Cheering on Fire & Ice in 2022 WPSL Action

This afternoon, I drove to Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville, Illinois. Fire & Ice WPSL, a team in the Women's Premier Soccer League, was hosting Central Illinois United in Fire & Ice's second match of the season. (Last night, Fire & Ice defeated Iowa Raptors FC 4-1 at home.) I came by myself, wearing a St. Louligans shirt and carrying a Fire & Ice scarf commemorating their 2017 WPSL Championship.

I found a seat in the grandstand about 15 minutes before kickoff. From the get-go, Fire & Ice had the run of play, constantly attacking Central Illinois United. These efforts paid off with two first half goals and the home side led 2-0 at the interval.

The second half saw more of the same, with Fire & Ice scoring again six minutes into the half. A fourth goal later on iced the 4-0 win, and Fire & Ice was 2-0 on the season.

Just after the game ended, I stayed for a few minutes showing my support for them by raising my Fire & Ice scarf in salute as the players walked off the field.

Fire & Ice is on the road next weekend for two games, then play their two remaining home games on the 18th and 19th of June. They are worth your support.

Later.

Links to Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Althoff Catholic High School: Althoff Catholic | Belleville, IL

Fire & Ice Soccer Academy: Fire & Ice Soccer Academy (fireandicesoccer.com)

Women's Premier Soccer League: Home | Women's Premier Soccer League (wpslsoccer.com)

Central Illinois United: Central Illinois United

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

 

Smashing Debut for St. Louis CITY SC2

Last night (25 March), I came straight from work to Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the Saint Louis University campus. I was there to witness the opening regular season match for St. Louis CITY SC2, the reserve team of St. Louis CITY SC, which begins play in Major League Soccer (MLS) next year.

This night saw St. Louis CITY SC2 host Rochester New York FC in the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro match. A sellout crowd of just over 6000 were on hand. Fortunately, I had bought my ticket last month and it was on my phone when I came to the gate.

I arrived at the stadium about 10 minutes before kickoff, and soon headed to the supporter section where my fellow St. Louligans were there in force. They had a tailgate party at the parking garage earlier that night before marching into the stadium, but I was on my way from work in Ellisville when this occurred. I was still able to find a standing place among my fellow supporters.

The St. Louligans were in good form with our chanting and drumming. The crowd as a whole was in good spirits. Our efforts were rewarded in the 19th minute, when Wan Kuzain scored off a loose ball in front of the Rochester goal. CITY2 took this 1-0 lead into the halftime interval.

I stepped away from the grandstand late in the first half to get into a concession stand line for a light meal, but the line was much too long. Instead, I used my CITY app to get a badge on my profile there, signifying my attending my first match. I also chatted with another CITY fan for a bit before returning to the supporter section for the second half.

CITY2 dominated play throughout the match. A successful penalty kick by Vitor Dias in the 60th minute--after he was brought down by the Rochester goalkeeper in the penalty area--made it 2-0. Six minutes late, CITY2 was down a man after Ezra Armstrong got his second yellow card of the match. Rochester made an effort to get back into the match but could not score. CITY2 ran out 2-0 winners.

After the match, CITY2 players came towards the supporter section to acknowledge the St. Louligans and their efforts. We then walked back to the garage for a post-game party. I stayed around for a bit before going home. It was a long day for me.

It was a great night for St. Louis soccer. I am looking forward to more in the MLS NEXT pro season. After a couple of road matches, CITY2 hosts Tacoma on 10 April, also at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

Later.

Websites of Entities Referenced in this Post:

Saint Louis University Athletics: Saint Louis University - Official Athletics Website (slubillikens.com)

St. Louis CITY SC 2: CITY 2 (stlcitysc.com)

MLS NEXT Pro: The Official Home of MLS NEXT Pro | MLSNEXTPro.com

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

 

Town Hall with Saint Louis FC and the St. Louligans

Last Thursday (24 January), I went after work to World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) for a town hall meeting organized by the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/). We hosted members of the management team of Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/): Chief Executive Officer Jim Kavanaugh, Head Coach Anthony Pulis, President Pat Barry, General Manager Jeremy Alumbaugh, and Chief Financial Officer Tom Strunk. They spoke to us about the the club and their expectations for the 2019 season, and fielded questions from the floor.

