adrian Cortes.

>> Read the full story at the N&O's website.

With an standing room only crowd spilling onto Field 3 at SAS Soccer Park straining to catch a glimpse of their Mexican heroes, the Carolina RailHawks dropped a 2-0 decision to Cruz Azul in a friendly Wednesday night. The scoreline didn't truly reflect the match, which was hotly contested by the RailHawks and they will feel aggrieved not to have gotten a 2-0 victory themselves.

After Villaluz opened the scoring in the 13th minute for Cruz Azul as an unfortunate deflection off Frankie Sanfilippo sent his shot looping over keeper Chris McClellan, Anthony Maher looked to have equalized when he scrapped in a Jonny Steele corner in the 30th minute but the goal was overturned by the assistant referee for a mysterious foul by the RailHawks.

In the second half, the RailHawks would be frustrated again when Kupono Low was awarded a penalty in the Cruz Azul box only to have the linesman at the opposite end of the pitch flag him for offside on the play. Although the RailHawks controlled much of the play for the first 75 minutes of the game, Cruz Azul took over the play late and Adrian Cortez added a second goal when his shot in the 85th minute ricocheted off of a RailHawk defender and beat John O'Hara who backstopped the RailHawks in the 2nd half.

Video highlights of the match are available for free at USLLive.com

The Carolina RailHawks are getting ready to face Club Deportivo Cruz Azul on Wednesday July 25th at 8:00 PM at SAS Soccer Park in Cary. Prior to this event at 4:30 PM on Field Two at SAS Stadium there will be a friendly scrimmage between members of local Hispanic soccer teams and local celebrities including Mexican soccer legends Manuel Negrete, and Martin “El Pulpo” Zuñiga former goalkeeper for Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA of the MLS.

These soccer superstars are also here to promote a fundraising partnership between Copa Tecate and Fundacion Astros Del Futbol, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to build community relationships through soccer. Part of the proceeds from Wednesday night’s match will be donated by Copa Tecate to the organization to help build soccer fields and sponsor local soccer events in the United States and Mexico.

Fans will have a chance to meet Manuel Negrete and Martin Zuñiga on Tuesday, July 24th at several locations throughout the Triangle where they will be able to pose for photo ops and get autographs. Fans will also be able to buy tickets to the RailHawks – Cruz Azul match at these locations and anyone who buys a ticket will also receive an autographed soccer ball courtesy of Tecate.

Below you may find the locations and times of the appearances:

• 10 AM to 12 PM: El Compare Foods, 2000 Avondale Dr., Durham
  
• 1 PM to 3 PM: El Compare Foods, 2215 New Hope Church Rd., Raleigh
  
• 4 PM to 6 PM: El Mandado , 4020 Capital Blvd., Raleigh
  

Fans are encouraged to not miss the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet these players.

The Carolina RailHawks, decimated by suspensions and injuries, ended their two game road trip with a loss on Sunday afternoon as they visited the Islanders in Puerto Rico. The final score was 3-1 for the Islanders with both teams trying to make the best of a damp and muddy pitch.

Carolina will have a chance to bounce back in an exhibition game on Wednesday July 25th when they return to SAS Soccer Park to face Cruz Azul of Mexican Primera Division at 8:00 PM. The RailHawks return to league play at SAS Soccer Park on Saturday July 28th at 7:30 PM as they host Miami FC.

Carolina RailHawks: 1
Puerto Rico Islanders: 3

Goals: Delgado (PR 3rd, 41st), Worthen (CAR 19th), Atieno (PR 28th)
Cautions: O’Hara (CAR), Jeffrey (CAR 24th), Long (CAR 52nd), Carrieri (CAR 89th)

Carolina RailHawks: John O’Hara, Phillip Long, Chad Dombrowski, Kupono Low, Caleb Norkus, Joey Worthen, Stuart Brightwell (Chris Carrieri 46th minute), Jonny Steele, Santiago Fusilier, Kevin Jeffrey, McColm Cephas

Puerto Rico Islanders: Josh Saunders, Lars Lyssand, Marco Velez, John Krause, Jay Needham, Jared Montz, Noah Delgado, Alejandro Gonzalez, Petter Villegas, Fabrice Noel, Taiwo Atieno

Source: Carolina RailHawks press release

The naming rights to SAS Soccer Park expired on June 30th of this year. While the SAS Institute has an option in their contract with the Town of Cary to extend their branding of one of the country's premier soccer-specific sports complexes, it appears that another local corporation may be in the hunt to have their name attached to the complex.

