The Oranges were playing their previously postponed game against fellow cellar dwellers NY Irish in the middle of a Sunday afternoon at field 82 at Randall’s Island.  One quick look confirmed the field was rather small, with echoes of the old field 74 before the expansion.  Given a make shift squad with only 3 substitutes and some players recovering from injuries and alcohol, it looked quite promising.  Add in the fact the opposition had only one substitute and it looked like a good chance for a victory.  Within 5 minutes it seemed that victory was almost assured.  Despite the small field, the Oranges had eons of time on the ball, and in fact were initially struggling with just how much time they had.  Meanwhile the opposition panicked at the slightest pressure, although CPR didn’t fully take advantage with a high press like they probably should have.

As they settled into the game CPR started to finally grow into the space and possession, moving down the wings while also dribbling through the middle.  It was some of the best football they had played all season, regardless of opponent.  Although they weren’t able to convert the possession into goals they were looking increasingly dangerous.  On the flipside, NY Irish showed they weren’t on the pitch just to make up the numbers and had the more clearcut chances.  Indeed an xG map at the half would have shown the Irish clearly ahead in chances, while the field tilt was clearly in the Oranges favor.

The half time talk at this point in the season sounded like a broken record, but in this case it really did reflect what was going on.  The Oranges sincerely felt that by remaining patient and calm in possession, taking advantage of the space and more vociferously communicating that they could take the game and finally converted their potential, a run by Cronshaw ending up with Morse happily hammering the ball into an empty net from a yard.

And then it all went pear shaped.

Lingering arguments between a couple of players on each side blew up unnecessarily into the worst elements of old man football.  After a foul in the middle of the field Cronshaw’s disproportionately endless rage ended up with two bookings and a sending off, much to the glee of the opposition and leaving CPR perturbed.  Instantly the game changed, with the Irish finding renewed energy while the short handed Oranges were pinned back and offensively impotent.  An injured Holterhoff left Morse shorthanded centrally and the Irish smelled blood in the water.  With only 10 minutes left and the Oranges still leading, they proceeded to ship 3 goals including one with the last kick of the game.

The only benefit of this game was that it was the last one of the Fall, as it will take a few months to wipe the stench away.  Hopefully some quiet words during drinks in the offseason will enable everyone to return happier and more excited about getting to play football in New York City with a good group.

Competition: NY Irish SC Legends, League opposition

Location: Randall’s Island Field 82, Randall’s Island

Conditions: Surprisingly decent warm afternoon

Fans: None

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

Goals: 1-0: Morse Assist Cronshaw

Yellow Cards: Koerner

Red Card: Cronshaw

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: Holterhoff was coming off of an injury, and due to lack of subs and more time played than expected reaggravated the injury along with a painful knee gash.  Cyrus’s back acted up which pulled him on and off in the second half.

Old Man of the Match: None

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Claudio Schneider (MF), Willian D’Andrea, Steven Morse, Jason Cyrus, Devin Molina, Darran Cronshaw, Justin Noel, C.P., Christopher Holterhoff, Pete, Danilo Crestejo

With both teams getting knocked out of the cup, it was a welcome mid November match up as opposed to the original mid December game which would have stunted the post game festivities.  Both teams were certainly ready for the game, with numerous substitutes available and the good natured but slightly edgy camaraderie visible before the game.  The 8am kickoff had the sun in a decidedly low horizon, but perpendicular to the 18 yard line of the far post.  The Legends won the toss but the sun did not come into play as much as it would have seemed.  The game proceeded as expected, with the Oranges compact ready to spring on the counter attack while the Legends kept possession, patiently switching fields while probing for openings.  Clear opportunities were few and far between, expected for a derby with players on both sides familiar with each other’s foibles.  At half time the Oranges were certainly the happier with the stalemate, but also well aware that they had been tied or close for every game this season at the half while faltering in the second half.

