Archive for: November, 2012

Friday November 16th, 2012

Nov 27 2012 Published by under Reds

“I’m a virgin at this Match report milarky, but I guess I’ll give it a got: 

Friday night saw the struggling CPR Reds looking to kick-start their season against Gotham Argo. The match was being played on Randall’s Island after nightfall, which posed many problems of it’s own. Manhattans traffic, the schizotastic bus journey and one instance of an inconvenient nature call meant that with minutes to kick-off time the CPR Reds had no kit, no balls and not enough players to field a team, albeit in their undies. All were spared when the convoy arrived, kit in hand, and the game got underway as scheduled.

The game began with both teams trying to play a flowing passing game, and after a sweeping move down the right the Reds got the breakthrough goal when the ball ended up at the feet of Enis at the back post. He made no mistakes dispatching his shot past the Gotham Argo keeper. The goal lifted the reds who then dominated possession and managed to capitalize on their supremacy by scoring their second of the game. After another neat attacking move the ball found it’s way back to Brent at the edge of the Box who unleashed a screamer into the bottom corner. You just don’t save those. With the half almost up Gotham were handed a lifeline when they managed to evade to Reds stubborn defense and poke one home from inside the box.

The Second half started with much of the same, but as the game went on, legs got tired and the match started to open up with both teams goalies making important saves. With 20 minutes from time the Reds finally managed to put the game to bed. Hatcher, who had been aerially dominant throughout, came forward for a corner. Unlike his previous efforts, Andres managed to deliver a ball into the box and Hatcher lost his marker to power a diving header past the rooted goalie. If that didn’t consolidate the victory, minutes later some fine play down the left again found Enis in the box, and after a delicate spin created a yard for himself to dispatch the shot. Lucky for the Reds he’d brought his shooting boots and the Reds now lead 4-1 with the game almost over. Similar to the first half, right at the death Gotham managed to steal one back, but the Reds ran out victorious on the night, 4-2, and secured their first victory of the season.

How do you like those apples?!

Big thanks to Chuck (Blacks) and Goalie Jon (Whites) for helping out on a ni ght where we were low on numbers. Both had solid games at the back. And a big thanks to Rob for postponing a hot date with his Grandma to play the full 90. Bros before Hoes…….”

…and speaking of grandmas…how do you like them apples?

 

 

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Schedule for Sunday 12/2

Nov 27 2012 Published by under Club

Womens Red vs. Battle Row, 12:30pm East 6th Street

Womens White vs Manhattan Kickers, 9am East 6th Street

Mens White/White Reserves each have a BYE

Mens Red vs. Homenetmen of NY, 2pm Randalls #74

Mens Black have a BYE

Mens Grays & Old Boys have a BYE before the DERBY next weekend

Mens Legends vs. JC Eagles, 4pm Randalls #74

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Thanksgiving Weekend Result

Nov 27 2012 Published by under Club

CPR Men’s Red were forced to play a make up game on Thanksgiving Sunday, because Landsdowne requested a bye in September when the game was initially scheduled – very much unfair for us,  and with most players away we lost 5-3.

 

 

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Whites Suffer First Defeat to Greeks

Nov 25 2012 Published by under Whites

The Whites long unbeaten run in league play ended Sunday November 18th on Randall’s Island against the Greeks.  The Whites came out slow in the opening moments, perhaps a hangover from some time off due to the Hurricane Sandy aftermath.  The Greeks controlled possession early and looked dangerous down the flanks.  Some unorganized defending by CPR allowed a Greek winger to slip a striker in behind the back four.  Ben was left one on one and a calm finish put the Greeks up 1-0.  The Whites woke up to a certain degree, getting forward at times and finding some space to possess and create.  Just as the game was leveling out, another unlucky mistake for CPR saw a clearance knocked down and a driven shot was brilliantly saved by Ben.  Unfortunately the rebound fell right to a Greek player and CPR found themselves down 2-0.

The second half was an entirely different story following some tactical changes by CPR during the break.  The whites showed great determination and heart winning 50-50 balls and tackling hard.  CPR looked to be the better side for the majority of the second half with most of the match being played in the Greeks half of the pitch.  CPR created a multitude of half chances, but the ball seemed to never quite bounce the right way in the penalty area.  The Greek defenders managed to block a lot of CPR shot attempts.  The Whites best opportunity came off a blocked shot that fell for Conor on the half volley.  Conor put a cracking hit on the bouncing ball, but the Greek keeper made an important save to parry the shot away.  As CPR pushed forward searching for that ever allusive first goal the Greeks found some counter attack opportunities.  Ben came up big multiple times to keep the game in reach.  Despite a great second half effort the Whites could not get on the score sheet.  Final score 2-0.

