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.

Spring 2008

It's time to turn the page on Spring '08, our most successful season ever. We went undefeated in eight regular season games, securing the division title, and placing second in the playoffs. We achieved promotion to the Second Division this coming fall. Golf clap.

This bunch won our first title

We set several records:

- First title of any kind

- First undefeated season (6-0-2)

- Longest streak without a loss (14 games). We still have a 14-game regular season streak going. Let's remember that...

- Most players scoring points in a season, which I discussed in this post (21)

- Most women on the score sheet in a single season (8 - Jackie, Bri, Ally, Katya, Carolyn, Jackie, Kate, Ashley)

- First goal scored by a keeper, although he was assigned to the field at the time (Liam)

- Most players on the score sheet in a single game (10, versus Red Tape)

- Fewest minutes played while short players (only 1 half versus Quicksilver).

Jon a.k.a. "Bubbles" won the scoring title and $1.00 off fall dues. Chris remains the all-time leading scorer by a wide margin. Deanna, Pete, and Jon get the MVPs. Hey, only two people voted and we each got one vote. De was a stand out, that was clear. I accept my co-MVP for coaching acumen. Recall that each player was required to take one practice PK after the Red Tape match. Turns out that was key to our win in penalties in the semis the following week.

The MVPs

Review the game reports for the season here. This was my favorite game report of the season, for obvious reasons. Wow, I was a happy fellow after that match.

But enough with stats. Most memorable to me is the concentration and dedication displayed by all players. We showed up in force to every game. We were aggressive. We made adjustments. We didn't take plays off. People drove in from out of state - all in pursuit of our common goal of winning our first title. It paid off, we did it.

Now it's on to the fall season, which will offer plenty of challenges - and fun of course.

Have anything to add?

Official results:

SPRING 2008 (.1000)
-------------------

• Mar. 30th - 1-0 win vs Flirts
• April 13th - 2-0 win vs Celtic
• May 4th - 3-0 win vs Capital Crew
• May 11th - 3-0 win vs 2LF (forfeit)
• May 18th - 2-2 tie vs Quicksilver
• June 1st - 4-4 tie vs ClareAndDons
• June 8th - 2-0 win vs Tsunami
• June 15th - 7-0 win vs Red Tape
• ----------------
• SEMIS - June 22nd - 2-2 win vs Quicksilver (penalties)
• FINALS - June 29th - 4-1 loss vs Flirts

And the scoring title goes to...

Bubbles!  Congratulations, Jon, you win $1 off fall dues.

But it's not all about Jon.  Check out the score sheet for Spring 2008.  We are an equal opportunity scoring machine.  We don't discriminate based on size or gender.  We set new records for the number of players on the scoresheet (20) and the number of women scoring points in a single season (8).  Impressive.

Scoring is done as follows: goal (2pts), PK (2pts), assist (1 pt), earned PK (1 pt).  Feast your eyes on this:

Jon - 6 goals, 2 assists, 14 points

Chris - 5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points

Adrian - 4 goals, 1 assist, 9 points

Ermy - 2 goals, 3 assists, 7 points

Mike - 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 points

Nate - 2 goals, 0 assists, 4 points

Katya - 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points

Bri - 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points

Kate - 1 goal, 0 assists, 2 points

Jackie - 1 goal, 0 assists, 2 points

Liam - 1 goal, 0 assists, 2 points

De - 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points

Chip - 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points

Ashley - 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point

Ally - 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point

Jer - 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point

Pete - 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point

You must remember that this is just a tally of the offensive scoring. Everyone knows that a team must be equally balanced on offense and defense. You can't win without either - there's just no quantitative way to measure your defensive value.  Our objective is always for the team to perform at its highest level. We aren't about individual scoring. Many players never even get the opportunity to get that assist or take that shot. They are too busy tracking back and trying to win the ball back for the offense. So people, give the defense our due!

[Edited to reflect Liam's goal!]

Movin' on up

As you can see from the Commish's email below, we are moving up to the Second Division in the fall. It's a nice reward for an excellent season - actually, our best season ever.

The Second Division will likely consist of the following 10 teams: 

DC Thunder

Hoover FC

Armory (they may fold)

DC Divided

Far Post

Funky Town

Prism

Lost Tourists

Goleros

Flirting with Sobriety.  

Taz Devils and Diplomats, who were in the Second Division, will likely move up to First Division, while Prism and Lost Tourists will likely come down to take their place.  To make room for Goleros and the Flirts, the Red Devils and Buena Vista Soccer Club will move down.

One more note about promotion and relegation.  Both Black Haggis and Team X are likely moving up from First to Premier.  One of our former players, Justin, is a star midfielder for Black Haggis.  And Team X's rise demands respect.  A year ago they were playing in the Third Division.  They cruised through First and Second division in one season each.

