AC FTW! AC kung-fu kicks Palace 1-0.

AC St. Louis delivered their first full 90 minutes of the season, and were rewarded with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace Baltimore on May 1. Manuel Kante' jockeyed into position and scored an early goal which proved to be all the team needed. Alec Dufty earned his first clean sheet of the season, which was long overdue, given the number of shots he's had to face this season.

My frustration with AC StL strikers continues, as they are receiving passes and remaining stationary, often with a lot of open real estate to carry the ball downfield and cross, or mount a strike of their own. Instead, they stand still and look to pass constantly, or make a very bad first touch. I like these guys, though, they'll get it together.

However, the defense has improved considerably, and remained organized. Hang in there, AC, it's been a long season, and there's a long road ahead, but be sure to savor the small victories like tonight.

People don't know what they're missing, these matches are a LOT of fun.

If AC St. Louis is going to win, TONIGHT is the night...

The Palace is in town, they haven't won a game. AC St. Louis needs to pull out the stops and make the magic happen TONIGHT. Here's what we know: Ralston is back. Even if he's only a sub, his mere presence on the active roster needs to energize this floundering team. Alex Titton needs to do something, anything to show that we're playing with 11 men. Not sure on his game preparation routine, but I'm starting to wonder if we found the only Brazilian who won't touch a soccer ball.

Mike Ambersley, in his limited pre-season appearance vs. Kansas City, looked weak, got pushed off the ball constantly, and triggered a bunch of unnecessary offsides calls. Manuel Kante' collects yellow cards, not goals. Someone has to STEP UP and get it done. AC has launched some beautiful corner kicks, only to have NO ONE do anything with them. These guys need to make it happen.

Also, it's imperative to have Anthony O'Garro's cannon foot in the lineup, since he appears to be the only AC player who can bend a shot.

No more cute passes in our own end either. Cut it out. NOW. Alec Dufty has been used for target practice most of this young season, but he's got to make sure he's squaring up to the shooter at the proper angle. He's deflected 2 balls into his own net.

Basically, the mental mistakes have to stop. Palace may be our only 2 wins of the season. They need to make their effort count. Tonight is the night.

NASL & USL Swap Jerseys & Shake Hands

With the announcement of a truce between the NASL & USL, and sanctioning by the powers that be at US Soccer, the leagues really need to get their size 5 balls rolling.

There's a lot of critical work to be done with marketing these clubs. The delays caused by the interleague conflict and US Soccer's lack of sanction have deducted a sizable amount of time that these teams need to sell themselves to their prospective fanbases. Season ticket sales, promotional partnerships, and community outreach could potentially take a hit due to this vital lost time.

Either way, it is good to see Division 2 soccer back up on its feet, especially in the upcoming season, where it may be the only game in town, due to an MLS work stoppage. One would assume MLS would be concerned that a league with no salary cap might be able to shine during the absence of a Division 1 season, especially with a TV contract. Especially if the new Division 2 league plays an exciting, wide-open game, which is something we only saw in flashes from the Seattle Sounders this year, especially when Fredy Montero was on the pitch.

At least now we can look forward to Spring 2010 with confidence.

Quick Hits - Holiday Edition!

Happy Holidays from acstl.org!

*I purchased the Club Level seats this week for AC St. Louis 2010 season, looks like they're planning for about 14 home dates. Season tickets are available now, what are you waiting for? Be there from Day 1!

*Jeff Cooper's Christmas message to the near 8000 AC St. Louis fans on Facebook was top-notch, and a great indication of what kind of "fan's owner" he is going to be. This level of open communication is absolutely ideal, and much appreciated.

*Not a lot of NASL news right now in general, due to a temporary USSF gag order in place.

*In between the 1,000,000 articles about acstl.org's least favorite MLS player, Landon Donovan, and his impending loan to Everton, we found some stories of note:

-Kartik down in Florida reports that his sources are saying that whatever the compromise USSF comes up with, no currently active NASL or USL team will have to close up shop for 2010.

-After Freddie Ljungberg's spot-on rant about MLS field conditions, it's disappointing that Portland's opting for Field Turf. (Thanks, Match Fit USA)

-Some more information is available about the new Minnesota Division 2 pro soccer club over at Inside Minnesota Soccer.

-The Sounder At Heart blog has a cool idea for eliminating MLS' designated player rule.

-Here's hoping an exciting player like David Villa ends up in the Premier League during the upcoming transfer window.

*Completely unrelated and off-topic, but for you music fans, my year-end Top Albums list is over at http://supersonicstl.com

Photos from Today's Press Conference

The ACSTL logo is revealed.

The ACSTL logo from the podium

The team's name and wordmark.

ACSTL owner Jeff Cooper addresses the audience.

Saint Louis soccer broadcast Bill McDermott at the podium.

Thanks to Brad DeMunbrun for the photos.

Welcome AC Saint Louis!

Saint Louis is officially back in the business of men's pro soccer today. With American soccer broadcast legend Bill McDermott as master of ceremonies, AC St. Louis owner Jeff Cooper revealed his new club to a very full conference room at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park.

Several St. Louis soccer luminaries were in the house, including former U.S. Men's National Team (including two players from the 1950 team who defeated England) and North American Soccer League legends.

Besides introducing board members, AC St. Louis also introduced their head coach (also known as the manager to you football fans) Claude Anelka, a man with a lot to prove after a recent short tenure at Raith Rovers FC in Scotland. Also announced was the team's director of player development, Fernando Filho, a Brazilian known most recently for his work with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.