Season 2 – FOFC Cup Round 2 – 1st Leg
Our former defenseman, Luis Javier Prada, sold earlier today for $27,000 to Oulun Karpat, a brand new team in Finland. We wish Luis and his new team all the best in their future endeavors.
$24,300 finds its way into the club’s coffers.
Screamin’ Seamen vs. Cedar Pond Horned Toads
Date: January 29, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 918 (17,350)
Weather: Overcast
We begin our bid to advance further in the prestigious FOFC Cup today, but a formidable barrier stands in our way. The Cedar Pond Horned Toads are in town, and this time we’re out for blood. For those of you who may not remember, the Toads are the team that knocked us out of last year’s inaugural FOFC Cup. This time around, we’ll be looking for some payback.
But that payback will not be easy to come by. Both teams have a bit of an ‘edge’ about them, and play some seriously defensive soccer. Goals will be few and far between in this home-and-home series, to be certain. Our best hope is for a solid defensive effort here at home, and hopefully win while holding the Toads scoreless. If we can accomplish that, then all we will need to do against them next week is score one goal to advance.
Formation: 5-4-1
Starters
Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan
Right Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #23 William Brown
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Right Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Left Winger: #8 Max Dodge
Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
Team Captain: #7 Lucian Tere
Set Pieces: #9 Ruben Stewart
Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #5 Arlen Lucas
-Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
The promotion of Tyler Willard from the youth squad, and the subsequent sale of defenseman Luis Javier Prada means that some shuffling on the back line is in order. Tyler is a natural wingback, so he has taken William Brown’s typical spot on the left side. Willie, in turn, has slid over to the center of the defense, filling the gap left by the departed Prada.
A change in the midfield is necessary as well. Our big Romanian, Lucian Tere, is typically a starter, but he was suspended this past weekend due to yellow cards, so he gets to start in place of Jerry Smith on the right side of the midfield. We’re hoping that the big guy steps on a few Toads on his way to the net.
Match Report
Screamin' were very close to putting themselves one up in the 3rd minute as Keith Stubbs got through, but failing in concentration, he shot the ball wide. A corner kick created great disorder in the penalty area, but at last Screamin'´s Otis Johnson was able to shove the ball in. 1-0. Screamin' put themselves up 2 - 0 when William Brown broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. 2 - 0 was the half-time score. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 54 percent possession rate.
Horneds Jarrod Knapp got himself booked after a foul. Horneds Tommy Andersson got himself booked after a foul. Miguel Ángel Villalvilla Martínez of Horned received a yellow card in the 82nd minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 56 percent, dominated the battle.
Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 2, Cedar Pond Horned Toads 0
Goals
Johnson – 1
Brown – 1
Cards
None
Player Ratings
Jernigan: **~
Kvam: *~
Stubbs: *~
Brown: **
Lerma: **
Willard: ***
Johnson: *~
Tere: **
Brannon: *~
Dodge: *
Stewart: *~
Team Ratings
Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Wretched (2)
Cedar Pond Horned Toads
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Wretched (2)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)
Comments
Two early goals from winger Otis Johnson and defender William Brown gave us a nice cushion, and after that we were definitely concentrating on defense. The second half of the match could hardly be called spectacular soccer, but it was terribly effective. The Toads never had any real scoring chances against us, and I think their players were beginning to get rather frustrated, hence the rash of yellow cards handed out late in the match.
I have to admit that I was
very surprised with wingback Tyler Willard’s performance in his professional debut. I knew the kid was good, but I did not know that he was three stars good! I was expecting more like two or two and a half. Given this new development, I have to give serious consideration to replacing Ben McMahon with young Tyler Willard in our starting line-up. Unless Tyler’s form plummets into the basement, that is what will happen.
Which leaves me in an interesting quandary. If Willard becomes a starter for us, and it certainly appears that he will, then the sale of Luis Javier Prada just earlier today certainly appears to have been a bit premature. At 27 years old, Ben McMahon is far too long in the tooth to be considered a trainee. But I also do not like the idea of selling him. Solid wingers/solid defenders do not grow on trees.
It is entirely possible that we may move Ben to winger. With the continuing frustrating performances by Max Dodge, we’re thin on decent wingers, and Ben certainly has the stamina to contribute (excellent stamina). He could actually prove quite useful as a defensive winger. This would allow us to sell off Dodge, as well as acquire an additional defensive trainee. And Ben will always be there for backup on defense, if need be.
I’m not one to make hasty decisions, so it is unlikely that anything will be done right away. I’d like to see this week’s training updates, and test out Ben on the wing before doing anything drastic.
All in all, today is a great day to be a Seaman!
Up Next: Training results and week-end reports coming in a couple of days. Stay tuned!