Squad:  Ben (GK), Mike Ne (D), Nick (D), Mike Ni (D), Matt (D), Lasse (M), Riso (M), Conor (M), Westy (M), Xavi (M), Kwesi (F)

Subs:  Robbo, Eli, Devin

 

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A Tale of Two Halves as SC Gjoa overcome Legends 3 to 2.

Nov 20 2012 Published by under Legends

Speculation abounds regarding why the Old Boyz had such poor and memorable performances at Dyker Beach Park, the home field of SC Gjoa.  Could it be the scandalous condition of the artificial turf, with carpet so bunched up together that it caused an ACL tear for Mark Dean?  Perhaps it was the 8am kickoffs that resulted in some players having to finish their morning ablutions a little too close for comfort.  Regardless, two draws and two losses against an eminently beatable team were not statistics to be proud of, and the Legends hoped to step away from the previous legacy and create a positive new one.

The only explanation
Pehaps the reason the Old Boyz/Legends have done so badly at Dyker Beach is that its built on an old Indian Burial ground.

Those positive plans were dealt a couple of early blows as the sick Teesdale and somnolent Rhem put the Legends at 13, just about the minimum squad required to be able to handle the vagaries of injury and fatigue.  Unlike previous years Gjoa had their full squad ready to go at game time and seemed very ready to play the team directly above them in the standings.

The initial skirmishes showed that CPR had a distinct advantage on the wings, with both Vamvouris & Pritchard having their way on each side.  Pritchard in particular was floating past his markers with ease, causing them to have to resort to fouls to slow him down.  Not surprisingly this was the source of the first goal as a smooth through ball from D’Andrea found Pritchard all alone for that seeming rarity for the Legends, a clinical finish.  Chances continued to abound including a mistake in the 6 yard box that a less rusty Teran would have gobbled up.  The continuing pressure caused Gjoa to bend inwards as infighting burst out in the middle of the field.

A half time lead and a solid overall performance were highly encouraging for the Legends.  A positive team talk and strategic focus had the Legends ready to build on the solid foundation they had set.  Unfortunately, it appeared that the Gjoans had had an even more productive half time talk as they came out with all guns blazing.  All of a sudden CPR found themselves under siege, and after scrambling away a few chances Gjoa tied up the game on a corner.

Although deflated the Legends still kept plugging away and causing problems, but once again their finishing betrayed them.  Two more gilt edged chances were spurned inside the 6 yard box, and although Gjoa’s physical play provided free kicks their height was able to negate any threat.  The fiery Gjoans were able to cause some problems of their own, and their finishing was the difference as they were able to take the lead halfway through the game and take advantage of a borderline offsides non-call to score a third.  The call was not the issue as much as the languid use of whistle by the referee causing mass confusion for both teams regarding when to play on and when not to.  The usual dictate of playing to the whistle caused a few confrontations between some players who were taking it easy versus those who kept playing until there was a definitive action by the referee.  The sad state of officiating at this level meant that overall this was actually one of the relatively better referees, but making authoritative decisions was certainly not his strong point.

The Legends kept working, and cracked open a sliver of daylight as Ochoa atoned for an earlier astonishing miss by taking advantage of a penalty box scramble to put the ball in the net.  However 5 minutes was not enough time to recover from the damage and the scoreline stood 3-2.

On reflection a draw would have been a fair result, but the Legends once again only had themselves to blame for not taking advantage of the abundance presented to them.  A chance to take advantage of the draw from the top two teams was wasted, but there are still enough games to make up the damage.

Luciano man of the match

Competition: SC Gjoa, League opposition

Location: Dyker Beach Park, Brooklyn

Conditions: Chilly November morning

Fans: None.

Result: 2-3 (1-0 at H/T)

Goals: 1:0 Pritchard assist D’Andrea
2:3 Ochoa assist O’Connell

Yellow Cards: Faherty, Belizano. Notably the first multiple Yellow/Red of the Legends history indicating a combination of good discipline and lenient refereeing regarding dissent.

Red Card: None.

Mike D’s aka No Shows: Rhem & Teesdale, although Teesdale claimed to be legitimately sick and has about 11 years of previous history to back that up. As for Rhem, well, the alarm was set to vibrate…

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: None.

