Archive for: October, 2014

Schedule for NYC Marathon Sunday (Nov 2nd)

Oct 29 2014 Published by under Club

Don’t forget it’s Marathon Day, plan your travels accordingly.

Below is a link with information on street & bridge closures.
http://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/race-day/course

Women’s Red vs. NY Magic Reserves, 9am East 6th Street

Women’s White @ Rovers1, 1pm East 6th Street

Men’s White @ Hoboken (postponed due to NJ State Cup)

Men’s White Reserves @ Hoboken (postponed due to NJ State Cup)

Men’s Red vs. Dynamo SC, 6pm Randalls #74

The Old Boys @ Megas Alexandros, 12noon Van Buren HS

The Grays vs. Greek Americans O-30, 10am Randalls #75

The Legends @ SC Eintracht , 8am Randalls #74

…and then see you back at Percy’s

 

 

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Legends cannot overcome catastrophic start, lose against club rivals

Oct 28 2014 Published by under Legends

The Legends were ready and raring to go, chafing at the usual leisurely approach of the referee for whom Kickoff times seem to be a gentle suggestion.  Two welcome intraclub transfers in Rich Enticott & Peter Lambert were about to make their eagerly anticipated debuts, and Barnstonworth looked like they had the barest minimum of players available.  Unfortunately all of the predictors were as accurate as a weather forecaster as the Legends immediately conceded a soft goal in the first couple of minutes, a corner being won not once but twice with winning headers to divert the ball in.  No sooner had the Legends adjusted to this unexpected turn of events than a counter attack produced another strong header, and although this one hit the post the dangerous striker intelligently followed up to convert for a 2-0 lead.  At the other end the Legends were asking some questions of their own, but their aerial prowess was sorely lacking, as was their targeting software with balls from the 18 were sent high & wide.  Whatever encouragement the offensive play was providing was soon negated when Solinas sent an all time disastrous long ball backwards and perfectly in the path of the lethal Barnstonworth striker who accepted the gift with glee.

Ollie
Oh that second header! Vamvouris had no chance as the striker scored a well taken first goal in the first minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 3-0 down the situation wasn’t quite as hopeless as Liverpool vs AC Milan at Istanbul, or even the previous week against NY Hota.  Hota were clearly a superior side playing on a large field that suited their strengths, while for all of Barnstonworth’s attacking ferocity they showed significant vulnerability at the back, which combined with having only one substitute mean that if CPR could gain a foothold in the game they might be able to slowly pull themselves back up the side of the cliff.  Said foothold was obtained when Cassidy’s tricky footwork in the box produced a scything tackle right in front of the referee providing him an easy decision.  With Resnik a little late to the box Steve Morse grabbed the ball with full confidence and buried a ball sweetly despite the keeper guessing the right direction.

Well
Morse exploits Resnik’s distraction to usurp his role as penalty taker with a superb finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3-1, with a few substitutes and a defence that had started to adjust.  On the flipside, the majority of Barnstonworth players appeared to unusually technically adept for this league, with good close control, nice passing and a counter attack to match NY Hota in danger & efficiency.  The hope was that the Legends could spread the ball wide and start to wear down the opposition while gradually increasing the attacking intent.  All of these optimistic & slender hopes were pinned on the dual ability to shut out the opposition while scoring goals, hopes that were soon dashed when Barnstonworth were able to score a fourth.  The Legends shots continued to be hit either wide or tamely at the keeper, causing him not to have to stretch too much.  In addition the keeper came out bravely to snuff out a couple of chances on the break.  Meanwhile every turnover produced an opportunity to concede another goal, and the Legends were fortunate by last gasp tackles, good goalkeeping by Vamvouris and narrowly wide shots.

In the end a 4-2 result to Barnstonworth was probably fair, although as always the thought goes to what would have happened if Ollie Roberts was present to snuff out the open header danger.  The attack continues to sputter but with increased familiarity and some more tweaking to get the midfield involved the Legends should be able to gradually increase the plus side of the ledger while decreasing the minus.

Another
Although 4pm Kickoffs on an NFL Sunday are by no means optimal, it has to be one of the most beautiful settings in the world to play a game, especially when you have El Presidente Drew Faherty & his eye for composition taking the pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Competition: Barnstonworth, League Opposition

Location: Randall’s Island #74, Randall’s Island

Conditions: Pleasant late fall evening

Fans: 10, Peter’s family + Paul’s significant other + dog.  Also some of the Old Boyz, although they left pretty early in disgust after the quick 3 goals conceded

Result: 2-4 (1-3 at H/T)

Goals:  1:3 Morse (PK), Assist Cassidy

2:4 Solinas Assist Enticott

Yellow Cards: None

Red Card: None

Mike D’s aka No Shows: None, although I’m sure poor Chris Williams would rather have been playing than dealing with the Ebola panic

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: None

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: Venkataraman gambled and lost on the hamstring that was tweaked the previous week.  In a similar vein, Tony Vamvouris also hurt his hamstring and was out for the rest of the game, though hopefully  not much longer than that.

