Comeback falls short for the Soul in Conference Championship

All the Soul needed was a touchdown on the final play of the game to punch their ticket to Arena Bowl XXVIII. But they came up short, with their season ending on the last play of the game for the second straight year.

This opportunity presented itself despite a first half which was the worst two-quarter performance we’ve seen from the Soul all season, from a Raudabaugh interception to a costly fumble that put the Soul in a 28-14 hole at the half, and they were lucky it was that close.

Philadelphia attempted to close the gap throughout the entire second half, and could not get closer than a seven-point deficit until the final minute of the game. Trailing 61-56 with 38 seconds remaining in the game, the Soul attempted their third onside kick of the game, which they failed to recover for the third straight time. However, a three-and-out by Jacksonville forced Julian Rouch to attempt a 28-yard field goal which slid wide right.

The official was quick to signal that the attempt was good, but further review showed that it was an incomplete kick, which gave the Soul new life holding the ball at their 13 yard line with 18 seconds remaining.

On the very first play of the drive, Raudabaugh was sacked for a costly four-yard loss that shaved four seconds off the clock.

Philly was able to march the ball down to the Jacksonville 14 yard line with two seconds remaining on the clock, setting up a last-second touchdown attempt. As Raudabaugh dropped back and aired the ball to the left side of the end zone, defensive back Laroche Jackson picked off Raudabaugh’s heroic attempt to dash the hearts of the Soul and send the Sharks to the Arena Bowl.

Although entertaining, the game was not clean by any means for the Soul, who were given plenty of opportunities to get back to their 2015 form and take control of momentum and the game countless times. There were mistakes by the offense, blown coverages by the defense and questionable calls by the officiating, including the field goal call that left fans scratching their heads wondering what the refs were watching.

But in the end, the Soul had the ball on the final drive of the game with the exact amount of time they needed to march down the field to score the game winning drive that would send them to the Arena Bowl.

And with the best quarterback in the league lining up with the opportunity to lead you to victory, you couldn’t ask for anything better than that.

Unfortunately, the offensive line that was stellar all season long let Raudabaugh down when it mattered most, which cost the Soul four yards, four seconds and a play that could have gained a great deal of yardage. Had the defense stood tall and protected their guy as they had done all season, we probably would be sipping champagne and preparing for an Arena Bowl XXII rematch Saturday night.

But the storybook ending was closed before we could reach it. The Jacksonville squad that was put together in the offseason including former Soul greats Tiger Jones and Derrick Ross, who has more than made his opinions on his former team known all season long, have reached the league’s highest game.

The Sharks never were the better team in the American Conference this season until the final day. Jacksonville started off the year 1-5 with a bunch of players who had great individual accomplishments but never earned a ring. Quarterback Tommy Grady only earned his third postseason win Sunday night, despite his stellar performances over the years. Yet he walked off the field with a smirk on his face, knowing he put the struggles of his season and his playoff career behind him, at least for six nights.

It stings to see a former player such as Ross, who meant so much to the franchise and was a fan favorite, taunt the Soul organization on social media after the game as he has done all season long. There was much talk throughout the season on if the locker room was better without the

league’s all-time leading rusher, and Ross seemed content to be out of Philly as well. But he ran his words once again Sunday night, because his team earned it.

The Soul compiled one of the greatest seasons in franchise history, finishing the year 16-4 with an Eastern Division Championship.

There is no doubt that Dan Raudabaugh will receive the league’s MVP award, as he was hands down the best player in the AFL this season and picked up his game and leadership throughout the season. The Soul added a number of great players to their roster in 2015, and the team will now try to regroup, reevaluate themselves and try to figure out what it will take to take the next step and finish a championship season.

Once again, it’s been a great season bringing the greatest fans in the league coverage on the best team to cover in the AFL. We cannot guarantee the future of this league, but if all goes according to plan, we will see you in seven months for the 2016 kickoff.

Let's do it all again next week

It wasn't pretty, and at times was nerve-racking. But in the end, the Soul completed the three-game regular season series sweep over the top rival Cleveland Gladiators.

Now, the series is 0-0 as the only game that matters is the wildcard matchup next week between the same two clubs at 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 15 in South Philadelphia.

The Soul are returning home with great momentum, owning the Gladiators in a 48-33 matchup in which Cleveland never felt competitive in the game.

It was a sweet feeling winning and completing the regular season sweep in the building where the Soul were eliminated in the wildcard round of last year's playoffs on a last-second field goal by the Gladiators. Now it's time to return the favor in seven nights.

