WEEK 2 - THE SUPPORTERS CLUB
Sometimes you're up against the wall and you think you're alone. Busy week, changes in schedules, longer day, no port-o-john, limited time to get to Oozlefinch, and you inventory the shirts 3 hours before game time and find jerseys are missing. You think you're going to have to do it alone. But then you're reminded of the floor hole.
The floor hole where people come spilling out to either help, make lemonade out of lemons, or bring energy when you don't have any.
So I thought it'd be best to start the Week 2 Review with a few thank yous to the hardcore CLUBWAKA MLS Posse that I'm dubbing the Supporters Club as well as the people who dealt with a variety of hiccups this week and made things go smoothly.
- Thanks to Brent Wentworth for dealing with my daily texts, calls, and freak outs as we get this league organized.
- Thanks to Ryan O'Donnell who continues to spend his whole Sunday out there braving the heat, missing Dolphins games, and taking photos for people to see themselves making mediocre plays.
- Thanks to Jason Campbell of Moat Monsters who comes out and lines the fields every week. Can't thank you enough.
- Thanks to Jay Coble and Dave McLain who were introduced last week as the MLS Historical Society and are crunching numbers in a cubicle to bring you interesting tidbits about our league.
- Thanks to Katelynn Cioffi who created our first Oozlefinch bar challenge and mingled with all of the teams on Sunday. She's a Social Sorceress I tell you.
- Thanks to Sam Huffman (Netkicks), Hector and Miguel Ramos (Retired Athletes), Gabe Fricke (I Think We Can Do Better), Joe Connors (Hot & Messi) and Jay Coble (Oozlekicks) for rolling with the punches when their jerseys came up short.
- Thanks to my wife, Amber, who doesn't chastise me when I spend hours writing a blog and spend every Sunday out at Ft Monroe instead of doing any number of other productive things.
- Most of all, I wanted to thank someone who may never see this, but deserves a ton of praise. Everyone gets on the refs at some time or another. It's a thankless job reffing an entire field for 3-4 hours every week and rarely does someone come up and thank you for coming out and dealing with whining. With having to reschedule the games on Sunday, we had 2 refs take fields 2 and 3 for the full 4 hour day. Field 1 only had 1 game at 4 PM. Shannon Smith, one of the referees that refs frequently, had a break from school and thought he'd pop out to drink a Dew and watch the 4 PM games. The referee who was supposed to take Field 1 didn't show, so Shannon - despite not being scheduled to ref -- went and got a whistle from his car and reffed the game to help us out of a bind. So next time you want to chirp about the refs, remember that they're making this league what it is just like I am or you are. And for heaven's sake... next time you see Shannon at Oozlefinch, buy the man a beer.
The floor hole where people come spilling out to either help, make lemonade out of lemons, or bring energy when you don't have any.
So I thought it'd be best to start the Week 2 Review with a few thank yous to the hardcore CLUBWAKA MLS Posse that I'm dubbing the Supporters Club as well as the people who dealt with a variety of hiccups this week and made things go smoothly.
- Thanks to Brent Wentworth for dealing with my daily texts, calls, and freak outs as we get this league organized.
- Thanks to Ryan O'Donnell who continues to spend his whole Sunday out there braving the heat, missing Dolphins games, and taking photos for people to see themselves making mediocre plays.
- Thanks to Jason Campbell of Moat Monsters who comes out and lines the fields every week. Can't thank you enough.
- Thanks to Jay Coble and Dave McLain who were introduced last week as the MLS Historical Society and are crunching numbers in a cubicle to bring you interesting tidbits about our league.
- Thanks to Katelynn Cioffi who created our first Oozlefinch bar challenge and mingled with all of the teams on Sunday. She's a Social Sorceress I tell you.
- Thanks to Sam Huffman (Netkicks), Hector and Miguel Ramos (Retired Athletes), Gabe Fricke (I Think We Can Do Better), Joe Connors (Hot & Messi) and Jay Coble (Oozlekicks) for rolling with the punches when their jerseys came up short.
- Thanks to my wife, Amber, who doesn't chastise me when I spend hours writing a blog and spend every Sunday out at Ft Monroe instead of doing any number of other productive things.
- Most of all, I wanted to thank someone who may never see this, but deserves a ton of praise. Everyone gets on the refs at some time or another. It's a thankless job reffing an entire field for 3-4 hours every week and rarely does someone come up and thank you for coming out and dealing with whining. With having to reschedule the games on Sunday, we had 2 refs take fields 2 and 3 for the full 4 hour day. Field 1 only had 1 game at 4 PM. Shannon Smith, one of the referees that refs frequently, had a break from school and thought he'd pop out to drink a Dew and watch the 4 PM games. The referee who was supposed to take Field 1 didn't show, so Shannon - despite not being scheduled to ref -- went and got a whistle from his car and reffed the game to help us out of a bind. So next time you want to chirp about the refs, remember that they're making this league what it is just like I am or you are. And for heaven's sake... next time you see Shannon at Oozlefinch, buy the man a beer.
