Final standings for Spring 2012

Here are the Third Division standings:

CCSL>Third Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		DC Divided	7	1	0	8	21	38	11	27	3.4
2		Far Post	5	2	1	8	16	13	13	0	0.0
3		Goleros	5	3	0	8	15	23	13	10	1.3
4		Gang Green	4	1	3	8	15	22	17	5	0.6
5		DC Thunder	4	3	1	8	13	18	16	2	0.3
6		Two Left Feet	3	4	1	8	10	12	14	-2	-0.3
7		Unathletic DC	2	5	1	8	7	14	23	-9	-1.1
8		Red Devils	1	5	2	8	5	17	30	-13	-1.6
9		Funky Town	0	7	1	8	1	8	28	-20	-2.5

DCD wins - oh man, we really let them get by us easily.  Far Post did what they needed to do when they needed to do it.  Funky Town really underperformed.  As we saw in our game against them, they can play as a team and do quite well.

Goleros finish third.

Fall 2010 final results

RESULTS

• FALL 2010 (3-2-3, .600, 12 points, regular season, 4-3-3 overall .571)
• ---------------
• 1-0 loss to Tsunami on 8/29
• 3-1 win vs DC Divided on 9/12
• 3-3 tie vs DC Thunder on 9/19
• 3-0 win vs Geezers on 9/26
• 3-3 tie vs Lost Tourists on 10/2
• 3-1 win vs Quicksilver on 10/10
• 2-2 tie vs Little Urban Achievers on 10/17
• 4-1 loss to Taz Devils on 10/31
• PLAYOFFS
• 4-2 win vs Tsunami on 11/7 (Quarters)
• 4-2 loss to Taz Devils in OT (Semis)

Code Orange ends season with scoring blitz (corrected again!)

Code Orange went out with a bang today, sporting a 7-0 win.  The other team, bless their hearts, was not particularly strong.  If memory serves, goals were scored by Melissa, Griz, Carlos, Pete, Alyssa, Alec, and Vic. The goal of the match was clearly Patrick's distribution from the goalie position all the way over the top of the other team's defense.  Carlos collected the ball on the run and beat the keeper to the near post.  Wow.  I did get a goal myself too.  My scoring prowess was not exactly on display, however.  I missed quite a few opportunities.

It was a fun time.  Thanks to Tsunami for combining forces with us.  Let's look to do this again next summer.  We're heavy on guys a few weeks, but really we're constantly short players and we just need a relaxing atmosphere where organization, winning, etc etc are not the main focus.  So it works.  

Good times. 

Here are the results.  Our record was 3-4.  Two of our three victories were pretty darn close.  Our losses, not so much.  If not for the goals in the final game, it would have been super ugly in terms of goals.  Going into that last game, we had scored 3 goals in 6 matches, while giving up 16!  We ended with a GD of -7.  Andy, with two goals, was our leading scorer.  I think everyone else on the board only had one goal.  I'm sure we had an assist leader.  But I don't know who it was.  I didn't keep track today.

• 
  

  SUMMER 2010 (3-4, .429)

• 
  

  ---------------

• 
  

  1-0 win on 7/11 to Armory/Divided

• 
  

  1-0 win on 7/18

• 
  

  4-0 loss on 7/25 to Buena Vista

• 
  

  3-0 loss to Funky Prism on 8/1

• 
  

  7-0 loss on 8/8!

• 
  

  2-1 loss on 8/15

• 
  

  7-0 win on 8/22

Enjoy the rest of your summer. Thanks to Mike, Alyssa, and Ally for helping to organize. See you in the fall!

Spring 2010

What a season!

Spring 2010 was one of the best on record. We made it all the way to the championship game, and until the last 20 minutes of the match, looked in decent position to win the division. We were just a few plays short. That's the nature of competition. As I said in some blog post or email, there 8 other teams in the division - some 200 players - who didn't make it as far as we did. We were good. Yes, we had 3 losses, but we rebounded and put together a great end-of-season run and playoff campaign.

Our quality was impressive. We had a flow in our attack that was new. Sure, we're not great at lateral movement yet - switching fields and moving up the wings - but we can move the ball effectively. The pinnacle in quality was the kickoff of the second half in the quarterfinals versus Taz Devils. We linked about 6 efficient passes together and scored directly off the kickoff. The other team never touched the ball. Read about it here.

Here are some facts about spring season:

• We were 4-3-1, a .571 record. Given that we were 2-3 in Week 5, this is excellent. We accelerated out of the relegation zone all the way to the championship game. I don't put much stock in the forfeit win affecting our season. I think we would have shown well against Lost Tourists.

