Race St over Pats 3-1, Fergies dominates Artful, and a new Spitter!

RACE ST SPITS ITS WAY TO VICTORY
Race St. beat the Patriots 3-1, but that was predictably the unexciting part. Sources tell me that there was a spit... i hear, not as dramatic as last year, but it made Ref Ricky pull out his Reddy.
Can you guess who? Not in a million... Alan, the tall eastern defender. Can you guess why? Let's just say boy Jimmy must have pulled one of those "yo mamma so fat.. " to tick the docile Alan off, until his salivary glands got just too wound up and he had to let loose a glob over his left shoulder. This is just hear say... but who knows! My take... blown way out of proportion.

About the game, Race St's capt. conrad put his mark, julian added to it before getting injured, and a third came from somebody. Never heard who scored for the Pats. Christina's HOT PINK "I can see your ... from the moon" shorts may have distracted the Pat's construction just enough. Is that legal?

Said Nachmi of the new spitter: "I am glad to see someone inherit the throne. I wish i was there to see it!"


THE RISE OF FERGIES - DOMINATING TEAM TIMMY 3-0

Yes. Ben believes he is solely responsible for the rebound of Fergies whose first 2 games saw them looking hopeless, then a draw with Vesuvio, and now a victory over Artful Dodger... timmeee! Well, perhaps Said may have a little to do with it. The awesome striker has been superb and with Alex, has been a menace for the opposing defence. And what about that rocket freekick by young Louis drilling a hole through Charlie. This game was so one sided, it seemed ironic. Said scored one. Can't remember who scored the third. This game should have been 8-0 Fergies, but a win is a win. Team Timmy looked drunk and hung over. May be those loser Penn State games keepin' them up late, but they just did not look good at all. Darin, one of the better players, barely touched the ball, and Bull never got a shot off. Aleks is still in Europe... at least in spirit. Timmy who came out strong this season, seems to have taken the Fergies fever.

Let's see if captain Charlie can rally his troops, and the others should watch out for the new Fergies.

Race St jab el Fuego 3-2 in a flowless game

Race St came armed with their champion winning side from last year. Conrad had prepared his troops by commands of continuing ball pressure and open play, the latter of which seemed missing. El Fuego had half its team from last year, and was beginning to break the others in. This was going to be an uphill battle for the burritos, who were easily the underdogs.

Kenji and Julian the Kid controlled the entire game. The strategy for the others seemed to feed it to either of them who were bent on coming up the left wing. It worked. Kenji scored the first goal by screaming by John after intercepting a pass in the midfield. One on one with the goalie, Kenji put it away. El Fuego came back with an equalizer 10 minutes later with the Zanzibar international Heri Ali's half volley at close range. The burritos almost went up a goal after a corner deflected of Alans head hit the Race St. post. and also from a dipping free kick from Marcus that was acrobatically saved by Mike of Race St. In the second half, pressure poured on from the Race St. strikers. Big Kev held the Fuego defense for most of the game. The burritos seemed to be playing off key by a lack of passing and trying solo efforts that always seem to result in losing the ball... primarily in the midfield.

Burrito Kevin's shot in the second half took a wicked bounce and went in! What do you know, the burritos were level again. But, a counter attack 10 minutes later created another goal for the Racers. Race St had a number of chances, and were it not for shots gone awry or sloppy finishing, the score may have been more one sided. A last moment header by Zack could have tied the game, but Mike had good hands in the Race St. goal. All in all, a good first game with vast improvements needed to justify the title "the beautiful game".

Vesuvio barely hold off Patriots, Timmy crushes Fergies

Better late than never... and without captain reports, just eye witnesses...

Timmy Thumps Fergies 3-0
Oh no, what happened? One could argue that Fergie's got the short end of the stick. Or is it that their own team and captains had barely organized the team or prepared them to battle the Timmy. The latter was clearly reflected in what seemed to be a one sided affair. The game ended 3-0, and Fergies can thank the rain for that. Back to the drawing board for some German Engineering!

Vesuvio barely hold off Patriots to win 4-3 - by Kevin Vogt
Team Patriot came out in their season opener a little sluggish. May it have been a case of the binge drinking the night before? Or anxiety? Or fear? Possibly, but most of the poor effort is too blame on disorganization. The Calamaris jumped on the Patriots early and often and built a 3-0 (a nice finish off a cross, a header off a set piece, maybe Ben, and a PK by Daoud) lead by the half way mark. Intra-squad bickering in the first half was replaced by a calm, cool and collected halftime speech by Napolean Dynamite. The second proved to be a reversal of fortune for Team Patriot. Paul Roberts got the Patriots on the scoreboard with a nifty that escaped the Calamari keeper. And followed with another minutes later. However, in between his goals, the Calamaris added goal of their own off a corner kick.

Andy scored for the Calamaris through a crowded defense with a splendid volley. With the score at 4-2, Team Patriot still gave a valiant effort. Lil Jimmy took the ball off Ricky (who was left wondering what the f**k happened) on the left flank and with the keeper off his line, deftly poked it over his outstretched arms, making it 4-3 and a game with 10 minutes left. However, thats how the final score read as neither team could convert any chances in the games final minutes. Vesuvio, lucky to have time on their side, came up with a victory. If the game may have gone longer, the gellin' Patriots may have stolen it.

Vesuvio has proven to be a strong squad this year. And, after their lackluster start, Team Patriot seemed to work out the kinks and may prove to be a formidable opponent. Vesuvio, has to thank their happy captain Sarah for concocting a formidable squad of strength - new Marco, new Greg, Ricky, Dave, Andy, .... perhaps Race St will be the ultimate showdown.

