Football, soccer has been awful the last few months. Last year was a ride of emotion. The Quakes storming to the supporters Shield has the best regular Season in MLS. Hartlepool getting to the play-off final being less than 10 minutes from glory. England and the US win their World Cup qualifying groups. All was good.

Then. Along come the MLS play-offs. The Quakes forgot their brilliant Season to be dumped out in the first round by the evil Empire. Then the team is taken away, moved, to Houston as Houston 1836. Hartlepool start to freefall down the Division where relegation almost seems an inevitibility. The manager is suspended. All is bad.

My passion for the sport has difinately dwindled. More by the MLS's stupidity taking the Quakes away. I've only watched a handful of games since then. However, if the announcement that we're getting a professional team here in Cary, stating in the USL Division 1 (the second tier of US football) starting next ywar as re-kindled my passion. They will not replace the Quakes. That pain will stay until they return, but, it gives me a team to get behind and live by.

-Richard