At one point early Saturday, it looked like the Legends would have to ignominiously forfeit their last game of the season.  With a scant 7 plus 2 significantly injured players, showing up only to take a beating and potentially alter the competitive balance of the league did not look appealing.  The only thing worse would be to forfeit.  Fortunately the hours put in by Venkataraman yielded results as the Legends were able to scrape together a couple more players to at least attempt to give America a decent game.  With 9 players and 2 injured players it was going to be a stretch, but Subah showing up halfway through the first half was a welcome sight.  Having a grass field was certainly helpful for the Legends as the erratic bounces and speed sapping mud would force America to play down to their level.

Surprisingly the Legends not only came out strong, they were able to take a shock lead.  Sobczak was making a nuisance of himself and the resulting possession down in the opposition’s half resulted in a needle threading pass from Teesdale to Stower, who took the chance with aplomb.  The huge America squad, replete with banner, were perturbed by this unexpected turn of events.  Their left back’s cultured left foot meant they were continuing to use the long ball strategy despite the fact that virtually all of their players could easily beat their counterparts for speed.   Although CPR welcomed this low percentage strategy, America were still able to use it to tie the game up, a dangerous left back cross bouncing awkwardly to find the second striker open at the back post.  Canny play by the Legends helped keep America in check, and CPR might have taken another surprising lead had Roberts in his last game managed to convert a point blank chance.

At half time the Legends felt unexpected hope that they might be able to salvage something from the game.  The focus for the second half was to initially conserve energy in case the game was close in the latter stages, stop vociferously complaining to the referee and to goad the long balls which were far easier to deal with for the old and injured Legends.  Both teams did not make it easy for the referee with a lot of barking, and the Legends were hoping that dialing the complaints back a notch while stonewalling America would result in frustration and wasted time by the opposition.

The game’s temperature was well and truly up, but until the end the tackles were hard but mostly fair.  An absorbing game of football continued, with America’s possession against the Legends counterattacking.  America were able to steal a lead when confusion by two CPR players resulted in a ball trickling back for the gleefully lazy America striker to convert for a lead.  The Legends kept up the defence and were rewarded when a long ball found the physical combination of Subah and Sobczak bullying their way through the defence to even things up.

The Legends hope of turning up the screws on America evaporated with Sobczak’s reaction to another hard foul not resulting in a free kick.  Immediately from the throw in he launched himself at the fouler right in front of the America bench.  It was surprising that the resulting melee didn’t have punches thrown, as the irate America team confronted Sobczak including an opponent kicking him for what should have been a red card offense.  Cooler heads eventually prevailed and Sobczak went to the sidelines to dissipate the red mist, with D’Andrea limping on.

The game went back and forth, with America not really creating any clearcut chances while the Legens had 3 glorious opportunities that they blasted over the bar. There was still time for an extraordinary John Stones like clearance off a defensive miscue for the Legends, while the America striker should have been sent off for two egregious bouts of simulation in between being found offside.   With the Legends holding on, Teesdale was disgracefully hacked by the America striker who only received a booking. He got his just dessert by the time wasted due to the injury helping end the game swiftly after.

A disappointing season came to a stirring ending, with the Legends fighting through and finding a way to survive and eke out a point.

Competition: America FC 1927, League Opposition

Location: Randall’s Island #51, Randall’s Island

Conditions: Nice warm morning

Fans: 0

Result: 2:2 HT: 1-1

Goals: 1:0 Stower Assist Teesdale

2:0 Sobczak Assist Subah

Yellow Cards: Stower, Sobczak

Red Cards: As much as America argued with the referee regarding Sobczak’s horror tackle, it was still merely a booking.

Mike D’s aka No Shows: None

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: None, although nobody in the right mind thought Subah would ever show up.  A Hail Mary of a phone call from Venkataraman right at game time prompted his unexpected showing midway through the first half.

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: Remarkably there were no injuries despite most players having to play the full 90’.  Teesdale, D’Andrea and Roberts all deserved kudos for showing up to an 8am kickoff injured, and then proceeding to play more than expected.

Old Man of the Match: This was a close one.  Teesdale receives an honorary mention for both playing far longer than expected while also showing some canny nous in stretching time due to injury in the last few minutes.  Sobczak would have run away with it if it hadn’t been for a moment of madness.  Venkataraman worked hard to scrape up a team when early Saturday the Legends only had 7 fit players.  Another honorary mention to Steve Roberts in his last CPR game for awhile, marshalling the back for a full 90.  However, Arrocha wins the award not only for a number of stellar saves, but also solid overall goalkeeping, distribution and the football IQ to stretch every moment to make time an ally.

