Season 2 – League Match #6
Screamin’ Seamen vs. Cariocas
Date: January 19th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 17,350 (17,350)
Weather: Overcast
This week we returned home for the first time in a week and a half. We would play host to a struggling Cariocas team. Cariocas had some talent on their squad, but what they seriously lacked was depth. They were seriously short of substitutes. Between that and some questionable tactics by their leadership, they had fallen to 6th place on the table.
I had no doubt that we could handle Cariocas. There was plenty of confidence around the locker room and practice field all week. My concern was that the Ramblers were playing Gohira this week, the team that we smashed just a week ago. If the Ramblers blew out a hapless Gohira team, then we very well could lose our hold on first place.
Formation: 3-5-2
Starters
Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
Right Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #3 Ben McMahon
Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Forward: #15 Forrest Tobias
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan
-Defender: #23 William Brown
-Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
-Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Paul Peralta has been playing like a house a’fire as of late (read: excellent form), so he gets to start on the wing opposite our Finn, Olav Mauffret. Aside from that, it’s business as usual for the Seamen, now that Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin has returned from his suspension.
Match Report
Screamin's Forrest Tobias gave, after 11 minutes, the home team a 1 - 0 lead after an attack coming in from the right. Screamin' were given a penalty in the 13th, neatly put away by Johannes Henriksson. 2 - 0 for the home side. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Screamin' lead up with 3 - 0. Paul Peralta finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. Halftime score was 3 - 0. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 67 percent possession rate.
Forrest Tobias increased Screamin's lead to 4 - 0 by putting a header away on a hooked ball from the right. In the 59:th minute Screamin's Lucian Tere received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Cariocass Bill Gustafson had to leave the pitch, the team having noone to substitute him with! After an industrious effort down the middle Paul Peralta could have closed the game off in the 71st minute, but his finishing shot hit the post. Man, what a shot by Mike Miller! Firing from 35 yards he didn't give the enemy goalie a chance and it was 4 - 1. The visitors replied in the games 75:th minute, scoring the 4 - 2 goal, as Julius Ball broke through from the left, easily lobbing the ball over the home teams keeper. In the games 75:th minute Kyle Levine recieved a blow to the hip due to a collision, and was unable to continue. Cariocas had made all their substitutions, and were forced to go on with a reduced lineup. Several players now looked tired, especially Chuck Scales who quite horribly caused the 4 - 3 goal as he lost the ball to Juan Luis Garrido of Cariocas, who seemed to have some energy left. A header from Charlie Bautista connected with a corner kick after 80 minutes, and the ball ended up with Forrest Tobias of Screamin' who shot the 5-3 goal. By then Forrest Tobias was a three time scorer - a hat trick! Things were going to get worse for the visitors. Forrest Tobias squirmed himself through the central defense line in the 83rd minute, asserting the lead to 6 - 3. The structure of the game started to change as Screamin' decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. Cariocas had made all their substitutions when Hendrick de Boer had to leave the game in the 84:th minute because of a pulled tendon, leaving the team a man short. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 76 percent possession rate.
Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 6, Cariocas 3
Goals
Tobias – 4(7,8,9,10)
Henriksson – 1(9)
Peralta – 1(2)
Cards
Tere (yellow-suspended)
Player Ratings
Read: **1/2
Lucas: ***
Scales: **1/2
McMahon: **
Peralta: **1/2
Tomlin: **1/2
Bautista: **
Tere: *1/2
Mauffret: **1/2
Tobias: **1/2
Henriksson: **1/2
Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen Lucas
Team Ratings
Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Excellent (8)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)
Cariocas
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Left Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)
Comments
It certainly looked like we would cruise to an easy win after the first half, when Cariocas never even got any solid scoring opportunities. But I have no idea what happened there in the second half. Normally we’re a solid second-half team, but for some reason we fell apart for a 5-minute span and allowed three goals! It seems like the players that Cariocas was missing from the field opened up enough space for those remaining to start scoring goals. Combine that with a rare mistake from Chuck Scales, and you’ve got yourself a frightened football club on your hands.
Fortunately for us, Forrest Tobias would have none of that. He gave us some insurance while tallying the second hattrick of his short career. Overall, four goals on the day for the young striker. Way to go Gump!
Unfortunately for us, what I feared would happen did. The Ramblers demolished Gohira 7-1 and took a 2 goal lead in the goal differential race.
Series Scores and Standings
-As I mentioned, Ramblers dominated Gohira 7-1 and claimed first place in the series.
-Croats in Miami demolished Gazzaly FC, 7-nil.
-Neon Genesis Evangelion’s defense was stout once more, as they shut out Farmer of Fire 3-nil.
Pos. Team Played Goals Points
1. Ramblers 6 26-4 16
2. Screamin’ Seamen 6 28-8 16
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion 6 17-6 12
4. Croats in Miami 6 20-11 12
5. Farmer of Fire 6 6-12 7
6. Cariocas 6 11-16 5
7. Gazzaly FC 6 1-24 1
8. Gohira 6 1-29 0
Up Next: We play the second leg of our first-round FOFC Cup matchup against Hamas Mad Bombers this Wednesday. A win, and we advance to the 2nd round to face the Toads. Stay tuned!