Cedar Rapids Rampage Season Preview - 2017-2018: Third Year's the Charm?

Cedar Rapids Rampage Season Preview - 2017-2018

The boys are back! With November now here, Cedar Rapids Rampage are back in the US Cellular Center for their third year. After racing out to a fast start on the season, a vastly improved Rampage squad could not overcome a resurgent Milwaukee Wave, and narrowly missed on a MASL Playoff spot with a winning 12-8 record.  Player/head coach Hewerton Moreira guided the second year MASL franchise to an impressive list of wins, none bigger than defeating the defending (and eventual) MASL Champion Baltimore Blast, 5-3 at home. It was a contest that thrilled fans on a miserably cold, damp, and fog-covered night, and highlighted the impressive turn-around the team made after a 5-15 debut season. Many on the team had an even more successful summer season with Cedar Rapids Rampage United in the PLA, where they won the PLA West regular-season title and again qualified for one of the outdoor league's four playoff spots. This success made Hewerton a hot commodity in the coaching ranks, and St. Louis Ambush lured him away with a lucrative offer to become their player/head coach for the upcoming 2017-2018 season. Here is our third annual take on the season and the good, the bad, and the ugly in store this coming season...

The Good

Jonathan Greenfield - Greenfield takes the reigns as Rampage player-coach, becoming the team's third head coach in three years. A former South African youth international, Greenfield has heightened expectations after being a part of last year's reinforcements (dubbed "Old Milwaukee Light" for it's prevalence of veteran players from the Milwaukee Wave system). He won't have savvy veteran defender Jonatan Santos who left for Milwaukee, or the physical presence of Robert Acosta who left to join Hewerton at St. Louis, but a returning Pablo Da Silva, Chicago Mustang import Osvaldo Rojas, and promising young defender from Rampage United (and a Mount Vernon native) Drew Russell look to fill the gaps left. Like Moreira, Greenfield has played under some of the best coaches in the game, including two who have won the league's Coach of the Year award, Keith Tozer (father of Rampage SC, and current St. Louis Ambush defender, Alex Tozer) and Mark Pulisic (father of USMNT wunderkind Christian Pulisic). The big question hovering over this season will be how Hewerton does with new tools in St. Louis vs how much more Greenfield can get out of a team that should have playoff ambitions.

Bolstered Offense? -  No bigger signing was made this off-season than perennial goal machine Taylor Bond from Chicago Mustangs. Having been a thorn in the Rampage's side for the last two seasons, Bond provides a physical, technical, and motivated strike to the mix, that compliments other perennial weapons Gordy Gurson and Tony Walls. All three very different forwards, with very different skill sets, who can be stars yet again this season. A work-horse who is always willing to battle for every inch, Derek Huffman, and an outdoor revelation in Alex Bradley, are the X-factors that could be devastating if all put in work. No one expects instant chemistry with a new group, but the foundation is there if the work is put in. After an injury burdened year and a falling out of favor with Hewerton, we still await word on if Jamar Beasley will return. Beasley showed flashes of his MVP self in games against St. Louis at the beginning and end of the year. Last, but certainly not least, Tony Aguilar and Bobby Hurwitz improved their play even more last year, and provided game clinching goals at key times last year. Those three are dependable and good locker room guys that are invaluable in any year. Lastly, with Angel Curiel's departure to Milwaukee, can Rampage United's breakout most-improved player, Kenan Malicevic, replicate that form during the indoor season?

Brett Petricek - Can he replicate a rookie season that saw him be near the top of the league in many goalkeeping categories. He has the potential to be one of the best in the league this season.

The Bad

The Road Start and End - The difficulty level of the opening two road matches are worth noting. Milwaukee has reinforced their team with some of Cedar Rapid's best players and will host Cedar Rapids after the high of a hard fought overtime victory in Tacoma. Then the Rampage travel to Baltimore Blast as the Blast raise yet another championship banner, yet this time at their beautiful new home of SECU Arena (home of Towson University). As if that match wasn't difficult enough, the Blast will be extra motivated to win this revenge match over a Cedar Rapids team that clearly shocked them with a torrid first half last year. Finally, their road swing at the start of the year concludes with another team motivated by revenge, a very good Florida Tropics side that was spanked on New Year's Eve by the Rampage. Don't expect anything like that this time around, as the Tropics were exceptional at home as the year went on. The end of the schedule features the 2014-2015 Champion Monterrey Flash (who beat the Blast for the title that year) in a cross-border road contest after a trip to RGV Barracudas in their lovely State Farm Arena. Also near the end are road contests at a revamped St. Louis and Syracuse. Our crystal ball says Cedar Rapids will need to go AT LEAST 1-2 to start the year, and 2-2 in those road games at the end of the year, to have a fighting chance at a playoff spot in the Central. 