Also as expected, the game started to open up in the second half.  The original Field 74 had been a nice cozy favorite, but post renovations it was now on the larger side, although not of the yawning dimensions of Pier 40.  This made a conservative compact structure hard to maintain, and the Legends were able to strike first thanks to a typically powerful run from Subah.  Although Koerner was able to pull off an excellent save, the wily Jones was following up and buried the shot past the despairing two defenders and keeper that had been occupied by Subah.  The lead was followed by a visible exhalation from the Legends, so much so that Boyle decided to purchase a lottery ticket from outside the box and won a rare goal.  The Legends didn’t have it all their own way though as the open nature of the game helped the Oranges as well.  Cronshaw was desperately unlucky as a mazy run and reverse shot forced a good save from Arrocha that trickled agonizingly across the goal, with no striker available to tap it into the open net.  For the last part of the game the Oranges moved to a sweeper keeper formation with 3 defenders at the back, continuing to press the Legends deep but without being able to get the killer touch to drag themselves back into the game.

Little Willie, would you like a goal? Here’s a golden lottery ticket.  Shoot from outside the box!

Another encouraging display for the Oranges but without reward again.  However, as long as the performances continue to improve and experience is accrued it is only a matter of time before the Oranges start to accumulate more points in this tight division.

Competition: CPR Legends, League opposition

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

Conditions: Moderate late Autumn morning that got cooler towards midday

Fans: A mixture of CPR came to see the game and stick around for the Old Boys Joga derby after, including Resnik, Casanova and Valle.

Result: 0-2 (0-0 at H/T)

Goals: N/A

Yellow Cards: None

Red Card: None

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: No injuries given the good amount of substitutes

Old Man of the Match: None

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Gabriel Cowles (DF), Claudio Schneider (MF), Bevan Rosenbloom, Steven Morse, Jason Cyrus, Devin Molina, Hakan Nizam, Darran Cronshaw, Justin Noel, Joji Tokida, Najib Majaj, JP Asbun, Ted Elkington, Jordan Klopf

The marathon threw its traditional wrench into the logistics, but with a far smaller percentage of players living in Manhattan it affected only a couple of players with everyone arriving in plenty of time.  Although the weather report was for the chilly low 40’s, with the sun beating down it ended up being quite a nice day on the grass field, with both teams having enough substitutes to make it a good contest.  Both teams also showed why they were near the bottom of the table, with defensive lapses and disjointed play making the game appear to be very much an Over 40’s game.  One forage down the right wing from CPR resulted in the two attackers being left wide open in the box at the far post, although unfortunately Cyrus was unaware of the time available to him and his volley was unsuccessful.

As is almost a weekly tradition at this point, tied 0-0 at the half the Oranges felt very strongly that they could win the game.  They needed to be more disciplined, communicate better, play to the whistle and be patient.  Having the large number of substitutes added a disorganized element but also allowed the squad to remain fresh and avoid injuries.  The sporadic pressing from the front started to unnerve Doxa, adding to the chaos.  The first goal came from an unexpected direction.  Cronshaw took a corner aimed remarkably close to the keeper, so close in fact as to take him by surprise and result in a fumble and a goal.  Not quite an Olimpico, but the result was the same.  With a rare lead the Legends struggled to calm things down, but fortunately the continued pressure resulted in a golden opportunity to double their lead.  Piling players forward coupled with the grass field pressured a defender into a hand ball.  A couple of players were ready to take the penalty but Valle was the most assertive, and his strongly struck kick fortunately bounced inside off of the cross bar.

Protecting a lead was an unusual occurrence for the Oranges, and it clearly showed.  Instead of slowing the game down and maintaining possession to kill off the game, there was still far too much of an attacking element resulting in spaces at the back.  Fortunately CPR was not punished for those mishaps and eventually most of the team got the idea that they just needed to see the game out, which they did for their first shutout of the season.  Next week’s derby against the Legends is sure to be more challenging.

