The Blues secured one more point in the USL-1 standings last night with a 0-0 draw on the road against the Rochester Raging Rhinos. The tie counts towards a remarkable undefeated streak of 9 matches that traces back to May 26 of this year when they beat the Portland Timbers 2-0 in Portland.
Just to emphasize that again. Miami FC has not lost since May 26.
With that being said, it is glaringly obvious that there is still some fine tuning to be done before this team can become more of an inspiration to the soccer community in South Florida because simply avoiding loss is not a grand accomplishment within itself. Especially in the game of soccer.
The trio of Goalkeeper Josh Saunders and Defenders Eric Brunner and Avery John has certainly been a focal point in creating what has become a choke-hold defense for opponents; recording 10 shutouts on the season. The Blues have only played 18 games thus far; meaning Miami’s opponents scoring opportunities are about as common as a snow storm in Tropical Park Stadium. However, does a really good defense warrant championship hopes in July?
Personally, I hope so.
But…. goalscoring still remains an issue. Out of the 10 recorded shutouts, six of them were 0-0 draws, and that should be an enormous issue of concern for a team which holds the USL-1 leading point scorer in Brazilian hit-man Alex Afonso (thats Afonso, without an L).
First year midfielder Juan Pablo Galavis has showed some promise scoring two goals on the season, as has Sean Cameron who seems to be progressing, albeit slowly, from last years play. The same can be said for the Honduran nightmare Walter Ramirez, who has showed flashes of brilliance and outstanding athleticism this season.
Production is the key here though. We as fans know intimately the potential our boys in blue have, but scoring goals will be the final test. The season is far from over, and we are certainly on the upside of things, so lets keep hoping that this team that started at 1-6-2 will continue their undefeated streak well into the 2008 USL-1 playoffs. All the while figuring out how to score points with New England Patriots-like efficiency. (yea i know, wrong football reference. sorry about that)
The Champion Underdog 