HOUSEKEEPING
1. Reminder about the schedule changes this coming up week -- will be set up similar to this past week with 2 games at 1, 2, and 3, and then 3 games at 4 PM.
2. We have some new game balls and flags for the 3rd field coming in this week.
3. Lost and Found -- A couple of balls were left out there and a SodaStream bottle. Check the Facebook Group for a photo or come see me on Sunday if you lost something.
4. The port-o-potty was moved due to the hurricane and hadn't been moved back last Sunday. We are working to get one out there this Sunday, so that should be taken care of. Good news in that no one will have to do the pee pee dance all the way to Oozlefinch.
WEEK 2 RESULTS AND STANDINGS
Misfits vs. Netkicks and Chill
After waiting patiently at the door for weeks for his new kits to be delivered, Adam Frantz and the Misfits crew finally got to debut them this past week and boy were they impressive. Then they took the field and were even more impressive. The attack on this team is relentless and they have a ridiculous amount of weapons. Scott Young opened his goal account this week while Trey Englebert and Matt Kraft continued their early season tear. All these kudos for Misfits, you'd think this game was a blowout and it wasn't. As always, Netkicks played tight defense led by Sam Huffman and David Cirillo in goal and took their opportunities when they came. Tommy Atran and Don Perkins both bagged goals for Netkicks, but it just wasn't enough to pull off the upset.
Sam Huffman tries to win the ball from Deanna Andrews of Misfits.
Final - Misfits 4 - 2 Netkicks and Chill
Oozlekicks vs. All Stars FC
GAME OF THE WEEK ALERT! And it lived up to its billing. Oozlekicks came out hot and went up 4-0 in the first half. With a solid defense and Jay in goal, you'd think they'd be able to shut it down, pack the box, and leave with an easy victory. But then you get in the second half, start getting tired and yell to the heavens..
That, in conjunction with All Stars not having any quit in them led to ASFC mounting a hell of an effort to chip away at the lead. Goals by Anderson and Vick Rojas and a goal from Joe McCalla almost brought them back but in the end Oozlekicks' defense bent but didn't break and held onto to get the win. Of note, our two-time golden boot winner, Tom Weniger, got on the board with a brace and Jamal Barnes is proving to be a great free agent signing for Oozle with another couple of goals.
D'Jon Trower showing off his shielding skills for Oozlekicks.
Final - Oozlekicks 4 - 3 All Stars FC
UnAtletico Monroe vs. Retired Athletes
UAM had a rough week last week. There were a lot of new faces and I thought.. it's going to take a while for them to gel like White Joggers did last season. Fast forward to week 2 and it's already starting to come together as they won a close one over a talented Retired Athletes team. This was a back and forth affair, but April Stone's gorgeous header from just outside the 6 proved to be the game winner.
Dave Quenville of UAM and Jonathan Malla of RA are jumping into the Golden Boot race as they each led their teams with a brace.
April Stone of UAM heads home the game winner.
Final - UnAtletico Monroe 5 - 4 Retired Athletes
Defenders of the Bridge vs. Hot & Messi
Hot and Messi is coming, y'all. As we discussed last week, the team in the Snagglepuss shirts has started the last two seasons with a lot of promise only to fade relatively quickly. This season is different. They have a full team, lots of positivity, and they're knocking the ball around with purpose. Isaiah Reynolds opened the scoring with an absolute blast from outside the 18 - wish we had someone recording these games so we could start having a goal of the week -- hint hint. This one was close for most of the game before H&M pulled away with goals from Natt Thupthimthong and Che Henderson. I'm not sure we've ever seen three H&M players in the top 10 goalscorers, but that's where we sit today.
Defenders of the Bridge keeps making games tough for other teams. Shout out to Alexis Whalley who was stopping shots left and right before she had to leave with an injury. We wish her a speedy recovery. On the other side of the pitch, DOTB's offense was provided by Jimmy Boonruang and Trey Williams with a goal a piece.
Che Henderson takes on Matt Conti just inside the 18.
Final - Hot & Messi 5 - 2 Defenders of the Bridge
Rebel Alliance vs. I Think We Can Do Better
The battle of the most welcoming teams in the MLS. Katelynn and Gabe both welcomed numerous free agents to their rosters and are working hard at building a team environment and organizing everyone on the field. And you could tell in this one that they're making some serious progress. This was a super fun game to watch as you could tell both teams were working hard for a win. One goal was the difference as Nathan Kemper managed to keep RA from scoring the tying goal before the final whistle blew. Highlights from RA included Gerardo Castillo scoring on a free kick and Gina Cioffi scoring on a long one for RA. I think We Can Do Better spread the wealth with goals from Gabe Fricke, Andrew Ojeda, Baylen McCarthy, and Matt Engleson.
Locked, loaded, and shooting for the far post.
