This weekend saw another lack luster performance by the firsts against a very weak Stal Melic team, already relegated to the 2^nd division and seeking to get their 1^st win of the season. Initial hopes that we could rack up a cricket score were tempered by our lack of movement and intensity and although we still dominated possession, Stal Melic had some of the best opportunities as their left midfielder (and best player) put Justin through his paces. The first goal came out of a bit of fortune for Stal Melic as a tackle on one of their players popped the ball up into the air on the edge of the box, their right midfielder ran on and somehow managed to slice a shot up over Ben and in off the post. We had several clear cut chances in the 1^st half, including a couple one v. ones, and a free header from a corner that we failed to capitalize on.

The second half started a bit more brightly and CPR were rewarded for their efforts with a couple goals, first when Riso pounced on a Mike’s spilled shot and then a penalty from Conor after Riso was blatantly pushed in the back while going for a cross. At this point we lost our intensity once again and ended up conceding an equalizer and then a third in quick succession (the 3^rd off a controversial corner rewarded despite an obvious foul on Matt). We pressed hard for more goals and were assisted when their right back got a deserved second yellow (as the same guy always seems to) in the last 10 mins and with the last kick of the game George converted a cross for an equalizer. Overall it was a disappointing day and well below the standard we set for ourselves. Post match entertainment was provided by some crack head lady/Polish fan and some manic grey bearded Polish fan who came out of their shell to improve all of our vocabularies with a wide range of obscenities aimed at the ref and our team.
Line up: Ben, Justin, Nick, Matt, Shane, Josh, Conor, Edgar, Mike, Riso, George.

Central Park Rangers found themselves at Bushwick Inlet Park on Sunday to face off against Stal Mielic. With an average age of 45, CPR looked poised and confident to secure 3 points even without any subs.

The match started fairly sloppy as neither team could really get the ball down and maintain possession going forward. Stal almost broke the stalemate against the run of play as a ball crossed into the box glanced off the right post with a header from the PK spot. With Alberto, Carlos and Dan, and Eli being the creative minds behind the attack, CPR were able to create a couple of opportunities in the first half but were unable to capitalize.

After a halftime pep talk from Yuval as well as some thoughtful words of wisdom from Eli, the second half whistle blew and the boys found new life. The game seemed very one sided for the first 20-25 minutes with a number of opportunities coming from great ball movement through the midfield and work ethic from the front lines. The weights seemed to be tipping in CPR’s favor until Carlos unexpectedly pulled up with an injury about midway through the first half. This unexpectedly forced CPR to fight through adversity and play a man down for the remainder of the second half. Stal were able to break the deadlock in the 80^th minute.  A square ball through the middle and short numbers in the back found CPR down 1-0. The opponents then found another brace due to tired legs and a seemingly unstoppable shot, which found the top left corner.

The final whistle blew with a full time score of 2-0 to Stal. An unfortunate result but the boys still look to be in great shape for a playoff position in the upcoming weeks.

A big thanks to Eli for stepping in and all the luck to Carlos on a quick recovery.

Squad: Jon, Brian, Alberto, Evan, Norelli, Carlos, Greg, Dan C, Archie, Sean, Eli