WakeMed, who is already a lead sponsor of the Carolina RailHawks, has expressed interest in exploring acquisition of the naming rights to the soccer stadium in a letter from their Vice President Debra Laughery. According to this post by Toby Coleman at the N&O blogs, no deals have yet been made and no numbers for the rights fees have been publicly discussed. Currently, the SAS Institute has been paying $150,000 a year for the stadium and associated training fields to Cary their corporate moniker.

Miami FC took advantage of playing a man up in the second half to defeat visiting Carolina 2-1 in front of 1,052 on Friday night at Tropical Park Stadium and to win its second consecutive match.

The Blues (7-10-2) got on board in the 48th minute when Sean Fraser took control of the ball about 25 yards out and found Sean Cameron, who put the ball past goalkeeper John O'Hara.

Cameron and Fraser also contributed on Miami FC's second goal. They took control near midfield, working down into the box before finding 40-year-old Brazilian midfielder Zinho, who scored his fourth goal of the season.

>> Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com.

RailHawks fans...Please note that tonight's match against Miami FC kicks off at 8pm, not 7:30pm as listed on the schedule on the RailHawks' website. The TSF Live Chat room will be open for those following USL Live or WSHA-FM.

I found myself out in San Francisco this week on business and I noticed that the loathsome Atlanta Silverbacks were visiting the California Victory while I was in town. So after business was done on Tuesday, I hopped the Muni for Golden Gate Park and set off to find out how our sister expansion franchise was faring in their first season in USL-1.

My first stop was the Kezar Pub, across the street from historic Kezar Stadium (former home of the San Francisco 49ers and current home to the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse and the Victory). When I slipped into the back room and introduced myself to a handful of the 1906 Supporters, I could tell it was going to be a fun night. The room was abuzz with the news that the San Jose Earthquakes will be returning to Major League Soccer next season. Since many of the Victory supporters are also former Club Quake members, this news seemed to be even a hotter topic than the fact that Victory owner Dmitry Piterman had just divested himself of their sister club Deportivo Alavés.

From Dave's Football Blog...

See that dork in the Carolina Panthers jersey in the bottom left-hand corner? Yeah, that’s me, hanging out at the Carolina Railhawks-Seattle Sounders game a few weeks ago. I was the only guy in SAS Soccer Park wearing an NFL jersey, but hey, it’s all just football to me.

Still, it’s better to wear something orange when you’re sitting in the 204 Depot, where I returned last night to watch a U.S. Open Cup match between the Railhawks and the Chicago Fire. So I scrounged up a faded orange shirt somewhere in the back of my closet and headed out to the park, where the drums were already set up and the fans bedecked in their bright orange T-shirts and scarves gathered to sing, chant, stomp and berate the opposing goalie…

>> Read the full story at Dave's Football Blog.

The Carolina RailHawks continued their quest for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Sunday night as they hosted current US Open Cup champions the Chicago Fire. 4,485 fans were on hand on wet and humid evening as the RailHawks won the hotly contested match 1-0 with a goal by McColm Cephas. John O’Hara recorded his second shutout against an MLS team this season having also anchored the team in an exhibition against Chivas USA. The Carolina RailHawks will now face the Richmond Kickers in the quarter finals of the US Open Cup on Tuesday August 7th at SAS Soccer Park in Cary.

Former North Carolina soccer standout Caleb Norkus is happy to be back home and playing for another Carolina team -- the RailHawks. He also would be happy to leave home again if given a chance to play for a Major League Soccer team.

Still harboring that big-time dream, the 28-year-old defender has an opportunity to showcase his skills before high-level coaches at SAS Soccer Park tonight at 7:30 when the Hawks face MLS' Chicago Fire in a U.S. Open Cup game.

"You hope you can catch somebody's eye in the right place," said Norkus, who was drafted, then cut by D.C. United in 2001. "I want to play my best soccer here and help the team, but a goal is always to play at the highest level."

Soccer has been Norkus' sport since age 3, when he first booted a ball in Asheboro, where the family lived before moving to Raleigh. And it didn't take a podiatrist to tell the kid had skillful feet.