Hello all,

We have officially wrapped up our Spring 2008 CCSL season and I want to congratulate the playoff champions. Interestingly enough, yet again, none of the regular season division champions (three of whom went undefeated) won their respective playoffs. Really speaks to the parity and quality of play throughout our league.

Premier: Conquistadors took a forfeit title from Booters FC (Booters won regular season title)
D1: Team X defeated Black Haggis 3-2 (Haggis won regular season title)
D2: Diplomats defeated DC Divided 3-1 (Taz Devils won regular season title)
D3: Flirting with Sobriety defeated Goleros 4-1 (Goleros won regular season title)

To reiterate, regular season and playoff champ have option of promotion with bottom two teams faced with relegation.

Thanks to everyone for another great CCSL season. We all very much appreciate everyone’s flexibility and patience with the inordinate amount of rainouts and reschedules that we had.

Just to put a placeholder for you all for the Fall, we are tentatively aiming at having the captains meeting on Monday Aug 4th with a season start on Sunday August 24th.

It would be helpful for me also to know if you are planning on coming back for the Fall season as it will help us get a sense of how things are shaping up. So if you could email me back and let me know (yay, nay, or not sure), that would be appreciated.

As always, any feedback on ways we could improve is always welcome and if anyone has leads on decent fields (college or HS alums, personal contacts, or otherwise), we always want to try and pursue those.

Thanks and have a great summer!

Sanjay
CCSL Commissioner

Local soccer team beats opponent 4-1

In a much anticipated game played in Washington DC, a local soccer team defeated their rivals by a score of 4-1.  The losing team is disappointed but still a champion.

No, I'm not talking about the DC United, who beat the LA Galaxy 4-1 at RFK on Sunday.  I'm talking about the Goleros, who were beaten 4-1 by Flirting with Sobriety at Wakefield HS.  

Buzz kill.  Our streak of 14 games without a loss is now over!  We're also 0-2 in championship matches.  But all is not lost.  We remain the winners of the regular season, a grueling campaign of 8 matches.  We are first to be considered for promotion.  We can start the fall season with a chip on our shoulder.

Given the heat and our modest numbers, we played well.  At the half, we were down 1-0 due to a well-placed shot by one of the Flirty women.  In the second half, there was a good chunk of time when we controlled the match, even though we never utilized the wings.  In the end, however, we lost our defensive form and yielded breakaway after breakaway.  The Flirts were able to sink 3 more goals by cruising through the midfield and defense, and beating the last man.  We had committed numbers up the field to try to win.  In the 88', we did finally sink a goal when Anna's free kick from the corner rebounded several times before Ermy buried it.  But it was too late.

Thanks to Anna, Ashley, and Ermy who joined us as alternates.  You were all critical to the match.

Good game, everyone.

Notes: 4-1 loss to Flirting with Sobriety in CCSL finals, 6/29/08, Wakefield HS.  Goal: Ermy (unassisted). GK: Liam.  Discipline: Ashley (yellow).

Time to cast your ballot

You know how this works.

After each season, we vote for MVPs. We typically choose one guy, one gal. You can use any criteria you want: best body, most likely to succeed, whatever.

Cast your ballot now by posting a comment.

I'm going to withhold my vote until I see some comments up there.

The best goal of the season is...

According to your votes, the best goal of the season was Adrian's header in the ClareAndDon's game.

Dude scored twice off his head this season

Let's go back to the goal. We found ourselves down 3-1 in the second half. From the bench, it appeared as if we would lose. No one gave up though. Jon, probably with a little pent up rage, received the ball deep in our end. He made a long run all the way down the right wing. He slowed down in the corner to draw players and then sent a perfect cross to the 8', which an unmarked Adrian finished beautifully. It was a display of power. At no time during the entire play did any defender so much as even threaten.

Bubbles runs like a Gazelle

It really motivated the team and turned the momentum in our favor. Definitely one of the most important goals of the season. My choice was the Deanna-Adrian combo in the Red Tape match, because it gave meaning to the "beautiful game." Let us not forget Chris' goal either - that was maybe the most technically difficult. The best goalies would have no chance against it.

It's time (don't forget your photo ID)

It's time to play our last game of the spring season. Thankfully, we went all the way and will play for the division championship.

Game is at 10:00 a.m. at Wakefield HS in South Arlington. Click here for a map and directions. Show up a half hour early for warm up. The field will be open. This is the same start time announced earlier. I wanted to clarify since there was some talk over email about moving the game up. It didn't happen. The game stays at 10:00 a.m.

Bring a photo ID. You can't play with out it. The league is doing roster checks.

I know we're all motivated to win. I know we can do it. It's important, though, that we go out on a high note, win or lose. Let's play to have fun.

