Welp, I couldn't have asked for Week 1 to go better than it did. Thanks for all you captains and players for bringing the fun first and tempering your deep-seeded competitiveness. This leads me to my theme for the week which is F.E.D., which we'll cover in a second. But as I always do in the first couple weeks, let's handle a little housekeeping.
HOUSEKEEPING
1. As I covered at the Captain's Meeting, alcohol at the field is illegal. I don't want to see it. That means don't walk around with bottles, cans, or leave alcohol trash in the 1 trashcan that is out there. If you're going to try and be berry berry sneaky, then use this phrase to help... Han SOLO got KOOZY with Leia and they decided to TAKE THEIR TRASH WITH THEM. (Note: There's a reason we have a sponsor bar.)
2. We have new CLUBWAKA pinnies that we had to use for the first time this week. Callum Sutherland from PKs and IPAs called them bibs b/c he's from the UK, which to me sounds way cooler than pinnies. So from now on, we have CLUBWAKA bibs. These are for when teams have like colors and will have a tough time differentiating between two jersey colors. PKs and IPAs volunteered to wear them Week 1, but going forward we'll be doing rock paper scissors to determine who has to wear them if someone isn't willing to volunteer. If we have two conflicting jersey color games in a week, I would ask that the Captains for the 2nd color-conflicting game please coordinate one of you to wear an alternate color.
3. Usually this is where I would clarify a whole bunch of rules based on complaints I heard week 1, but surprisingly I didn't hear anything so the Captains must have done an amazing job at making sure everyone read the rules. U da real MVPs.
OK. Thanks for reading that part. Time for y'all to get FED.
FRATERNIZATION
As I mentioned at the Captain's meeting and I've discussed with about 100 of you over the last three seasons, the goal of this league is to have a community of soccer players that puts the fun back in the game and reminds us all that even though we're adults, we can still go back to the days of playing soccer with orange slices and juice boxes. And in order for everyone to feel like family, we need to fraternize. And it doesn't matter whether you're in a 1-1 game vying for the championship, you're on the sideline watching a game, or you're at Oozlefinch. It's all about mingling and using soccer to become a community. Based on photos from yours truly and Ryan O'Donnell of Kick in a Box, we're well on the way.
Jimmy Boonruang of Defenders of the Bridge and Brent Wentworth, CLUBWAKA Manager Extraordinaire, played soccer together at Hampton High in the 1930s. Reunited and it feels so good.
A few Hot and Messi players lean in for a photo opp as their game against Look Ma, No Hands kicked off.
Chad Martin of Look Ma, No Hands and Eddie Lopez of All Stars FC are still friends despite Eddie defecting from Look Ma to start his own squad. Forgive and forget, people!
Look Ma, No Hands and Hot and Messi played a hard fought game and still made it a priority to shake hands and pass out the traditional Good Games.
PKs and IPAs headed over to Oozlefinch post-game and even let Adam Frantz of Misfits join them at their table. I will be VERY disappointed if every one of those beers isn't an IPA.
ELATION
Soccer brings with it a lot of opportunities for joy. Playing with people you love. Winning. Scoring a goal. Making a defensive play. Trying something new and improving each week. And as we all get bogged down with a day-to-day job and the expectations of adulting, it's nice to have a Sunday where you can get amped up enough to try a bicycle kick, ride a weird hoverboard thing on grass, have a team goal celebration, or work out a new pre-game cheer. And here's some evidence that there was a lot of elation out there this weekend.
A Biercelona player goes big and attempts the bike against Retired Athletes.
Chad Martin of Look Ma No Hands tries out his hoverboard thingy that he's always riding in Hilton on grass.
Defenders of the Bridge prepares for their first CLUBWAKA MLS Pre-game cheer.
DEJECTION
The tide ebbs and flows and unfortunately sometimes dejection comes as often as elation, but it's important to remember that next time the ball may not slip past you near post or you may not miss that sitter from 3 yards out with no keeper. Stay positive, MLSers.
Brad Kirby of Ronaldo McDonaldo missed a sitter inside the 6 and had to hide his face from his teammates. Sorry for taking away your assist, Dara!
Miguel Ramos is dejected after a shot outside the 18 sneaks past him near post.
STAY FED, CLUBWAKA.
WEEK 1 RESULTS AND STANDINGS
Ronaldo McDonaldo vs. Moat Monsters
In a repeat of the last two championship games, Ronaldo McDonaldo continued where they left off last season with a win over Moat Monsters. Moat was playing a bit shorthanded which contributed to the lopsided scoreline. Brad Kirby made McDonaldland proud by leading the team with a hat trick.
Hangover 86 FC vs. Misfits
Looks like all the smoke Adam Frantz was blowing this winter turned out to be correct. Misfits continued their winning streak from late last season into Spring with an offensive explosion against one of last year's best defensive teams.