• We scored the most goals of any team (22 regular season, 31 overall). I think it's a club record for us to finish first in this category. I'm not sure what our highest goal total is in a single season. In the Montgomery County league, circa 2004, when Chris and Justin lit it up, we probably exceeded 22 goals by a substantial margin. Of course, that league wasn't as competitive as CCSL.

• Our GD this season was +6 in the regular season, which is solid. In our last five games, we outscored opponents 19-10. Take away our 3-1 loss in the last game and that looks crazy (18-7). Since we are not traditionally a big scoring team, be happy. We also did it on the strength many players, both men and women, instead of one dominant goal scorer like many of the 1st Division and Premier teams have.

• Due to our playoff run, we beat most of the teams in the division. The only teams that we didn't beat were Tsunami (Game 1), DC Thunder (tie in Game 8, although we were headed for victory before our game was scratched by lightning), and Little Urban Achievers (championship game). We avenged our regular season losses to Taz Devils and Itchy & Scratchy in the playoffs.

• We played in our 3rd league championship game, and our 5th overall if you count tournaments. We are 0-5 in those matches. That's got to change! Spring has been our season in CCSL. We had a chance for the playoff title in Spring 2007, Spring 2008, and Spring 2010.

• We scored three times off set pieces. Adrian's dominant free kick and Chris' once-in-a-lifetime score directly off a corner in the semis were highlights.

• No game got beyond our control. That has been a problem in past seasons. At one game, we'll just not show up and end up losing by 4-5 goals.

Here are the results for the season:

SPRING 2010 (4-3-1, .571)




2nd Place in Division Playoffs




---------------




2-1 loss to Tsunami on 3/28




4-1 win vs Celtic on 4/18




3-0 win vs Lost Tourists on 4/25 (forfeit decision)




3-2 loss vs Itchy & Scratchy on 5/2




5-2 shorthanded loss to Taz Devils on 5/9




5-3 win vs Diplomats on 5/16




4-1 win vs DC Divided on 5/23




1-1 tie vs DC Thunder on 6/9




PLAYOFFS




-------------




QUARTERS - 4-1 win vs Taz Devils on 6/13




SEMIS - 4-1 win vs Itchy & Scratchy on 6/20




FINALS - 3-1 loss to Little Urban Achievers on 6/27

Read the game reports for each game here.

Not pictured in the team photo: Alec, Carlos, Anna, Andrea, Katya, Liam, Jackie, Tracy, Mike, Ermy.

Leaders

Let's congratulate our points leaders for Spring 2010. Each wins the customary $1 off of next season's dues. What's really interesting is that Mike was able to cobble together 13 points. He missed several games and played almost all his minutes on the back line. He made great runs and converted three penalty kicks. Elyse earned at least two of those penalties, maybe a third too, but I never got any clarity on that.

Another interesting fact: we scored on three set pieces this season.

Here is the points spread:

Chris N. - 6 goals, 1 assist, 13 points

Mike - 5 goals, 3 assists, 13 points

Adrian - 4 goals, 1 assist, 9 points

Nate - 3 goals, 6 points

Jon - 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 marriage, 5 points

Ermy - 2 goals, 4 points

Elyse - 2 goals, strangely no assists but it doesn't feel that way, 4 points

Suzie - 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points

Ashley - 1 goal, 2 points

Chip - 2 assists, 2 points

Pete - 2 assists, 2 points

Deanna - 1 assist, 1 point

Jer - 1 assist, 1 point

Anna - 1 assist, 1 point

Ally - 1 assist, 1 point

There were 2 goals unclaimed and a few assists. A total of 15 players tallied points, including 6 women. That's about the same as last season - then, we had 16 total players on the score sheet, including 5 women. Read about it here. It shows really balanced talent and contributions. That's much better and more fun than a few strikers who are depended upon to carry the team.

Championship game was quite the event

I think we've all had a few days to reflect on Sunday's championship game. Hopefully, you've come to the same conclusions as I have. It was a hard fought, close game that was fun. There were eight other teams in the division - at least 200 other players - who wanted to get there but didn't have the opportunity.

If you consider everything that was going on - the championship, the fundraiser, the engagement, the friends and family in attendance, etc - you're not likely to play in a more meaningful sporting event in your adult life. We even had a walk out. There were no children to hold hands with, and it was a little awkward, but admit it, you kind of liked it.

