With a 2-1 win over Central Florida last night, Bradenton secured the final PDL playoff spot in the Southeast division, putting the playoffs out of reach for the Cary RailHawks U23s. Cary finishes their season tonight at WakeMed Soccer Park with a 7:30p kickoff against Nashville. A win would closeout the year with a six match winning streak.

The Carolina RailHawks didn't help themselves by gifting Puerto Rico 2 goals with defensive lapses, but they didn't get any help from the referee either who denied three legitimate penalty shouts against the Islanders on Friday night at WakeMed Soccer Park.

As usual, it rained just before the game, “killing the walk up”. Game time rain means many thousands of lost dollars to team management. Playing simply and intelligently in the back should mean more to the coaching staff. Both Puerto Rico goals were gifts: Carolina’s Solle and Stokes contrived to put Hanna through in the tenth minute through a bungled clearance. He simply couldn’t miss. Left-back Low’s seeing eye pass to attacking mid Villegas needed a touch but left McClellan no chance in the 16th and the game was effectively done and dusted. Carolina has never come back to win after being two goals down, and there was the general sentiment that one point would constitute both moral and pyrrhic victories...

>> Read the rest of Chris Gaffney's match report at Geostadia.

With only one week remaining to prepare for the opening of the 2008 Mexican Apertura, Primera division side Monterrey has arrived in Cary for a few days of training and an exhibition match against the Carolina RailHawks. Los Rayados opened their 3 day stay in the Triangle with a hard workout on Friday morning followed by a press conference. The press conference featured statements and Q&A sessions with RailHawks GM Chris Economides, coach Scott Schweitzer, defender Richard Perdomo, Monterrey president Jorge Urdiales, former Mexican national team coach and current Monterrey manager Ricardo Lopez, and legendary Mexican striker Jared Borgetti.

RailHawks fans may remember that Borgetti traveled to Carolina last summer with Cruz Azul, but did not appear in the exhibition match here last July due to injury. He is expected to play for Monterey on Sunday afternoon. One interesting point made by Urdiales during the Q&A session was the fact that Monterrey is currently in discussions with the Houston Dynamo of MLS around forming a partnership similar to the one shared by Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) and Chivas USA.

Monterrey will continue their preparations for the RailHawks match and their 2008 season with a practice open to the public on Saturday morning at 10am at WakeMed Soccer Park, Fields 2 & 3. The match kicks off Sunday at 4pm.

Full audio of the press conference, which was conducted in both english and spanish, is available here for download. A few photos from the training session and press conference are available on Flickr.

Jonny Steele returns to play in Cary for the first time since leaving the RailHawks at the end of the 2007 season when the 2nd place Puerto Rico Islanders visit WakeMed Soccer Park on Friday evening. The match, which kicks off at 7:30pm, is a critical game for Carolina, who still sits in 8th place, just outside the playoff picture.

Only 3 points separate Carolina and 4th place Seattle. A win could vault the RailHawks up the table. At the same time, a loss, coupled with other results, could start to create separation between the RailHawks and the last playoff spot.

Steele will undoubtedly be looking to leave his impression on his former teammates, coaches and fans, just as he did when the RailHawks visited Puerto Rico earlier this year. The former RailHawks' left midfielder diced the Carolina defense apart with two assists in the Islanders 3-0 victory.

Photo: News & Observer