>> Read A.J. Carr's full article at the NewsObserver.com.

Due to an unavoidable business trip to the West Coast, I am going to miss tomorrow night's third round US Open Cup clash with Chicago Fire. Thank goodness I'll be able to watch it from the hotel room on USL Live. Even if you're not a regular subscriber to USL Live, keep in mind that the RailHawks Open Cup games are all being broadcast live and on-demand on USL Live for FREE!

Since this will be the first match at home that I miss, I challenge the 204 Depot to bring it "extra loud" sunday because it looks like you're going to have some competition from a small traveling group of Section 8'ers.

The Cary RailHawks U23s reversed a 4-game losing streak when Tomasz Charowski scored a stoppage time winner to down the Central Florida Kraze 2-1 in Friday's matinée at SAS Soccer Park, but the senior squad couldn't best the Montreal Impact in the night's main feature as the RailHawks fell 1-0 to the team they just drew away last Sunday.

The RailHawks played the Impact, who are now tied for 2nd in the USL after this win, even for most of the night in front of 4,479 faithful at SAS Soccer Park. But an 84th minute goal by Antonio Ribeiro broke the tie and not even a guest appearance by injured striker Connally Edozien on drums in the 204 Depot could spur the RailHawks on to a late equalizer.

With the loss, Carolina falls to 9th place in USL-1, one spot out of the playoff picture with 12 matches remaining. The Cary U23s find themselves in an unluckier position with only one match remaining (away to Carolina Dynamo on 7/17) and four points out of a potential playoff spot meaning the U23s can no longer reach the PDL postseason due to their late season skid.

The Carolina RailHawks have announced the addition of defender Matthew Maher to their senior team roster. He is the younger brother of Carolina RailHawks forward Anthony Maher.

A native of Cape May, NJ, Maher comes to the RailHawks by way of Temple University, where he was a starting defender for the Owls. He also played for the PDL side Ocean City Barons. During his college career Matthew was named to the Atlantic 10 conference All-Rookie, the first team All Philadelphia and earned an honorable mention to the All Atlantic 10 team.

“I knew he was going to be a professional,” said forward Anthony Maher. “Ever since he tied my high school record I was confident we would play together. I look forward to many years of playing time with him and against him.” Matthew should add to the already stellar defense of the RailHawks. The unit is currently second in the league in goals against average, narrowly trailing the Portland Timbers.

“Matthew is another player with great defensive capabilities,” said Carolina RailHawks head coach Scott Schweitzer. “He can step in the backline as well as add depth to the midfield. He’s very athletic and skillful and he will help us tremendously in the years to come.”

The Major Indoor Soccer League held it's 2007 supplemental draft on Thursday, July 12th. Carolina RailHawks players, who plan to play indoor soccer in the USL offseason were hot commodities for MISL teams looking to build solid rosters. The Orlando Sharks, a first year franchise, took Connally Edozien as their first ever draft pick. Kupono Low was picked 4th by the California Cougars and Joey Worthen went 6th in the First Round to the Milwaukee Wave. Chris Carrieri was also selected by the Cougars while John O'Hara joins Worthen on Milwaukee's draft list. Additionally, Stuart Brightwell & Sola Abolaji were picked up by the New Jersey Ironmen.

Click here for a full list of MISL draft picks.

David Warner (pictured at right), who lives in the Triangle and writes about all types of football at Dave's Football Blog, logged this story about what it means to live and die with the team you support (the RailHawks in this case) even if the game is "meaningless".

So I spent part of my Friday night hanging out in the balcony of a sports bar in Cary, North Carolina, with a group of cheerfully doomed soccer fans…

I’m kidding. The only doom here is that the club they support plays in an American minor league and has no hope of being promoted anywhere.

On this night, we set out to watch two matches at once — the USA v. Brazil match in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and a United Soccer Leagues match between the Carolina Railhawks and the Rochester Raging Rhinos. I have watched multiple NFL games simultaneously, but Association football? That’s a bit trickier. After all, once you get sucked into one game, you’re bound to miss something in the other one. We persevered, though, as we took turns watching the teenagers in Ottowa and our new beloved expansion club in Rochester.

