A look back at 2008

As we get ready to kick off the spring season, let's look back at 2008.

It was a dramatic year, marked by two winning seasons, a tournament appearance, some injuries, some awesome goals, several happy hours, and a first place finish in league play.  I thought it was a great year, actually.

Most of our on-field success happened in Spring 2008.  We accomplished an undefeated season at 6-0-2 (.1000) and capped a 14-game streak without a loss.  The full review of that season is posted here.

Fall 2008 was also a winning season, but a little more down to earth.  We experienced some of the up and downs that you can expect in a more competitive division.  We finished 4-3-1 (.571) and went 0-1 in the playoffs after a penalty shootout.  At the beginning of the season, we started off in a bit of a funk with two losses but picked things up as the season progressed.  We rolled into the playoffs on a decent run, winning 4 of our last 6 games and notching one tie.  The playoff game was a nail biter.  Read about it here.

We experienced some injuries this year too - several players were affected.  I am pleased to report that the wounds have healed and we'll be back on the pitch in one piece for 2009.  Here's to another big year.

Here are the results from Fall 2008:

Results

• FALL 2008 (.571)
• -------------------
• Aug. 24th - 3-1 loss to Hoover FC
• Sept. 14th - 2-1 loss to Flirts
• Sept. 28th - 2-1 win vs DC Thunder
• Oct. 4th - 3-0 win by forfeit vs Far Post
• Oct. 11th - 3-3 tie vs Diplomats
• Oct. 19th - 3-1 win vs Armory
• Oct. 26th - 2-0 win vs Lost Tourists
• Nov. 2nd - 4-2 loss to DC Divided
• 
  
• PLAYOFFS
• ---------------
• Nov. 15th - Quarters - 2-2 tie vs Armory (4:3 loss on PKs)

Hoover FC wins double crown

According to the score sheet, Hoover FC has won the playoffs in the Second Division.  They also won the regular season - a rare double crown.  

Hoover FC will now be offered promotion to the First Division.  The second place team in the regular season, which was DC Divided, will also be considered for promotion.  I'm not sure under what circumstances they are guaranteed the opportunity to go up.  Will the officers ask whether the First Division losers want to go down?  Will it depend on whether two teams come up from Third?  Probably the latter.  The Flirts, having lost in the playoffs and been edged out during the regular season for second place, will stay in the division with us.

I'm just bummed that we won't have another shot at Hoover FC.  They didn't see our A game.  We'll have to get them next fall in the First Division!

Not sure what's happening in the Third Division this afternoon.  Tsunami won the regular season with a near perfect season.  Capital Crew was second on a head-to-head loss.  The two teams played each other in the playoff final as well.  Not sure what happened; the score isn't posted.

Perhaps I'll do a full promotion and relegation report later.

Fan of the Year

Let’s face it, we don’t have many fans. It’s important to recognize the ones we have.

Top of the list is Missy, who not only puts up with Bubbles on a daily basis, but also comes out to support the team on Sundays. Missy has been a fan for a few years now. She has season tickets. My only issue is that she needs to be more vocal from the stands. What I’m looking for is the occasional shout – “Hey Zebra, you gotta call that!” or “Give me a break, ref, my boyfriend was onside!” Maybe she should bring some of those D-Fence posters.

Missy and Jon recently went to Aruba, which must have been nice. Jon missed a game but Goleros management fully supported the trip anyway.  It would be nice to see some pictures.

Missy, congratulations on this prestigious award.

Cast your vote!

It's time to recognize your teammates for their contributions. Let's start with these two categories:

- MVPs for Fall 2008 season (1 man, 1 woman)

- Goal of the Year

Read about past winners here.

There are other potential categories of course. Maybe you'd like to recognize someone for being "Most Dedicated to Happy Hour" or "Most Likely to Get Lost on the Way to the Game". Whatever, just let your teammates hear it. And vote on MVP and Goal of the Year too.

After shootout, offseason begins

What did you think of the game?

This face says it all.

It's tough to go out on penalties, but remember, only the champion of each division gets to end with a win.

We lost in the Quarters to Armory, after having tied the game 2-2 at the end of regulation and two brief overtime periods. We had a good penalty phase, to be honest, but Armory was able to get a critical +1 on its sixth attempt. The score in penalties was 4-3.