Enjoy this night, and next time you see us, we'll be talking about playoffs!

Philadelphia closes the regular season in Cleveland

We still hate the Gladiators.

Will they make it four-straight over the team that knocked us out on a last-second field goal last season?

The Soul have a seemingly meaningless, preseason-feel game in Cleveland to end the 2015 regular season. Seven days later, they'll take on those same Gladiators in a playoff game, worth the season, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, where the Soul have been undefeated the past 13 months.

So what will happen Saturday? How important is beating a team before playing them seven days later? Will we see Bryan Randall play significantly? Will Raudabaugh continue the league's streak for longest starting quarterback? Will the Soul clinch a 15-3 record?

Just don't get hurt.

We'll see you in the playoffs.

Clock runs out on Soul in Jacksonville

A game that was as entertaining as any the Soul have played in this season ends in controversy, as Jacksonville benefits from a lack of officiating on the last play of the game to take the win, 74-67 over Philadelphia Saturday night.

The Soul and the Sharks were in a seesaw battle in which Philadelphia controlled the contest for over three quarters, as they owned a 60-48 lead with 13:31 remaining in the game.

Two minutes later, Jacksonville quarterback Tommy Grady found former Soul Tiger Jones for his third touchdown of the night to cut the Philadelphia lead to a one-score game with 11:09 left in the contest.

Than the wheels started spinning off for Raudabaugh and the Soul, as the league’s probable MVP threw his first interception of the night to defensive back Greg Reid, who brought the pick to the house to tie the ballgame up at 60 apiece.

Raudabaugh got the ball back on the next drive, but suffered the same fate as Reid once again picked Raudabaugh off and returning the ball to the endzone. A penalty was called on the Jacksonville return, but Derrick Ross the Boss stuck it to his old team on the next drive, scoring a touchdown to give his team their first lead of the night, 67-60 with 6:55 left in the game.

The Soul offense would bounce back on the next drive, marching the length of the field for a Adam Smith touchdown to tie the game at 67-67 with 47 seconds remaining in the game.

The Sou’s kicker, Tommy Frevert missed three extra point attempts and one field goal in the contest, and was unable to convert an onside kick attempt which put Jacksonville on Philly’s eight yard line.

Philadelphia’s defense was able to pressure Grady and the Jacksonville offense all night long, but they could not come up on the final drive of the game as the Sharks’ offense was able to orchestrate another go-ahead touchdown, this time to Derrick Ross who flaunted his touchdown celebration to his former team, putting his club on top again at 74-67 with 31 seconds remaining.

The Soul were cost effecting on their final drive and faced a fourth down with 15 seconds left at their own 21 yard line, yet seemingly kept the drive alive with a three-yard completion to Marco Thomas to the Soul 24 yard line.

Raudabaugh quickly got ahold of the game ball and tossed it the official standing at center field, and while the teams lined up for a final play as the ref bent down with the ball, he chose not to place the ball in time as the clock controversially ran out at the referee's choice, ending the game and giving the Sharks the game.

You try to keep your biases aside, but it was flat out the wrong call and cost the Soul an opportunity to tie or win the game at the end of regulation.

Obviously the official's mistake at the end of the game was not the only reason the Soul were defeated by the Sharks Saturday night. Philadelphia maintained the game through 50 minutes and coughed the game up, handing it over the Sharks who chomped on the opportunity in front of them. Raudabaugh rarely throws interceptions this season, let alone two in the final minutes of the game.
Yet, it’s also discouraging to see AFL officials end the last play of a game controversially two weeks in a row, as last week the Tampa Bay Storm appeared to call timeout on the final play of the game, yet were not granted one as they fell to the Orlando Predators. A league that is a suffering product cannot afford to be surrounded with this kind of controversy very often.

Nonetheless, the Soul still sit atop the American Conference, guaranteed to be at home as far as they make it in the American Conference playoffs, where they sit undefeated at home and would gladly welcome Jacksonville in either the Wildcard round or the Conference Championship.

This game hurts, but the Soul have to rebound and regroup. They have a bye week to think things over, realize what went wrong for them and use their mistakes to their advantage for postseason play in four weeks.

Soul go shark hunting in Jacksonville

Cue the Jaws music.

The Philadelphia Soul are taking their final trip to Florida for the 2015 season this weekend with the opportunity to dash the playoff hopes of the preseason Arena Bowl favorite Jacksonville Sharks.

