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.

	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.

	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.

	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

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 4^th 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.

	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 4^th 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