I am a fan of watching St. Joes play and will likely go see them take on Christ Church tonight in what I'm guessing will be a match that is not nearly as entertaining as it was last year and the year before when those two teams had some great battles.
While I don't think SJ's record going back 3 years against mid-state opponents is indicative of their current talent and ability in any way (they are quite good this year), there was a chance for them to prove themselves here and they missed it. No doubt that the Palmetto Cup has become the top-tier tournament for SC soccer, and in my opinion it provides more opportunity for teams to earn the respect of the SC soccer community than any other (Wando pre-season tourney is phenomenal as well, but as we all know, pre-season is pre-season).
So while I agree that SJ is a quality side and believe they could compete with the best SC has to offer, you have to show up and prove it. I have no idea why they turned down an invitation to compete in this great tournament during their spring break week (could have been a perfectly good reason), but chalk it up as a missed opportunity in my book. Would love to see them compete against Wando this year, but sadly doesn't look like its in the cards.
