The only thing worse than the infamous Sunday 7:30pm Pier 40 Kickoffs are the 9pm Kickoffs.  The solace was being able to watch most of the NFL games and also the glorious temperatures to play in, even if the lighting was typically murky.  Despite the lamentable kickoff time the Oranges were able to rustle up 14 for the 3^rd consecutive game, with the players finally starting to learn each other’s names and proclivities on the pitch. With the enormous field size once again it was impressed on the team that pressing in the opponent’s half was a waste of time, along with the need for patience in possession.  Initially Celtic had the lion’s share of the ball, but CPR was able to keep them at bay.  However, once the ball was cleared the isolated strikers had little chance to retain possession and soon it returned right back.  On one such sortie Celtic took the lead, a cross cum shot looping perfectly in the gloaming over the unfortunate Koerner.  Despite that, the Oranges started coming in to their own and raising the threat level for Celtic. As has been the case this debut Over 40’s season, CPR never quite got the little bit of luck they needed for the ball to bounce right in the penalty box.

Still, at 0-1 down (just like the previous 2 games), the hope was that the Oranges could build on the small patches of consistency.  Unfortunately, things got worse in the second half.  Tactically they baited the Celtics into long balls, however the opposition were able to make full advantage, especially when Cowles limped off.  In addition, Celtic hungrily hunted down the makeshift Orange defence in packs, causing consternation and turnovers galore.  Meanwhile, CPR reacted to every 4^th or 5^th possession pass as if the ball had Covid, launching it speculatively down the field as opposed to maintaining intelligent patient possession.  Only when the game was out of reach and every Celtic player was searching for glory did the Oranges start to attack with purpose into the newly opened spaces.  One such multiplayer move resulted in their solitary goal, a chip by Venkataraman aimed at Klopf resulting in a desperate defensive chip over their own keeper.

The Oranges aren’t far away, but they need more patience, a deliberate offensive plan and discipline if they’re to avoid becoming the Norwich of the league.

Competition: Manhattan Celtic Masters, League opposition

Location: Pier 40, Manhattan

Conditions: Gorgeous Autumn evening

Fans: 1 (Somebody’s kid, I think Alfi’s?)

Result: 1-4 (0-1 at H/T)

Goals: OG Assist Venkataraman (controversial, but we’re going with Fantasy football scoring in this case. Author’s prerogative)

Yellow Cards: None

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: Numerous.  Valle was still hurt from the first game, Cowles came off in the second half, Rosoklija hurt himself in the warm ups but still managed to play

Old Man of the Match: None

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Gabriel Cowles (DF), Claudio Schneider (MF), Willian D’Andrea, Steven Morse, Bevan Rosenbloom, Adam Alfi, Vojdan Rosoklija (DF), Nathan Appel, Jordan Klopf, Rodrigo Valle, Juan Pablo Asburn, Takuna Watanabe

The second game of the season brought a continued mix of players including an influx of Legends.  The players were busy (re)introducing themselves during warm-ups on a rare second week in a row grass field.  This particular field near the Kiosks by the parking lot was a personal favorite given its relatively small dimensions that worked in favor of putting pressure on defenders.  With a noon kickoff the sun could play a factor in the first half and the Oranges were fortunate to play with the sun in the eyes of the opposition keeper.

Right from the start the difference in fluency between the teams was evident as Shamrocks sprayed the ball around both long and short whereas the Oranges struggled to string 3 passes together.  The obvious physical size differential also came in to play with Shamrocks continually winning headers and 50-50 tackles.  CPR managed an early let off when Shamrocks had the ball in the back of the net only for the Referee to blow for a dubious offside. Slowly the Oranges started to grow into the game as some internal discussions and loud pitch side encouragement urged calm and possession.  Picking up on the opposition defenders fondness for the long ball, CPR started dropping back to bait them into the low percentage passes with the additional benefit of picking off some of the misplayed balls higher up the pitch.  Rather than attempt long balls like before, the Oranges started moving at pace with shorter passes and creating dangerous situations of their own.  One such scramble produced an excellent double save from the Shamrocks keeper off of Venkataraman’s point blank shot.  However, the Shamrocks reset and took the lead using their physical advantage off a corner.  The ball appeared cleared but once a Shamrock took possession he passed it to the left winger in an ocean of space.  Sometimes too much time can be a detriment as the winger hammered the ball straight at keeper Koerner, but having parried the ball into the middle the canny opposition striker was by himself and calmly tapped the ball in.

For the second game in a row the Oranges went into the half down by a goal having played well in spurts, just enough to provide encouragement.  The discussion revolved around not pressing the defenders while also taking time in possession and using the Oranges speed advantage on the flanks to attack.  The weather was not as hot as the previous week so the hope was that the Oranges could form a more cohesive unit in the second half with more energy.  Unfortunately it was not to be.  Shamrocks continued to press their own advantages and scored twice more, both off of corners using their physicality.  The Oranges had a few isolated moments but rarely troubled the opposition keeper unlike the first half.  With a comfortable lead the wily Shamrocks had a master class in passing the ball around to waste time with the Oranges struggling to gain back possession.

