Standings: We have finished 3rd

There are still two games left to play in the division, but they don't matter for the top teams.  DC Divided wins the division and Far Post finishes second.  We are outside the tops spots, but we lead the rest of the pack.  We are third.  We have the same number of points as Gang Green.  But, given our head-to-head victory, we have the tie-breaker.  DC Thunder had a tie-breaker against us, but they failed to pick up the full three points in last weekend's game.  That puts us out of their range for their makeup game.

Standings

 

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CCSL>Third Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		DC Divided	6	1	0	7	18	31	10	21	3.0
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	3	3	1	7	10	16	16	0	0.0
6		Two Left Feet	3	4	1	8	10	12	14	-2	-0.3
7		Unathletic DC	2	4	1	7	7	14	21	-7	-1.0
8		Red Devils	1	5	2	8	5	17	30	-13	-1.6
9		Funky Town	0	6	1	7	1	7	21	-14	-2.0

 So, let's take a look at the playoff picture.  Here is the bracket:

3v6

4v5
1v(4v5 winner)
2v(3v6 winner)

Final

We are the #3 seed so we'll play the #6.  That spot will be filled by unAthletic DC if they win their makeup game (they have the head-to-head tie breaker) or else Two Left Feet.  The winner of our game will advance to play Far Post. 

Our game will be Sunday June 10th.

Goleros turn out the lights on Ridge

 
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In the car on the way to the game, George and I were talking about how we like Ridge field.  George likes the quality of the pitch and the layout.  I enjoy traveling to a completely different community. I was just getting to know the broader neighborhood, having approached from a number of directions.  Fort Dupont park is a nice open space and I've become accustomed to the drive, especially since I use Minnesota Avenue and Ely Place.  Just last week, George's daughter and his wife were spread out on a blanket, enjoying the game.  This week, Heather's family and fiancee were there watching her patrol the wing from the stands.

But that's a wrap.  

The Goleros' 11:00 a.m. game today was one of the last CCSL event at Ridge.  The game after ours was abandoned after a security situation developed.  According to reports - both from the league and the Metropolitan Police - some teens made a brazen move to steal some soccer bags right in front of some players.  When the bags were recovered, the teens returned to the field with a group of "supporters" to cause a confrontation with all CCSL participants.  The police were called and everyone left the field.  The 3:00 p.m. game was played but with a police escort.

The league doesn't have any more games scheduled at the field for the season.  And I don't see it happening now.  That's too bad.  I doubt the vast majority of the nearby residents support the type of  threatening behavior that occurred.  What is more, Ridge is only $50/hour, compared with other fields that are $150 or more per hour.  Looks like it wasn't a pricing error after all.  I guess the discount reflects the risk. 

Bummer.

Stumbling into the playoffs

Oh, what could have been!

We missed an opportunity to finish in at least second place today, as we lost our last regular season game.  The score versus Far Post was 3-1; Far Post claims second on points.  We will finish in third or fourth depending on how DC Thunder finishes its last two matches.  If they collect six more points, they finish third and we take fourth, which would be a disappointing finish given our expectations.

We are stumbling into the playoffs.

With injury issues up and down the roster, we are banged up.  And we haven't shown well against quality competition.  We have given up the first goal against every team in the top half of the table.  In the second half of the season, we were 1-3, with a -7 goal differential.  Ugh.

Today's game was a good one despite the score line.  While the odds were stacked against us at the beginning of the match, because we didn't have any subs, we were the better team in the first half.  We dictated the pace, passed to feet, and showed confidence in all 11 players.  That didn't, unfortunately, yield any goals, which is how the season has gone for us.  Several cross bars and near misses.

But it was a different game in the second half as the defense got caught in space - without any goal cushion.  We gave up a first, then another, and then another when we changed shape to press forward.  They were each one on one's. Incredibly, Far Post even missed two sure things when they beat the defense and got behind George at the 18.  We did get a goal on a cross from Nate to Adrian, but we didn't pose any direct threats otherwise.

There is good news.  We have two weekends of rest.  We'll use the first (Memorial Day) to recuperate and the second (June 3rd, makeup date, we don't have a game) to return to form in a scrimmage against Little Urban Achievers.  There should be no thinking about "the finals" or anything of that nature.  We haven't earned that yet. There is only one game and that is our the first round of the playoffs on June 10th.  I foresee...victory!