Give Armory the credit it deserves. They had to play short for the entire game and made it up with outstanding individual plays and quick passing by their women.

In contrast, we had to try to establish and re-establish a rhythm with nearly a full complement of players on the bench. That's difficult. Everyone wants and deserves to play, and when they finally get in the game, it's often in an unfamiliar role so it's hard for the team to adjust. Numbers usually work to our advantage. We are a deep team, with lots of combinations to get the job done.

Aside from our lack of rhythm, keep your heads up because it was a decent performance. There were some nice plays and some unsung heroes. For example, Nate made the best of few minutes and Katya displayed excellent possession. We stayed in it until the very end. Alec made sure of that. When it came to penalties, I know we're all proud of the people that represented us on the spot. The way we roll is that everyone has to be ready - if your number is called, you step up and give it your best shot. The penalties this time were all well taken. Good job, seriously!

We'll wrap up the season in another post. Here's the scoring summary for the playoff game:

18' - Armory scores off a deflection deep in the box.

25' - Nate scores with a hard shot into the netting from the five yard line following a long build up and easy assist from Ermy.

60' - Jon dribbles up the right wing and pounds a dominant long-distance shot over the goalie's head, from approximately the 40 yard line. The goalie had been playing well outside the box and we finally made him pay. How many times has Jon scored on a breakaway from the wing?

75' - Armory scores on a corner kick after some failed clearances.

After OT, we went to penalties. The PK score sheet was (Goleros/Armory): 0/1, 1/0, 0/1, 1/0, 1/1, 0/1.

That gives us a 2-2 record in games with penalties. Not too bad. Next time, we'll improve to 3-2, watch out.


[Notes: Quarterfinal playoff versus Armory on 11/15/08 at Washington & Lee HS. Score 2-2 after OTs, we lost 4-3 in PKs. Goals by Nate (Ermy), Jon. PKs taken: Jer (miss), Cat (make), Ermy (miss), Bri (make), Mike (make), Meg (miss). Alec had two saves in PK phase. GKs: Adrian, Alec.]

Weekend notes

Prepare for Goleros overload. We have a game Saturday, hopefully drinks Saturday early evening, and hopefully a game on Sunday, not to mention the championship next weekend. And let's not forget the birthday boy (Liam) and his soiree Saturday night at Whitlow's. What, you don't know Whitlow's? Shame on you, it's a great spot. Virginia yuppy-ville.

Weather is so-so for the weekend - great if you don't mind a little rain. Saturday the magical Internet is forcasting breezy conditions, with rain, about 65 degrees. Sunday is looking a little cooler but sunny. However, none of this matters as far as the game schedule goes. We're on turf both days so no cancellations. Plan to show up!

Don't forget to bring your photo ID's to both games. They will be doing a full roster check. Everyone is on the roster so we're fine there.

Last note, and this is important. Have fun!

The post-season begins now!

Have any thoughts about the post-season? Share them here.

The last chapter of the 2008 campaign begins this weekend. Going into the playoff tournament, there is one standout team, Hoover FC (7-0-1). The other five competitors – DC Divided (5-1-2), Flirts (5-3-0), Goleros (4-3-1), Armory (4-3-1), and DC Thunder (3-3-2) – had comparable seasons. Take a look at the final table. The numbers show regular season record, total points, goals for/goals against, goal differential, and goal differential average.

1. Hoover FC 7-0-1, 22, 22/6, +16, 2.0

2. DC Divided 5-1-2, 17, 21/9, +12, 1.5

3. Flirting with Sobriety 5-3-0, 15, 22/8, +14, 1.8

4. Goleros 4-3-1, 13, 17/14, +3, .4

5. Armory 4-3-1, 13, 17/15, +2, .3

6. DC Thunder 3-3-2, 11, 21/20, +1, .1

7. Lost Tourists 3-4-1, 10, 19/15, +4, .5

8. The Diplomats 2-4-2, 8, 19/20, -1, .1

9. Funky Town 1-6-1, 4, 6/35, -29, -3.6

10. Far Post 0-7-1, 1, 3/25, -22, -2.8

Here’s a few thoughts on the table. Hoover FC is alone at the top. The next six teams are separated by only 2 wins. The top 7 teams have a positive goal differential. Although it was close in the middle of the pack, DC Divided and the Flirts separated themselves from us in points and goals. Armory went on a late-season run, but we finish above them on several tie-breakers, including head-to-head. Lost Tourists and the Diplomats both miss the playoffs but they could have easily been there. Funky Town and Far Post weren’t competitive this season. Funky Town escaped the last place finish it probably deserved based on severe attendance problems at Far Post. Of all the teams, we had the second most difficult schedule, since we didn’t play Funky Town, but everyone else did. Of course, we didn’t have the play the Far Post game – we picked up a forfeit win, so these things tend to even out.

