“Jogo Bonito” is more than just a tagline for FC Columbus. This was evident to all in attendance at Grandview Heights on Sunday evening, when Columbus hosted Cleveland SC in a preseason friendly. The visitors claimed a 3-2 victory with a converted penalty kick in the closing moments, but this was never about the final…
Cleveland SC released a preliminary roster of players it will field in a home-and-home series against FC Columbus this weekend. The list was cultivated following an open tryout held by the club last weekend. It is no surprise to see a number of former AFC Cleveland players on the list. Local universities are also represented…
FC Cincinnati hosted Louisville City FC in the Orange and Blue’s 2018 USL regular season home opener at Nippert Stadium on Saturday evening. On a night where Cincinnati did nothing particularly terrible, nor particularly well, Louisville emerged with a 1-0 win. “Disappointed to lose a derby, obviously. I don’t think anybody anywhere in this business…
When Scratching the Pitch broke news of Rubber City FC’s decision to pursue membership in NPSL only days after announcing intentions to compete in NISA in 2019, we regretfully did not offer NISA an opportunity to respond to some of the issues raised by RCFC President Joshua Austin. Social media platforms, however, provided a venue…
Rubber City Football Club, a newly formed soccer team in Akron, plans to begin play in 2019. The league in which the team plans to play, however, has changed. Rubber City FC was originally planning to join NISA. Last night the team formally notified NISA it is no longer seeking membership. Rubber City FC now…
When the National Premier Soccer League declared the termination of AFC Cleveland’s membership in early December, it appeared soccer fans around Sixth City would have to wait some time to find another team to support. As it turns out, the wait will be no longer than a single NPSL off-season. Cleveland SC, the league’s newest…
Columbus Crew SC opened Carolina Challenge Cup 2018, the club’s final stop in a circuitous preseason tour, with a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United FC. Pedro Santos started the scoring for the Black & Gold with a blast in the 13th minute. Cristian Martinez doubled Crew SC’s lead in the 33rd minuted with a nifty…
We recently published our list of players to sign with Ohio DI and DII women’s programs. Here are the commitments to the men’s teams. We’ll keep the list updated as information becomes available.
National Signing Day, marking the beginning of the signing period for Division I and Division II college soccer programs, occurred on February 7th. Many of the 25 DI and DII women’s programs in Ohio wasted no time announcing recruits who had signed their national letters of intent. The commitments are summarized below, and will be…
The Dayton Dutch Lions have fielded teams in top women’s amateur soccer leagues for seven consecutive years. That streak will be broken this year. The Dutch Lions have announced their women’s side will not participate in the Women’s Premier Soccer League or any other league in 2018. The club intends to return to the WPSL…
The Cincinnati Dutch Lions hosted a meet and greet event at the House of Orange in Covington, Kentucky on Sunday afternoon. Fans and sponsors got the chance to mingle with members of coaching staff and front office personnel. Additionally, newly minted head coach Paul Nicholson introduced 6 players to those in attendance. Michael Vogt recently…
The Cincinnati Dutch Lions recently named Paul Nicholson the team’s new head coach. Nicholson, who announced his retirement as a player in November, competed professionally in the USL for seven years. He spent the first five years of his pro career in Wilmington, helping the Hammerheads reach the championship match in 2012. Over the past…
The National Premier Soccer League will maintain a foothold in Ohio despite the off-season departures of both AFC Cleveland and Dayton Dynamo FC. The league introduced FC Columbus as a 2018 expansion team in a press release on Friday. FC Columbus will compete in the NPSL Midwest Region’s Great Lakes Conference. “We are thrilled to…
A trio of universities located in Ohio participated in as many NCAA soccer tournaments last weekend. One survived, earning the opportunity to compete again next weekend. The Akron Zips toppled Seattle 3-0 on Sunday to advance to the third round of the Men’s DI tournament. The Ohio Northern University women outlasted William Smith 1-0 on…
The NCAA men’s and women’s soccer tournaments are underway in all three divisions. Three universities in Ohio remain in contention for championships. Akron, Otterbein, and Ohio Northern each have teams competing this weekend. The Akron Zips earned the 5th seed and a first-round bye in the men’s DI tournament after winning the MAC championship. Akron…