Old Man of the Match: It’s rapidly looking like Ollie Roberts will be a strong contender for MVP based upon the stark difference in defence his absence illuminates.  This is unfair to those being forced to play out of position in the center of defence, but this is by far the most glaring of the team’s weaknesses.  The hope is that the more players play in that position, the more they can familiarize and adjust.

Old Man of the Bar: Resnik & Venkataraman narrowly outlasted El Presidente, a throwback performance by the Three Kings

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

Statistic of the week: A lifetime Percentage has now been added to measure bar attendance % vs number of games played.  This means we can see per season and overall who is getting back to the bar the most.  Nobody gets a prize for figuring out the Three Kings finish at the top, with Tier Two a distant second.

Team Bar Showing: 4 out of 15 (27%)

Team Bar Night: 3.5 out of 5: While the breadth was weak at 4, the depth was excellent with a solid 5+ hour session helped by the Grays and interesting discussions on the future of the club.

Team (No new profiles this week): Telly Vamvouris (GK), Mark Resnik (DF), Andrew Faherty (DF), Paul Vale (DF), Tony Vamvouris, Manohar Venkataraman, Randall Klitz (DF), Steve Morse, Peter Lambert (DF), Steve Teesdale (DF), Ugo Solinas, John Hodges, Willian D’Andrea, Mike Cassidy, Rich Enticott

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Theft Among Friends is “Borrowing”

Oct 28 2014 Published by under Club, Grays

BACK TO WINNING

 

After the disappointment of being knocked out of the state cup the Grays sought to get back to their winning ways by taking the field against Branstonworth Rovers Premier. The game started off brightly enough with plenty of chances and a fairly even back and forth match. Grays had the better of the goal chances but the Barnstonworth goalie proved a class act and was able to get his hands on both shots and corners with Gray’s Keeper/Captain Dan Mejias only forced to make one save right before the break.

After getting more of the chances in the first half, and the prospect of playing with the wind in the second, the future looked bright for the Grays. So it was as new signing Stephen McNally hit a stinger off the crossbar. Adil and Bahaa were able to challenge the keeper on numerous occasion but he always found himself up to the task. With pressure mounting the Gray’s defense began pushing forward into the Barnstonworth half with outside back Chuck getting called for a hard foul on a Rovers midfielder. While Chuck was being reprimanded by the referee Barnstonworth sent a long pass to their forward line who were able to beat the Gray’s defense who were playing down a man. Astonishingly, the ref let the goal stand after much protestation by the CPR players (Captain Dan got a little heated but always referred to the referee as “Sir” so no offense was taken, DA Charlie vehemently objected and threatened to file a brief). The goal was to stand and the Grays found themselves down 1-0 with 15 minutes to go.

Continuing their dominance from throughout the second half the Grays piled on the pressure and truly put the Rovers against the wall.  With ten minutes remaining James Dolan (that’s non-Knick owning James Dolan) sent in a pass to Bahaa who was able to beat the Rover’s keeper with a clever chip. The goal put the score level but the Grays weren’t done yet. Five minutes from time Bahaa again found himself at the top of the box and beat his defender on the dribble; with the goalie coming out Bahaa curled a low shot to the net… which Marko Guzijan decided to tap in for good measure. Would it have gone on anyway? Absolutely. Did Marko have a goal stolen from him the same way last week? Definitely. Does that make it all even? Not until Bahaa steals a goal form Danny Azzo this coming Sunday. Stay tuned for the story of karma.

Some good times back at the pub where celebratory beers were had and plans of NYC bar domination planned (to be discussed later).

Final Score

CPR 2 – Rovers 1

Goals: Bahaa, Marko (sort of)

Assists: James, Bahaa (and whoever sent in the ball to Bahaa in the first place but I don’t remember their name)

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The Stupid State Cup

Oct 27 2014 Published by under Club, Grays

Sate Cup Match Report

 

In recent years the grays have found some league success but not a single state cup game has ever gone their way. That record would not be broken in sunny Jamaica Queens against a skillful Integral team. Integral seemed happy to keep possession in their half with the Grays keeping drawing a highline and watching the outside backs one touch passes amongst themselves. Finally, pressure by Mike Sevchek lead to a turnover and break away for Adil which the Integral goalie was able to save with a dive to his right. The Integral defense decided that perhaps getting across the half line would be a good idea; it was not. As Integral opened up play the Grays were able to win the ball and counterattack often. Mike Sevchek came closest with a header that went over the bar before Adil continued his run of good form and was able to finish on a breakaway off a nice setup from Sevchek. The goal seemed to set off the team with the Grays controlling the play and tempo consistently attacking the Integral defense. Before halftime Jan sent in a trademark corner which Marko found at the far corner of the six yard box. Marko hit the ball towards the corner of the goal only for Danny Azzo to steal chest it across the line. Against the run of play Integral were able to grab a goal right before the halftime whistle.