On Saturday, we face Armory, a team we defeated 3-1 in the only previous meeting of the teams. It was a costly match, no doubt. However, their captain, Kurt, is a friend of mine from way back so we will be both reminding players that we’re going to play hard but safe. I’m anticipating a fun match. If we should win, we’ll face the No. 1 seed, Hoover FC, on Sunday.

Let’s dig in and try to win it all. If we can string together 3 good performances, we’ll have a pretty good chance of taking home the famed CCSL Trophy.*

Go team!

* There is no trophy.

League happy hour next Thursday

Check out this note the captains got from the Commish:

Hey All,

We are going to have a league wide End of the
Season happy hour on Thursday Nov 20th starting at 7PM hosted by our friends
Clare and Dons. We didnt get a chance to have a tailgate this season, so I
hope that we can a really good turnout for this event. CCSL will use our
social budget buy a good portion of beers and appetizers plus there will be a
bunch of food/drink specials on top of this. So make sure you get there
early!!

Where: Clare and Dons Beach Shack
130 N Washington StreetFalls Church, VA http://www.clareanddons.com/

When: Thursday November 20th
7PM-10PM

Who: All CCSL players and friends of the
league PLEASE forward this to your teams so that they know about the happy
hour.

Its a great way to get to know some of your
fellow competitors off the pitch and its a good reason to celebrate another fun
CCSL season. And did I mention free booze and food??? Hope to see you
all there!

Sanjay

November Madness

The scheduler has released the playoff bracket.  We have the schedule for the Quarters and Semis, but not the Finals.  We play in the Quarters at 4:00 p.m. on Sat. the 15th.  If we win, we would play again at 3:30 on Sunday the 16th.  The championship will be sometime on Sunday the 23rd.

Here's the bracket in the Second Division:

Quarters                                       Semis                                           Finals

 #3 Flirts vs #6 DC Thunder    --->   Winner vs #2 DC Divided

                                                                                                       --->   TBD

 #4 Goleros vs #5 Armory         ----> Winner vs #1 Hoover FC

The path to victory is clear!

What do you think will happen in the division?  What are the odds of a Goleros vs. Flirts rematch?

Saturday game will be played at 4:00 p.m. at W&L

Here's the email I sent out.  RSVP is taking place by email this time.  I'll remind folks later too, but don't forget to bring a photo ID with you.

Hey everyone,

We have half the information now.  Our Saturday game is at 4:00 p.m. versus Armory at W&L High School in North Arlington.  Super convenient location and a pretty good time.  To speed things up, let's RSVP by email now.  I know the following so far for Saturday:

PI - in

Bri - in

Jackie - out

Carlos and Anna, join the party.

Let's go to the bar

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to share this sweet photo.  I took it on a point-n-shoot in Baltimore a few weeks ago.  This classic joint is located 1 block off of Fells Point.

Speaking of bars, Jackie's email made it clear that you are supposed to come join us tomorrow night after work for happy hour.  We'll be at McFadden's.  Click on the link and hear Bubbles' favorite song.

See you there.

Kate steps in

Our goal in Week 8 was to come out and play well. Believe it or not, we did that.  Though we lost 4-2 to DC Divided, we closed the match with two unanswered goals.  From the sideline, it looked like we had busted loose on the offense.  Kate's save on the PK in the 90' was clutch.  I think it was a good statement of our toughness in the match.

Your Captain didn't organize the troops very well at the opening whistle.  But the players on the field organized and probably possessed the ball the majority of the time.  Some quick transitions and confusion on defense spelled our doom.  We had some good sustained pressure on offense, no doubt.  Ermy made some runs.  Griz had a few good shots from distance.  Bri supported the attack like a pro.  And so on.  We played well - dare I say...respectable?