Notes: 3-1 loss to Far Post, 5/20/12, Ridge Field.  Goal: Adrian (Nate), George (3 GA).

Standings

Here are the standings going into our last game.  We are tied for the highest number of wins, but DC Divided holds all the cards to win the division - and they will win it.  They have a game in hand, a better goal differential, and most importantly, the head-to-head win.  Let it be said, however, that they need a full 3 points out of their next two games to beat us for sure.  Two ties do not guarantee them anything.

Our goal is second place.  We must win or tie Far Post this weekend to get there.  A loss will result in at least third place, possibly lower...although we have made the playoffs no matter what.  Gang Green will not finish above us.  The best they can do is tie us on points, but we have the head to head victory.  DC Thunder, however, has two games to play.  If we don't collect any more points in our next game, DC Thunder can surpass us on tiebreakers.  They will likely gain 6 points in two relatively easy matches for them, matching our point total, but they have the head to head tiebreaker. 

Second place is important for two reasons.  First, it gives us a bye in the first round of the playoffs.  It's always easier to win a 2-game tournament than a 3-game tournament.  Granted, we've never done that, but I know we can.  Second, as we talked about extensively last year, the second place finisher will be considered for promotion if the first place finisher also wins the playoffs.  Generally, the first place finisher and the playoff champion are considered for promotion (in that order), but if those two achievements are made by a single team, the second place finisher in the regular season is next to be considered.

So we have a lot to play for, but at the same time, it's not the end of the world so let's go out there and have fun against what has always been a good team, Far Post.

Note two things in the standings.  We are doing great in goal differential.  We have the second highest number of goals and the second fewest goals against.  Can we end the season in the number one spot for either of those categories?  It's worth a try.

Standings

 

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CCSL>Third Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		DC Divided	5	1	0	6	15	25	9	16	2.7
2		Goleros	5	2	0	7	15	22	10	12	1.7
3		Far Post	4	2	1	7	13	10	12	-2	-0.3
4		Gang Green	3	1	3	7	12	19	16	3	0.4
5		DC Thunder	3	3	0	6	9	13	13	0	0.0
6		Two Left Feet	3	4	0	7	9	9	11	-2	-0.3
7		Unathletic DC	2	3	1	6	7	13	18	-5	-0.8
8		Red Devils	1	4	2	7	5	16	24	-8	-1.1
9		Funky Town	0	6	1	7	1	7	21	-14	-2.0

Summer League is around the corner

As you've seen on email, we're going to try to get a spot in a summer league.  We want to keep playing and stay in shape.  De is running this thing.  If you're interested, make sure to let her know before we backfill the roster with other folks.

The league will start on June 17th.  Costs will be pretty reasonable.  Games in DC on the weekends.

Some history

Yesterday's win versus Gang Green was a good one - a 3-2 come-from-behind win.  It got me thinking.  It's been a while since we've seen that team, but we have, in fact, seen them on a number of occasions.  I searched our blog.  Until recently, I didn't tag team names on the game reports so it was a basic and unreliable word search.  Anyway, I found two games, and I remember them both.  Those two games plus the one we played last weekend all followed a similar script.

In the spring of 2009, we were a pretty decent side but we hadn't distinguished ourselves in the standings.  We faced a must win in the final week to get into the playoffs.  Gang Green came out strong and led us most of the game.  I remember taking the field and shouting that this was it for our season if we didn't step up.  I have no idea what effect that had, but we had one of our great all-time finishes.  We scored two in the waning minutes to get ourselves into the playoffs.  Meg got her first goal for the club and then Adrian did something special to win the game.   I remember Adrian taking a ball and just going all the way to goal with it.  Their defense faced so much pressure in the second half, they finally cracked.  Adrian scored a great 90th minute goal.  Read about it here: http://golerosteam.blogspot.com/2009/06/adrian-propels-team-into-playoffs-with.html.  

