The 2010 season has been marked by streaks for the Harrisburg City Islanders. The club started their league campaign poorly, struggling to an 0-4-1 record in their first five games and landing in the basement of the USL-2 standings. A remarkable turnaround ensued as Harrisburg upset the league-leading Charleston Battery on May 22 and went on a 6-2-3 tear throughout June and early July. In the process, the City Islanders jumped into playoff contention and upset the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in the U.S. Open Cup third round. A seemingly lost season turned into a five-game winning streak and suddenly, the Harrisburg City Islanders looked like world beaters.

This wave of momentum came to an abrupt halt in the past week, however, as Harrisburg struggled in league play and was knocked out of the Open Cup. Things began to unravel on July 17th in Pittsburgh when the City Islanders’ tied the Riverhounds, their interstate rivals and fellow playoff contender. The match started promising for the Isles, as Jason Hotchkin notched his team-leading fifth goal of the season to claim a first-half lead. But Pittsburgh came out flying after the break, and former City Islander great Chad Severs tied the game early in the second half. Minutes later, Severs had a chance to put the Riverhounds on top but his penalty kick was saved by Danny Cepero. As they have done often this season, the City Islanders carried the bulk of possession and outshot their opponents but were unable to come away with the victory and settled for the 1-1 draw. Although not a horrible result, the club missed an opportunity to strengthen its postseason credentials and was burned by Severs, a player not retained by the club to the chagrin of many.

A quarterfinal Open Cup matchup against MLS outfit D.C. United loomed for the road-weary City Islanders just four days later. United scored forty seconds into the match when their newest acquisition, Montenegrin captain Branko Boskovic, buried a Santino Quaranta feed. Harrisburg held firm throughout the remainder of the half, carrying a 1-0 deficit into the locker room and pressing to find an equalizer. But it was déjà vu all over again as Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo (since released by United) struck just two minutes after halftime which, coupled with Tyler Ruthven’s eventual red card ejection, finished the USL-2 upstarts 2-0. In a refrain that seems all too familiar for fans of the U.S. national team, early letdowns proved too much to overcome and the City Islanders were unable to mount a successful comeback. The disappointment of elimination was somewhat eased by knowing the team earned a $10,000 bonus by advancing further than any non-MLS team in the competition, but Harrisburg undoubtedly wonders "what if" they hadn’t conceded those early goals.

A busy week left little time for recovery and conjecture as the Charleston Battery came to town on a sweltering Saturday night. The City Islanders needed a good result with their playoff hopes and a four-game home winning streak on the line. Unfortunately, the club again did their U.S. soccer impersonation and conceded two early goals to the Battery. Somehow, Harrisburg had come out flat and Charleston demonstrated their quality by burying their chances. Yet, Bill Becher’s halftime invective worked wonders and sparked a furious two-goal comeback early in the second half. Jerrit Thayer notched both goals and with the home-crowd behind them, the City Islanders seemed destined to move up the league table. It was not to be, however, as Tommy Heinemann broke Harrisburg hearts with an 83rd minute match-winning strike. With the 3-2 loss, the City Islanders fell four points behind the Riverhounds for the third and final playoff spot. Only four games remain to make up that gap, a difficult but distinct possibility since Harrisburg and Pittsburgh face each other two more times in August. Two games against second-place Richmond also remain, so if the City Islanders are going to put together another winning streak, they’ll need to do it against quality competition.

As if the schedule hadn’t been congested enough, the City Islanders welcomed their MLS parent club, the Philadelphia Union, to the Skyline Sports Complex for an exhibition match on Tuesday. The game marked Harrisburg’s eighth since June 29 and third against MLS competition. A crowd of 1,933 gathered for the event, hoping to see the Union’s first-team (minus All-Star Sebastien Le Toux and a few others). As they have done in the Open Cup, the City Islanders performed well against a MLS foe, tying the Union 1-1. Both goals came in the first half as each team fielded strong lineups that were surprisingly evenly matched. Rising star Danny Mwanga gave the Union the lead in the 30th minute when he headed home Fred’s cross. But Harrisburg immediately pressed forward and a Geoff Bloes pass was deflected into the net by Philly’s Jordan Harvey. The second half saw a big drop in the quality of play as both teams emptied their benches. Kyle Nakazawa dazzled in his return from injury for the Union, but the second stringers lacked the cohesion fans saw in the first half. When it was all said and done, the match ended up a draw with Philadelphia barely outshooting Harrisburg 10-9.

Although a great event, the timing of the friendly must be questioned. While Philadelphia had a lengthy break between league matches and international exhibitions, the City Islanders were in the middle of a playoff race and Open Cup run. Whatever benefits come from the game in terms of revenue, training, and exposure, might be offset by the players’ need to rest and regroup following a tough stretch of matches. In addition, Hotchkin required stitches after picking up a knock, and J. T. Noone limped around after getting kicked in the first half (he did return to play for the Union in the second). Hopefully Hotckin will not miss any playing time, and the team might use their strong performance as a confidence builder moving forward. After tying the Union, Harrisburg is now winless in four straight games, another potentially worrisome streak but one that’s all too familiar the streaky City Islanders.

Throw-Ins

▪ Reading United won their third-straight PDL Mid-Atlantic Division title by one point over the Ironbound Express by virtue of their 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Rangers on Sunday. Reading proved to be the class of the league during the regular season, outscoring their opponents 40-14 in 16 matches. Four players lead the team in goals, with Corey Hertzog (Penn State), Luke Mulholland (Wingate), C. J. Sapong (James Madison), and Billy Shuler (North Carolina) tallying four times each. Reading and Ironbound will travel to Ottawa, Canada, for the Eastern Conference Championship this weekend. United will face Maine’s Portland Phoenix and the Express will play the Ottawa Fury. The winner of the Eastern Conference title will advance to the PDL National Championship the weekend of August 6-7. 

▪ Might indoor soccer return to Central Pennsylvania? Last week, the USL announced the founding of the I-League, a new indoor soccer league scheduled to debut in November 2011. The Rochester Lancers became the first official franchise of the I-League, with Syracuse and Hampton Roads, Virginia, expected to unveil their teams in the near future. The USL envisions several regional divisions with the season running from November to March. This setup makes sense as it would allow USL teams to retain their outdoor players throughout the off-season, perhaps enabling clubs to entice better talent with more expansive contracts. With the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Giant Center in Hershey, and Sovereign Center in Reading, the region seems a likely candidate for the I-League, although discussions had taken place between the MISL and local investors in Harrisburg. Either way, local futbol seems headed indoors as the two leagues attempt to launch and expand respectively. 

▪ In the weeks prior to playing the City Islanders, the Philadelphia Union played exhibitions matches against fabled European clubs Celtic F.C. and Manchester United. Current City Islander J. T. Noone played 45 minutes for Philadelphia in the Union’s 1-0 win over Celtic at PPL Park on July 14. The club then hosted Manchester United at Lincoln Financial Field on July 21, losing 1-0 on Gabriel Obertan’s second-half goal before 44,213 fans.

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