The Ugly?

The Hewerton Saga and the Chicago Mustang Effect - How badly will the franchise miss Hewerton Moreira's presence as coach, and how much will St. Louis benefit from his arrival? These matches with the Ambush will be physical grudge matches, with the team having something to prove versus their old coach. Expect a physical but fair war between the two sides. Also, will the recent defections from Chicago as the Mustangs move to MASL2 most benefit Cedar Rapids or rivals for the title like Monterrey Flash, who pick up Rampage-killer Wilo Martinez?


Players OUT:

Hewerton Moreira (St. Louis Ambush)
Jonathan Santos (Milwaukee Wave)
Robert Acosta (St. Louis Ambush)
Angel Curiel (Milwaukee Wave)
Patrick Kelly (Kansas City Comets)
Alexis Apodaca (RGV Barracudas)
Jamar Beasley (?)

Players IN:

Taylor Bond (Chicago Mustangs)
Edwin Rojas (Chicago Mustangs)
Oslwaldo Rojas (Chicago Mustangs)
Mario Alvarez (Chicago Mustangs)
Alex Bradley (Rookie)
Kenan Malicevic (Rookie)
Drew Russell (Rookie)

Cedar Rapids Rampage 2016-2017 "Best of" Season Fan Awards

Cedar Rapids Rampage 2016-2017 "Best of" Season Fan Awards

ABOVE: Cedar Rapids Rampage celebrate the franchise's first trophy as PLA West Champions.

    The Rampage and now Rampage United have both completed their second seasons in the MASL and PLA respectively, so it's time to look back and celebrate some of the best moments from the previous year as we look forward to the next indoor season. The following were determined by fan votes on Twitter and Facebook:

Best Goal: Gordy Gurson (@ Tacoma 1/13/17)

Best Game: vs. Milwaukee Wave (11/28/17)

Best Moment: (tie) Defeat defending (and would-be) champion, Baltimore Blast...

...winning the PLA West Championship

Coming Soon: A 2017-2018 Rampage season preview at this blog soon after the schedule is released.

You Serious, Clark?: Examining Rampage United's move to Kingston Stadium

News broke at the last MASL home game, that the outdoor Cedar Rapids Rampage United would be moving from Clark Field at Coe College to Kingston Stadium. We are assuming that the team will be occupying the main stadium rather than Lower Kingston (home of CR Jefferson and Mount Mercy soccer. We dream of a grass field and a public/private partnership where Rampage United makes upgrades to bleachers in exchange for free rent.) Feedback from fans has been highly positive. Here we will attempt to look at some of the benefits and drawbacks to the newest stadium for Iowa's only PLA side.

Why it's a good move:

Parking - No more parking on the street, in the neighborhood. Ample parking should be available in the vast lots shared with the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena and Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Destination - Sports fans in the corridor are used to going to watch their sports teams in that location. Nearly everyone knows where Kingston is, but few make the trek to Clark. It's also easier to get to from the Iowa City - Coralville area.

Marketing - One great bonus to the Kingston location is eyeballs. The Rampage booster club should be leaving advertisements for the upcoming season in the windshields of cars at both Roughrider and Kernels games with season ticket info. A banner should be up outside Kingston declaring it "Home of Rampage United: Summer 2017" for all Kernels fans and other sports fans to see. If the club works to make sure that dates don't conflict with Kernels baseball dates, the two could even cross-promote that there's something to do every weekend there during June-July.

Sight Lines - With its stands that nearly go to the ground, Kingston stands seem closer than the elevated stands at Clark.

History - Kingston has a presence about it, from NFL, college football, high school football, soccer, track, and more, to the Bob Brooks Press Box, it looks and feels like a stadium with stories to tell.

Potential drawbacks:

Size - At 15,000 seats (though the horseshoe end is closed off and reduces capacity to 12k) Rampage United could suffer from a cavernous stadium like the original MLS teams. Crowds of just under 1k seemed large enough and cozy at a 2k capacity Clark Field. Getting out and marketing to the community will be important.