The game was well officiated. You probably noticed that we had 4 officials. That's extremely rare for a recreational match. Throughout the country, most teams make do with one or two - even some youth travel teams whose parents get a little crazy about this stuff. We regularly have three accredited officials in CCSL, and for this final, they gave us a fourth official much like a professional game. The officials are chosen based upon their reputation and performance throughout the season. Most of us know the center, Bob, for his fair arbitration and enthusiasm for the game. He's an asset to our league. He did a great job on Sunday with his crew. I would say Bob's best instinct is knowing when not to make a call. He doesn't give you the impression that he's blind or that players can get away with anything. Rather, he wants players to regulate their own conduct and focus on playing the game.

Bob and crew, it's great of you guys to spend 2 hours with our teams on a hot day. It made a big difference in creating a memorable match. Next time, count on the Goleros winning.

No goal-line technology was necessary in this one

Final standings

Our Wednesday night game was the last game to be played in the division this season. The standings are final and the playoffs can begin this weekend.

We finished 4-3-1 at a .571 winning percentage. That put us in 4th place, just two points out of 3rd place but a number of points from 1st and 2nd. It's quite a respectable finish. In some of the immediate past seasons, we've dropped a few games that we shouldn't have and finished out of the playoffs, in the bottom half of the table. This season was an excellent turnaround. The teams at the top of the table are solid through and through.

What do you notice about the numbers in the standings?

That's right...we had the most goals in the division! Meanwhile, we gave up the 5th fewest. I think we've only scored the most goals once before, when we finished first in 3rd division in 2007.

CCSL>Second Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Itchy & Scratchy	6	1	1	8	19	19	10	9	1.1
2		Little Urban Achievers	5	1	2	8	17	20	12	8	1.0
3		Tsunami Naranja	4	2	2	8	14	20	19	1	0.1
4		Goleros	4	3	1	8	13	22	16	6	0.8
5		Taz Devils	3	3	2	8	11	20	15	5	0.6
6		DC Thunder	3	4	1	8	10	17	18	-1	-0.1
7		DC Divided	3	5	0	8	9	16	22	-6	-0.8
8		Lost Tourists	2	4	2	8	8	10	17	-7	-0.9
9		Celtic	2	5	1	8	7	8	15	-7	-0.9
10		The Diplomats	1	5	2	8	5	15	23	-8	-1.0

Looking back at Fall 2009

As we start the Spring 2010 season, let's have a quick look back. There were quite a few ups and downs.

For one thing, we only won one game - that hasn't happened in about 5 years, and it's on par with some of our worst records. Of course, back in the day, we usually didn't have a lot of ties, and we certainly didn't play the same quality teams. Our winning percentage of .250 isn't criminally low, but it's not anywhere near the Goleros average in past years. We missed the playoffs.

Let's look at the bright side. Although there was only one win, there were three ties, and they came against some of the best teams. Two of the tie games were outstanding battles. We tied a hot Armory team and we had an amazing comeback versus Gang Green. I believe we trailed by three goals in that game before Ermy sealed the point off of Chris D's free kick in the 90'. Armory won the division and Gang Green took second and won the playoffs, if I'm not mistaken.

Another thing to remember about last season. We integrated some outstanding players and I think we had some very solid performances in several games. Hopefully, we can build on that.

Another bright spot - we only had one game get out of hand - our 6-1 strange loss to Quicksilver. If we can just eliminate the stinker each season, I think we will all feel a lot better.

Anyway, we're in good position. Let's just go out and play the game! I'm looking forward to this season.

FALL 2009 (1-4-3, .250)

---------------

5-3 loss to Itchy & Scratchy on 8/29/09

3-2 loss to Celtic on 9/13

5-0 win vs Prism on 9/20

1-1 tie vs Armory on 9/27

4-4 tie vs Gang Green on 10/4

3-3 tie vs Diplomats on 10/25

6-1 loss vs Quicksilver on 11/1

3-1 loss vs LUC on 11/8

Sweet 16

A poll this week asked how many players tallied points on the season. The answer is a new team record: 16. Our active roster is only 25 players, but the more realistic number is 27 since Jackie and Percy played quite a bit. No matter what roster number you use, that is a large numbers to have on the sheet. Compare our stats to DC United this year, which utilized 23 players over the season and got points out of 12 of them.

As you look at the beautiful spread below, consider these thoughts:

• It shows we are very well balanced and have many, many players who can contribute on offense. This is critical depth to have week-to-week to avoid the prospect of losing just because a few players are out of town. Some players on offense were so team-oriented, they didn't even show up on the stat sheet. I'm thinking of Griz, Adrian, and Caro.