In the fall of 2009, just a few months later, we had a similar situation where we earned a 4-4 result that was also come-from-behind.  I recall one of the Gang Green players congratulating us because we never gave up and they just couldn't find a way to beat us.  That was saying a lot because they won the division that season and went up to First Division.  They were there for a while, but took our place in Second Division when we moved down recently.  Now they fell again to Third Division - probably because of attendance. 

We may see them in the playoffs.  Let's be ready.

For Gema

The one and only Silver Fox

She was born in Havana.  She had an amazing son when she moved to Miami to start a new life.  Her name is Gema Ginoris Maceo.

I know she is proud of her son, Carlos, a guy who puts his heart into everything, especially football.  Today, Carlos scored the winning goal to end our two-game slump and book our ticket to the playoffs.  That one was for mom on this Mother's Day.

Carlos exemplified our team approach today.  We were pretty good all game, although our offensive struggles followed us well into the second half.  Nevertheless, a goal down, we kept pressing and got some goals that had been really eluding us.  

The first was the result of sustained pressure - we finally got a break after several games.  The second goal was a piece of magic by Jon.  While I approached the area unchallenged, my options were diminished.  Jon made a fantastic slashing run.  I found his feet in a small piece of real estate.  His first touch on the run was amazing.  He made a move and bent it around the keeper to the far post.  That was a piece of skill alright.  Carlos' goal - he was well positioned for a rebound and took his shot nicely across the goal - felt like insurance when it happened.  But when we surrendered one more with about 12 to play, it turned out to be crucial.  Carlos played end to end today.  [Nate added this explanation: I took the ball to the left corner, cut back and meant to cross into the box - I screwed up big time and crossed all the way to the other side of the field. Lindsey was there, crossed to Carlos who was on sides despite the outcry from Gang Green and Carlos did put his shot in off the post from six yards out. Similar to the first goal, we scored the last goal because people attacked at the right time and were persistent. ].

So, with good play by everyone and a nice introductory performance by Lindsey, we finally earned a win.

The previous two weeks were disappointing.  Our match versus DC Thunder was a killer (4-1 loss).  George saw red for allegedly denying a goal scoring opportunity (he made a great and clean play!) and our defense was completely broken down.  DC Thunder's goals were generally unmarked "tap ins."  And we couldn't put much on the board to counteract those issues - you can't expect to blank DC Thunder.  We've never done it.  Even though we had the right formations and made the right tactical moves, we couldn't make an impact.  There were two small positives.  Cheryl assumed a huge responsibility as central midfield and shined brightly.  She was the only player with an answer to Roland.  And Suzie was back from injury, looking pretty good.  That's a big deal.

Our match versus DC Divided was much better.  We had about 5 heart attack moments in the first half when last ditch saves were necessary after repeated jailbreaks, but we escaped with only 2 goals against at the half.  Nap led the team to make a critical tactical adjustment by stacking our midfield and taking their #10 out of the match.  We didn't give up any real opportunities after that.  Nap and Elyse were field marshalls who returned the better possessions and opportunities to us - Nap plays slightly deeper than Elyse.  It's a 1-2 punch and fun to watch.  It must harken back to the college days.  Anyway, Adrian had subbed for George in goal and kept us in it with some killer saves off his line, but with 20 to go and nothing on our score sheet, we needed his possession.  We brought him out of goal and he made an immediate impact in the field.  He forced a keeper error and scored.  It wasn't enough in the end as we couldn't find that last pass.  DC Divided is the presumed winner of the division at this point, and that win will have a lot to do with it. 

This coming weekend is going to be interesting.  I think the pressure is off us. We have 15 points already and we're going to the playoffs.  First place isn't likely and won't be in our hands.  I will look at scenarios a bit later.  I can imagine we will likely take 2nd with a win.  That would be good enough for a bye.

We looked great today everyone, let's enjoy the week and get ready to finish out the regular season.

This post has been updated since publication.

Notes:

3-2 win versus Gang Green on 5/13/12 at Ridge.  Goals by Jon? (Bucky), Jon (Peter), Carlos (rebound).  GK: George (2 GA - a new stat, I may try it - George's GA figures are pretty impressive this season).

2-1 loss to DC Divided at 5/6/12 at Galludet U.  Goal by Adrian (NK).  GK: Adrian (2 GA), Peter (0 GA).