Going into half 2-1 up with the majority of play and very few Integral chances the Gray’s might have been a bit over confident. The second half started with some sloppy play and Integral were able to get the tying goal before the 50th minute mark. With the tying goal scored the Grays found themselves up against a wall. Not being able to hold onto the ball as they did in the first half and the Integral midfielders gaining in confidence it wasn’t a total shock when Integral hit a third goal to take a 3-2 lead. So it seemed the state cup games go for the Grays and valiant efforts were either saved by the Integral keeper or sent agonizingly wide. In the last minute of the match the Gray’s had a final chance off another corner. With Jan again sending in a trademark cross; Marko decided to bypass Danny Azzo and just hit it in the goal himself. Cheers and jubilation as the game was tied 3-3. Immediately after kickoff the whistle blew and off to PKs we went.

Grays lost in penalties.  Nothing more to be said. Now move along.

 

Goals: Adil, Danny Azzo, Marko

Assists: Sevchek, Marko/Jan, Jan

 

Stay tuned for next week where Marko steals a goal for himself.

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Results from Oct 26th

Oct 27 2014 Published by under Club

Women’s Red beat Rovers 2 by a score of 8-2

Women’s White had a BYE

Men’s White fell to NYAC, 1-2

Men’s White Reserves drew 0-0 with NYAC

Men’s Red beat NYC Vllaznia 3-2

The Old Boys lost 1-3 to NY Dinamo

The Grays beat Barnstonworth Premier 2-1

The Legends lost to Barnstonworth Rovers O-35, 2-4

 

Great to see this guy back out there playing!

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Reds a Rockin’: Knock off Vllaznia 3-2 in the 85th Minute

Oct 27 2014 Published by under Reds

The CPR Reds traveled their way down to what seemed like Cuba for their Sunday matchup…turns out Cuba actually would have been the safer quicker trip as the Reds found themselves playing in the projects of Staten Island for this week’s game. Reds faced Vllaznia who had some good results in the league and proved to be the solid competition the Reds have been looking for. Mack Woodruff and Deco Heffernan scored in the first half in a back and forth battle but Vllaznia fired an absolute missile from 25 yards out that equalized things at 2-2. The Reds battled hard with their aggressive opponent (as expected against an Albanian team) and the game turned chippy quick. Lucky for us, Deco Heffernan wanted to put a silence to the opponent and closed out the game with a late goal in the 85′ to secure the victory.

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Schedule for Sunday Oct 26th

Oct 21 2014 Published by under Club

Women’s Red @ Rovers 2, 9am East 6th Street

Women’s White have a BYE

Men’s White @ NYAC, 12noon Travers Island

Men’s White Reserves @ NYAC, 10am Travers Island

Men’s Red @ NYC Vllaznia 3pm Corporal Thompson Park, Staten Island

The Old Boys vs. NY Dinamo, 2pm Randalls #75

The Grays vs. Barnstonworth Premier, 4pm Randalls #75

The Legends vs. Barnstonworth Rovers O-35, 4pm Randalls #74

…and then see you back at Percy’s

 

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Cup woes continue for Legends as they get rolled by NY Hota

Oct 21 2014 Published by under Legends

Saying the Legends are not a cup team is like saying the Jets are not the most functional organization or that watching Tony Romo in the 4th quarter isn’t equal parts exciting & terrifying (you know what’s coming in the Playoffs Drew, you might as well prepare for it now).  The Old Boyz themselves were not the most successful cup team, but the spinoff Legends have taken the cup to new depths with an 0-4 record.  Playing an unknown Long Island Over 30’s team was an unknown quantity, but taking in to account their league as Over 40 & Over 50’s divisions it would seem to indicate they had to be at least somewhat competent to stay at Over 30’s.  In an interesting twist, the manager of NY Hota was an old CPR Metroboy Peter Profeta who had a 3 game cup of coffee with the ‘boyz back in 2006 courtesy of Jim Grandinetti.

Field #75 is no friend of the Old Man, not as big as Pier 40 but still vast enough.  With the lack of recognized center backs the Legends had to put in Steve Morse & Mark Dean back there, especially with the prodigal Ochoa returning to his stellar role as defensive midfield.  Almost from the kickoff it was clear that the Legends would be in for a long afternoon.  NY Hota possessed the ball as well as any team the Legends had played this season and were quick on the tackle and closing the ball down.  The Legends struggled to maintain possession, tending to try to do too much with the ball.  Despite only having two subs the opposition also appeared to be in much better shape as the Legends quickly started cycling through their substitutes, the reason they try to have 4 on the sidelines for every game.  After weathering the initial storm the dangerous left midfielder from the opposition skipped past the defence and drove a low shot in from the right.  Soon after the same player went down the byline and drove the ball low to have it turned in from point blank range.  Meanwhile the Legends were starting to push some possession further up the pitch but with only a couple of long distance shots to show for it.