The game is seemingly meaningless for the Soul in terms of the American Conference playoff picture, as the Soul have locked up the top seed in the conference with a 13-2 record, an impressive spot many once picked the Sharks to be in at this point in the season. However, the Sharks have struggled to stay .500 all season, currently sitting 7-7 and in danger of missing the playoffs all together.

Jacksonville holds the top wild card seed, two games behind the division leading Orlando Predators (9-6), a half game ahead of the second wild card seed Cleveland Gladiators and one game ahead of the Tampa Bay Storm (6-8), who are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

The season series is split between Philadelphia and Jacksonville, as the Soul took the first game of the series with a 63-52 win over Jacksonville on April 12 in Philadelphia, while the Sharks got revenge one month later, handing the Soul their first loss of the season with a 55-47 win of their own on May 15 in Jacksonville.

Since their last meeting, the Soul have went 6-1 the last two months while the Sharks have 4-2 in that stretch. Jacksonville is coming off a deflating 72-48 loss to the Portland Thunder (4-10) last weekend.

By now we all know that the Sharks have a number of faces we recognize, starting with Derrick Ross, who is once again the league’s leading rusher with 473 yards and 27 touchdowns. Philadelphia is dead last in the AFL in rushing defense, allowing 32.3 yards per game, which gives Ross an opportunity to finally breakout in the season series between the two clubs. Ross only rushed for 32 yards in his first meeting with his former team, and dropped those stats to 13 yards with one touchdown in the second match.

Former Soul and franchise leader in receiving Tiger Jones is his league’s leader in receiving yards with 1,636 and 30 touchdowns. Joe Hills has earned 31 touchdowns with 1,183 yards for Jacksonville as well.

Tommy Grady is riding a 65.4 passing percentage, throwing for 3,680 yards with 74 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Jacksonville’s offense is the third highest in scoring across the league averaging 294.7 yards per game.

It’s surprising in some instances to see not only the Sharks struggling with the roster, but struggling with the offensive numbers they have put up throughout their 14 games this season.

However, the Soul have been the second best offensive squad in the league this season, only behind the San Jose SaberCats, averaging 307.6 yards per game.

Philadelphia’s passing offense is the top of the league averaging 288.1 yards per game. Dan Raudabaugh has led the AFL in passing all season, currently sitting with a 66.5 completion percentage, 4,291 passing yards and 101 touchdowns, undoubtedly the league’s MVP this season.

Marco Thomas and Ryan McDaniel show up every week and put up their stats, but the status on Lonnie Outlaw is uncertain after suffering a shoulder injury in last week’s 72-56 win over the Cleveland Gladiators. Harvey Binford stepped up and filled Outlaw’s shoes, hauling in 145 yards and four touchdowns.

The Soul have suffered their two losses of the season in the sunshine state, the first in Jacksonville and the second in Orlando to make their record 1-2 in Florida through their first three games. Philadelphia owns the all time series 4-3.

The Sharks definitely the need this game more than the Soul, as Jacksonville is trying to keep their playoff hopes alive while Philadelphia is trying to make their record look as good as they can with the hopes of hosting the Arena Bowl. Jacksonville is still a talented team despite their record, and as we’ve seen are capable of beating the Soul.

It’s time for the Soul to shoot down the Sharks Chief Brody style and put the Sharks down for good, as a win Saturday night would get the Soul a good chance of not seeing them again this season.

Soul clinch No. 1 seed, series win over rival Gladiators

If there was any doubt that the Soul deserved their 2015 East Division crown, it was put to rest Saturday afternoon with Philadelphia’s 72-56 win over the Cleveland Gladiators.

With the win, the Soul take the season series over their arch rival, only a year removed from the three-game sweep the 2014 conference champion Cleveland Gladiators had over the Soul. The tides have certainly turned as the Soul now advance to 13-2 on the season, holding the division championship and clinching home field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.  

The Gladiators meanwhile fall to 7-8, in danger of losing the final wildcard seed in the American Conference.

Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh continued his stellar season Saturday afternoon completing 20 of his 27 passes with 306 yards and seven touchdowns. Harvey Binford was Philly’s leading receiver with 145 yards and four touchdowns.

For Cleveland, quarterback Shane Austin was not as perfect as he was against Philly last season, going 19 for 39 in passing yet still throwing for 228 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions. Receiver Amarri Jackson brought in 125 yards and three touchdowns for Cleveland.

