This is a new piece on this site. Throughout the offseason we will talk to each of the supporter groups and talk about recent news from the club and get their thoughts on certain topics.
We first talked to Zachary Reese, the president of Flight 19.
John Frusciante (JF): Thoughts on the 2014 season and the NASL final?
Zachary Reese (ZR): The 2014 NASL season was an exciting one for us Strikers fans. Lots of ups and downs ending with a trip to the Final. Couldn’t ask for more… Except for maybe a victory there at the end. Thats the thing about sports though, just one second can have a huge affect on the outcome of a match and a season. If Nunez puts his penalty shot 3 inches to the right and puts the Strikers up 1-0, I think we come away with a victory, but instead he squares up with the post and in a second the momentum shifts and the Scorpions go up 1-0 instead. It was a great match though, along with the playoff in Minnesota.
JF: When you heard that Gunter would not return what were you thinking?
ZR: When I heard that news I thought to myself, “Well, they must have taken away his control.” Gunter was always very outspoken about having full control over his roster. He has always said that he would not take a job where he does not have that type of control. Sure enough, that coupled with a low financial offer sent him back to Europe. It was tough seeing him go. At this level we as fans have this awesome ability to get to know the players and staff very well, and and it’s sad to see not only such a great coach and leader, but a great person leave in such a unexpected way. Especially after doing so much with so little.
JF: What are your thoughts on the new ownership group?
ZR: Apart from lacking a public relations department at the moment I think they are doing pretty well and on a personal level they all seem to be very nice and down to earth. Which is a breath of fresh air since I never even met our previous majority owner at Traffic Sports. Even after following the team since 2008 when they were still Miami FC. Though there were some good Traffic representatives around, like our friend Aaron Davidson.
JF: Today they added a minority owner Ronaldo. Do you think adding another owner strengths the Strikers brand?
ZR: Absolutely. Especially when your talking about one of the top 10 players to ever play the game joining the ownership group. With his estimated $150 million dollar net worth coupled with the current ownership group, you’re looking at around $400 million dollars in financial backing for the Strikers. Factor in his marketability as a owner, and sponsors will come knocking. I really wish that he could play, at least for the spring season. I think with stars like Senna still dominating in this league at age 38, Ronaldo would fit right in. Even our own Ivan Guerrero is up there in age and still a force to be reckoned with.
JF: Thoughts on the future of the club, do you see a bright future?
ZR: I do see a bright future for the Strikers. The only variable I am not sure about at this stage is time. How long will it take for the new ownership to fully establish itself and steer this franchise in the right direction. Initial feelings are mixed, but I would like to see them put the right pieces in place to make a proper run at the playoffs this year.
JF: Stadium talk; when are the Strikers going to get the ok to fix Lockhart?
ZR: Of course we would all like for the Strikers to stay at Lockhart and rebuild along with the Schlitterbahn Waterpark plans, but it seems that the deal to make that happen continues to stall because of the FAA. From what I understand though in speaking with managing partner of the Strikers Ricardo Geromel, there are still lots of options as to location for a future Strikers stadium and it looks positive. He would not go into detail, but it seems that Broward County is the place and that there is plenty of political support for the potential project with both the mayors of Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise frequently attending Strikers matches and constantly showing their support for the franchise.
JF: What is the timeline?
ZR: Unfortunately I do not know where the stadium sits on the new ownership groups to-do list. I would hope that it is a major priority due to the current condition of Historic Lockhart Stadium.
JF: A key player this past season was Fafa Picault. Do you see him re-signing with the club or signing elsewhere?
ZR: You know there are a lot of people wanting to know more about player signings and roster moves. Fafa was our Flight 19 Golden Scarf winner this past year and we would love to have him back. While it seems he has stuck around town for a bit, with the way this offseason has gone so far, I still couldn’t tell you one way or the other. Hopefully with the rumored addition of a new General Manager and Soccer Director in the upcoming weeks, we will se the 2015 roster start to materialize. Hopefully with more players than just Shawn Chin… Haha.
JF: Talk about Flight 19.
ZR: Flight 19 is just a big group of family, friends, players, and just passionate soccer supporters out there to give all they have for their home team and have fun while doing it. We have grown in numbers ever year of our existence and look to show more growth this year. Especially with the Strikers making more of a name for themselves and growing their brand as a franchise. 2015 looks to be an exciting year on the horizon!
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We will have another piece up next week .