Timmy 2 - Vesuvio 2: A competitive nail-biter start!

This past Tuesday saw Team Tim "Tim-may" fight back to equal the highly regarded Calamaris, Vesuvio. Frank led Vesuvio by scoring the first goal of the new season with a deft shot into the lower right corner of the Tim goal. After a shakey start, Timeee wasn't going to let his team end the first half down, and as fate would have it, Captain Tim returned Frank the favor. At the end of the half, Tim remarked: "Chris had a great pointwith winning 50/50 balls and I think we corrected this problem in thesecond half leading to several more opportunities to score", and he continued, "Offensive played well, once passes were strung together, we had great chancesand really broke their defense down." Frank too was happy with his team's performance.

Not only was this a game of the captains, but one for the stars! Vesuvio benefitted with their new star Greg, who would end up being a valuable "steal". Greg has now stamped is place in the BVFC league as the one to watch in the Vesuvio side with his first goal in the second half. But this was not to be unmatched with another rising star, Mr. Bull, Timmys first pick in the draft, who placed his equalizer nicely to tie the game with one minute left! Goalie John for Timmy was a star with some great game savers.

Many thanks to the awesome referreeing of JT and Paco! Tim concluded: "I look forward to therest of the season and couldn't be happier with our 2 - 2 tie tostart the season, but I am ready to put a few in the win column soon."

Welcome to the 2006 BVFC Championship!

After a bit of a bumpy start, fields, or perhaps field, became available. Waitlists have never been longer for amateur soccer wannabes longing for their adrenaline charge after the spectacular 2006 World Cup. So we have 20, perhaps 30 persons on the wait list! We have 1, 2, or 3 fields, or back to 1... Palumbo! Whatever it is... football season is here.

Teams... ha! Sponsors are neither here nor there, cheap for the most part, or tardy... but that may be due to the last minute assurance of "Ah, yes, we have a field to play on". New Teams, but let's see if they show up! We have a merger of Abacus and Patriots from last year to form Team Timmy (pronounced in the SouthPark icon "Timmy"). The Germans Stephan and Marco coupled to form Team Fergies Pub, a well respected Irish watering hole; Germans and Irish and its Oktoberfest! El Fuego (burritos), Vesuvio (calamaris) and Patriot Construction return.

Schedules... who cares about schedules when we can plan this week by week! Actually, perhaps we'll have a schedule before we know the game had been played.

Race St returns with their squad (Conrad should have been a DC lobbyist), while everyone else was poured into the bvfc blender. Team captains picked their crew from names we've never heard of amongst the regulars; some looking to luck out with a Kenji-like striker. Rumor has it that newcomer Greg came out to play one practice saturday as a Timmy boy and went to bed with a calamari. Dealings and trades amongst captains have been going on behind the scenes... need an agent?

Its biz as usual, so show off 'em World Cup cleats. The Trophy shines bright on the top shelf (deservedly above the single malt shelf) at Race St Cafe, a sponsor so proud that they even offer the 2005 Race St. Cafe Soccer jersey for sale on their menu! Well it is time to challenge Conrad and his boys... and girl. Who will it be this year?

Race St. Are 2005 BVFC Cup Champions!

As always, when Race St wins, Conrad has a word or two...
"Race Street came into this final game in the same frame of mind thatwe had before every other one played this season, determined to win.We wanted to stop all of the gloating coming from the FC STUN squadwho never missed an opportunity to remind us that because they wonour first match they were the better team. Winning the regularseason crown must have counted for something, we thought! But weonly had ourselves to blame for letting them escape with a win inthat first match because we were clearly the better team! In ouropinion this match would only have one outcome: A win for RaceStreet which would confirm the outstanding team play that we showedthrough the season! We started with the following formation: Kenji Julian Conrad Jerry Q Alan Omar Mike G Jason Eddy Max

We started the game nervously as we had difficulty keeping the ballon the ground due to the field's lumpy condition. But after thefirst five to ten minutes we settled down and started to take thegame to STUN, creating a few clear goal opportunities in theprocess. Despite being determined not to allow them to score first,we got sucker-punched by a controversial goal. We did not panic asthis seemed to have been the norm from our most recent games. Butto our surprise, STUN scored a well-worked second goal not too longafter in the first half! Coming back from a one-nil score in a finalis one thing, but two-nil is a very different story.But for some reason, the Racers kept playing their usual game ofquick passing and attacking down the flanks. We knew that the gamewould not be over until after the final whistle (I know…cliché, butso true!). At half time we received another blow! Eddy our standout right backthrough the season had been playing on badly strained right quad anddid not know whether he would be able to continue. Despite his hugecontribution to our presence in the final game, we would have to winthe game without him if we had to. That turned out to be the case, ashe had to be substituted early in the second half. He wascompetently replaced by Mike Park.The second half was a little bit different, as FC STUN, sensing thatthey may be able to claim the first BVFC cup, started matching ourintensity and were creating goal opportunities.