The event was recorded for a special edition of the St. Louligans' podcast, This is SiLLy (http://stlouligans.com/archives/category/podcast). I enjoyed coming out to this event to see the people and am very much looking forward to the coming season.

Later.

Supporting #MLS4THELOU at St. Louis City Hall

On my off work day this past Wednesday (28 November), I picked up my friend and fellow soccer referee Austin Gomez from his Mehlville residence and drove to City Hall in downtown St. Louis (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-hall.cfm). After parking in the lot and entering the building, Austin and I made our way to the meeting room where the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning (HUDZ) Committee of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/committees/committee.cfm?comId=1) was meeting to discuss Resolution No. 180 (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/resolutions/resolution.cfm?rDetail=true&resolutionId=13075). This is the resolution to support St. Louis' effort to get a Major League Soccer (MLS) (https://www.mlssoccer.com/) expansion franchise, via a stadium to be built in downtown St. Louis.

Austin and I arrived in the meeting room around 8:30 am--approximately 30 minutes prior to the committee meeting--and found seats in the front row. While we waited for the meeting, we met part of the prospective ownership group, #MLS4THELOU (https://mls4thelou.com/), Carolyn Kindle Betz. She is the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/enterprise-holdings-foundation.html) and a third-generation member of the Taylor family that owns Enterprise Holdings, Inc. (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html). The Taylor family and the family of Jim Kavanaugh, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Wide Technology, Inc. (https://www.wwt.com/), make up the ownership group.

Austin told Kindle Betz that I worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and she was very pleased hearing that. Kindle Betz and I chatted briefly, as I mentioned that have worked at the Ellisville branch for nearly six years. She was very happy for that and thanked me for my work for the firm. Before our conversation ended, I gave Kindle Betz one of my networking cards, with my employee number written on it, and she thanked me for it.

Austin and I also met Lewis E. Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/president/), who was the lead sponsor of Resolution No. 180.

The meeting room soon filled up with other supporters--including some of the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/)--and with media, and an upstairs gallery was opened up to handle the overflow crowd. The HUDZ Committee, chaired by Alderman Joseph Roddy, opened its meeting around 9:10 am. After taking care of a brief resolution for another city matter, the committee took up Resolution No. 180.

President Reed, Kindle Betz, and other speakers stated their case for the resolution. This presentation emphasized that this proposed stadium would be privately financed for its construction, with only a slight user tax that would go upkeep. After the presentation, Alderman Roddy and his committee asked questions of the proponents. These questions were primarily to clarify matters, such as minority and women participation and what would happen if the stadium had to be demolished. The committee members praised the thoroughness of the proposal as presented.

After these questions, Roddy made room for some speakers from the floor. The one person in the who opposed the measure decided not to speak, and three proponents made short speeches to the committee. One of those was my friend and long-time soccer commentator Bill McDermott, who spoke of how St. Louis would be in a great spot with MLS if the resolution was passed. Then, sportscaster Dan McLaughlin of Fox Sports Midwest made an impassioned speech about how important landing an MLS team would be for St. Louis.

Then, the committee voted on Resolution No. 180. It passed unanimously, to great cheers from Austin, myself, and the other supporters in the room. Soon after the meeting, Tom Strunk from World Wide Technology--who also spoke to the committee--chatted briefly with Austin and I.

It was about 12:40 pm when Austin and I walked out of City Hall and headed for my car. He wanted to have lunch with me, but I told him I had a dentist appointment in about one hour. So, I drove Austin to his home, then headed to Dr. Kevin Price's office in Kirkwood for the routine check up. (No problems with my teeth, I am happy to report.) After the appointment, I had a light lunch at Steak 'n Shake (https://www.steaknshake.com/) in Sunset Hills.

Two days later (30 November), the full Board of Aldermen passed Resolution No. 180, 26-2. Now, it's up to MLS to decide if St. Louis gets the expansion team. I like to think that #MLS4THELOU has a great shot. We should know by month's end, when the league is expected to make its expansion decision.