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: Although two substitutes was the bare minimum there were no injuries apart from the expected fatigue.

Old Man of the Match: An excellent first half can’t wipe away a demoralizing second 40 minutes.  Muro was at his steady best in the center of midfield and garnered some votes, but it was Belizano whose marshaling of the defence and forays forward continue to provide an impressive foundation for the team.

Luciano continuing his MVP form
Another good performance by Luciano which the score didn’t reflect.

Old Man of the Bar: Honorary mention goes to Hodges for a decent session but the two old stalwarts Faherty & Venkataraman not only saw the coming and going of several teams but also moved on for a nightcap elsewhere.

El Presidente (new award for Old Men who don’t make it to game but come to the bar): None.

Team Bar Showing: 8 out of 13 (62%)

Team Bar Night:  4.75 out of 5: Over half the team made it back including some of the new guys for the first time.  What had a good start continued onwards with Becker/Ochoa leaving for a game and coming back with no change in seating arrangements.  Multiple NFL games and a last foursome for a nightcap elsewhere, it’s a good thing Karaoke was a little too far to head to.

Team (No new profiles this week): Mark Becker (GK), Luciano Belizano (DF), Pete Hahn (DF), Andrew Faherty (DF), Dan Ochoa, Willian D’Andrea, Steve Pritchard, Steve O’Connell, John Hodges, Tony Vamvouris, Chris Muro, Manohar Venkataraman, Ernesto Teran

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Match Report: CPR Grays 2 – Hoboken FC 1

Nov 20 2012 Published by under Grays

The pre-match preparations begun in typical style with players crammed four across in the back of one car, and another ride somehow ending up at La Guardia instead of Randall’s Island. Going into the match the Grays knew it would be a battle, with several key players missing due to injury and travel. Unbeknownst to him, Marko was slated to make a glorious return to center back. The team swears he was told of this last week at the pub, but a string of ‘just one more’ erased this from his memory.

On to the game – the Grays fielded Harvard in goal, Joachim and Yuval on the defensive flanks, with Marko and Alex in the center back. Danny and UK started in the middle with Charlie and Jack on the wings. Tex and Ugo took the reins up front, with latecomers Cheese and Kareem starting on the sidelines, recalibrating their GPS. The game started with Hoboken strong in possession, but CPR finding chances on the break. The introduction of Cheese to the front opened space up, with Cheese and Ugo combining well. Ugo finally found space inside the box with a defender misjudging a bouncer. In slow motion Ugo looked to the right, then the left, then the right again, then deftly hit a low shot to the left which the keeper could only helplessly palm into the goal. 1-0 CPR.

After the goal Hoboken pressed forward in search of an equalizer. Strong service from a corner saw a powered header aimed at the bottom right corner. Harvard sprung to make the save, throwing his body across the goal and palming the ball off of the line. The ref claimed to be “completely on top of the play” from a solid 25 yards out, and judged the ball to have crossed the line. Good sports as they are Hoboken consoled our defense, admitting that the ball was only on the line. The half ended 1-1 with the only other notable event being Marko taking an elbow to the face, snapping his rec-specs in half. Luckily CPR MacGuyvers successfully poindextered them back together during the break with tape, bubble gum, spare shoe laces, a paperclip, and a ball pump.

The second half started as an even affair, with CPR compact in the back and finding room on the counterattack. Both teams were fairly even when CPR was brought down to 10 by a classic Angry Jack tackle. It may have been the weakest, slide from the side/behind, studs somewhat up but yet still barely grazing the player type of tackle to ever earn a red card, but Angry Jack did it.

Down a man, CPR doubled down on defensive organization. It began to look like even spoils was all there was to fight for, but Kareem and UK had something else in mind. Kareem crafted a delicately lobbed through ball which found the perfect bounce off the turf. UK was through on goal, with CPR outnumbering 3-1 on the break. Cheese and Tex flailed their arms across the goal, in acres of space, but UK had too good of a ball to pass up, and took a trademark clutch UK blast to the lower left corner, leaving the goalie sprawled out on the pitch in disbelief. 2-1 Grays.

Now with a precious lead to defend, the Grays fought hard until the end. Danny barked orders and actually held a defensive position. Charlie flew in with the tackles. The whole team rallied to secure all three points in front of their new top of the table rivals, the Old Boys, whose presence only served to inspire. All in all it was a classic Grays performance, built upon well coordinated defending, smash and grab scoring, and a solid team effort.