Game day atmosphere - With the Irish District just blocks away, Clark was a great location to grab a pint and walk to the match. Pick up some ice cream at DQ after with the family and you had yourself a good night. There are a couple bars nearby Kingston, notably the Union Station which hosts Roughrider post-game and sports talk TV. Just a bit longer walk.

Overall, it's an opportunity to get some precious eyeballs on the stadium during hockey and baseball games, get the players out to those events, and grow the fanbase.

"Best of" 2016-17 MASL - Mid-Season

Closing out on 2016, having had a holiday bye-week, let's take a look at who your dear authors recognize as the best of the season so far, both here in the City of Five Seasons and around the MASL. We will do this hockey style, and announce the three stars in each category. Without further ado, here they are..


Best Player -

1st Star: Christian Gutierrez - Atletico Baja.
Franck Tayou may lead the league in points per game, but no player is more critical to his team's success than Gutierrez. Without Gutierrez's league leading goal and point totals, Baja is simply not in a playoff position without him. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also is one of the league leaders in blocks on the other end of the field.

2nd Star: Taylor Bond - Chicago Mustangs
When Taylor Bond plays well, the Mustangs win. Period. The big man is a force both passing and scoring when he is on the field, and is a big part of why the Mustangs raced out to a hot start.

3rd Star: Franck Tayou - Soles de Sonora
Very close to another MVP year. It is the defensive work of the above players that puts him here, but what he does is score goals, and do it well. Tied with Gutierrez for league lead for game winners scored.


Best Defender  -

1st Star: Stephen Basso - Harrisburg Heat.
Basso is a big part of the reason why Harrisburg has had arguably the biggest turn around in the league. His 22 blocks are second only to Chris Mattingly of St. Louis and Harrisburg has gone from a 1 win team a year ago to challenging for a playoff spot due to this massively improved defense.

2nd Star: Chris Mattingly - St. Louis Ambush
The league leader in blocks is relied on a lot, and has that huge number of blocks to prove it. St. Louis would be looking at an even tougher year without him.

3rd Star: Ernesto Luna - Atletico Baja
His teammate has one more block than he does for third in the league, but what separates Luna is his two way play. His 4 goals and 4 assists make Atletico a dangerous team to try and stretch.

Best Goalkeeper -

1st Star: William Vanzela - Baltimore Blast
The only goalkeeper in the top four in each major goalkeeping category. The champs have the top man in goal.

2nd Star: Chris Toth - San Diego Sockers. 
League leader in save percentage, second in goals against average, and solid in goal for another stellar Sockers squad.

3rd Star: Stephen Paterson - Kansas City Comets
The only goalkeeper in the league with both a goal and a shutout, Paterson is right with the other two at the top of the league leaders for goalkeeping categories.


Best Rookie -

1st Star: Brett Petricek - Cedar Rapids Rampage
Among the top five in each of the three main goalkeeping categories, Petricek has been a sometimes spectacular rock in goal ever since his surprise start in the season opener. His consistency is key for this Rampage team.

2nd Star: Hector Eugui Jr. - El Paso Coyotes. 
With Five goals and six assists, the son of the El Paso Coyotes manager has proven a bright spot on a capable offense in El Paso.

3rd Star: Jon Pachar - Cedar Rapids Rampage
The midfielder who had a breakout season in the PLA has added a level of hustle and awareness that goes beyond his two goals and three assists on the stat sheet.


Other Awards


Best Playmakers -

1st Star:  Leo Gibson - Kansas City Comets

2nd Star: Tony Donatelli - Baltimore Blast

3rd Star: Gordy Gurson - Cedar Rapids Rampage


Best Coach -

1st Star: Hewerton Moreira - Cedar Rapids Rampage

2nd Star: Armando Gamboa - Chicago Mustangs

3rd Star:Denison Cabral - Harrisburg Heat


Best Goal -

1st Star: Ricardo Diegues - Florida Tropics (vs. Kansas City Comets)

2nd Star: Stephen Paterson - Kansas City Comets (vs. St. Louis Ambush)

3rd Star: Pat Kelly - Cedar Rapids Rampage (vs. Milwaukee Wave)