Yesterday afternoon, just before heading out to dinner with Mom, a package arrived in my mail. It was a scarf and knit cap I ordered from #MLS4THELOU, which gives me a visible way of showing my support for this effort.

Later.

Quite a Week for This Soccer Fan

Last Saturday night (6 October), I was at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the Saint Louis University (https://www.slu.edu/) campus to cheer on the men's soccer team (http://www.slubillikens.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27200&SPID=93202&SPSID=632571&DB_OEM_ID=27200) play Atlantic 10 Conference (http://www.atlantic10.com/) rival LaSalle. The Billikens came back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to win 4-2. It was quite a fine match and I was happy to be supporting my alma mater. A number of SLU men's soccer alumni were honored at halftime.

The next morning, I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) to run lines on two under 16 girls soccer matches. These were friendlies among member teams of the Elite Clubs National League (http://www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com/), a group of top girls soccer clubs around the country. The matches went well, and it was good getting some nice exercise that morning.

Two days later, I heard of the big announcement about an effort to land a Major League Soccer (https://www.mlssoccer.com/) team here in St. Louis. A new group named #MLS4THELOU (https://mls4thelou.com/) introduced themselves. They are made up of the Taylor family, of Enterprise Holdings, Inc. (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html), and my friend Jim Kavanaugh, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Wide Technology, Inc. (https://www.wwt.com/). The group announced that they would seek an MLS franchise, shooting to begin play in 2022, and that they would have a privately funded stadium built in downtown St. Louis. This soccer fan is most happy about this development--not just because I am friends with Kavanaugh and an Enterprise Rent-A-Car employee--and wish this group all the best in their efforts.

Wednesday night (10 October), I was back at World Wide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) match against Tulsa Roughnecks FC. This was the match rescheduled from 14 July, when lightning and stormy weather interrupted the match. I joined in the tailgate before the match with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/), where I enjoyed nachos and beer, and took in a soccer kit contest by several of our group. We then marched into Toyota Stadium for the match, were a first half goal sufficed for Saint Louis FC's 1-0 win. This result means a draw in tomorrow night's season finale at home against OKC Energy FC will be enough to send us into the United Soccer League (https://www.uslsoccer.com/) playoffs for the first time in club history. This should be great!

Later.

World Cup Final and SlamFest

Last Sunday morning (15 July), I headed to the Amsterdam Tavern (http://amsterdamtavern.com/) in south St. Louis for a watch party for the FIFA World Cup (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/) Final in Moscow between France and Croatia. I was joined by many soccer fans in the beer garden at the tavern's rear. Morganford was closed in front of the tavern to allow a temporary enclosure and a large screen TV to be set up for fans.

I had a couple of beers while enjoying the rather thrilling match, which France won by 4 goals to 2. There were quite a few Croatia supporters in the house, and some for France. Everyone was in good spirits.

While at the Amsterdam Tavern, I signed up for SoccerHive (https://soccerhive.com/), a new social network for soccer fans. Check it out and friend me there; I'm rsdstl07.

After the match, I went next door to the Dam (https://thedamstl.com/) for lunch. I had one of their cheeseburgers with a side of Belgian fries and a bottle of root beer. Most satisfying!

It was back to work the next morning. The week went quite well at the rental branch, if a bit slow at times. I did make a couple of trips to the service center near the Airport to get recall issues on a few of our vehicles fixed. Tuesday morning (17 July), I met Annie, our new management trainee at Ellisville. (Jacob recently transferred to our Airport location.)

After work on Tuesday, it was off to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's meeting of IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/) (https://plus.google.com/109625362829756697296). This meeting featured our annual SlamFest, in which we had two hours to build and finish a model kit. I was one of eight members who did so; in my case, a 1:72 scale Il-10. The completed models were judges by members who voted on the best entries. The top three vote getting models earned their builders hobby shop gift certificates. I didn't win, but it was fun.

Off to cheer on Saint Louis FC tonight against Orange County. Big match.

Later.