Sideline Shindig

by Marissa Blackman This might be the offseason, but that doesn't mean USL PRO has been uneventful.  All USL leagues , including PRO, recently had their big annual meeting, and important decisions were made there. I’m going to explore what all this means for Wilmington Hammerheads FC. There are lots of new teams in the league, so USL PRO has been divided into two conferences- east and west. The Hammerheads will be competing in the Eastern conference along with FC Montreal, Toronto FC, Rochester Rhinos, Harrisburg City Islanders, Richmond Kickers, Charleston Battery, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Saint Louis FC, Louisville City FC, and Charlotte Independence, and it’s a widely agreed upon rumor that the New York Red Bulls of MLS will be starting a USL PRO team before the season starts. Click here  for more details on the conference divisions. What does all of this mean for the Hammerheads? 1.        Familiar Faces Last season Toronto was Wilmington’s MLS affiliate,

The Story of Sideline Shindig  By Marissa Blackman In Kindergarten, I learned how to read and write, and that knowledge has been fueling two of my passions ever since. At first, it was just reading. I couldn't get enough of it. I loved books! I started off reading children's books like Rainbow Fish and Junie B. Jones. By second grade, I was up to the fourth installment of Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate events. I've always loved reading, but the older I got the less it satisfied me. I wanted to control the story myself. That's when I started writing, and I started doing a whole lot of it. On those rare occasions when I clean my room, my attention is often diverted from the task at hand because I find some silly story I wrote years ago. I was simultaneously developing another passion-soccer. I played on a team when I was in second grade, and throughout my childhood, I attended several of my local team’s matches. I liked soccer then, but I didn't r

If the School of Football Was Real... By Marissa Blackman Genius Football  posted this  on Twitter, and it really go my creative juices flowing. Here’s a little fictitious thing I wrote… A few weeks ago I got a letter in the mail inviting me to attend The School of Football, and now I’m in London visiting the school to decide whether or not I’ll accept the invitation. I came here half expecting this school not to actually exist. It seems far too good to be true. The School is both a high school and a college. Some of the world’s most famous footballers attend, and Alex Ferguson is the principal. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, managers like Jose Mourinho are the teachers. Here’s the most unbelievable part: They want me to come to the school. Other than the fact that there were acres of football fields everywhere, it seemed like a normal school. When my cab pulled up to the school, SAF himself was standing at the doors. “You must be Marissa.” He shook my hand as he

I've had some time to mull things over, and I've finally come to terms with what happened. Chelsea lost. I can't even... Chelsea lost! My geezer heart is bleeding.  I think I'm a bit of a spoiled fan, or maybe this is just normal... It seems that after one of the teams I'm fond of has a particularly good run, the first reality check of a loss is devastating. To make matters worse, I wrote a post  all about how this December didn't have to be the end for Chelsea. I even tried to prove statistically how unlikely that was. And now this. Mind you, I have not watched the game. I've been out of town for far too long, and I've been very busy. Although the hotel I was in had WiFi, I was disconnected from internet and television during the match. I only caught the last two minutes of extra time. In other words, all my knowledge of the game originates from Twitter. Nevertheless, I have a few (quite possibly unfounded) opinions: This shows just how c