Best Breakout Player -

1st Star: Cameron Brown - Dallas Sidekicks 

2nd Star: Ricardo Diegues - Florida Tropics

3rd Star: Hugo da Silva -  Harrisburg Heat

When Grumpy Crows Fly: What Minneapolis City SC leaving means for the PLA and Rampage United

  Word has broken today that Minneapolis City SC (nicknamed "Twitter SC" for their, shall we say "vociferous" social media account) will be taking their ball and smack talk to the larger and truly national NPSL. The NPSL seemingly has ambitions to become the 3rd Division in American pro soccer, now that the USL would seem to move up in the wake of NASL II's demise. They are agressively expanding their national footprint, particular in the midwest. Interestingly, they had a presence in Eastern Iowa for a few years with Quad City Eagles, which haven't fielded a men's team since 2013. Rumors swirled that Cedar Rapids Rampage United would join the NPSL, but it appears this won't come to fruition. So, where does that leave the PLA and Rampage United? 

  The answer to what does this all mean is quite clear if this is a single-defection: not much. With Muskegon Risers SC joining the PLA next season, the most logical conclusion is that Aurora Borealis SC moves to take Minneapolis' place in the West. Risers addition also means the league is large enough to qualify it's champion to the US Open Cup as it did last year. With any more defections, they would need to add a club to each defection in order to maintain that automatic qualifying spot. It appears to be an isolated team, but stay tuned...

Cedar Rapids Rampage SC 2016-2017 Season Preview: The Sophomore Season Front

Soccer will soon be heating up the Iowa Corridor's winter for a second season of the MASL at the US Cellular. Following a rocky 0-7 start in the club's debut season, the second half saw key roster additions push Cedar Rapids to a respectable second half of the season and a 5-15 finish. Highlights of last season included a thrilling home win over an excellent Syracuse Silver Knights squad at home, and a gutsy come-from-behind road victory in Detroit. The team rode that momentum into a successful summer season with Cedar Rapids Rampage United in the PLA, where they qualified for one of the outdoor league's four playoff spots. Here is our second annual take on the season and the good, the bad, and the ugly in store this coming season...

The Good

Hewerton Moreira - After proving himself a capable man manager during the Rampage United season, reigning MASL assist king Hewerton gets the nod as player-coach for the indoor squad. A Brazilian national indoor team man, Hewerton has brought a number of Brazilian's on board to give this season's roster a bit of samba seasoning. However, it isn't attacking talent he brought from Brazil, but savvy veteran defenders Jonatan Santos (from San Diego Sockers) and Pablo Da Silva (from Milwaukee Wave) and a very promising young goalkeeper in Rainer Hauss (Kapinos having moved to Ontario Fury). Moreira has played under some of the best coaches in the game, including two who have won the league's Coach of the Year award, Keith Tozer (father of Rampage SC's Alex Tozer) and Mark Pulisic (father of USMNT wunderkind Christian Pulisic). Jeff Kraft did his job in building a roster that could compete and played with heart. He had done this successfully elsewhere before, and built winners. Hewerton is a logical replacement to get to that next step, with his prominent profile in today's indoor game.

Roster Additions - Besides the aforementioned Brazilian trio, USANIST's Joshio Sandoval of the Chicago Mustangs also provides more help for a defense that was probably the weak link in last year's team. Former South African national team man and Milwaukee Wave veteran midfielder Jonathan Greenfield should provide some set-up play for Gurson, Hewerton, and new forward Derek Huffman. The highest profile addition on offense is undoubtedly Hewerton's former teammate on a championship Detroit Ignition side, Jamar Beasley. Beasley is a former league Rookie of the Year (w/ Kansas City Comets) and league MVP (w/ Detroit), as well as a member of the US Soccer Futsal team at the Futsal World Cup. In outdoor soccer, Beasley was the first high school player ever to jump directly to MLS with the New England Revolution (landing a feature story in Sports Illustrated), and later starred for the Chicago Fire in the early 2000s. Beasley was a force as recently as 2015 with the Ontario Fury, where he scored a hat-trick in their first round MASL playoff match. If Hewerton, Gurson, Beasley, and Greenfield all work at rounding into form, and Patrick Kelly, Bobby Hurwitz, and Derek Huffman put in the workmanlike hustle that they have shown they are capable of, the Rampage could be an exciting offense to watch this year.