So I sat with a kettle of Railhawks supporters, all decked out in their bright orange and blue scarves and T-shirts. You could tell when the USL match had started by the number of people shouting, “Shoot the damn ball!”, from the balcony. This led to a discussion about why USL is so competitive from top to bottom — not one USL club has a striker worth his salt. (Carolina plays a 4-3-2-1 formation, if that’s any indication.) In fact, no club anywhere in the U.S. has a American decent striker. All the decent American strikers already play in Europe.

“What about Jozy Altidore?”, someone asked not five minutes after the 18-year-old scored the first goal of the night for the American side. “He’ll end up there eventually,” someone else answered. “Half the kids on that whole team will.”

Read Dave's full story which he posted at PitchInvasion.net

In today's Cary New, Tim Candon recounts what was a very frustrating week against some of the best teams in USL-1 for the Carolina RailHawks:

At least the fireworks weren’t a dud.

The same can’t be said for the RailHawks’ 90 minutes of soccer that preceded the post-match festivities July 3 — or what transpired the rest of the week.

Carolina played USL First Division front runner Vancouver to a 0-0 draw before a crowd of 5,189 at SAS Soccer Park on July 3 — a match that was played mostly in the midfield and generated little attacking flare from either side.Though it was the RailHawks’ third scoreless tie on their home pitch and sixth draw of the season, they once again took solace in earning one point instead of none.

“We’re not sad about it,” said forward Connally Edozien. “At least we didn’t lose the game.” Just when it seemed the Railhawks’ offensive struggles subsided — they entered the match having scored six goals in their previous two matches — Carolina couldn’t get anything going up top. Tuesday’s shutout was also the sixth time Carolina failed to score a goal in 13 USL-1 matches.

>> Read Candon's full story at CaryNews.com.

The Richmond Kickers pulled off the biggest upset in their franchise history with a 1-0 win at home against Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bulow pounced on a mishandled corner kick in the 31st minute and the Kickers defense held the Galaxy off the scoresheet for the rest of the game in front of their home fans. The defending USL-2 champions will move on to the next round to play the winner of the Chicago Fire and the Carolina RailHawks, a 3rd US Open Cup match set to face off at SAS Soccer Park at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 15th. While the loss by LA ends any hope SAS Soccer Park faithful had of seeing David Beckham play in Cary this season, it does put the RailHawks in position for an interesting quarterfinal matchup against a lower division side if they can get past Chicago.

Richmond, who has been flying this season in USL-2 with a 9-1-2 league record may certainly have be wearing Cinderella's slipper for the 3rd round, but what are the chances that the RailHawks could pull off a similar MLS upset? While Chicago has struggled in MLS this year (currently 11th out of 13 teams, with only LA Galaxy and RSL in arrears), traditionally Chicago has dominated the US Open Cup, winning it 4 out of the 9 times they've entered the tournament.

To put things in a bit of perspective, here are some US Open Cup facts courtesy of the guys at Climbing the Ladder:

• At 24-5-2 and +35 goal differential, the Chicago Fire have by the far the best record of an MLS team in US Open Cup History. LA, who has competed 2 more years than the Fire is second at 20-6-1
  
• Versus non-MLS teams, the Fire have a US Open Cup record of 9-2-1.
  
• Chicago has won the title 4 times in 9 years (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006). LA is second in MLS with 2 titles.
  
• MLS teams have been beaten by USL-1 teams 23 times in the past 11 years.
  
• Chicago has been beaten twice by a USL-1 side (Rochester 1999, Milwaukee 2002)
  

Check out Climbing the Ladder for more US Open Cup stats.

Anthony Maher was responsible for three of the four goals for the Carolina RailHawks in their second round victory over Bavarian SC. Thanks to online fan voting, that achievement was enough to earn him USOpenCup.com’s Player of the Round award.

Maher was all too familiar with the quality of players that Bavarian SC had prior to their second round match. "I played for both the Milwaukee Wave of the MISL and Milwaukee Wave United in its first year. Many former Milwaukee professionals play with the Bavarians, and I knew it was not a typical amateur team."

>> Read the full story at USOpenCup.com.

The Carolina RailHawks ended their two game road trip in Sherbrooke, Canada on Sunday with a tie against the Montreal Impact. The Final score was 2-2 with both teams playing a very physical brand of the game. A total of thirteen cards were handed out by center referee Rob Antle with two straight reds early on in the match.