Despite the loss, we finish the regular season with a winning record (4-3-1).  There have been a lot of positives.  For now, though, it's time to look forward to the playoffs.  I think it's an accomplishment to come to a new division and make the playoffs right away.  More on that later.

Scoring summary:

75' - Griz accepts a pass and hits Jon, who was posted up like a target forward, in the center of the box.  Jon turns, makes a nice move past two defenders and puts it in the back of the net.

85' - Jon dribbles from the left side into the box, shoots, collects his own rebound and kicks a rising shot into the net.

So, what do you think we should focus on for the playoffs?

Notes: 4-2 loss to DC Divided, 11/2/08, Trinity. GK: Kate (saved PK followed Nate's slide tackle in the box).

 

More details on playoff schedule

Note that we will almost surely play our first game on Saturday Nov. 15th.  If we win, we would play again on Sunday Nov. 16th.

Have any scheduling requests?  Post them here today.

From the commissioner:

Playoffs

 

Playoffs are scheduled to begin the weekend of Nov 15th and 16th.  The top 6 teams of each division make the playoffs with the two top seeds getting a first round bye.  As always, we will have quarterfinals on a Saturday (15th) with the Semifinals on Sunday (16th).  Finals will be Sunday Nov 23rd at GMHS starting at 3:30 in the afternoon.  If you think you will likely make the playoffs and have schedule requests for Lou please let him know asap and we will try and accomodate wherever possible.  Please note, these requests can only be time of day and not actual day of the game.  Also remember that ID checks will be done at playoff games and no players that are not on the official submitted roster from Week 4 will be alllowed to play.

 

For the next 2 weeks, please be sure to update results on the web site as soon as possible after each game so that we can start to plan playoff matchups.

Turn back the clock

Thanks to a tip from an anonymous poster, we know to turn back our clocks.  Daylight Savings Time ends at midnight on Saturday night.  We'll "fall back" one hour.  Call it payback for getting up so early last weekend.  

See you at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Trinity.

We're in!

Assessing the standings in the Second Division is a complicated exercise.  We’re currently in 3^rd place on tie-breakers and we've made the playoffs. It’s difficult to see how the dust settles in the division because there are so many makeup games, and some teams have not entered their results.  We probably won’t see a lot of movement in the standings for our team because we’ve played the most games and have the fewest points left to gain.  Right now, here's what we're looking at:

 

1. Flirts, 5-1-0, 15 pts

2. Hoover FC, 4-0-1, 13 pts

3. Goleros, 4-2-1, 13 pts

4. DC Divided, 3-1-2, 11 pts

5. Lost Tourists, 3-2-1, 10 pts

6. Armory, 2-2-1, 7 pts

7. DC Thunder, 1-3-2, 5 pts

8. Dips, 0-4-2, 2 pts

9. Far Post, 0-4-1, 1 pt

10. Funky Town, 0-3-1, 1 pt

 

View the full table here.

 

As we go through scenarios, I call upon Nate and other fellow bloggers to set me straight if I make mistakes.  Let’s get started.

 

Going into the final game, the best we will finish is 2^nd; the worst, 5^th.  We finish in 2^nd with 16 points if we beat DC Divided, while the Flirts lose to Armory and tie Hoover FC, while Hoover FC picks up only 1 point in three games.  Those scenarios are very unlikely, but they are the only way we are guaranteed to play for the championship.  We can drop to 5^th with 13 points if we lose to DC Divided, who would leapfrog us in the standings, while Lost Tourists win out versus Hoover FC and Armory and also leapfrog us.

 

What does this mean?  Well, if we win this weekend, we will probably secure 3^rd place.  If we lose or tie, we will probably drop in the standings – I’m guessing to 4^th – as DC Divided gets another chance to jump us in a makeup game plus they would probably hold the tie-breaker.  Lost Tourists would also get a chance to jump us, although they’d have to win out because we hold the tie-breaker against them due to last week’s win. At the bottom of the table, four teams are fighting off relegation. DC Thunder is probably out of the playoffs, but they’re otherwise safe.  The Diplomats, Far Post, and Funky Town are in the worst shape.

 

Let’s have a good game this weekend and see what happens.