Our defense, which Ibelieve was the best in the league (I know that the stats don'tnecessarily back me on that claim) was as solid as ever; alwayssticking a foot at the last moment to deny the STUN strikers thatlast control or shot.In the middle of the second half, a sense of urgency started to cometo us; we had twenty minutes or so to turn this thing around or allof our pre-game party preparations would have been for nothing, One could feel that a goal from either side could change the balance ofthe game!And it came right after the referee had indicated that there werethirteen minutes left. It started with Omar on the left side,through Julian in the center then to Q on the right who beautifullydropped the ball on Kenji's chest on the left side of the STUNeighteen. In textbook fashion (this is how kids should be taught tochest-trap a ball while redirecting it into their path for a volley)Kenji put the ball on that surgical left foot of his and just likethat, momentum swung in our favor!Just a couple of lines to describe that surgically deadly weapon that Kenji calls his left foot. That thing can snap so quickly and whenit does, beware! Just ask the STUN goalie as they again gotreacquainted two minutes later from that same angle with the samepredictable result. Within three minutes, we were leveled and feltthat we could take the game. Within five minutes of the ref'indicating the 77 minute mark, we took the lead from a goal comingonce again from a left to right to left play which saw Marco make afinal pass that emphasized the level of confidence that the Racerswere playing with at that moment. 3-2!As anyone who's ever been involved in the game will tell you, teamsare usually at their most vulnerable point after scoring. And true enough despite Jason's screams to maintain our defensive focus, werelaxed too much and STUN quickly capitalized on that moment ofweakness. They were truly worthy opponents!Wow! Four goals in less than seven minutes! Great game!In extra time we came so close to end the game in storybook fashion!But it wasn't to be! As Julian's dad said to me:"You guys like tomake it difficult on yourselves!"However, we were not to be denied, FC STUN's nerves betrayed them inthe end in the penalty shoot-outs. RACE STREET wins! Despite STUN'sinitial advantage in the league for having played together as a teamfor a few years, we never believed that they were better than us andwe showed it both in the regular season's standings and by winning itall in the end!I am glad to say that all the BVFC teams did a wonderful job.

We were all assigned to a squad at the beginning of the season and werefaced with the challenge of turning ourselves into teams quickly.For the most part, we were close to being equal talent-wise, but thedifference came from how successful we were at molding the squad intoa team. Despite it all, there were no undefeated teams and we eachhad at least one victory.I think we all have to agree that as a result of winning the BVFCcup, the Racers did a wonderful job and have earned the right todefend their title next season!"

"It went to penalties and we didn't have the luck as Race Street won it with the final penalty. Full match report will follow (probably monday). It was a GREAT game, with ebb and flow, drama, and good football all around. Truly a fitting final, just a shame it had to be settled on penalties as both sides could have won it in extra time with chances at both ends." - Richard

"A fitting end to a fabulous season. One of the best games played this year, and in excellent spirits!! Congratulations to Conrad for leading a good team to a great win, and Stun for helping the rest of us become competitive. Walter and Frank are simply fantastic! They have organized a very successful first season." - Bula

Its Stun and Race St in the Finals!

Yesterday will go down in BVFC's history as one of the toughest in football. With temperatures hovering above freezing and the field a mudpit from the melted snow, we were bound to see some sludgy football. But the games did not fail to entertain. Both games were extremely competitive, refereeing was decisive and strong, and the players were fired up to leave their prints in the mud.

Race St. and El Fuego make it an epic 3-3 after extra time, with Race St winning 3-2 on Penalties.
This game was historical. Despite the grounds being a mudpool, passes were quite accurate, and ball skills were good. Tough defending by both teams were evident, although it was unusually tough for strikers to burst past the last line. John D in the Burrito goal and Max in the Racer's goal had especially strong performances.

The first goal came from Lil Kev the burrito in the first half, which was a shot from within the penalty area after an eruption of mud from defenders and strikers vying for the ball. Race St scored an equilizer in the last minute of the first half from a Julian cross. Midway through the second half, the burritos went up once more with Mike Fisher getting a foot on a delightful cross from Chakib. After a brief celebration of mudsliding, the burritos were silenced by a goal within a minute by the Racers. Q's hard cross skimmed the muddy surface past burrito defenders to Kenji, who deftly turned past his mark and tapped the ball past the goalie. The ball stopped at on the goal line where Conrad was there to finish it. Despite last minute pressure from Race St., the score was 2-2 after 90 minutes. In the 15 minute extra time, it was the Racer's turn to go ahead. A counter attack by Race St led to a decisive goal off a cross, but just as one thought it was over, the burrito Aleks saw the goalie off his line and deftly chipped it into the Race St goal. At the end of regular play, it was 3-3 and penalties ensued.

Max began the penalty kicks as a kicker, unfortunately missing, but he would have his moment of glory. Zack put the burritos up 1-0. At the end, it was the captains... Bula missed his, while Conrad put his in to claim victory for Race St. Bula remarked: "The burritos played like a team worthy of a final, and my missed penalty denied them the chance. It was our best performance in many games, and thoroughly enjoyable. All credit to Conrad and his team for a great game played in great spirits. Despite the conditions, this was one of the greatest matches of the season." Richard and Darin were awesome in refereeing the game.

Stun beat Vesuvio 2-1 in a closely contested game

Vesuvio's version I get the report from Walter.

Richard's report for Stun:

"With Rod, Moez, and James on the bench aided by bench coach DanJ and the first few minutes being captured for posterity by STUN official photographer DanG we were ready to avenge the regular season sweep we suffered at the hands (or should that be feet?) of Daoud and company. Big thanks go to Q and Max for running the lines and a huge Baby Shaq sized round of applause goes to Mike Giuliana for doing a fantastic job refereeing . thanks guys.We began brightly and everyone really lifted their play and (more importantly) their effort and concentration. This was probably the best ninety minutes of football we have played as a team in this competition, and I was really impressed by everyone.s commitment and teamwork. Despite (or perhaps because of, eh Rod?) the mud we did not resort to just hoofing the ball up field and we passed the ball around with as much én as one could hope for. Numerous times we put together moves of seven or eight touches, working one-twos and constantly putting the Vesuvio defense under pressure.

