San Antonio Scorpions FC continue their preparation for the start of the 2012 NASL season with new player signings announced earlier today. With the signatures of Pablo Campos and Ryan Cochrane, the Scorpions recieve two players who are familiar with MLS and professional soccer in the US. Campos, born in Brazil, has bounced around MLS [...]
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The Bexar Co. Foot soccer blog will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web with a special attention to the local soccer scene. See more articles at http://bexarcountyfoot.com/

Today there are no puns, no satire, and no sarcastic one liners to actions by the supporters of the teams, military, police or political supporters for that matter. Just sadness that human nature can be used against itself to hurt another person and hurt the very thing that usually brings joy to people faces.

As we look to the future we can only hope that this teaches us humans to feel again of the bond of what a simple round ball can do in a patch of grass. To unite a people torn by political unrest that humans have something inside them that can say this has gone to far or this isn’t right. Its not worth it. This is not how to voice your love for your team or country. Futbol and politics do not mix. When they do you have futbol en riot. You have war.

I leave the readers with quotes from some of the soccer players who were at the game.

“In the end, it turned into a state of madness without any role for the security in the stands. We tried to save the lives of some of the fans, but many died before our eyes.” Al-Ahly assistant coach Pedro Barny

“One of the fans died in the dressing room” -Ahmed Nagi, Ahly goalkeeping coach

“This is not football. This is a war and people are dying in front of us. - Ahli player Mohamed Abo Treika

The views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Crocketteers.

The San Antonio Scorpions FC are set to play a pre-season friendly with NPSL club Galveston Pirates SC. The game is to be played at STAR soccer complex on Friday, March 9th at 8:00 p.m.

The Galveston Pirates SC play in the National Premier Soccer League which is the successor of the Men’s Premier Soccer League (MPSL) which was formed in 2002.

The NPSL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and operates as a team-run league. The NPSL features professionally run teams with players holding amateur playing status (high school, collegiate and former professional athletes).

“It shows our ambition that we want to play against the best the state has to offer, we don’t want to rest on our laurels and stay still. We want to grow and build a soccer community and franchise that the whole area can get behind and be proud of,” said Pirates head coach Brendan Keyes.

Meanwhile the SA Scorpions FC announced the signing of Javier Saavedra and the formation of a reserves squad managed by Saavedra as a part of his contract with the club.

Saavedra, 38, was capped nine times by Mexico and spent a long career in the Mexican top flight.

Speaking to the press head coach Tim Hankinson said “The Scorpions Reserves will represent the Scorpions and ‘Soccer for A Cause’ by playing exhibition matches throughout South Texas.”

The reserve side is an ideal format to provide top quality training against the first team but also acts as a proving ground for up and coming players wanting to break through to the senior side.

The SA Scorpions FC begin play in the NASL on April 7th against the Atlanta Silverbacks. Their home opener is on April 15th against the Puerto Rico Islanders at Heroes Stadium an 11,000 seat football stadium owned by Northeast Independant School District.

The Bexar Co. Foot soccer blog will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web with a special attention to the local soccer scene. See more articles at http://bexarcountyfoot.com/

All coaches gamble on selection choices, but JK selection of JJ is starting to puzzle me. He is more of a hazard that creating hazards for other teams. I dont want him as a starter (nor do I think he will be) on the USMNT.

Zusi - The SKC standout delivers yet another above average performance. He was a bit fortunate on that goal but isnt being in the right place at the right time part of the game? So kudos to him.

Brick Shea - Where was this guy? After looking great all season and the trials at Arsenal he must be tired cause he has not showed up in the last two games. He lost balls, made poor passes and was no where to be found. #alittlebitworried

Zach Loyd - He had some good minutes against Venezuela and he made some good plays against Panama, but he must be drinking the JJ juice cause he made some pretty bad decisions before picking up the knock and being subbed in the first half. Still I think he will get more looks in the future which is good. He has a great upside.

Nick Rimando - By far the most impressive player on the field. Nuff said.

Ricardo Clark - Didnt follow up his performance against Venezuela. Lost the ball multiple times.

Geoff Cameron - Harsh call, but to be expected in foreign countries especially south of the border. Was solid while in the game.

Teal Blueberry - He must still be in KC cause he was MIA for the game other than the botched goal that led to Zusi slamming it in.

No one else was worth mentioning on the USMNT. Real tests come next month in Europe.

One final note – You can follow me on twitter at @dinomitedan4 for more laughs and slurs against #RalphsoneManmob.

The views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Crocketteers.

For 90+ minutes Jermaine Jones appeared to be the strongest piece in the midfield for the US against Venezuela in an international friendly on Saturday in Phoenix, AZ in preparation for the qualifying stages to Brazil 2014.

His inclusion to the squad was merely weeks after being sentenced to an eight game suspension received from the Bundesliga for violent conduct during a German Cup match.

Jones, who plays for Shalke, received scrutiny after the match against Borussia Moenchengladbach where he allegedly stomped on midfielder Marco Reus. The referee did not notice the incident but upon further review by a disciplinary panel a “grave misconduct” charge was filed.

The suspension included six Bundesliga Matches and two Europa League ties but did not exclude him from international competition.

Some reports have surfaced that Klinsmann was rewarding a player who was suspended for violent conduct by bringing him into the national setup and handing him the captaincy. There is some fear that this sets a precedent that a players conduct will not be considered when given a leadership role on the national team.

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The Bexar Co. Foot is a soccer blog that reports on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web with a special attention to the local soccer scene. The comments of Bexar Co. Foot are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Crocketteers Supporters Group.

Yay! We won 1-0 in stoppage time! WIth our C+ team against a pretty good Venezuela team that looked poor all game.

