NASL Soccer Bowl 2014 Recap

In front of 7,800 fans in the Toyota Stadium, the San Antonio Scorpions defeated the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 2-1 to win the NASL Soccer Bowl trophy. This game was the most widely-available game the NASL season, and it did not disappoint... at least the second half didn't. Here are my main talking points:

1. San Antonio's quality of goals.

That first goal should win every Goal of the Year award for which it's eligible. A beautiful bicycle kick from just outside the penalty area gave the Scorpions a 1-0 lead.

2. Defending

The defending in this game was just disgusting from both teams. They both gave each other golden opportunities to succeed, most notably, the Ft. Lauderdale penalty kick that wasn't converted. Stonewall penalty, but Fafa Picault should have taken it. Then, on the Strikers' goal, the Scorpions defense fell asleep at the wheel and got complacent.

3. KSAT's production value (or lack thereof)

First of all, as a general rule when broadcasting, you always produce the stadium audio when doing a trophy or medal presentation. And you shut up and let everyone else do the talking, no matter how badly they do it. I thought their interlude music greatly overpowered the rest of the audio that was occurring at the time, and the crowd was non-existent for most of the broadcast as displayed on my speakers. For a championship game, you need to be able to hear the crowd clearly at all times. Not to mention the unending commentary gaffes by the team's crew, one of which was saying that the Strikers have been around for 3 years, established in 2011... it's 2014. They've been around for around 50 years. Overall, I think that if you're going to have ESPN broadcasting your championship game, let them bring their people. I want to hear the dulcet tones of Ian Darke and (I pray) Steve McManaman (or Twellman if this falls in the November FIFA dates again)... it wouldn't hurt to borrow Geoff Skelling from Sky for a game either.

Overall, the second half on-field play was the best part of the game. The production and commentary were unbearable. Instead of focusing on expansion of your stadium, you should get a better production and commentary team, San Antonio. Congratulations on your championship, but improve that production value.