Shootout!

Like the Spain-Italy game, our semi final match versus Quicksilver ended in a shootout. We won it in penalties and punched a ticket to the finals - for the second time in a year. We will face the Flirts , who are solid and sportsmanlike. The finals are their only path back to the 2nd division from whence they came. Yeah, they're motivated to win.

Let's remember how we got here. Our semi final win was a thriller. Some teammates helped me piece it together as follows...

It took a while to settle, since we had some new players. Luckily while we were still settling we got a penalty - there was no argument - Adrian got the ball just outside the box turned and went around their last defender so the goalie came out to try for the ball and Adrian just touched it by him before the goalie got there and the goalie took him out. time. Jon took the PK, slotting it in the right side netting with his right foot and making it look easy.

In the second half, we earned a corner almost directly off the kick. Nate sent the corner in, there was a scramble before Ashley redirected the ball in hard, which Katya deflected into the right/near post with the keeper diving to his left - the ball was just past his fingertips. Since Ashley is new, I will avoid the term I usually use to describe a situation where two women hook up for a goal! Let's just focus on the fact Ashley got a point in her first game and Katya got her first goal.

We gave up two goals after that, which must have been a bummer.

Then it was PKs. Jon, Ally, Adrian, Bri, and Mike got the call. Liam made two saves and saw one miss entirely. And so we won. It was the third time we went to PKs, and the second time we came out on top. I like that trend. Gimme a little credit for holding a practice session last week.

Time to get ready for the finals.

Notes: Semifinal playoff win versus Quicksilver coming off a first-round bye. 2-2 (3-2 in penalties). Goals by Jon (PK earned by Adrian), Katya (Ashley). Discipline: Jon (yellow for dissent). GK: Liam. PKs taken by Jon, Ally, Adrian (make), Bri (make), Mike (make). Liam had two saves and saw one missed penalty.

Schedule finalized - we play at 10:00 a.m.

The schedule is finalized. We play at 10:00 a.m. at Wakefield HS in South Arlington. We played there once last year, versus Celtic.

In talking to people, it looks like we could be short on numbers. Everyone do your best to make the game so we can close out the season and, as Griz said, "win the whole thing."

After the game, a few of us will rush to the DCU/Galaxy game to catch the second half. Then, in the afternoon, it's the Euro final.

Breaking news

We will play the Flirts on Sunday for the division championship. We played the Flirts in the first game of the season and won by a score of 1-0 (game report here). It was a critical and close game decided by a single late goal.

In the playoffs, the Flirts won by forfeit vs Two Left Feet on Saturday and defeated ClareAndDons on Sunday. $10 says the scout we saw at the field in the last regular season game was a Flirts player. I do recall him wearing one of those blue shirts.

No word on the kickoff time yet. We've requested a late game.

We'll get a game report up shortly for the semifinal thriller. People are welcome to send their comments. Must have been an awesome game!

Mark it on your calendar: soccer Sunday!

Get ready.  Soccer is going to rule your life this Sunday.  It's a rare triple-header:

* 12:00 p.m. DC United vs. LA Galaxy at RFK Stadium

* 2:45 p.m. Euro 2008 final

* The CCSL finals (no word on our game time yet - let's hope it's early evening so we can see all the games).

You're being watched

An alert teammate spotted a fellow at the game last week who didn't seem to be with either team.  Yet he was there taking notes, especially when we practiced PKs.  Perhaps he was assessing the referees or acting as a foreign spy, taking notes on local cultural activities and reporting to the Supreme Chancellor.  

More likely, he was a scout.  That's right, there are scouts among us, trying to figure out what makes the Goleros juggernaut work.  Good luck bud!

BTW, if individual players are being scouted, and subsequently given offer sheets from other clubs, you are required by contract to come to me first!  We just might give you a long-term deal with guaranteed compensation and incentives.

Semis on Sunday 6/22 - RSVP here

Our semi-final game is Sunday June 22nd, 2:00 p.m. at George Mason HS in Falls Church - the "monsoon field." We play the winner of the first-round Tsunami (#4) vs. Quicksilver (#5) matchup.

RSVP now. We'll need bodies. I have the following people as out already: Griz, Chris, De, Kris, Jer, Jackie, Adrian. I won't be there either - in Colorado for a wedding.

Megan will be your captain. If she tells you to drop and give her 20, do it!

Goleros win division title!

We stampeded into first place on Sunday with a resounding 7-0 win over Red Tape. In doing so, we won the division title and earned promotion to the Second Division.

What did you think of the game? What was the best play?

It was a day of milestones: first title, first undefeated record (6-0-2), first top seed going into the playoffs. Congratulations to everyone! Finishing at the top of the table is a nice validation of our teamwork and skills. Quite a few people put heart and soul into the team - making it fun for everyone.