There wasn’t much to brag about on the win. Although, I must admit I was impressed with Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo). Which is a sigh of relief since Gooch and Tim Ream sometimes scare me back there, its good to know that we are starting to see some good CB’s. Sorry Gonzalez you just moved down the pecking order to #4 in my book and JK little black book.

And that does it for the good news, here comes the bad.

Jermaine Jones had flashes of brilliance being a general in the midfield, and taking charge. Stopping plays, creating, and just being that intimidation that we have known from JJ. Yet, he still showed the bad side of JJ that we have come to know which is giving away poor balls and fouling unnecessary. Im starting to wonder if #dareisayhisname Michael Bradley who has been starting and going the full 90 at Chievo in Italy is moving up in the pecking order.

Benny F. – What can I say about Benny that has not been said before? Much like JJ, he showed flashes of creativity most notably that sweet pass to Brek Shea. Yet, Im still not sure on him. How does he fit JK system? He needs to be more creative in the midfield, keeping those nice passes coming which im not sure if he can do for the full 90.

Forwards that go backwards. Seriously whats it gonna take for our Strikers to score a goal. JEEEZZ!! The kid in the stand with the horrible acne has gotten more action than our strikers lately and he only got to first base. If we have to leave it up to #gasp Ricardo Clark to win the game for us, we are in for some scary times. I know we still have the double D’s in Dempsey and Donavon but seriously they play better when they are in the withdraw striker position. We still need our #1 strikers to put the ball in the back of the net.

And thats about all the players who even showed up for the USA on Saturday night. Anyone make an impression for you?

The views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Crocketteers.

For ninety minutes the US squad put into practice everything they had been learning for the past two weeks. With Jurgen Klinsmann coming out early on referring to this group as a “glorified B team” one didn’t know what to expect from a group of mostly MLS players and first time debutants.

After a few nervous interchanges, the US looked poised to compete with the Venezuelans almost to the point of totally dominating the run of play.

It was clear Jurgen Klinsmann had put in extensive work during the training camps to establish not only his own philosophy but the player’s awareness of each other. This was evident in the shape and interchange between the back four and midfield who tirelessly worked to spurn the attack.

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The Bexar Co. Foot is a soccer blog that reports on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web with a special attention to the local soccer scene. The comments of Bexar Co. Foot are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Crocketteers Supporters Group.

CH: With a 20 yearold age limit, how about the lower end, do 15 year-olds have a shot?
LN: 15 year-olds have a shot, we’re more than willing to take a look at them but they’re going to need to be top class, to make just the expanded roster, but we’re not afraid to pick one up if he can play.

CH: Do you think you will get the support from clubs outside of ACYSO?

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Chris Hockman is an active part of the San Antonio Soccer Community, a registered referee & the first ever paying member of the Crocketteers.

There will be plenty of Saturday evening home games, which will make for a great pre-game atmosphere at the Crocketteers tailgate.

The Scorpions’ 2012 schedule is as follows (all times CST; home games in bold):

• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7 @ Atlanta Silverbacks
• 6 p.m. Sunday, April 15 vs. Puerto Rico Islanders
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21 vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers
• 6 p.m. Saturday, April 28 @ Carolina RailHawks
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5 vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12 @ Tampa Bay Rowdies
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19 vs. FC Edmonton
• 3:05 p.m. Sunday, May 27 @ FC Edmonton
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2 vs. Minnesota Stars FC
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 9 vs. Atlanta Silverbacks
• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16 @ Puerto Rico Islanders
• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23 @ Tampa Bay Rowdies
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30 vs. Atlanta Silverbacks
• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 4 vs. FC Edmonton
• 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 11 @ Puerto Rico Islanders
• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 14 @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 21 vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28 vs. Carolina RailHawks
• 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5 vs. Puerto Rico Islanders
• 8:05 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8 @ FC Edmonton
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11 @ Minnesota Stars FC
• 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19 vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
• 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25 @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 @ Minnesota Stars FC
• 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers
• 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16 vs. Carolina RailHawks
• 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19 @ Atlanta Silverbacks
• 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23 vs. Minnesota Stars FC

Read the Scorpions news release at the Scorpions Website.

At first glance, it seems like this is a “win win” situation. The trainee gets valuable European experience (whether he goes to a top club or not), he comes back sharp in time for the MLS season, the European club pays a month or two of his yearly salary and the trainee gets a boost of confidence on playing/training overseas, or the winning goal on FA competition which is good publicity for the league. But is it worth it?

Well, like with anything in life this type of “loan or training” is a gamble. You are gambling that MLS club team will come up on top and your player doesn’t wind up hurt (cough Omar Gonzalez) and you find yourself out of the Defender of the Year and a vital defensive piece of your back line. Also, im not to keen on European clubs basically getting a “free try out” on MLS players. Not that I follow baseball (I actually despise this national pastime with the corruption of steroids and pure boredom of the game), but they have a pretty good paradigm when it comes to recruiting players. They have a “posting fee” where the club who wants the player pays a ridiculous amount of money and hopes to work out the contract within 30 days.  The entire “posting fee” goes to the club which in return it can use the cash flow to support the club  in operations, player development and player signings. MLS right now basically has a 30 day no risk trial on MLS players to European clubs. You can have our players and if you like you can keep them for pennies on a dollar transfer fee. This worked when we were a league of college graduates, but MLS is growing stronger and better every year. It is time we take out our pimp hand and tell Europe “hey we saved your ass in WWI and WWII and now you want to use our players to get you through your clubs season with all the your injuries and international duties without any compensation” Europe please! Europe you want to use us, the rate is XXX an hour.  I want MLS to get paid, that is all I am saying and stop letting Europe treat us like a butter face.  Im all for this type of experience as long as our clubs get paid to put the money back in the club.

The views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Crocketteers.