Philly started the game off strong forcing Shane Austin to fumble the ball on the first snap of the game, which would lead to a Tommy Taggart touchdown.

Cleveland would respond quickly, marching down the field and tying the game 7-7 with a Jer Richardson one-yard touchdown.

On the Soul’s next drive, Lonnie Outlaw would score a costly 16-yard touchdown that would dislocate his shoulder, forcing him to leave the game while the Soul lead 14-7.

Late in the second quarter leading 21-14, the Soul appeared to stop the Gladiators on downs to regain possession, but a pass interference call advanced Cleveland to a first down. The drive would still result in a Cleveland turnover, as Lereco Stevenson intercepted a pass that was tipped by TJ Cobb with 5:33 remaining in the first half, Cleveland’s second turnover of the half to give Philly the ball.

Ryan McDaniel would punch in an eight-yard touchdown off the turnover to extend the Soul lead to two scores, 28-14 with 3:49 remaining in the half.

The Gladiators would respond three minutes later with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Austin to Amarri Jackson, but the drive ended up being a momentum builder for the Soul as the extra point attempt was blocked and returned by Joe Goosby for a two-point conversion for Philadelphia, who led 30-20.

The Soul would get the ball back with 30 seconds left before the half, and compiled a 23-second drive that resulted in a Harvey Binford touchdown to give the Soul a 37-20 lead heading into the locker room.

The Soul made a statement on the first snap of the second half, with Raudabaugh throwing a 36-yard bomb to a wide open Binford that extended Philadelphia’s lead to 44-20.

While Raudabaugh is on pace to earn the 2015 AFL MVP, he had a rare mistake with eight minutes remaining the third quarter, throwing an interception to the Cleveland backup Chris Dieker, filling in for safety. Cleveland marched down for a second straight score to cut the Philly lead to 44-34.

Philly would add on a touchdown and stop Cleveland on a fourth-down quarterback-sneak at the 14 yard line to regain the ball on the first possession of the fourth quarter, leading 51-34. Raudabaugh found Marco Thomas the very next play to go up 58-34.

Shane Austin’s struggles continued the next possession with a fourth down sack at the 20 yard line with 9:55 remaining in the game.

The Soul did not look back from there as Raudabaugh got to take a seat and let backup Bryan Randall see some playing time with five minutes remaining in the game leading 65-34.

Cleveland would make things interesting in the final minute of the game, scoring nine points in the final 30 seconds to cut the lead to 72-56 but would get no closer.

The Soul dominated the Gladiators in every facet of the game, as the offense, defense and special teams dominated the defending conference champions on nearly every snap. Saturday afternoon was refreshing to see the Soul show up to work after the bye week and take their hated rival to the house and damage their playoff hopes, while also adding momentum to their own.

The concerning light is that the Soul have lost a second receiver to injury, as Outlaw joins TK on the injury list and there has not been a timetable released on either yet. However, the Soul receiving core did not miss a beat when Outlaw went down early this afternoon as Harvey Binford proved why he belongs on one of the top rosters in the AFL.

Philadelphia has three more opportunities to show the league why they’re worthy of an Arena Bowl title before the playoffs begin next month, which begins next Saturday with a trip down to see our old friends in Jacksonville with the season series on the line against the Sharks.

Outlaw leaves Cleveland game with injury

While the Soul are taking on the Cleveland Gladiators on CBS Sports Network, Lonnie Outlaw has left the game with a dislocated shoulder. Bad news for the team that is already missing another wide receiver Shaun Kauleinamoku to injury as well.

No news has been released from the Soul, but depending on the severity of the injury, Outlaw could miss anywhere from two weeks to the rest of the season.

More following the game.

Soul host familiar foes in home opener

A number of familiar faces will be in the Wells Fargo Center this afternoon during the Soul home opener.

And we’re not referring to the pregame ceremony that will honor members from the 2008 Arena Bowl Championship team.

The Philadelphia Soul open home play with an undefeated 2-0 mark, hosting the winless 0-2 Jacksonville Sharks at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12.

The Sharks having yet to win a game is the biggest surprise around the league through the short three weeks into the season, as Jacksonville was picked by many to win the Arena Bowl after some huge additions to their roster.

Some of those additions will be experiencing homecoming this afternoon, as Derrick Ross and Tiger Jones will make their first returns to Philadelphia since leaving the Soul last offseason, after three season of making three straight trips to the playoffs and two Arena Bowls.