Were it not for Kasey Keller in their goal this game would have been over as a contest before the half and it was unfortunate that the first goal was a penalty, with the foul committed by the aforementioned .keeper. I can.t remember who played the ball through but, as the STUN defense broke down a Vesuvio attack yet again, the ball was worked out to the inside right position and played in to the center forward channel for Adel to run on to. It was a teasing ball and as Adel outpaced the cover the goalie rushed out to challenge at the edge of his area. The keeper did manage to get the slightest of touches on the ball, however his next .touch. clattered Adel and sent him flying through the air looking like a whirling dervish on a trampoline. Despite vociferous protestations from some in the Vesuvio camp, the penalty had to be given. No matter that the goalie touched the ball, he got way more of Adel than he did the ball . if his tackle had been clean and he played the ball wholly and then Adel it would be fair enough, however Mike was right on the spot and made the correct decision.

T.O. stepped up and, not wanting to slip on the treacherous surface, took one step and pushed the ball low and hard to the keeper.s right in to the side netting. One nil to STUN and we took a lead we would not throw away this time. With a good twenty minutes left to play in the first half we kept on attacking, knowing that we could not relax for a minute. We kept pushing and poking, and with everyone in the midfield getting spelled we always had willing runners in the middle of the park. Thanks again to DanJ for looking after the bench, bringing the first aid / trainer.s kit, and as always for your moral and vocal support . get well soon buddy, we miss you out on the field.

No matter what Vesuvio threw at us our defense was holding firm, and they didn.t really get a single scoring opportunity in the entire first half. We limited them to maybe two shots on goal, and they were speculative punts from way outside the area so while it may seem like Sarge didn.t have much to do in goal he had to maintain his concentration for the whole game, with often nothing to keep him busy for a while. One slip, either mentally or physically, could have spelled disaster for us and he was solid as a rock, always getting his body behind the ball and claiming everything confidently and calmly and always managing a good solid goal kick . my hats off to you Sarge.

The second half began soon after the whistle blew for time as it was buh-loody cold and we all wanted to get on with it. We immediately started where we left off with a flowing move right from the restart which must have been at least fourteen touches and eight players narrowly missing goal as the final shot was blasted in to the wrong side of the side netting. It was a portent of danger as we attacked and attacked with renewed vigor, in search of a second goal we richly deserved. In the first half T.O. had a fantastic turn-and-volley off a throw-in denied by a great save and Adel could have had two but for outstanding saves again by their keeper (where did they find him from?) but instead of getting frustrated we kept on plugging away.Yet another Brasilesque move ended up with Moez (I think) crossing a beauty of a ball over the flailing arms of the keeper who (for once) was out of position and T.O. connected first time with a lunging outstretched right foot . the ball seemed destined for the back of the net but it clanged off the underside of the crossbar and down on to the line (not over the line). We were too busy celebrating the .goal. to bother following it and it was desperately hacked clear by the Vesuvians. If I have to take one negative out of a great team performance it is that we are too complacent in getting to the second phase of a ball, i.e. when a header is won or a ball comes loose we are too slow to react to it and anticipate where the second bounce is going to be or the ball is going to land . if we can get on top of that we will score a lot more goals. Anyhow, speaking of more goals..
With about twenty minutes gone our passing and probing football paid dividends. Again it was an unbelievable move, given the conditions, with a trademark skipping, dancing run from the North African Connection of Karim, Moez, and Adel ending with one of .em (couldn.t see from way back in our half) smacking a fine shot past the keeper from a tight angle. Two nil to STUN and you could see the deflation in the slumped shoulders of the blue clad Vesuvians.
With a last desperate roll of the dice, Vesuvio decided to bring on their inspirational talisman, Ricky, despite the fact that he was still hobbling after getting crocked in a tackle in the first half. It was a little sad to see Ricky unable to operate at full speed but he has skill and effort to burn and he was rewarded as after a corner was half cleared from his pressure the ball was knocked back in to the box. With STUN looking to move up instead of holding on to their markers Claudio was left with a free header and he nutted a beauty, text book style, down in to the ground in front of the keeper giving Pauric no chance at all.

We didn.t panic, despite the fact that Vesuvio were throwing everyone forward desperate for an equalizer. The back four were not to be denied though, and we really dug in, continuing to cover for each other, hustling, and playing calm football. Yes, we hoofed it away when we had to but we also looked for an outlet to play to feet when it was available too. Lauren was fantastic as ever (I love Lauren, she is consistent, a consummate team player, unassuming, has a great attitude, gives everything she has, I could go on but George might come looking for me!) Jon was aggressive and controlled and won a ton of balls in the air, Ezra just had a great game, nothing spectacular or fancy, but his positional sense is just getting better and better, and as for that Slugger guy . well, I love games like that.

We never looked like conceding another goal and perhaps having learned from our previous defeats, we did not relax, or sit too deep inviting Vesuvio on. We didn.t just stick ten men behind the ball or panic and boot the ball up field at any opportunity; we kept playing STUN football and tried to keep possession as much as we could and played out the half to victory. Everybody played a really good game yesterday, including everyone who subbed in and out and it was a real team effort . everyone should be proud of the result and the effort."

Next Sunday will see Stun and Race St battle for the title.

Vesuvio are 3rd with 5-2 Win over Patriots

Details to follow when I receive the captain reports...

League standings are updated.