The Bad

The Schedule - Not that there aren't a great variety of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday matches, but that the difficulty level will be even higher this year. Milwaukee has reinforced their team with some of Detroit's best players, St. Louis played very well in the second half of last season under new owner-coach Tony Glavin, Harrisburg Heat will be improved after some upgrades, the Florida Tropics look solid on paper, and of course the reigning champion and indoor dynasty Baltimore Blast are now on the schedule, visiting in January. It will be an even tougher sophomore schedule.

The Ugly

Sophomore slump in attendance? -  Hopefully it was a combination of being a preseason match, still nice weather outside, and some market saturation with these two international matches, but the attendance the first game is worrisome. For a franchise that had some very nice crowds around 3k in their debut season, a crowd in the hundreds (even during pre-season) was a little worrisome for some fans. We won't panic yet, but the Rampage front office and ownership are going to need to market their butts off these next couple weeks. Be at events, get pocket schedules out all over, "GAME DAY!" signs out all over town on home dates, get media appearances, social appearances, civic appearances, AYSO/youth soccer, advertising (especially lots on the US Cellular Center boards for the thousands on I-380 and downtown to see every day), etc. and not let Cedar Rapids forget for even a day that there is a soccer season around the corner. It would be a shame with all the work that has gone in to the on-field product. And fans, do your part and spread the word!

Players OUT:

Alex Megson (Tacoma Stars)
Jayme Kapinos (Ontario Fury)
Joey Kapinos (Ontario Fury)
Corey Adamson (St. Louis Ambush)
Chile Farias (retired)
Armando Tello (Florida Tropics)
Elmo Neto (Harrisburg Heat)

Players IN:

Jamar Beasley (Ontario Fury)
Jonatan Santos (San Diego Sockers)
Pablo Da Silva (Milwaukee Wave)
Jonathan Greenfield (Milwaukee Wave)
Joshio Sandoval (Chicago Mustangs)
Rainer Hauss (Chicago Mustangs)
Angel Curiel (Monterrey Flash)
Phibo Arriaga (Seattle Impact)
Kyle Neisen (Rookie)
Derek Huffman (Rookie)
Brett Petricek (Rookie)

Why Cedar Rapids Rampage United are Massive Underdogs in the PLA Playoffs...

The Cedar Rapids soccer community had an outpouring of joy on social media last night as the first year PLA franchise clinched a berth in the PLA Playoff Semifinals with a 4-2 win over Minneapolis City. This blog alone saw a spike of dozens of visitors after the Sunday Night Spotlights aired on KCRG had announced the team had made the playoffs (and we haven't been active in months1). Facebook Likes, Shares, and congratulatory comments came from hundreds of fans via posts from coaches, players, and media. It's a great achievement for a first year squad, but its only the first seasn-long goal in the books. As anyone who has climbed a mountain knows, its the last push to the summit that is the hardest, and each step up gets more and more difficult to take. The summit of the PLA Playoffs will be no different. It will be a next-level challenge the team has yet to face. Let's look at the opponents and the significant challenge each poses...

RWB Adria - Undefeated champions in the league a year ago, this Croatian-American club out of Chicago has won national amateur titles in three recent years (2011, 2013, 2014). They've been there, and done that. Two seasons ago they made a great run in the Open Cup to knock off some bigger clubs, and this year suffered a first round loss in penalties. They will be hungry to return to the Open Cup to avenge the loss. They will not be wide-eyed or timid coming in.

Toledo United - If one team has a case to be even a tougher match-up, it is Toledo United. As if being the regular season champions weren't intimidating enough, Toledo has bested RWB twice this season, AND get the massive boost of having home field advantage. They have to be the favorites to win it all, but there's pressure in that. Expect Cedar Rapids to go for the win this weekend over Minnesota United FC Reserves so as to avoid a semifinal match-up with Toledo, but it's pick your poison from the East.

Milwaukee Bavarians -  Another club that has been doing this for over half a century, Milwaukee is the one team that has seen CR up close and suffered their only loss of the season to date to Rampage United. The revenge factor makes the Bavarians a scary prospect in the final, as they will be fired up and confident, having beaten one of the two teams above.

So there you have it. Cedar Rapids are the Leicester City of the bunch, but sometimes it's the big boys who are out-"foxed". The dream is that the final friendly match with AAC Eagles is turned into a championship homecoming party, complete with a confetti-throwing trophy lifting ceremony that turns Clark Field into a mini-King Power Stadium.