4-1 loss to DC Thunder at 4/29/12 at Galludet U.  Goal by Chris N. (NK).  GK: George (1 GA), Peter (1 GA - a PK), and Adrian (2 GA).  Discipline: George (Red, 60', denying goal scoring opportunity), Nate (yellow, unsporting conduct), Mike (yellow, unsporting conduct).

Next game at 11:00 at Ridge

I've done a bad job of posting the schedule.  Just want to keep everyone updated.

First look at the standings

Hi team -

Our loss last weekend was not determinative of anything, as it turns out.  No other teams had managed to collect all available points, so now instead of being overtaken by an insuperable margin after losing, we are instead thrown into a wide open race.  We are still in control of our destiny and can win it.  Our schedule is teed up perfectly this season.  The head to head matchups in these final weeks are key.

Here's how the division looks.

CCSL>Third Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Far Post	4	0	1	5	13	8	4	4	0.8
2		Goleros	4	1	0	5	12	18	6	12	2.4
3		Gang Green	3	0	3	6	12	17	13	4	0.7
4		DC Divided	3	1	0	4	9	16	6	10	2.5
5		Two Left Feet	2	3	0	5	6	8	10	-2	-0.4
6		Red Devils	1	3	2	6	5	15	21	-6	-1.0
7		DC Thunder	1	3	0	4	3	7	12	-5	-1.3
8		Funky Town	0	4	1	5	1	6	14	-8	-1.6
9		Unathletic DC	0	3	1	4	1	8	17	-9	-2.3

 
Far Post sits atop the standings with that extra point - they tied instead of lost the one game in which they left points on the table.  If both of us keep winning, we will meet in the last week to decide who takes first.


But, of course, let's not get ahead of ourselves.  We must play DC Divided this weekend and then Gang Green.  Both are performing quite well and both are probably going to make for the toughest opponents yet.  We will have to play better to win those games.  DC Divided has almost as many goals as we do, and the same amount of goals against.  Yet they have played a harder schedule and one fewer game.  We haven't played Gang Green in years, but when we used to play them in the Second Division, they were quite good.  Those games went until the final minutes.  In fact, they took first one season (while we took second), which launched them to First Division.


This could be a tight race.  We are going to fight hard!

80th minute header is decisive [edited]

After our 2-1 victory on Sunday, I texted a few players who were absent but who had asked to know the results.  Nate texted me back saying that our game "sounded a lot like Liverpool's game" this week.  He's right.

Liverpool had slugged through most of its FA semi-final cup match versus Everton.  Everton conceded a foul in the corner and Craig Bellamy sent in a nice cross, which the big man Andy Carroll just kissed into the goal with his head - in the 80th minute.



Look familiar?  That's exactly how our game played out this week - and it was won in nearly identical fashion when Bucky rose above his defender to just deflect Adrian's cross into the goal.  It was a fair result for our team and also for Bucky, who had hit each post and the crossbar in the first half.  As Bucky himself put it at halftime, the only part of the goal left to strike was the back of the net.  And he did it.

Folks, that was one of those games you look back on during the season and appreciate.  We were not particularly well prepared going into it, but we had all the necessary tactical answers as the match progressed - we sustained pressure, we made a quick strike to equalize, and then we gained control with possession and holding the ball, biding our time until the second and winning goal was possible.  I think from a team perspective, it was an efficient game.

Keep in mind that we had not played in a highly competitive match yet this season and we were a little out of sorts attendance wise.  The defense took some time to jell - we yielded three dangerous breakaways in the opening minutes, at least one of which should have resulted in a goal, and then the goal itself.  While both keepers were outstanding, George earned the win with his brave saves off the line.  He has also earned his incredible goal differential thus far this season.

We were down in the match after a difficult sequence.  Funky Town diced our back line and managed to sneak one just past the line from my perspective.  Mike's sliding clearance was allowed by the referee, but ultimately we couldn't clear the area.  Funky Town finished on a deflection and we were trailing for the first time all season.