Old Man of the Bar: None.

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

Statistic of the week:  Sobczak has been remarkably prolific for the Legends, with 8 goals and 6 assists in 10 career games.  This puts him in the elite offensive range with Enticott and Sawyer regarding small sample sizes

Team Bar Showing: 3 out of 12 (25%)

Team Bar Night: 3.5 out of 5. Although only 3 showed up, there was impressive 4 hour longevity without any interesting sports to occupy the Legends.  Merely good food (Teesdale with his multiple meals) and beers.

Team (No new profiles this week): Pablo Arrocha (GK), Manohar Venkataraman, Neil Stower, Gavin Moore (DF), Steve Roberts (DF), Eduardo Mazzi (DF), Bevan Rosenbloom (DF), Willian D’Andrea, Steve Teesdale (DF), Ernest Subah, Sebastian Sobczak, Jan Carlsen

The initially 9am scheduled game was now set for high noon, but both squads were depleted with barely any substitutes.  A drizzly miserable day didn’t help get the spirits up, but fortunately a quality veteran referee would at least ensure that the game would stay well marshalled.  Both teams came out suffering from an inability to adapt to the conditions, attempted one touch passes and careless touches making it a turnover battle.  Barnstonworth were marginally more technically adept at holding the ball, but the Legends looked more dangerous when attacking.  Once D’Andrea went down with a knee injury in the opposition penalty box, the Legends ability to hold the ball in attack dissipated.

Originally CPR thought they could wear down Barnstonworth with superior numbers, but once the Legends lost 3 substitutes it was virtually an even game.  Although space was opening up around the field, the Legends had a hard time piecing more than 3 passes together.  Meanwhile the Rovers bided their time and then took advantage.  CPR had already been warned when one counterattack had forced a professional foul, but did not heed it and were pried open with the single opposition striker loping half the length of the field before converting. The Legends continued to be up and around the opposition penalty area but with little real threat, and committing players forward led to an almost identical second goal.  With almost the last play of the game, a third counterattack resulted in Frazier taking down the striker.  The now inevitable red mist sank all over Frazier and resulted in a straight red, with Vale’s long battle with the goalie gloves not providing any succor as the Rovers slotted in a simple third from the spot to end the game.

The 0-3 score was not fair to the Legends, but Rovers were the more technically astute side in keeping possession and passing the ball around which was enough on the wet surface to make the difference.  That and having swift attackers to take advantage of the Legends unusually slow and injured back line.  With one more game left CPR hopes to finish the season on a winning note.

Competition: Barnstonworth Rovers Veterans, League Opposition

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

Conditions: A little too wet and cold for late spring

Fans: 0

Result: 0:3 HT: 0-0

Goals: N/A

Yellow Cards: None

Red Cards: Even by Frazier’s standards this was breathtakingly idiotic.  Down 2-0 with virtually no time left, takes the striker down.  Fairly close, but a penalty was reasonably awarded.  The sending off wasn’t for that, it was for the resultant shove of the ball into the referee’s gut.

Mike D’s aka No Shows: None

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: None

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: D’andrea went down with a knee twist in the first half and didn’t return.  He was sorely missed. Steve Roberts groin hindered him into even slower speed than usual before he finally threw in the towel. Resnik uncharacteristically was also unavailable after warm ups.

Old Man of the Match: Some sporadic good play, but more often a lot of one touch misplayed foolishness in wet weather.

Old Man of the Bar: None.

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

Statistic of the week:  No surprise, Frazier continues to knock negative statistics out of the park in a Bizarro Ripken fashion.  This week’s straight red brings the total to 22 discipline points (yellow+red) out of 24 games played.  Good thing he’s so phlegmatic off the pitch else he would have been long gone from the squad.

Team Bar Showing: 2 out of 15 (13%)

Team Bar Night: 1 out of 5. Tier 1 showed up for some food and a pint, but that was it.

Team (No new profiles this week): Tim Frazier (GK), Manohar Venkataraman, Neil Stower (DF), Gavin Moore (DF), Steve Roberts (DF), Mark Resnik (DF), Danny Azzo, Franco Denari, Scott Brindley, Paul Vale, Willian D’Andrea, Steve Lacey, Manuel Casanova, John Hodges, Steve Teesdale (DF)