Florida Sports Wire

SOCCER: U.S. Men's National Team opens five-game ‘Tournament’ against Scotland on Saturday

The U.S. Men’s National Team starts its busiest stretch of the year with an international friendly against Scotland at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 26, at EverBank Field.

The USA will play three friendlies and two World Cup qualifiers in an 18-day stretch, and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is treating the series of matches like a five-game tournament.

With nearly 32,000 tickets already sold, the match will set the attendance record for a U.S. Men’s National Team international friendly in the state of Florida.

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named 27 players into camp which is taking place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. The team will train in Orlando until May 25, when Klinsmann will select a final 23-man roster for the match against Scotland.

The previous record was set on March 25, 2007, when 31,547 witnessed the U.S. MNT defeat Ecuador 3-1 behind a hat trick from Landon Donovan at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

The USA’s game in Jacksonville will be its first in the city in more than a decade, with the last match representing one of the biggest upsets in U.S. history. On Feb. 6, 1999, the MNT defeated defending European Champion Germany 3-0 in front of 17,259 fans, the previous attendance record for a U.S. match in Jacksonville.

The U.S. holds an all-time 1-3-2 record against Scotland and last played the team to a 1-1 tie in Glasgow on Nov. 12, 2005. The Jacksonville game will be the first meeting on American soil between the sides since May 30, 1998, when the teams tied 0-0 in Washington, D.C.

Tickets starting at $22 are still on sale at ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Jacksonville area (including many Walmart stores). Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

The U.S.-Scotland match will be shown live on the NBC Sports Network in the channel’s debut broadcast of a U.S. National Team game, as well as Galavision.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE: Lookouts handle Jacksonville Suns 4-1

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Chattanooga Lookouts starting pitcher Matt Magill was nearly untouchable, allowing just two hits over seven innings as the Lookouts topped the Suns 4-1 at AT&T Field on Thursday night.

Magill retired the first nine Suns batters he faced in the game. The only two hits he allowed were doubles to Jeff Dominguez in the fourth inning and Shawn Bowman in the fifth. The Lookouts scored their first run in the second inning, when Blake Smith drew a leadoff walk against Suns starter Bryan Evans. With one out, Brahiam Maldonado doubled off the wall in left field with Smith scoring for a 1-0 lead. That walk was the first issued by Evans in his last three starts.

In the seventh, Evans again walked Smith to lead off the inning and then hit Travis Denker. With two on and no one out, the Suns made the call to the bullpen. Corey Madden came into the game to face Brahiam Maldonado, who hit a ball high off the left field wall for a double with Smith and Denker scoring to build the lead to 3-0. Maldonado has driven in five runs in the series. The Lookouts tacked on another, when Griff Erickson singled to plate Maldonado to increase the lead to 4-0.

The Suns lone run of the game came against reliever Allen Webster in the eighth inning. Jake Jefferies led off with a single and scored when Donnie Webb doubled off the wall in left field. It was Webb's tenth RBI of the season.

Matt Magill struck out 10 Suns batter over seven innings to improve to 4-2 on the season. Bryan Evans was charged with three runs in six innings and dropped to 0-4.

Game three of the series is Friday night with the first pitch slated for 7:15 p.m. at AT&T Field in Chattanooga. Suns lefty Graham Taylor (2-4, 4.47) will make his tenth start of the season for the Suns. Right-hander Chris Withrow (1-1, 5.52) will take the mound for the Lookouts.

AFL: Jacksonville and Orlando match up on NFL Network Friday at 8

The ArenaBowl XXIV Champion Jacksonville Sharks have faced the Orlando Predators more often than any other opponent. The two teams will meet for the first time in 2012 on Friday night, squaring off at Amway Center in Orlando in a game that will air live on NFL Network as part of “Net10 Arena Football Friday.” Kickoff for Friday night’s game is set for 8:00 p.m.

This will be the seventh overall meeting between the two squads in a little more than two calendar years. In the Sharks’ previous two seasons in the Arena Football league, Jacksonville and Orlando played twice in each regular season and met in the first round of the playoffs in both 2010 and 2011. Jacksonville holds a 3-1 edge in the regular-season series, while the teams have split their two postseason matchups.