Look Ma No Hands vs. Hot and Messi
Look Ma took a healthy lead in this one led by Zack Martin's two goals and a mesmerizing Calli Sherrill coast-to-coast slalom skiing goal. Che Henderson tried to put Hot and Messi on his shoulders, but came up a bit a short.
Kick in a Box vs. Oozlekicks
Jay Coble has done some recruiting and it paid off Week 1 for Oozlekicks as they shut out Kick in a Box who came out a bit flat. With a favorable schedule coming up, look out for Oozlekicks.
All Stars FC vs. PKs and IPAs
In a battle of the new teams, it's evident that Eddie Lopez has put together a solid squad of co-workers and free agents. Goals were coming from everywhere as the IPAs lost their hops.
Retired Athletes vs. Biercelona
After a mid-table finish last season, Biercelona came out guns blazing with bicycles and scissor kicks attempted and Jerry Maldonado and Edgardo Martinez each bagging a brace. Retired Athletes made a respectable debut and look to continue improving with some mid-week practices.
Netkicks and Chill vs. White Joggers
A tight affair, Netkicks's speed proved to be the difference. Generally led by Daryl Kuligowski and Brendan Fajotina, it was nice to see Antwane Futrell and Donald Perkins on the scoresheet.
Defenders of the Bridge vs. All Bark, No Bite
Wait. A semi-pro supporters club proved to have some talent? Get out! DOTB brought the ruckus led by Matt Conti sporting the hat trick.
TEAM OF THE WEEK - WEEK 1
Trey Engleburg - Tripping over the ball on your first touch will leave you dejected. Getting up and scoring a hat trick will leave you elated.
Matt Conti - if Matt keeps up this scoring pace, we may need to change the team name to Offensers of the Bridge.
Leland Remias - Illustrating why Lopez was right to name his team All Stars FC.
Delaney Leathers - Was a bright spot on defense in the All Bark, No Bite loss to DOTB.
Bailey Riley - you know here as the Ronaldo McDonaldo bulldog. Bailey was patient, let the game come to her, and had numerous key stops in the Ronaldo win against Moat.
Zack Martin - Anytime you're playing in the back and push up to score twice, you've earned my respect.
Jay Coble - Only shutout of the week and I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that our first year's Hands of God award winner locked it down.
THE RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT
First, for those of you who may not be aware of the golden boot, let's go over the rules. Most goals over the course of the season. Doesn't matter how many games you've attended (unless a tiebreaker is necessary). If you run up the score on a team that's down players or doesn't have a high powered defense, we're going to look at that. I.E. Don't be an a-hole and run up the score so you can win the golden boot. The league is watching and I reserve the right to give it to someone else.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's touch on some history.
Spring 2018 - Tom Weniger of Oozlekicks won the prize with 14 goals.
Fall 2018 - Michael Machie of Ronaldo McDonaldo won the prestigious award with 18 goals
Top 5 All-Time CLUBWAKA Scorers
1. Michael Machie - Ronaldo McDonaldo - 32 Goals
2. Tom Weniger - Oozlekicks - 30 Goals
3. Dara Emami - Ronaldo McDonaldo - 24 Goals
4. Chad Martin - Look Ma, No Hands - 22 Goals
5. Daryl Kuligowski - Netkicks and Chill - 17 Goals
But who cares about the past, right?
SO MANY GOALS scored in the first week with 6 players with 3 or more goals and another 9 with 2 goals each.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Hangover 86 FC's keeper comes out to make a punch in the game against Misfits.
Brad Kirby's Selection
Carlos Murillo of Biercelona leaps into the 18 with a karate kick volley.
GET OUT TO OOZLEFINCH FOR SOME POST-GAME REFRESHMENTS AND LET ME SEE THOSE FRATERNIZATION FAMILY FOTOS.
I'll leave you with a few thoughts from players in our league regarding week 1 as well as the beer they drank post-game at Oozlefinch last week.
Adam Frantz of Misfits - I loved the beautiful weather and how excited everyone was to get out there and meet new people. Favorite thing about my team was seeing Trey trip over his feed first time touching the ball and then scoring a hat trick. I also enjoyed Blake juking himself out in open space. Beer of the Day: Sweating Bullets
Aaron Hackett of Ronaldo McDonaldo - I enjoyed seeing my teammates (except for Midlik). This was only topped by taking Brad Kirby out of the game, so I could experience how the lazier half (forwards) life. Beer of the Day: whatever lager Oozlefinch had
Shane Hewitt of Defenders of the Bridge - The play was good, pretty competitive, and it was well organized. The price of the league is very affordable too. Beer (and food) of the Day: The Citrus Beer at Oozlefinch and the German food truck was great.
via GIPHY
Just wanted to say that I appreciate all of you making this league what it is. Hope everyone is having a great time and if you have any issues/concerns, hit me up - bkirby@kickball.com
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