Happiness

The match itself was a wee bit lopsided. A struggling Red Tape side started with only 9 players, but did finish the game with a few subs. We scored and took control in the first minute of play. Fully 10 players got on the score sheet, including our goalie, who busted out a celebration dance that I guess we'll call the quickstep. It was kind of like running in place while twisting back and forth.

Do a little dance!

We are now 5-0 lifetime against Red Tape (read about past matches here, here and here). After the game, we took some PKs in preparation for a potential shootout in the playoffs. We ended the afternoon with a few drinks at Ramparts.

Let’s keep our edge in the playoffs. There are more games yet to play.

Scoring summary:

* In the 1', Bubbles took advantage of a fallen defender (unassisted).

* In the 10', Adrian poked one through off Ally's assist.

* In the 20', Chris (aka El Nino or Pants Guy) failed to finish Carolyn's cross. Filled with rage, he gathered up Ermy's pass with his back to goal, made a quick turn and released a scorcher to the Upper 90. Best ever goal by Chris?

* In the 30', from a midfield position, De stepped into a through ball on the left wing and sent in a perfect cross to Adrian's head. Beautiful.

* In the 50', Liam took De's pass and send a low shot beyond the keeper's reach.

* In the 60', El Nino scored off an assist from Bri.

* In the 75', Grizzy scored from the right wing off an assist from Katya.

Notes: 7-0 win versus Red Tape, 6/15/08, 5-0 record lifetime against Red Tape. Goals: Jon (unassisted), Adrian (Ally), Chris (Ermy), Adrian (De), Liam (De), Chris (Bri), Griz (Katya). GKs: Liam (1st), Adrian (2nd), Jon (2nd). Discipline: Jon (Yellow, 10’, dangerous play), Ally (Yellow, 70’, intentional foul/obstruction). Red Tape had a yellow as well.

Breaking news: playoff schedule released

Lou has released the initial playoff sked. Six teams from each division participate in a standard single elimination format, with byes for the top two seeds.

We play the winner of the first-round matchup between Quicksilver and Tsunami. The game will be Sunday June 22, 2:00 p.m. at George Mason HS, which is the "monsoon field."

If we win, we will advance to the finals, to be held between 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Sunday June 29th at George Mason HS. Kick off time TBA.

Daily briefing

Here's your news briefing for the day.

* Playoff schedule is being passed around. Will let you know ASAP.

* Summer social is being planned. See prior post.

* Check the regular season standings here. Check 'em soon though, because they wipe it clean for the playoffs.

* It was a weekend of blowouts. DCU crushed the Red Bulls (I was there). The US team made a mockery of the poor Barbados team, whipping them 8-0.

Coming soon: game report with pics. You didn't think I was going to skip that after yesterday's milestone, did you?????

J-N-F

J-N-F stands for “jerseys, nets, and flags.”

I’m out next week for the semi-final. I’ll need someone to take the jerseys, nets, and flags home this weekend – and bring them to the next game.

If we play the semi-final at the RFK Auxillary fields as planned, it won’t be necessary to actually unload the nets and flags from your car, but bring them along just in case. If the game is scheduled somewhere else, you’ll need to have them. Remember, you bring your set to the field and switch with one of the teams leaving the field. When it is time for you to leave the field, make sure to exchange again with another team. If the next team doesn’t have a set for you, you should take the ones on the field. We have to have our own set or we will have to buy new ones.

June 15th game - RSVP now!

RSVP for our last game of the season.  2:00 p.m. versus Red Tape at St. Stephens, which is in Alexandria.  It's where we played the championship game last year.  Key game, everyone needs to show up and keep the streak alive.

Don't know who's out, but we know that Adrian, Jon, and Mike are in.

Schedule update; at least two games to play

We're not done yet!

We have our last regular season game this Sunday. It's an important one, like all the others. Let's show up and do what we've been doing.

Then, we'll start the playoffs the following weekend. We have earned a bye in the first round on Saturday so expect us to begin the playoffs in the semi-final on Sunday June 22nd. The game will be at the RFK auxillary fields as a part of a CCSL Tailgate function before the DC United game that day [thanks Nate for catching that detail]. In the semi-final, we'll probably play the winner of the #3 vs #6 matchup, which I'm guessing will be Tsunami or Quicksilver. If we win that game, you have to think we'd face ClareAndDons or the Flirts in the final on Sunday June 29th.

I have no idea when game times will be. Expect to play in the morning for both games. I'll try to request a later start time for the opening playoff game since folks may be coming back into town from trips. I doubt they will field requests for the final game, since no team can say for sure that they'll be there. Unfortunately, the final is likely to conflict with the DCU vs LA Galaxy game - oh well.