Friday’s contest marks the first of three consecutive divisional games for the Sharks. Entering this week of action, Jacksonville sits at 4-5, just a game and a half behind first-place Georgia (6-4) and a half-game behind the 5-5 Tampa Bay Storm. With the Sharks set to play the Storm (June 2) and Force (June 9) after this week’s game, this upcoming stretch could prove pivotal in the South Division.

Jacksonville will do its best to build on last weekend’s dominating defensive performance in the team’s 55-19 home win over the Iowa Barnstormers. In that game, the Sharks set a new franchise record for fewest points allowed in a game and became the first AFL team to hold an opponent under 20 points since May of 2010. The Shark defense generated constant pressure on Barnstormer quarterback Chris Dieker, recording three sacks and four turnovers.

The many defensive highlights from last week’s game included Micheaux Robinson’s two first-half interceptions and a third-quarter play in which Scooter Berry sacked Dieker from the blind side and forced a fumble that was recovered and returned for a touchdown by nose guard Jeff Littlejohn.

A rookie from West Virginia, Berry has emerged as one of the Sharks’ top pass rushers, racking up a sack in four of the last six games. Overall, Berry leads the team with five sacks in 2012. The Shark front four should get a boost this week from Jabari Fletcher, who recently joined the team after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Rattlers.

On offense, quarterback Bernard Morris is set to make his third consecutive start after replacing an injured Omar Jacobs in Week 9 against New Orleans. Last Saturday against Iowa, Morris enjoyed his most efficient game of the 2012 season, as he had four touchdown passes, no turnovers and just six incompletions.

Morris was helped on one of those four touchdowns by Terrance Smith, who out-jumped two Barnstormer defenders to catch a pass that deflected high off the rebound net for a touchdown in the first quarter. Smith continues to produce as he has all season, as he now leads the team with 20 touchdown receptions and 25 touchdowns overall. Moreover, Smith has been consistent throughout the season, crossing the goal line at least two times in eight of the team’s nine games.

Smith and the Shark offense will need to be on point this week as they match up against a Predator team that ranks second in the league in scoring defense (50.2 points per game).

AFL: Former Gators' receiver Dixon named to Top 25 players list

Continuing its countdown of the 25 Greatest Players in AFL History, the Silver Anniversary Committee has announced its selection for the 15th Greatest Player in AFL History: Dwayne Dixon.

A First-Team All-SEC selection and honorable mention All-American at the University of Florida, Dixon was an “AFL Original,” joining the Washington Commandos in the League’s inaugural season in 1987.

On July 16, 1987, Dixon collected 20 receptions in the Commandos 64-61 loss to the Chicago Bruisers. The catch total set a League record that has yet to be broken.

Dixon was named First-Team All-Arena after leading the League in receptions in 1987. He finished the year with 68 catches for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In 1988, Dixon joined the Detroit Drive and the AFL’s first dynasty was born. Dixon led the League with 79 receptions and 1,007 receiving yards to go with 20 touchdowns. His efforts propelled the Drive to ArenaBowl II, where Detroit defeated Chicago 24-13. Dixon caught five passes for 63 yards, recovered a fumble, knocked down a pass and recorded two tackles in the contest, earning Ironman of the Game honors.

Dixon remained with the Drive through the 1991 season, making four consecutive trips to the ArenaBowl and finishing his career with three championship rings.

After announcing his retirement, Dixon turned to coaching. In 1994, he returned to his alma mater to become the Gators’ wide receiver coach. During his tenure at Florida, the team won six SEC championships and appeared in two national championship games, winning one.

In August 1997, Dixon was announced as one of eight inductees in the inaugural class of the AFL Hall of Fame. He was joined in induction by former Drive teammates Gary Mullen, Tate Randle and Alvin Rettig, as well as former Detroit Head Coach Tim Marcum. Dixon was also inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great,” that year, and his Gator squad brought home a national championship at the Sugar Bowl.

Dixon joined the North Carolina State Wolfpack coaching staff in 2005. After being selected as the 10th Greatest Player in Arena Football History in 2006 by the AFL Historical Committee, Dixon moved to Athens, Ohio. He has served as Ohio University’s wide receivers coach since 2007.

The League’s Silver Anniversary Committee will continue to countdown its list of the 25 Greatest Players in AFL History each week throughout the 2012 regular season, with the announcements of the Top 5 during the postseason.