Saturday game tentatively scheduled

Take a look at the tentative scheduled posted at the top of the blog.  We may play our first playoff game on Saturday Nov. 15th.  I thought for sure the commish would truncate the playoffs after this weekend's cancellations at Kenmore and the Marina.  However, they're fitting those makeups into another Saturday fixture.  So, as far as I know, we're still on track for a 2-weekend playoff beginning in three weeks.

I'll let you know more when I get word.

Zzzzzz...

Most of us got up at 6:30 on Sunday morning to play.  It was brutal.  We conducted a poll to see what everyone did following the game to catch up on sleep.

1 person, or 9% of respondents, went back to bed.  That had to be Ally, who reportedly pulled an all-nighter Saturday.  I'm sure she was going over our game plan.  It paid off, she set up the second goal.

The rests of the respondents were split.  5 persons, or 45%, took a nap later in the day.  The other 5 persons, also 45%, wanted to sleep but didn't.  I'm guessing those are the people with kids and what-not.  No time for sleep.

RSVP for the last regular season game

We face the Commissioner's team for the last regular season game.  DC Divided is looking pretty good in the standings, putting up better numbers than we are.  I've been told that Sanjay is not a guy you want to have a lot of time on the ball.

Game's at 9:45 a.m. at Trinity.  The only slacker I know of is Alec - he's headed up to New York.

What's your status?

Thumbs up!

Post your thoughts on the game now.  As always, feel free to add details or correct my faltering memory!

Here's my thoughts: we're on a roll.  On our home turf, we managed a 2-0 win versus the Lost Tourists, which only a few months ago was a First Division team.

I think we were impressive.  Let's start with the fact that the game started at 8:00 a.m.  History teaches that I should be quite worried when games start that early.  But this time around, we had a full squad before the whistle - and I was the last one to get to the field!  I think it says a lot that we can rally at that ungodly hour.

One key to the match was the play of Carlitos, who we called up from the alternates list along with Anna.  He anchored our defense for the Full 90.

As a team, we executed a good game plan.  We capitalized on a shaky Lost Tourists defense by exerting pressure up top - at least for the first half.  That was a key factor in preventing their strikers from developing attacks and taking the lead before the midpoint.  We did face the occasional counterattack.  We dodged bullets twice in that regard.  Once, a striker got behind our defense but Alec was there to meet him outside the box with what can best be described as the spider-man maneuver.  Although he was carded for contact, it was an impressive play.  Another time, their diminutive striker created a 2-on-1 but Kristin's persistent footsteps forced a bad decision to pass, which Alec was able to shut down with excellent positioning.

Meanwhile, Adrian had his best game in an orange jersey, and not simply for the goals.  Here's the scoring summary:

30' - Nate streaks from the near side to the middle and flicks a pass, which lands at Chip's feet.  Chip finds Adrian deep in the box, and Adrian pokes it to the near post past the goalie.

50' - Ally wins the ball and passes it up the wing to Anna, who quickly sends a through ball to Adrian.  Adrian makes a long run around the last defender and placed a brilliant, bending strike to the far post.  Very impressive goal against the run of play.  The entire counter-attack, from start to finish, took about 15 seconds.

Congrats to our opponent as well.

Notes: 2-0 win vs Lost Tourists, 10/26/08, Trinity. Goals: Adrian (Chip), Adrian (Anna). GK: Alec (Liam during a 2-minute sub), shutout. Discipline: Alec (yellow: contact as last man).

[Photo: Carlos and his lovely daughter, Alexandra, at the U.S. vs. Cuba match]

Fallfest tournament?

Hey folks, the fall season is winding down. We've been talking about indoor in the offseason. I'm going to postpone indoor until January, when I hope to be able to put a team together. I want us to focus on the remaining games in outdoor and look at some possible socials.

However, I've been talking to the Columbia Soccer tournament president, and he's still thinking of doing the Fallfest tournament in Columbia, MD. He doesn't have any turf fields available so that would leave us with relatively hard grass (bummer). At this point, I would guess he would schedule it on one of the following Saturdays: Nov. 22nd (we might have a playoff game the next day), Nov. 29th (T-giving weekend), Dec. 6th, or Dec. 13th.

Playoff schedules aside, are you interested in doing the Fallfest tournament?

I say, yes, let's at least be open to the idea!