Competition: Doxa SC Legends, League opposition

Location: Randall’s Island Field 71, Randall’s Island

Conditions: Remarkably comfortable late Autumn morning

Fans: A medley of Legends for a season high (Teesdale, Stower, Tsujita, Subah, Linehan, Mershon among others)

Result: 2-0 (0-0 at H/T)

Goals: 1-0: Cronshaw

2-0: Valle (PK)

Yellow Cards: None

Red Card: None

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: No injuries given the good amount of substitutes

Old Man of the Match: None

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Gabriel Cowles (DF), Claudio Schneider (MF), Willian D’Andrea, Steven Morse, Adam Alfi, Vojdan Rosoklija (DF), Rodrigo Valle, Takuna Watanabe, Jason Cyrus, Devin Molina, Hakan Nizam, Darran Cronshaw, Justin Noel, Joji Tokida, C.P.

After last week’s inaugural win confidence was high for the cup game against Long Island team Baldwin, especially with potentially 16-18 players available to run against the opposition.  With everyone ready to go and a large opposition squad also ready, the lack of a referee was concerning and generating conversations about what the unpalatable options would be.  Fortunately he was spied amiably ambling along from what must have been a late game elsewhere, so crises averted.  With the game starting about 20 minutes late, both teams started as if they had time to make up.  The Oranges were fortunate that the opposition strikers apparently only had a nodding acquaintance with the offside rule, while for the Oranges there was a lot of sound and fury in the final third with not a lot of danger inside the penalty box.

A fairly even game left the CPR eager and excited at half time.  Slight tactical tweaks were discussed about as usual making sure the far side of play contracted to the center defensively to congest the way forward.  However in the second half CPR ended up far more open at the back on the right hand side.  After several clear warnings where they survived thanks to the profligacy of the opponents, the open invitation was finally taken as Baldwin took the lead, the ball finally hit into the net instead of ballooned over the top.  The Oranges did display more of a threat than they did in the first half but rarely threatened the opposition keeper.  Meanwhile they opened up further and further at the back, with chance after chance offered to Baldwin.  A one on one ball gathering outside the box mercifully only received a booking instead of the straight red, which resulted in nothing.  A long distance rounding of Koerner and ball into the inside netting was heroically saved by Aldi (Narrator: It was not saved, it was a clear goal but the referee must have offered sympathy for the effort to the incandescent fury of the opposition).  Finally the second goal that was coming did arrive, a looping ball over the top that saw the Baldwin strikers run unchallenged from the halfway line to put the ball away.

This was a tougher loss than some of the others as this was a winnable cup game and the mistakes made were mental and not physical.  The lack of familiarity with each other is one issue, but having 2 defenders against 4 strikers again and again shouldn’t happen.  At the other end there needs to be more of a cutting edge, and more of a presence inside the box.  There was an improvement in keeping possession which was good to see, and hopefully as time goes by the leaks in play will be fixed.  This is a capable squad and should be able to produce more.

Competition: Baldwin O-40, LISFL

Location: Randall’s Island #73, Randall’s Island

Conditions: First chilly Autumn day, pretty chilly under the bridge, nicer on the sun side

Fans: 2 (Alfi’s 2 kids)

Result: 0-2 (0-0 at H/T)

Goals: L

Yellow Cards: Koerner, whose plaintive appeals to the Referee miraculously worked, a true Over 40’s call from a magnanimous Referee.  A one on one grab well outside the box was as clear a sending off as possible, but the myriad painted lines on the field saved Koerner’s bacon (despite none of them being white lines)

Red Card: None, luckily for Koerner

Mike D’s aka No Shows: George arrived again in the second half, a suboptimal way to stay in the squad.  New boy Devin Molina was also a no show.

Conboy’s aka Reverse Mike D’s: None

”Mr. Glass” Fragility/Old Man Injury Award: None

Old Man of the Match: None

Team: Grant Koerner (GK), Manohar Venkataraman (F), Claudio Schneider (MF), Willian D’Andrea, Steven Morse, Bevan Rosenbloom, Adam Alfi, Nathan Appel, Rodrigo Valle, Jason Cyrus, Darran Cronshaw, Najib Majaj, Justin Noel, Ted Elkington, Danilo Crestejo

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

CPR welcomes its newest team:  CPR Orange