• It shows we have a more dynamic defense as well, which is a welcome change. Five (5) goals were scored from a defenseive position - Pete's, Mike's, and Ally's. There were a few assists in there as well, which is really what we're striving for in the flat 4 defense. Way to go defense!


• It shows our women kick ass. We didn't match the record set in Spring 2008 in which we had 8 women on the score sheet. But we have more women with a greater number of points. I'm guessing it's the highest points total among the women (19 of the 52 total points). No one has matched Jess' 9 points in 2004, however. That record stands. For now.


• It shows, to some extent, that we don't have a trusty scoring strategy that we are able to come back to again and again. Sadly, such strategies are effective at the rec level - just look at Armory, Celtic, or DC Thunder, who rely largely upon one striker. As long as we can produce just a few more goals or give up just a few less, our strategy of spreading the ball around will work. And it's more fun. We're good.

Ermy - 3 goals, 1 assist - 7 points

Mike - 3 goals - 6 points

Suzie - 2 goals, 1 assist - 5 points

Tracy - 2 goals, 1 assist - 5 points

Elyse - 1 goal, 2 assists - 4 points

Jon a.ka. "Bubbles - 4 assists - 4 points

Percy - 2 goals - 4 points

Pete - 1 goal, 1 assist - 3 points

Chris D. - 3 assists - 3 points

Chris a.k.a. El Nino - 1 goal - 2 points

Ally - 1 goal - 2 points

Ashley - 1 goal - 2 points

Nate a.k.a. El Loco - 1 goal - 2 points

Alec - 1 goal - 2 points

Chip - 1 goal - 2 points

Cat - 1 assist - 1 point

Tournament report: Don't give me that pouty face!

Take a look at this face. Carlos, a.k.a. the Silver Fox, is pouting upon upon learning that we didn't advance to the semi's tomorrow.

But it's not a genuine disappointment, he's just joking around. He knows we played great and rose to the occasion against a high level of competition. Seriously, after an off-and-on spring, we put together three great matches and it was a ton of fun. We reasserted ourselves on defense, moved the ball effectively, got wide thanks to strong wing play, and played great team ball. That's what it's about!

Quality score: 9.

This was our fifth consecutive appearance in the Coed Classic. Read about past exploits here. Follow the links in that post for some good memories.

This year, our record in the first round was 1-2. We dropped a competitive first match versus Fear the Turtle 2-0. In the second match versus Ignite FC, we made a statement in the first half with 4 goals. We added three more in the second half, yielding one, for a final score of 7-1. In the third and most competitive match, we faced Nova FC, which included several outstanding players that we know from various games and leagues. Lennon, their quality striker, netted an unstoppable one-touch volley early when we were down a player. He netted two more later in the game, but so did we. We pressured well and scored once in the first half, and again in the second by converting a PK won by Chris (Ermy converted). It was a fantastic rec match. Score was 3-2. We played so well, George even heard about it from across Howard County and came by to watch.

I truly enjoyed playing today - we have the coolest people on this team! Great way to spend a day. Count us in for next year!

Like Sisters

Special thanks to the team's Baltimore branch for sending us some great players and nice people. It was great to play with Julia again, and Holly and Matt were solid additions. Oh, if you all could only travel to DC for games!

Coed Classic
July 2009

Back row, L to R: Julia, Holly, Chris, Carlos, Kristin, Heather, Griz, Matt, ET. Front row, L to R: Ermy, Ally, Jon, Pete, De, Carolyn, Percy. Not pictured: Katya.

Now it's back to finishing out summer league and preparing for the fall.

Stats from the spring season

Congratulations to Chris, our boy from Baltimore, who wins the prestigious Goleros scoring title. Per our tradition, he wins $1 off next season's dues. Unless the Goleros are still playing in 2050, no player is ever likely to approach his overall points total. He's our Jaime Moreno. And we love him. Let's collectively thank our good friend for his dedication to team. The guy rides his motorcycle all the way down from Baltimore to run with us on Sundays.

We have a decent point spread this season. Fewer women on the board than in past seasons. We'll have to get you ladies the ball a little more. Also, I think Ermy's points weren't fully captured. The data isn't complete because I'm missing a game or two. That might account for the steep drop off in points following Chris, Jon, and Adrian. Also, Chip, didn't you get some points?