At 2-0 down in a cup game the tactics were fairly straightforward.  Continue to try and get in the game, but if CPR were down with about 20 minutes to go it would be time to go to 3 in the back.  These tactics were rendered moot almost immediately as NY Hota executed a clinical counterattack, with two forwards toying with the 4 defenders and utilizing the space nicely to put the ball away.  The game started to get a little chippy with a few more robust tackles and Resnik in particular unusually seeing the red mist, but fortunately the game edged back from any major confrontations.  NY Hota contented themselves with lying back and waiting to get the ball on the counter, and with their superior conditioning & athleticism were able to create a couple of more chances off of turnovers, scoring on one of them.  The Legends tried in vain to get a consolation but short of hitting the post couldn’t quite get the ball in.  It was one of those days at the office.

Competition: NY Hota, LISL

Location: Randall’s Island #75, Randall’s Island

Conditions: First truly chilly afternoon of the season, with the late afternoon sun adding a degree of difficulty

Fans: None, although by midway through the second half a few players had decided to play spectator on the sidelines

Result: N/A

Yellow Cards: None, although Resnik was the only person on the entire field who didn’t think he should have been booked for using a two handed shove down on a player who was getting up in full view of everyone.  It was fortunate the Legends had a good relationship with the referee who decided a quiet word was in order as opposed to the brandishing of a card.

”Settle
Angry Old Man of the Match goes to Resnik, fortunate not to get a booking by the genial referee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Card: None

Mike D’s aka No Shows: None

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: None

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: The forward line suffered a little from some potential aches and pains, with Venkataraman’s calf & hamstring being matched by Chris William’s calves.  Ollie Roberts couldn’t make it because of wear and tear on his knees, the price he’s paid for being the only recognized centerback for the Legends.

Old Man of the Match: Each goal the team loses by significantly decreases the chances of there being an OMoM, and an 0-4 scoreline where the team was overrun sealed that.  A special mention does have to go to Mark Dean & Steve Morse who were shoehorned out of position as centerbacks against a swift pass & move team.

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

Statistics of the week: Ochoa’s cameo helped him tie Resnik & D’Andrea for all time caps at 33.

Team Bar Showing: 4 out of 15 (27%)

Team Bar Night: 2 out of 5: 4pm is an awkward time to play, with barely enough time after the game to get back to the bar for the 4th quarter.  With an unusual lack of cars it also split the team up a little, and with no other teams around it was a relatively quick evening.

Team (No new profiles this week): Telly Vamvouris (GK), Mark Resnik (DF), Andrew Faherty (DF), Mark Dean (DF), Tony Vamvouris (DF), Manohar Venkataraman, Randall Klitz (DF), Steve Morse (DF), Tom Pattinson, Ugo Solinas, Willian D’Andrea, Chris Williams, Mike Cassidy, John Hodges, Dan Ochoa

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Results from State Cup Weekend – Oct 18th/19th

Oct 20 2014 Published by under Club

Saturday night 10/18:

Men’s Red beat Mola SC (CSL) 5-0 (Strumpf Cup)

Sunday 10/19:

Women’s Red beat Baby Magic FSC, 5-3 (Women’s State Cup)

Women’s White beat NYC United B, 11-0 (Women’s State Cup)

Men’s White beat Istria (LISFL) 5-1 (ManningCup)

Men’s White Reserves beat NYPD Reserve (CSL) 4-1(D’Arpino Cup) 

The Old Boys beat AC Glen Cove (LISFL) 5-0 (Marth Cup)

The Grays lost on PKs to Integral (LISFL)  (Marth Cup)

The Legends lost 0-4 to NY Hota (LISFL) (Marth Cup)

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Reds Win in First Round of State Cup Handily

Oct 18 2014 Published by under Reds

The CPR Reds return to the state cup venue after falling short of the cup last year in penalties in the semifinals. The Reds came out hungry and absolutely relentless defensively. It was a Saturday night game under the lights and while Mola barely had enough to field a squad, the Reds came out strong with a record 20 players ready to suit up.  After keeping possession most of the first half, the Reds scored several goals early and never looked back going up 4-0 before halftime. After half, the Reds did an entire line change and everyone got some good kick around. Mola was quoted at one point asking: “where the hell are these guys all coming from”.

Goal scorers were Timur Mone (2), Antonio Bishmade Rejman, Declan Heffernan, and Richie Kavanagh. Shutout credited to keeper Andrew Snell and the defensive unit.

 

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