Vesuvio clinches 4th Playoff spot with win over Abacus

Abacus had 7, so this game was not defaulted, and for the spirit of our matches, that is important. With 4 others, it actually turned out to be a fun game in surprisingly great weather. Without their star players - Nachmi, Vincenzo and Mike Keller - this was to be a tough battle against a persistent, fast and very skilled Vesuvio squad looking to avenge their previous loss to Abacus. With 4 borrowed players, the game was on despite initial "legal" bickering by some willing to concede and others vying for forfeiture. But the spirit of fun won, and the game begun.

Abacus played impressively for the first 30 minutes taking a 3-0 lead. Contributors included Brian (an execlent shot), Tomo (a header from the back post) and Chris (another shot). But this only served to awake the Vesuvian squad that came back in impressive fashion to tie the game at 3 a piece at the half. Momentum had definitely shifted for the Calamaris. Their first goal was a shot at the near post on a quick comeback from Abacus' 3rd goal. The following two goals were caused by goalie errors, the first of which was a Lil' Jimmy long throw that went through Charlie's hands hence qualifying it as a goal, and the second was a cross from Jim that drew Charlie off his line in full extension but missing the ball. This left an open goal and a simple header drew the game at 3-3.

Vesuvio continued this momentum into the second half and took the lead with a cross to an open Mike who put it past Charlie. Andy had 2 impressive goals, a 20 footer that was perfectly angled to strike the bar and go in, and a solo effort that saw him dribble by two defenders and Charlie. Chances came to Abacus too with a couple of breakaways, one of which hit the post, and a host of corners that were headed over the bar. All in all, the game was played in excellent spritis, and Omar was a good referee. The final score was 7-3 for Vesuvio.

What does this mean? Vesuvio are currently in forth, and have a final game with the Patriots, who were hoping for an Abacus win to keep their chances alive. Patriots should play Vesuvio to establish themselves as a squad that would have been worthy of that crucial 4th spot. If the Calamaris win, they will play Stun in a matchup that they have previously dominated. If they lose to the Patriots, they face Race St. the league leaders, with whom they have drawn their previous games. It looks to be an exciting match up either way. Check the calendar for friendlies and pick-ups through Thanksgiving.

Race St. League leaders due to forfeiture by Abacus

Charlie said: "Abacus showed up on Tuesday, a beautiful night for football, with 4. We had to forfeit." Conrad's team now leads the league. Abacus have a final game versus Vesuvio, and have all the talent to provide for an exciting game if they show up. This can be the game to bow out in impressive fashion. Should Abacus win, Vesuvio and the Patriots will play for the final 4th position, bringing a dramatic end to the round-robbin season.

Patriots keep playoff hope alive, Racers wrap Burritos, Vesuvio over Stun.. again!

Patriots thumped Abacus 4-1
"It was a gorgeous day and the Patriots manged to play some nice futbolas well. Starting with the dynamic uncle/nephew combination of Said and Abdul in the center, and the controlled, aggresive play of our midfield, the Pats jumped ahead early and never really looked back for a 4-1 result.We really played a good passing game in the midfield, fought for every ball and generally controlled the first half. John Hochhold put us on the board early off of a quick shot near the 18 that AS gaolie, Charlie Flowe could not control. Goal number 2 came off of an impressive shot from the 18 by young Abdul. He dashed laterally and popped a great shot into the side net. At the half, Pats were up 2-0. The second half saw more attacks from the AS side, despite the early departure of their star striker, Vincenzo. Abdul, also sat out due to a pulled leg muscle, so we played as a 10 side and managed to put 2 more in. Goal number 3 was a brilliant backwards flick off the head by Said, over charlie's head and into the back of the net. Number 4 happened when Said fired a cross from the Abacus touchline, and it bounced into the goal after hitting an Abacus defender.Late in the half, an Aacus handball just outside the penalty box, turned into a penalty after an Abacus defender on the wall called for another hand ball. The kick was taken by Pat defender, Stephanie Singer but "Charles in Charge" Flowe denied the goal with a nice one handed deflection.Great game. Now, we wait for the Vesuvian results to determine what our playoff chances are." - by Juan Parada.

I guess somewhere in there, Abacus managed a goal. If the Patriots beat Vesuvio, they are through.

Race St. regained 2nd position with 2-1 win over El Fuego
El Fuego has stuck to its format of play. Open strong, take the lead, and then render the midfield and strikers completely ineffective for most of the second half. In the game versus Vesuvio, this was the story... a one goal lead, and Vesuvio dominated in the second to win 2-1. Subsequently, against Abacus, the same... a one goal lead, but this time hang on by a thread to win 1-0. Was this to change for Race St.? No!

Against the Racers, the burritos opened up strong and again interupted Conrad's midfield now allowing a rhythm. El Fuego put on pressure of its own and after numerous corners, a cleared ball fell to Lil Kev who hammered it home for a 1 goal lead. For the rest of the half, the game was evenly fought with Julian and Conrad putting pressure on the El Fuego D.

In the second half, El Fuego confirmed that they were only a first half team. The pattern of play was true as it seemed like there was no threat made to the Racers in the entire second half. Some of this can be credited to the solid defensive line, while considering the previous 2 burrito encounters, most may agree that it was a predictable meltdown in the midfield and forward positions in the second half. Race St on the other hand, used this opportunity to turn their performance around. A controversial penalty call put Max on the spot, and with the maturity of a 30 year old, he scored. The second was a goal by his agemate, Julian. Bula commented: "We start strong because we play as a team by passing. We end weak because we play as individuals, where we lose the ball due to overdribbling, and bark at each other in blame. In the playoffs, we need to relearn to play together for 90 minutes, like a team. We can do it, but our midfield and forwards must work together."