Chris "El Niño" - 15 pts on 6 goals and 3 assists

Jon "Bubbles" - 9 pts on 3 goals and 3 assists

Adrian - 8 pts on 4 goals and no assists, with one yellow

Ermy - 3 pts on 1 goal and 1 assist

Meg - 3 pts on 1 goal and 1 assist

Nate "Gumby" - 3 pts on 1 goal and 1 assist

Ally "Alligator" - 2 pts on 2 assists

Ashley "Smash" - 2 pts on 1 goal

Jer - 2 pts on 2 assists

Griz "Grizzy" - 1 pt on 1 assist

Kate L. - 1 pt on 1 assist

De - 1 pt on 1 assist

Don't forget the usual, but important, disclaimer that these are just offensive stats. They don't indicate a player's value and they totally exclude those of us in the midfield, defense, and goal who do our best to set the team up for success. It's one of the rare things we can quantify and it's interesting to look back. Their success is our success and vice versa.

Spring 2009

It's time to remember Spring 2009. Have any good memories of the season? Share them here!

We closed a roller coaster season with a competitive match versus the Flirts in the semifinals of the playoffs. We lost 4-0, giving the Flirts a 3-2 advantage versus our team lifetime, including two wins in the advanced rounds of the playoffs. Everybody knows that we played well in the first half, and that it was generally a good showing. We were plagued by the same problems we faced all season - inability to hold and possess the ball, ineffective use of space, yielding of counterattacks, and lack of depth to spell our tired players! When we pushed up, we paid the price. Hey, we'll work on it. No big thing, I thoroughly enjoyed the game and the season as a whole.

Here's our record:

SPRING 2009 (.500 w/ playoff appearance)

-------------------

L, 6-5 vs DC Thunder on 3/29

W, 4-3 vs Armory on 4/5

W, 3-2 vs Tsunami on 4/19

L, 4-0 vs Diplomats on 5/3

W, 2-1 vs Flirts on 5/10

L, 7-3 vs Little Urban Achievers on 5/31

L, 6-2 vs Capital Crew on 6/7

W, 3-2 vs Gang Green on 6/14

-----------------------

PLAYOFFS

L, 4-0 vs Flirts on 6/21 (semis)

It was a success. We finished with a 4-4 regular season record (.500), placing 4th in a highly competitive division of 10 teams, and earning a semifinal playoff berth versus the top seed. What characterizes our season is the number of goals we gave up (31, plus 4 in the playoffs) and the fact that we were not competitive in three of our matches (4-1 loss to the Diplomats, a 7-3 loss to Little Urban Achevers, and a 6-2 loss versus the unsportsmanlike Capital Crew). Your captains are working on strategy to ensure this doesn't happen in the fall. You have to like our group, no matter what the result is. I really look forward to Sunday soccer.

Don't forget the highlights. We had two happy fun happy hours.

Adrian's favorite spot in Ballston

We also beat two of the top teams, Flirts and Gang Green, during the regular season. And we got a nice win versus Armory in which Ally called in some reinforcements and got that job done short-handed. In this league, every win counts. Each week, we have to show up, and each minute of a close game we have to concentrate.

A is for attitude; D is for defense

The division was quite competitive. Every team had a least one loss and several teams were in danger of relegation with as many as 3 wins - until all the chips fell in the last game. Here are the final standings:

CSL>Second Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Capital Crew	6	1	1	8	19	35	19	16	2.0
2		Flirting With Sobriety	5	2	1	8	16	24	11	13	1.6
3		Gang Green	4	3	1	8	13	20	13	7	0.9
4		Goleros	4	4	0	8	12	22	31	-9	-1.1
5		Lost Tourists	3	3	2	8	11	16	16	0	0.0
6		The Diplomats	3	3	2	8	11	22	29	-7	-0.9
7		Armory	3	4	1	8	10	18	22	-4	-0.5
8		Little Urban Achievers	2	4	2	8	8	22	24	-2	-0.3
9		DC Thunder	2	5	1	8	7	21	27	-6	-0.8
10		Tsunami Naranja	2	5	1	8	7	14	22	-8	-1.0

Capital Crew won the regular season. They are headed to the first division. Good riddance. The Flirts, due to their strategic play, will also head to first division. They won the playoffs (they're on facebook, I got the update there). DC Thunder and our friends at Tsunami had a tougher stretch. DC Thunder is a real mystery. My guess is that their key striker, Roland, only shows up for some games. Remember that guy put in 4 against us in a game in which we played pretty well actually? How did they only win 2 games? Hmmm, perhaps I'll do a more fulsome promotion/relegation report later.

Great season everyone! Check back later this week for a post on our stats.