The Sharks added quarterback Tommy Grady, who defeated the Soul three times last season as a member of the now defunct Pittsburgh Power.

The Sharks lost both of their first two games by a single point this season, falling on the road to New Orleans 51-50 after trailing 20-0 early in the contest, before going on to lose their home opener 55-54.

Grady has completed 64.4 percent completion percentage in that time, throwing for 509 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.

Tiger Jones has brought in 257 yards with five touchdowns on 20 receptions, leading Jacksonville receivers.

Derrick Ross has been held to only 71 yards on 17 rushes, but has still found the endzone four times.

As for the Soul, their 2-0 record was earned with a pair of road wins, their most recent a 54-43 win over the Spokane Shock, defeating them on the road for the first time in franchise history.

Dan Raudabaugh has completed 57 of his 95 passes, throwing for 727 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Marco Thomas has emerged as the Soul’s leading receiver, after leading the league in yards a season ago, and has racked up 300 yards and four touchdowns on 28 receptions. Ryan McDaniel is right behind Thomas with 243 yards and five touchdowns.

The storyline through the first two weeks has been the Sharks inability to close out a game. They are the only team in the league that has not won a game yet this season, but that does not mean they are anywhere near the worst team in the league.

Jacksonville has compiled a team with many egos on its roster, with players at nearly every position on the offense who have been looked at to be the guy throughout their AFL career. Jones has expressed his frustration through their first two games, from not getting passes his way to throws being thrown off target, and the desperation has shown for the Sharks.

It’s a tough situation for the Soul, who jumped to a nice start on the season despite miscommunications between receivers on offense with Raudabaugh.

Jacksonville is the more desperate team at this point, as falling 0-3 would not mark the end of their season but will certainly cause need for the panic button with Orlando, Cleveland and Philadelphia each having two more wins in the standings.

A loss for Philadelphia will only keep them tied with Cleveland for first place, who lost to the Arizona Rattlers Saturday night.

And if there’s one game Ross and Tiger want to win this season, it’s this Sunday. It’s never been publicly cleared what went down with the franchises connections with these two fan-favorites this past offseason, but both players were shipped out of town towards the end of the offseason. Since then, Tiger has expressed his love for the city over Facebook, while Ross has made his sour feelings towards the organization and the desire to win this week.

This game has the potential for hostility, bitterness and an instant classic for both squads. The Soul have the chance to bury their former teammates and the Sharks in a game that couldn’t get any bigger for a week two matchup than this. Now we’ll see if Philadelphia can take control of the conference.

Soul open season in Orlando

The 2015 season is set to kickoff this weekend for the Philadelphia Soul as they travel to the heart of the jungle to take on the Orlando Predators at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 29 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

It will be a new group of faces for the Soul this weekend since their season ending loss in Cleveland last summer, as the Soul have once again adopted a majority of new faces from a talented-defunct team.

When their rival Pittsburgh Power folded this past offseason, the Soul added seven members from the Power this offseason, including fullback Tommy Taggart, defensive back Brandon Freeman, defensive lineman Justin Lawrence, outside lineman Keith Newell, wide receiver Shaun Kauleinamoku and defensive lineman Curtis Young, along with their former head coach Derek Stingley hired on as the defensive coordinator.

Head coach Clint Dolezel and quarterback Dan Raudabaugh are returning for their fourth season together in Philadelphia, and are returning to the Amway Center for the first time since their heartbreaking loss to the Arizona Rattlers in Arena Bowl XXVI back in 2013. Philadelphia played Orlando twice last season, once in Orlando, but the Predators played their home games at CFE Arena for the 2014 season due to contract issues.

The Soul swept the Predators in their two-game series last season, taking the first game 69-56 on April 10 in Orlando before finishing off the series with a 42-35 win July 7 in Philadelphia.

It’s worth noting that the Predators’ season was ended last year in a 56-48 home loss to the Power on Aug. 3 in the opening round of the playoffs since many members of that Power team have made a new home in Philly.

Bernard Morris will be at quarterback for the Predators again this season, after spending his first season in Orlando last year on the refuse to report list for the first half of the season along with battling injuries, sharing reps with Jason Boltus.

Morris played in nine games for Orlando last year, throwing for 47 touchdowns and six interceptions, with a 64.9 completion percentage.

Gregg Carr was Orlando’s leading receiver last season scoring 36 touchdowns and averaged 79.7 yards per game.