Vesuvio beats Stun in dramatic turnaround
The calamaris are quite a resilient bunch. Stun came out challenged to seek revenge in their first round loss against them, and were well on their way to doing so. Darin and his group were up in a commanding 3-1 lead at the half, with Darin as the opening scorer and Ricky the scorer for the calamaris. In the second half, just as it seemed as though the game was getting away from Vesuvio, Ben scored and Adam put another 2 in to make it 4-3. No captain reports has this game without details.

Who will get the 4th Playoff spot?

This is how it stands:

Qualified
Stun: Qualified. Should retain first position (on goal difference if they lose Sunday).
El Fuego: Qualified. Should be a battle for 2nd with Race St this Sunday.
Race St: Qualified.

The 4th Playoff spot is up for grabs:
Vesuvio: best chance to get it and should do so with at least one win and one draw. Will Vesuvio croak or destroy the hopes of their trailing foes?
Patriots: they can get still qualify but would need one more win than Vesuvio. Can Justin, Chris, Juan and Heri win their last 2 games?
Abacus: a slim possibility remains, they would need to win all their matches and hope Vesuvio wins none, and Patriots win no more than one. Can Mike Keller and Vincenzo pull off a miracle run?

I am sure there are other scenarios, but I am just not smart enough to figure them out. Sunday is expected to be a beautiful, sunny fall day for soccer. Be there for the triple header.

Stun extends league lead with 3-1 win over Patriots

At the dustbowl on Wednesday, league leaders Stun and a revived Patriots team played a quality game. Stun put 3 in the net in the first half, capped off by Darin's turn-and-shoot that found a gap in the Patriot defense. The Patriots fought back in the second half and were able to convert one by their consistent Zanzibari striker Heri. Justin Wood and Heri had numerous chances to score including a header that went barely over the crossbar, and an gift for Heri in front of Stun's goal that just missed. Sarge in Stun's goal had a strong performance and a critical factor in Stun's win.

Stun's executive spokesman, and strong defender, Richard said: "A very solid first half defensively, became a bit shaky in the last twenty minutes. Big ups to Sarge in goal, putting his body on the line and to both teams for not quitting for the whole game. It was a good game of football with some excellent passing and movement from both sides."

Juan, encouraged by his team's performance, but nonetheless disappointed by the result said: "Patriots put up a good fight. We fought for the ball in the midfield and had many missed opportunities in the second half, but our efforts could not prevent a victory for a strong Stun side."

El Fuego wins 1-0 over Abacus in one that could have gone either way.

In a game characterized by lack of execution by strikers on both sides, scoring chances were plenty to be found. The game began with strong pass play and chance creation by the burritos which opened up some scoring chances but were unable to convert until the 20th minute, when an unintentional handball (some would say a tough call), set up a freekick just outside the Abacus penalty area. Aleks struck the ball through the Abacus wall and past Charlie for the first goal. Abacus, now a revived team, began to prove why they are a team to be reckoned with. Without their striker Nachmi, execution suffered, but play creation did not. As the first half wound down, momentum was shifting to Abacus' favor led by the ever-solid Mike Keller in their midfield. Mike has proven to be a significant asset at midfield position, and his ball control and distribution makes him a strong part of the Abacus offense. Their objective to get past the el Fuego defense was hampered by Leah, who put the brakes on Tomo, as well as Zack and Big Kev, who tried to keep the towering Vincenzo from doing what he does best.

In the second half, the teams played equally, with some open chances at the goal mouth for both. Two shots by Keller were just over the bar, while Vincenzo, Tomo and others had their go at John D "Fuker" (Fuego Keeper), who is on top of his game and has proven a real asset to the burritos. On the El Fuego's side, transition play was lacking as the midfield found it difficult to connect with their strikers, even though the backfield seemed open. The only real opportunity was a 24 yarder by Bula that grazed the left post. Abacus had numerous opportunities to equalize, or even take the lead. Numerous freekicks at the edge of the box were squandered, and some long throws drifted across the goal without an Abacus foot to strike them in. Bula said, : "Abacus are much stronger than anticipated. We need to work on our transition game and our team chemistry in order to bring back a cohesive attacking strategy. As usual, our defense was strong, winning contested balls, and clearing well. We are glad to come away with a win against a good team." Ben was a very good referee, and much his service yesterday is much appreciated.

Abacus is a reorganized side that is just as strong as any other in the league. Their playoff chances have dwindled but not impossible, but it would take 3 consecutive wins and no wins by Vesuvio for a qualification. The Patriots are coming off a strong win against Race St., and are also battling for this 4th and final spot, although Vesuvio needs only one to clinch it.

Patriots defy Race St, while Vesuvio dominates El Fuego

Patriots beat Race St 4-2 in a strong performance
The Patriots played their best football yet when they challenged favorites Racers on a beautiful day for soccer. Regrouping and reorganizing the positions payed off for the Pats, but more importantly, Bill Inden provided much needed stability and energy in the Defensive and Midfield roles and turned out to be a key distributor of the ball upfield. Juan said: "Bill greatly stiffened a rejuvenated midfield that fought for every ball and defended tenaciously." By having a 4-3-3 formation, the Patriots were able to convert the numerous chances at goal. The first goal came from shot by Chris Reggiani, that deflected off a Racer and ended at the back of the net. Justin scored the second, and the game was tied at 2-2. Even though Race St had numerous chances, the level of energy and coordination we have come to expect from the team was missing, and many open chances were missed. The Patriots defensive 4 - Jimmy, Lance, Juan and Stephanie - stepped up strongly and disrupted the Racer offense. This resulted in some excellent counter attacking which Patriot star strikers Heri and Abdul executed with 2 deserving goals, making it 4-2. This was enough to deflate the unusually low energy the Racers showed. Juan, the Patriot captain, concluded: "Things came together for the Patriots today against a determined and dangerous Race team. The final 4-2 score does not accurately reflect how close it really was. A hard fought victory, an unexpected result." The Patriots have defeated a worthy opponent and now have a chance at the playoffs.