The match began with a bang and a brawl, Montreal Impacts’ Andres Arango fouled Anthony Maher who reacted quickly, Arango then proceeded to throw a punch that cleared both benches and stopped the match for about eight minutes while referees tried to figure out the mess. Maher and Arango were sent off in the 9th minute as a result while Jonny Steele and Montreal backup goalkeeper Andrew Weber received cautions.

>> Read the full match report at CarolinaRailHawks.com.

The Carolina RailHawks take on the Montreal Impact today (Sunday, July 8) at 4:00pm EDT. TSF will be hosting a live chat for those watching on USLLive.com or listening on WSHA-FM.

Please join us from 3:45pm at http://chat.trisoccerfan.com.

For much of Friday night's match at Rochester, the Carolina RailHawks controlled the run of play and threatened to take 3 points on the road from the 2nd place Rhinos, but fortune didn't smile kindly on the RailHawks.

Inside 3 minutes, a Connally Edozien breakaway lead only to a quick counterattack from the Rhinos which put the home side up 1-0 through Hamed Diallo. To the RailHawks credit, they scrapped back into the fight quickly, with Anthony Maher leveling the score on 11 minutes, and then continuing to take their game to the Rhinos for the balance of the match.

It looked like Carolina was going to find a way to win twice in the second half. First, Kupono Low rang a brilliant 30 yard free kick off the right post in the 60th minute then, with time running short, a 3-on-1 break for the RailHawks was squelched when Rhinos keeper Chase Harrison saved sharply from former Rhino Frank Sanfilippo. Just as they had done early in the match, the Rhinos turned their own defensive lapse into instant payback when they won a corner deep in stoppage time and Diallo completed his brace with an unmarked 6 yard header for the 2-1 final.

The current road trip doesn't get any easier for the RailHawks as they face off against 4th place Montreal at 4pm on Sunday, July 8th. Be sure to join the Triangle Soccer Fanatics chat room to follow all the action from Quebec live.

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has full coverage of the RailHawks 2-1 loss to the Rhinos

The Carolina RailHawks travel to Rochester on Friday for a rematch of what was a thrilling 2-2 draw in Cary a few weeks ago. The match will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel and the Triangle Soccer Fanatics have teamed up with Premier Soccer to host a match watching party at Woody's Sports Tavern & Grill in Cary for all RailHawks supporters to come out and watch the match together.

Woody's has some of the best wings in the Triangle and Premier Soccer, the official merchandise partner of the RailHawks, will be giving away door prizes at halftime of the RailHawks match. The USA U20 national team is also taking on Brazil in the FIFA Youth World Championships that evening on ESPN-U in a match that will decide first place in our group so we'll have both matches on from 7:30pm (USA kickoff, RailHawks kickoff at 8pm).

Look for us on the second floor mezzanine when you arrive. Please note that Woody's is typically "Over 21 Only" on Friday nights but underage supporters attending the RailHawks watching party will be allowed to join us (just behave yourselves!).

Woody's is located at 8322 Chapel Hill Road in Cary. Click here for a map and driving directions.

The Carolina RailHawks kicked off RailHawks Soccer Month by hosting current USL-1 champions the Vancouver Whitecaps on Tuesday July 3rd at SAS Soccer Park in Cary. The Whitecaps were looking to avenge the 1-0 loss earned in Vancouver last May snapping their sixteen game undefeated streak. The game ended in a scoreless stalemate as neither team was able to capitalize on the few scoring opportunities. 5,189 fans cheered on and enjoyed a spectacular fireworks presentation after the game.

A proclamation was presented at half time by Town of Cary Mayor, Ernie McAlister making July 2007 RailHawks Soccer Month, kicking off a July full of soccer matches and funfilled events. A spectacular fireworks presentation followed the match and children were invited on the field to watch the show with their favorite Carolina RailHawks players.

The RailHawks continue their month long celebration with a trip to Rochester on July 6th and to Montreal on July 8th before returning to SAS Soccer Park on July 13th where they will host the Montreal Impact. The match against Rochester will televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel live on Friday July 6th at 8:00 PM.

