Behind the Scenes: Hectic schedule for the Hammerheads

At the stadium – this is where most fans see the Wilmington Hammerheads players throughout the season. What general resources are needed to provide this entertainment? The match does not just consist of the players showing up, taking the field and playing when the whistle blows. What about when the team travels halfway across the country? Most tend to shrug off the logistics of the organization, or don’t have the faintest idea what goes on behind the scenes and what the players have to endure – and that is okay.

Travel is planned weeks in advance. Let’s put the next few weeks for the Hammerheads in perspective, shall we? The team concluded their fourth home match of the regular season on Saturday with a 2-1 win versus the LA Blues. Coach Irving originally called for practice on Sunday morning, but dismissed his decision to give the players a day of rest before traveling to Austin, TX for the second round of the 2013 U.S. Open Cup on Monday afternoon. The chosen squad traveling for the Hammerheads is packed and ready to carpool to ILM Aiport to arrive by 1:00 p.m. for their 2:20 p.m. flight to San Antonio, TX at this point. Remind you, U.S. Open Cup is a fast-paced tournament and travel plans are made within days once the draw for each round is released. Shortly after12:00 p.m. on Monday, the flight out of ILM is unexpectedly cancelled hours before it is due to take off. These are situations every team must prepare for that most do not realize can happen quite frequently. At the time, the team was set to play in less than 36 hours almost halfway across the United States and they were in Wilmington with a cancelled flight.

When it comes to travel, when one thing changes, other changes must be made soon thereafter. Flights were being booked by the minute out of Raleigh, Charlotte, and Jacksonville, NC. Coach Irving prefers to not fly out on the same day as a match because it can effect the players tremendously, but some times when the odds are against you, you have no choice but to make due. This isn’t a game that you can reschedule for a later date or a month down the road. Other matches in the tournament are determined by the outcome of this game and are set to take place in a weeks time. Coach Irving and the team were grounded for the remainder of the day and took an early flight out of ILM Tuesday morning that occurred while most people were still in bed. Nonetheless, the team is hyped and ready for their encounter in Austin and have made the trip accordingly.

This is just one example. What about matches played within days of one another? Following the U.S. Open Cup match, the Hammerheads will return to Wilmington to travel to Florida this weekend, three matches in six days set on their calendar. The Hammerheads will play Orlando City at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Saturday, followed by their debut match versus VSI Tampa Bay at Plant City Stadium on Sunday. If all goes well for the Hammerheads in Austin, TX against the Austin Aztex (PDL), they will advance to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup and will play in Portland, OR on Wednesday, May 29 versus MLS’s Portland Timbers. The Hammerheads are then set to play on their home pitch of Legion Stadium hosting the Phoenix FC Wolves for the first time on Saturday, June 1.

The U.S. Open Cup match between the Wilmington Hammerheads and Austin Aztex will not be streamed live, but you can follow the Aztex on Twitter: @AustinAztex | @Aztex_MatchCast | @ATXsoccer for play-by-play updates during the match. The match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. EST. Also, follow the Hammerheads @Wilmhammerheads for game information and re-tweets.