One of the bigger additions for the Predators this offseason came this past week when Orlando signed defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, who is entering his first year in the AFL after spending time with the Philadelphia Eagles (2010) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2011-13).  

Orlando is a team that has more experience playing together as a whole than Philadelphia currently does, but the Soul clearly have the more talented roster. The biggest challenge for the Soul will be flowing together as team early on and seeing if the players can mesh together well and compete for an Arena Bowl. The Soul struggled out the gate last season dropping their first three games, but finally got things rolling when they traveled to Orlando to take on these same Predators. Hopefully this matchup can get the Soul rolling again this season.

2015 Soul roster sees facelift heading into training camp

When the Philadelphia Soul open their 2015 training camp this week, they will be without eight major players that have helped them reach the playoffs three straight seasons.

Fullback Derrick Ross, wide receivers Tiger Jones and V’Keon Lacey, defensive back Rayshaun Kizer, center Brennen Carvalho, lineman Jason Holman, defensive lineman Bryan Robinson and linebacker Brandon Perkins have left the Soul, either to signings/trades with other teams or currently sit as free agents.

The most surprising move the Soul made this offseason however was the trade of Ross to the L.A. Kiss in exchange for linebacker Beau Bell, who is considered by many across the league to be the best linebacker in the AFL.

The announcement of the trade was not surprising at the time, as Ross made it clear on social media that a change in Philadelphia was coming:

Ross’ tenure in Philadelphia was nothing short of legendary, becoming the AFL’s all-time rushing leader with 2,260 yards and 142 touchdowns in his four seasons playing Arena ball, three in Philadelphia.

While Ross criticized the Soul’s front office, and maybe rightfully so, there’s always two sides to every situation and Ross has spoken out against team authority on social media before, notably criticizing the coaching staff for not giving him the ball in their loss to the Arizona Rattlers in Arena Bowl 26.

Nonetheless, Ross was a class act for the fans on and off the field, making himself a fan favorite and will certainly be missed in Philadelphia.

The Soul have brought in Tommy Taggart from the defunct rival Pittsburgh Power, who rushed for 167 yards last season averaging 2.5 yards per game and scoring 10 touchdowns.

Brennan Carvalho has been another key to Philadelphia’s success the past few seasons, standing tall as one of the best centers in the league, but after returning to the Arizona Rattlers this past offseason, the Soul grabbed Shannon Breen from the Cleveland Gladiators in his replacement. Breen was named to the All-Arena Second Team last season, and started all 18 games for the Cleveland Gladiators last year, who finished with the best record in the regular season before falling to the Arizona Rattlers in the Arena Bowl.

The Soul have preached for two years now about bringing in young talent, which has resulted in the departure of wide receiver Tiger Jones, who was named All-Arena each of his three seasons with Philadelphia, along with teammate receiver V’Keon Lacey, who averaged just shy of 11 yards per reception last season.

Also gone from the Soul this offseason is defensive back Rayshaun Kizer, the third All-Arena player to leave the Soul after signing with the three-time defending world champion Arizona Rattlers. Kizer has brought in 29 interceptions the past three seasons with the Soul, and last year set the record for interceptions in a playoff game with four.

Here is a further look at the Soul 2014-15 offseason moves:

Notable losses from 2014 roster:

Derrick Ross-  L.A. Kiss

Tiger Jones-  Jacksonville Sharks

V’Keon Lacey-  Portland Thunder

Rayshaun Kizer-  Arizona Rattlers

Brennen Carvalho-  Arizona Rattlers

Jason Holman-  Jacksonville Sharks

Free agents unsigned:

Bryan Robinson

Brandon Perkins

Key additions for 2015 season:

Linebacker Beau Bell

Fullback Tommy Taggart

Center Shannon Breen

Wide receiver Shaun Kauleinamoku

Wide receiver Tyrone Goard

Wide receiver Dominique Curry

Defensive lineman Justin Lawrence

Offensive lineman Keith Newell

The Soul are set to begin training camp this week, with field practice beginning today and full-padded action beginning Tuesday, March 10. Quarterback Dan Raudbaugh is returning for his third season in Philadelphia, and some members of past teams such as Joe Goosby, Kent Richardson, James Romain and others still remain.

When Philadelphia kicks off their 2015 season in Orlando against the Predators Sunday, March 29, it’s unsure yet if the Soul will be a better or worse team than the one that lost on a last-second field goal to the Gladiators in the opening round of the playoffs last season, but one thing is for sure: they will be a different team.