Vancouver Whitecaps 0
Carolina RailHawks 0

Goals: None
Cautions: Edozien (CAR 55th), Dombrowski (CAR 57th), Bailey (VAN 78th), Fusilier (CAR 85th), Nash (VAN 86th)

Carolina RailHawks:
McClellan, Stokes, Dombrowski, Sanfilippo, Norkus, Low, Brightwell, Carrieri (Fusilier 64th), Steele, Edozien, Maher (Leite 74th)

Vancouver Whitecaps:
Pfannenstiel, Klein, Cann, Martin (Lyall 62nd), Kambere (Kindel 62nd), Valente (Bailey 71st), Nash, Clarke, Donatelli, Testo (McLaughlin 71st), Gjertson

Source: RailHawks Press Release

Is the definition of a slow news day when we get 4 newspaper articles on the RailHawks in the same day? Glad to see our local scribes haven't taken off for the holidays yet.

• Bright future, tattooed past - the News & Observer's Luke DeCock takes a look at RailHawks midfielder Jonny Steele (pictured right)
  
  
• Ponder this promotion please - Cary News's Tim Candon takes aim at the artificial atmosphere that has run amuck in pro sports in this country and enourages the RailHawks to do what the 204 Depot has been singing all season -- Hey P.A., 86 the Music!
  
  
• Scoring key to Carolina's tough stretch - Candon's weekly RailHawks notebook in the Cary News looks at what lies ahead in a busy July for Carolina
  
  
• Perfect Fit - Candon's feature article this week in the Cary News takes a look at RailHawks goalkeeper Chris McClellan
  

I know there was some confusion yesterday over the RailHawks pre-game tailgate and the U20s match watching so I thought I quick post to make sure everyone is on the same page is in order.

TFS will be meeting pre-match at Taqueria Rancho Grande located at 1401 SE Maynard Road to watch the USA v. Poland FIFA World Youth Championship match at 5pm. We'll head from there to our normal tailgate location around 7pm.

Also, go ahead and mark your calendars for Friday evening as we will be hosting an event for the Railhawks away at Rochester match as well as the USA U20s v. Brazil match, both of which are Friday evening. Details to be announced shortly. Check back at this site later this week.

Could David Beckham's LA Galaxy be playing at SAS Soccer Park in Cary on Tuesday, August 7th?

Maybe...just maybe.

All the stars are aligning for the RailHawks, with the latest puzzle piece falling in place today as US Soccer announced the potential fixture list for the 4th Round. That list includes a home match for the RailHawks if they can best the Chicago Fire.

While it's great to dream about what may come, remember that first Carolina must first beat Chicago Fire -- a team that has won the US Open Cup 4 times in the last 9 years AND L.A. Galaxy must move past the Richmond Kickers in the 3rd round. Should both Carolina and Richmond post MLS upsets, the resulting fixture would also be here in Cary, with kickoff time set for 7:30pm

The Carolina RailHawks are hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps on Tuesday, July 3rd at 8pm at SAS Soccer Park and both the team and the supporters are gearing up for a great night of soccer and holiday celebration.

Vancouver leads the USL-1 and will surely be looking for revenge for their only home loss of the season suffered at talons of the RailHawks. There's a great 4 for $44 family ticket promotion being offered by the club (click here for more info) and fireworks are set to fly after the match on Tuesday.

UPDATE: TFS will be meeting pre-match at Taqueria Rancho Grande located at 1401 SE Maynard Road to watch the USA v. Poland FIFA World Youth Championship match at 5pm. We'll head from there to our normal tailgate location around 7pm.

In addition, look for the 2007 debut of TSF's gigantic USA flag, freshly returned to the Triangle from appearances at the Gold Cup with Sam's Army.

The Cary RailHawks U23s 8-game unbeaten streak was broken Saturday night as the Carolina Dynamo handed the U23s only their second loss of the season 3-0 at Macpherson Stadium just outside of Greensboro. The Dynamo took the lead just before halftime through UNC's Eddie Ababio. Campbell's Richard Jata ended any hopes the U23s had of getting back into the game in the second half as his brace on 65 and 76 minutes sealed the final scoreline.

The loss moves Cary into 4th place in a very tight Southeast Division where a mere 6 points separate the top 4 teams. With 5 games remaining, 2 of which are against the 2nd place Dynamo, the U23s have their work cut out for them in order to finish in the top 2 in the division in order to advance to the playoffs.