Still in the first half, we battled back with some good teamwork that began with Mike's back pass at midfield.  I received, held the ball, and found Mike at his feet about 20 yards deep.  Mike went out to Adrian on the wing, who made a strong move to goal and shot across the goal.  A defender was forced to deflect the ball and it fell to Heather, who slotted it in.  Heather, incidentally, had a big impact on this game too, scoring the tying goal and playing as an effective outlet late in the game.  She and Carlos were great about "coming to" the ball as we looked to get it upfield to safety since we had just about everyone parked behind the ball towards the end.

All in all, I thought it was a great outing.  Every single player made contributions.  It's no skin off our backs to recognize Adrian, though.  As Carlos said, he worked incredibly hard.  Just when you thought he was dribbling into a cul-de-sac, he would break through with nifty footwork and set us up for a big play.  He was an indispensable piece that made the whole machine work and he gave the other team fits.  He can do things that the rest of us can't - and he does them for the team.

Super winger

Funky Town was much improved from last season, when we beat them 3-0.  They deserved more goals.  We may see them again in the playoffs.  If that happens, let's not forget about #27 (scored their goal) or that little speedster woman who had great tenacity.  FT has some quality.

Notes: 2-1 win versus Funky Town at 4/15/12 at Ridge.  Goals: Heather (Adrian), Bucky (Adrian).  GK: George.

Save the date for Champions League final

I'm thinking of a having a team BBQ for the Champions League final.  It will take place Saturday afternoon, May 19th.  The Euro cup gets started in early June, with that final occurring on July 1st.  Following that, we'll have an Olympic final.  Big summer.

Bruiser

No joke - we enjoyed a 5-1 win versus unAthletic DC in our last outing, which was on April Fools day.

With that win, we have a legitimate winning streak of 3 games.  However, when we stepped off the pitch, we were probably more focused on the fact that we got out of there with our ankles in tact.

It was a bit of a bruiser.  See the photographic evidence to the right.

From the opening whistle, we were in control.  While we weren't all that consistent throughout the match - note the soft goal we gave up late in the 2nd - we had more than enough plays to win. 

The signs from above were unmistakeable when Adrian opened up the tab in the 12th minute with...wait for it...a direct score from a corner kick!  Somewhere in Baltimore, Chris N is fuming because, unlike his solo game winner in a divisional semi-final several years ago, which deflected off the post and into the goal, Adrian bent his ball directly into the side netting.  It was stunning, and I say that having seen it go over and around me in the box.  The keeper would have had to abandon the near post completely to have any chance. I can't believe our team has scored twice off corner kicks in the past few years!  I'm telling you, even though we've missed out on some big games, we have quality.

The other goals were all very well deserved because unAthletic didn't have a cohesive defense on this day.  Bucky had a really strong shot just eight minutes later.  Nate finished on one of his patented full-field runs from defense, arms swinging the whole way.  They simply couldn't account for him and his surprising pace.  Chris had a brace to finish the game.  The next time I miss an open goal, please note that I did, in fact, put the ball over the line in this one but it was called back on a foul.

We're approaching the halfway mark.  Let's keep this up!

Notes: 5-1 victory versus unAthletic DC on 4/1/2012.  Goals by Adrian (direct off corner), Bucky (Adrian), Nate (Jon), Chris N (Jon), and Chris N (unknown).

Schedule re-published

I still haven't "loaded" up our schedule to the right, sorry.  But here are our remaining games, to keep them fresh in your mind.

4/1    4:45 pm  Trinity College vs unAthletic DC

4/8    NO GAMES because of Easter

4/15   9:00 a.m. Ridge  vs Funky Town

4/22   BYE

4/29   11:00 am  Galludet vs DC Thunder

5/6     1:00 pm  Galludet vs DC Divided

5/13    3:00 pm  Ridge vs Gang Green

5/20   11:00 am  Ridge vs Far Post

5/28    NO GAMES because of Memorial Day Weekend

6/3, 6/10, 6/17  Playoffs

Our Kicks and FC Arlington are winless in 2nd division [updated]

At the conclusion of Week 2, the two teams that were promoted out of 3rd Division are winless.  I'm not clear if Our Kicks Don't Lie has played two games or just one.  But the standings show one tie.  FC Arlington, on the other hand, has lost two in a row, actually three if you count their non-effort in the 3rd division semi final last season.

2nd division is quite competitive.  I'm sure FC Arlington will acquit themselves because they are a solid team.