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Old 02-13-2003, 12:11 AM   #68
DataKing
Pro Rookie
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
Season 2 – Windy City Cup – Group Play – Match #1

Northern Lazies vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date:
February 12th, 2003
Venue: Heroes Field (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 2,626 (49,300)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

We face a tough test in our first Windy City Cup match. To be frank, we’re outmatched today. The Northern Lazies are currently in first place in Series III.1, and appear to be a very good team. Their reserves would actually be a good match for our starters. They even boast two international team members; Gonzalo Elipe Songel of Team Columbia, and Gilles Mignot of the French U-20 team.

While I doubt we will see either of these internationals, we’re still outmatched. Goal differential can come to play a difference in group play, so I will be happy if we can keep this one close. A loss by only two goals would be acceptable. The other two teams in our group are both Division 5 sides, and look to be quite beatable.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #1 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #23 William Brown
Central Defender: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier

Right Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Left Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart

Team Captain: #25 Paul Peralta
Set Pieces: #9 Ruben Stewart

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

It’s pretty much business-as-usual this week, except that Estonian youngster Mattias Leier will make his debut as a Seaman.

Time for the spokesladies and I to head to the stadium…

Match Report

2626 spectators arrived at Heroes Field, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Northern had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Engel - Polanco, Mcdonald, Larson - Delaplace, Mignot, Ramey, Bellavista, Galiano - Lim, Cheek.

Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 5-4-1 combination. They fielded: Read - Brown, Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Leier - Johnson, Brannon, Smith, Peralta - Stewart.

The home side put themselves ahead 1 - 0 in the 16:th by a breakthrough from Alain Delaplace, who unaided came in out of the right wing hooking the ball over the visitors keeper. Jerry Smith seemed highly inexperienced when in the 20:th minute he was loitering with the ball, allowing Matteo Bellavista to intercept and strike 2-0 for Northern. The home sides Terrance Lim twisted a free kick home in the 29:th minute, putting Northern ahead 3 - 0. A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Northern´s Terrance Cheek putting the lead up to 4 - 0. The structure of the game started to change as Northern decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. The teams went for a half-time break at 4 - 0. Northern, bringing the final ball possession rate to 67 percent, dominated the battle.

Cory Mcdonald should probably have put his team up another goal in the 62nd minute, but some great goaltending by Darryl Read kept the visitors in the game. Northern held the ball, with a clear 70 percent possession rate.

Northern´s best player was Adam Ramey. However, Matteo Bellavista made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Darryl Read. Ruben Stewart on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 4 - 0.

Final Score: Northern Lazies 4, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals

None

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Brown: **~
Kvam: **
Stubbs: **
Lerma: *~
Leier: **

Johnson: **
Smith: **
Brannon: *~
Peralta: **

Stewart: *~

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Wretched (2)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

Northern Lazies
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Excellent (8)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)

Comments

Like I said earlier, we were easily outmatched in this one. I was quite disappointed in our performance in the first half, but at least the defense stiffened up and didn’t allow a score in the second half (due in large part to Darryl Read).

Jerry Smith’s inexperience cost us one goal, but the rest of it was just a superior team taking advantage of an inferior one. It wasn’t fun to watch. Men playing against boys and all that.

But to be honest, it could have been worse. We had a match similar to this in last season’s Windy City Cup and lost that one 6-nil, so I suppose this match could be seen as a mark of some improvement. It just goes to show that there are some high quality clubs in the Chicagoland area.

In the other match from Group D, The Prestidigitators defeated High Tops, also by a score of 4-nil. We play host to the Prestidigitators next Wednesday, but a loss in that one means we’re all but eliminated.

Up Next: Training results tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!
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