This loss felt a little more dispiriting than the previous one, and the lack of goal scoring is clearly a concern.  However, playing on grass fields two weeks in a row to start the season with significantly different teams was not the most auspicious of starts.  Playing on turf now that most players have played with each other and are starting to learn the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates should see continued improvement.

Competition: NY Shamrocks SC Legends, League opposition

Location: Randalls Island #71, Randalls Island

Conditions: Warm day on a short grass pitch

Fans: 4 (Appel as coach and vocal cheerleader, along with Valle.  Also Mrs Alfi + Dog)

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

Goals: None

Yellow Cards: None

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:

Old Man of the Match: None

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Jason Cyrus (F), Kelvin Yu (DF), Gabriel Cowles (DF), Najib Majaj (MF), Claudio Schneider (MF), Joji Tokida, Willian D’Andrea, Steven Morse, Bevan Rosenbloom, Justin Noel (DF), Adam Alfi, Vojdan Rosoklija (DF)

Proud of their antiquated methods of team organization, it wasn’t until the night before the game that it was clear the Oranges would have a few substitutes available on what looked to be a very warm fall day.  The Oranges had a core supplemented by internal and external CPR recruits as they looked to make the “jump” to the Over 40’s.  As such, there were quite a few (re)introductions being made before the game as the team got ready to face an experienced Doxa team.  The beginning certainly didn’t auger well as Doxa took the lead in the 3^rd minute, a scramble in the box finished with authority.  However the Oranges shook off the early setback to start taking more control of the game, and it was a splendid run down the right and pass to Cyrus who shook off the attentions of his defender to make a superb  lob over the keeper to tie the game in the 14^th minute.

A young referee usually augurs well in this league, but that was certainly not the case in this game.  He certainly hadn’t received the age old memo that if the decision was tight to allow the benefit of the doubt to go to the attacker, much to the detriment of the Oranges.  Initially the Oranges weren’t happy but understood the difficulty of adjudicating offside with no linesman.  However, as the decisions became increasingly egregious it was hard to face them calmly, especially when they seemed completely one sided.  One especially infuriating decision was called on a free kick and a lovely back headed goal by Yu, with the referee having no excuse to get this decision wrong and benefitting the slow footed Doxa defence.

The game was fairly even but Doxa was able to take advantage of the Orange’s unfamiliarity with each other to find a man open in the box.  Although the defence recovered well, the striker took the ball down really well and was able to evade the attentions of multiple players to finish with aplomb.  The Oranges still felt positive at the half and there were a few more discussions on the sideline regarding how the 4-2-3-1 was actually playing (more like a 4-4-2).

The Oranges play significantly improved in the second half as they acclimatized to each other, but they could never quite get the bounce of the ball.  The outside midfielders on both sides consistently had the beating of their opponents but either the crosses were mislaid or the ball just evaded the one or two players in the box.  One particularly unfortunate scramble saw Venkataraman flailing in despair as the connection just couldn’t be made in the box, with the final Watanabe shot nestling in the goalie’s midriff.

At this point the heat was taking its toll on both sides, with the Oranges also unfortunate in unfamiliarity in being unable to toss on latecomer Dazil George with roster unfamiliarity playing a part.  The Oranges were successful at baiting Doxa into continually hitting deep balls from the defence, and although they were quite good at those they were far more dangerous when they were playing short balls to each other attacking through the midfield.  In the end, the Oranges couldn’t quite get the equalizer their play deserved, but considering most of them were still trying to learn each other’s names afterwards it was a promising Over 40’s debut for the team.

Competition: Doxa FC Legends, League opposition

Location: Randalls Island #51, Randalls Island

Conditions: Very warm day and expected unpredictable grass pitch

Fans: 2 (The unfortunate George arriving in the second half and his daughter)

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

Goals: 1:1 Cyrus assist ?

Yellow Cards: None

Red Card: None

Mike D’s aka No Shows: None

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: Yu, who managed to get babysitting

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: Roddy Valle, one of the youngest members of the squad, went down near the end with an ankle injury that may keep him out for a few weeks

Old Man of the Match: Yu wanted to award it to everyone, but there was no particular standout despite most players playing well (author will take a raincheck after a particularly poor performance

Old Man of the Bar:  Sadly we may have to retire this section since teams don’t go to the bar any more.

El Presidente (new award for Old Men who don’t make it to game but come to the bar): N/A

Team Bar Showing: 1 out of 14 (AB%), Venkataraman made it to Dive 96 but other teammates are unknown

Team Bar Night:  N/A

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Jason Cyrus (F), Kelvin Yu (DF), JP Asbun, Gabriel Cowles (DF), Ted Elkington (DF), Najib Majaj (MF), Claudio Schneider (MF), Steve Tobar-Icaza, Rodrigo Valle (MF), Takuna Watanabe (DF), Joji Tokida, Pablo Lojo