-Tex

Man of the Match – Tie. UK for the beautiful clutch goal, and the back four for their many heroics. One new face Jaochim who impressed, one out of position Marko who couldn’t even head the ball in the second half due to his glasses, Alex for shutting down their point man, and Yuval for having perfected kicking the ball over his own goal from 5 feet for a clearance.

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Reserves Take Step in Right Direction

Nov 19 2012 Published by under Club

A stellar White reserves squad came out with a convincing 2-0 win against the Greek Americans on Randall’s Island Sunday. The reserves, who have been struggling thus far, came out strong from the first whistle and put together the best showing of the season for a full 90 minutes. The Whites had most of the possession in the first half but was unable to score against a weak Greek American defense. The best opportunity came towards the end of the half when Chris N beat a defender and found Carlos ahead who calmly slotted the ball past a helpless keeper but the referee called offsides.

The Whites came out after the break even stronger than they did in the first half and dominated play once again right from the start. A quick switch of play from the right side of the field found Archie streaking up the left wing who played the ball to Chris N near the endline and this time he was able to find an onsides Andres right in front of the goal for the tap in. The offensive minded Greek Americans had a couple of scoring opportunities after but nothing too dangerous that the defense or Jon wasn’t able to break up. Midway through the half, Chris N scored a typical Chris N goal as the striker applied pressure to the Greek American central defender who played the ball back to his keeper; the keeper thought he could nutmeg the mighty oncoming Chris N but there was no chance as Chris N stole the ball from the Greek American keeper and dribbled the ball over the endline! Chris N celebrated in Chris N fashion. The rest of the game continued in similar fashion with several scoring chances for the Whites but none were able to find the back of the net. Nonetheless, lots of positives to take away from this game as the reserves hope to return to their winning ways and build on the momentum after this solid win.

Lineup: Jon (GK), Josh (D), Pat W (D), Mike C (D), Andy (D), Archie (M), Mike D (M), Devin (M), Andres (M), Carlos (F), Chris N (F)

Subs: Greg, Charlie, Robbo

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Results from Weekend of Nov 18th

Nov 19 2012 Published by under Club

Friday night make up: (11/16)

Mens Red beat Gotham Argo 4-2

Sunday Games (11/118)

Womens Red beat NY Smoking Aces, 7-1

Womens White fell 0-4 to Rovers1

Mens White lost 2-0 to NY Greek American Atlas

Mens White Reserves beat NY Greek American Atlas 2-0

Mens Red lost to BWG Cosmos, 1-2

Mens Black drew 0-0 with Barnstonworth Rovers

Mens Grays beat Hoboken FC, 2-1

Mens Old Boys beat Brooklyn Gunners 3-1

Mens Legends lost 2-3 to SC Gjoa

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Old Boys beat Brooklyn Gunners 3-1.

Nov 19 2012 Published by under OldBoys

Another very solid performance from the Old Boys saw them defeat the team sponsored by Woodwork Bar BK.

In the first half, in truth CPR outclassed the Gunners and it should really have been 4 or 5 nil with many chances wasted.

The Gunners the got a (legit) pen which gave them some hope and renewed energy.

The second half wasn’t as pretty, but credit to CPR’s defense and midfield as the Gunners didn’t really have a meaningful shot on goal and Rangers could have grabbed another couple on the break.

This sets up a top of the table clash with the 1st placed CPR Grays on December 9th.

Goals: Engler; Hollins; Creighton (Pen).

Half-time: 3-1.

Red Cards: 1 for them near the end.

Yellow Cards: 1 for Stower; 1 for Willims (neither really deserved).

MOTM: Many candidates again – Engler, the returning Dan Ault, Creighton, but this writer’s vote goes to Chris Williams for a sparkling performance following 3 weeks of working around the clock to get NYC back in order after Sandy.

Captain/legend: Stower.

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CPR Blacks draw 0-0 to Barnstonworth Rovers

Nov 19 2012 Published by under Blacks

11/18/12

CPR Blacks and Barnstonworth Rovers played to a scoreless draw on Sunday.

Both sides played down a man with 9 field players,  until on of Rovers’ defenders was shown red card for continually swearing at the official in protest of an offsides decision.

CPR Blacks now have two weeks off to rest and regroup before matching up against NYPD FC Metro on December 9th.

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