El Fuego break under Vesuvio's relentless pressure: Vesuvio win 2-1
Vesuvio played an exceptional game. Even though the burritos went ahead 1-0 from a Chakib goal, the scoring chances were very few for El Fuego due to a very strong defensive line with Frank, Ben and Ricky. Vesuvio coordinated their attacks with solid midfield play that won everything in the air, and coordinated excellent pass play that provided their strikers with one scoring chance after another. El Fuego were defending almost the entire second half, and one could smell an equalizer. Claudio's fantastic header from a Jimmy long throw drew the game at 1-1. The pressure continued to mount, and Jim found himself open to score the second putting the Calamaris up 2-1. Vesuvio looked very strong, and had numerous substitutes, while El Fuego barely had a team and were missing key strengths with Zack, Big Kev, JP and Jeff unable to play, and Mike, Geronimo, Chakib and Leah playing injured. On the other hand, Vesuvians JT and others in the midfield controled the possession and tempo for most of the game. Walter from the sideline did a great job of rotating players of a Vesuvio team that showed up with over 5 substitutes. Bula remarked: "We played as we were.. Injured, lethargic and fatigued, without many of our key players. All credit to Vesuvio for an exceptional performance as they dominated almost the entire second half. Their defense was a solid wall, and this gave their attackers the cushion to put together good attacks. With 8 of our players out or injured, we are finding it very difficult to remain competitive, but I am still hopeful. John D., our goalie, was exceptional, and his fantastic performance prevented a possible 8-1 loss. We need to rest and reorganize ourselves for our final two games. I am proud of the burritos who played despite tough injuries as they are an awesome contribution to our effort."

El Fuego win 4-1 versus the Patriots

Let it be known that the Patriots came as a full squad, and with some to spare. Playing Heri and Justin as transition attackers, the Patriots seemed to play a defensive strategy in an effort to look for a counter strike. On the other hand, by focusing more and more on selfless pass play, El Fuego worked on possession and strength in the midfield. The Patriots were missing their key striker Said while el Fuego were without Leah, their key left back.

El Fuego opened the scoring by a fantastic 27 yarder from big Kev about 20 minutes into the game. The burritos continued to put the pressure on, and managed to hit the woodwork (both the crossbar and the goal posts) 3 additional times in the first half. Heri, the Patriot striker, also managed to hit the post once during the half on a counter attack. On the defense, Lil Kev, Big Kev, JP and Jeff combined to provide a solid back line to prevent through passes from the Patriot midfield. At the end of the first half, with half a dozen near goals, the score was 1-0.

In the second half, the momentum began in El Fuego's favor. A handball just outside the penalty area 10 minutes into the half, provide Chakib with the opportunity to demonstrate his Ronaldinhoesque free kick ability, and did not disappoint. The shot bent around the wall and dipped into the top of the goal making it 2-0. Minutes later, Chakib added to his scoring roster with another shot that took a severe deflection, and ended in the back of the Patriot net. The Patriots, led by Clay, began to regroup, and immediately began to put together passes down the right side. This new energy led to some excellent chances by Justin and Heri, all of which seemed to be off by just inches. Finally, some excellent passing led to a goal by Clay, and the Patriots pulled one back. 1-3 down, the Patriots applied more pressure, but were unable to convert. With 10 minutes, a counter attacking pass from Big Kev opened Bula on the left wing, whose cross was convincingly finished by Aleks. The game ended 4-1, with 6 shots hitting the post or crossbar for the burritos and once for the Pats.

Bula remarked: "We are now playing an excellent possession game, and our defense was astounding. It is critical that we control the game for 90 minutes for decisive victories. We had too many near goals, and I hope that we are able to execute more going forth." The Patriots see a strong Race St on Sunday at Noon, while the burritos face the calamaris at 2pm, both games at Palumbo.

BVFC weekend action - Bring Family & Friends!

Moving along... Stun and Abacus are taking a breather after their tough week, but will be back in action after the weekend.

Friday
7 pm: The Patriots take on el Fuego at the dust bowl tonight at 7pm. Bring your popcorn, as there will be some competitive action. Look for Said to play ever convincingly for the Pats, while Zack and Chakib control the burrito Midfield. Juan and Lance are protecting the Patriot fort.

7-10pm?? Racers at Race St. Cafe for their big binge!

Sunday
Noon: Turnaround Patriots take on the ever-strong Racers at Palumbo at Noon. This is a matchup of some strong forwards and defense. Said and Justin will try to score versus Jason and his hard defense, while Kenji and Julian the Kid want to put his stamp of glory on the Lance and Juan.

2pm: Vesuvio play el Fuego. The bet is on! Bring the family to witness two fine cookin establishments go head to head. Can the cool calamaris get a win off the tackling tacos. Can someone bring a grill, coz this game's makin me hungry. Watch for Vesuvians Ricky on his unpredictable bursts, and Ben in the defense. The burritos will have Kev in the back and Geronimo upfront causing some chaos.

8pm: Sunday Night Eagles Football on ESPN

Tuesday
8pm: Soccer returns as the burritos, just off a busy soccer weekend schedule, take on newly winners, Abacus at Palumbo. Can Abacus clinch the 4th spot? Can el Fuego work its way to 2nd?

Finally, Victory for Abacus!

IT'S ALIVE! Abacus can play team football! Last night at the Dustbowl, Abacus beat Vesuvio, a worthy opponent, led by a deuce from their striker Nachmi. This reverses a 5 game losing streak and provides Abacus with a glimmer of hope to make the playoffs. Abacus brought determination and persistence to a Vesuvio team still high off their Stun win. Go figure, Vesuvio beats the league leaders and loses to the the laggards.

Abacus began the game by aggressive plays that led to two goals in the first 25 minutes of play. The opening goal was scored by Brian from the left side. Nachmi scored the second goal, a signature Nachmi chip shot which put Abacus in new territory, a two goal lead. This put extra pressure on Vesuvio to retaliate; they regrouped and began their comeback. Ben's first timer, an excellent low shot beat Charlie to make the score 1-2. Ben is now trademarking himself as a shooter from midrange and has scored numerous times this season in a somewhat spectacular fashion. Before the half, Mike, Vesuvio's striker, broke away from from the Abacus defense to find himself one on one with Charlie. A remarkable chip over Charlie equalized the game. Was this to become another game that would slip away from Abacus?

In the second half, determined not to lose, Abacus kept pressure on. Vesuvio had some excellent chances to go up a couple of goals, but Charlie and his defense held the fort in an awesome performance. On Abacus' offense, Mel had a career performance, with numerous scoring attempts and chances. With 10 minutes to go, the burning desire to win resulted in Nachmi's game winner. Frank admitted: "Abacus came ready to play with 13 strong and a solid midfield. Mike Geller came off injuries that keep him from play over the first half of the season and he proved to be a solid addition to the squad. As a team, they seemed to gel last night and may prove to be a squad to contend with over the 2nd half of the season. Aleks provided a fine job refereeing the game."

Abacus' victory makes this a very tight race for the 4th playoff spot between them, Vesuvio and the Patriots. Two more victories should secure that spot. Vesuvio play El Fuego on Sunday at 2pm while Abacus play Elfuego on Tuesday at 8pm, both games critical to their qualification. After the game, Charlie exclaimed, "We can win, and if we play like this, we can beat anyone in this league!"

Barbaric behavior, Intentional Roughness & Bad Sportsmanship NOT tollerated by BVFC

In a league that prides itself with dignity, maturity and fairness, every player must remember that their conduct reflects the image of the club as a whole. Overly rough, vindictive, intentionally hurtful, or, as in this case, barbaric, actions or deeds will be severely dealt with, including immediate expulsion if necessary. These incidents are very rare, and players make amends quickly, but we all must remember that we are a social league as friends first, sportsmen at heart, and competitors only by choice.

Race St and Stun tie 2-2 in a match of equals

A beautiful night as the top two teams entered the battlefield this Tuesday at Palumbo. The crowd was out to see a good quality football game and were not disappointed. The goals came in the first half with Julien the Kid scoring both for Race St. Stun acknowledged them by saying, "The two we conceded were down to defensive errors and a lack of concentration – against a team like Race Street, with their dangerous forwards, you cannot give them easy opportunities like that." Stun scored a pair, and seemed to have numerous chances to go up a few more. The game was fought in very good spirits, tough tackling, strong marking and a strengthening defense on both sides in the second half, and a majority of the game played in the midfield.
(will detail this half more when I receive a report)

Richard's 2nd Half Report: "Tied up at 2-2, the second half was an enthralling contest with both teams desperate to score but having to play fairly conservatively so as not to be hit on a break. The STUN defensive line was playing high and meeting the Racers forwards as soon as they received the ball and (as usual) Lauren was outstanding at reading the game and marking her men tight. Jon and Eric were a powerful physical presence in the middle and our team defense and commitment really shut down the Racers attack in the second half, not allowing a single real shot on goal for the whole of the second stanza. Up front the STUN forwards were finding it tough going against the taller center backs of Race Street and we were getting no real chances through the middle. We just couldn’t get a favorable bounce, despite the numerous miss-kicks and miss-headers that started cropping up as we applied more pressure and the defender’s legs became tired. Karim was working his bollocks off in the hole, trying manfully to spring our speedy forwards but the tight constraints of Palumbo meant there wasn’t much width to spray his trademark defense splitting passes. Too often the final ball was just too long or there was desperate defensive intervention. In the final five minutes T.O. was in a great position, having sneaked in behind his marker as Adel fought through the box. Adel punched it across the face of goal and with the goalie static I was getting ready to do a streak to celebrate the winning goal – unfortunately for us, and fortunately for the psychological well being of all the spectators, somebody, somehow got a toe to it and just knocked the ball spinning out of harm’s way. I also want to add big THANK YOU to Ricky for refereeing and Big Ben for running the line – both you fellas did a great job. I honestly couldn’t really complain about any decisions that Ricky made – an outstanding job by a nice guy."

Stun concluded by saying, "STUN bemoans profligate finishing and defensive errors in yet another game we should have won. It was a good game for the neutral, and there were a fair few spectators on a gorgeous night for football. Many thanks to Ricky from Vesuvio for refereeing and doing a good job."

Christina, a significantly improved and strong defender, came cleated but clocked no minutes in this game. Capt. Conrad and Christina have amicably burried this hatchet, with a 2 pint settlement of Race St. Cafe's finest brew being awarded to the Irish-Italian lass this Friday at their team soiree. Even though captains should make the decision on who they play, where and when, it is imperative that BVFC remain an inclusive social league, where the enjoyment of the game by all its members is not sacrificed for competitive spirit. Balancing a team's talent rotation is actually part of the challenge, and effective when done well.