Final - I Think We Can Do Better 4 - 3 Rebel Alliance
Soccer, I Hardly Know 'Er vs. Kick in a Box
For those who don't know the history of Soccer I Hardly Know 'Er and I Think We Can Do Better -- a lot of their players played on the same team the past two seasons as Catch Me Offside and All Bark No Bite. Across those two seasons, they had two wins. They split into two teams this season and in week 2, they both got wins so it's already looking like a positive move.
Despite coming out hard, Kick in a Box went limp at some point in the second half and Soccer I Hardly Knew 'Er managed to put them away. Another welcoming team, Forrest Hannahs and Brandon Adrian apparently struck gold with their signing of Ryan Greene, a free agent who knocked in 5 goals for SIHKE. Kick in a Box was led by goals from Brandon Kostryka and Matt Epperly.
Nadia Aly of Kick in a Box brings the ball down on her chest.
Final - Soccer I Hardly Know 'Er 7 - 3 Kick in a Box
Hangover 86 FC vs. Motherlovers
Hangover had a big upset in Week 1 winning a defensive battle over All Stars FC. In Week 2, they faced a Motherlovers team coming off a deflating Week 1 loss. Hangover had a hangover.
Sterling Hopkins of Hangover kept the score down some, but the report from both sides was that Hangover came out flat and Motherlovers was hitting on all cylinders. 6 different players scored from Motherlovers with Kayson Bell and AJ Hurlock providing a lot of the assists. Special shout out to JP McCollum who scored his first goal in 4 seasons for Motherlovers. Congrats, man!
Ryan O'Donnell knocks in a header in the Motherlovers win over Hangover.
Final - Motherlovers 6 - 0 Hangover 86 FC
Look Ma, No Hands vs. Moat Monsters
Yet another Look Ma, No Hands rivalry game. Despite a 'stand on your head' type game from last season's Hands of God winner, Joe Ingraham, last season's champs have started this season 0-2. No need to worry as last season they started slow, ended in the bottom of the top 8 and ran the table in the playoffs.
Moat had a hat trick for the second consecutive game, this time with Kory Kulzer knocking in three. Look Ma had goals from Scott George, Chad Martin, and Brandon Laspe sunk his second of the season. Look Ma looks to rebound in Week 3 in a tough game against Misfits while Moat takes on a tough All Stars FC team.
Kory Kulzer wins the ball for Moat on his way to bagging a hat trick on Sunday.
Final - Moat Monsters 5 - 3 Look Ma, No Hands
PKs and IPAs vs. Ronaldo McDonaldo
The winners of the League 2 Cup last season, PKs has a lot of weapons and had RM's captain nervous headed into the game. Sure enough, a beast of a first half from Erik Halvorsen and a goal from Heather Robertson kept the game close.
With it all knotted up at 1 in the second half, Brad Kirby turned on a throw in from Frank Council and hit a goal far-post to take the lead. PKs ended up with a PK and Brandon 'Grimace' Silver came up with a huge save to keep the momentum going for RM. Goals by Ben Becouvarakis and Mike Machie sealed the game for Ronaldo McDonaldo.
Ronaldo McDonaldo poses for a post-game team photo.
Final - Ronaldo McDonaldo 4 - 1 PKs and IPAs
Moat Monsters sits at the top of the table at 2-0 with only 3 goals against and 10 goals for.
Undefeated teams schedule for next week:
- Moat Monsters vs. All Stars FC
- Oozlekicks vs. Ronaldo McDonaldo in a battle of the unbeatens
- Misfits vs. Look Ma No Hands
- Hot and Messi takes on Retired Athletes
TEAM OF THE WEEK - WEEK 2
Ryan Greene - Signed between weeks 1 and 2 and came out to his first game and bags 5. Amazing.
Jamal Barnes - The rich get richer as this Oozlekicks Free Agent scores for the second consecutive week.
Baylen McCarthy - Provided a lot of the attack in I Think We Can Do Better's win and bagged himself a goal.
Isaiah Reynolds - Goal of the week plus he bagged a second.
April Stone - Game winning header for UAM.
Kory Kulzer - Kory follows Matt's hat trick with one of his own.
Jonathan Malla - A brace for Retired Athletes in a back and forth affair with UAM.
JP McCollum - He's been trying to score for 4 seasons. AND HE DID IT!! Let's give this man a slow clap.
Gina Cioffi - Opened the scoring for RA with a goal from a good distance.
Sam Huffman - While Netkicks lost, Sam was constantly disrupting the Misfits attack with timely tackles.
Alexis Whalley - A bunch of great saves for Defenders of the Bridge to keep it close for most of the game.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Brad Kirby's Selections
Jay Coble takes a goal kick in the Oozlekicks/All Stars game.
A battle for the ball in the Hot and Messi/Defenders of the Bridge game.
Jimmy Boonruang of Defenders of the Bridge finished the PK past Joe Connors of Hot and Messi.
Luci Legaspi and Tiffany Gaidos laugh it up mid-game for Misfits.
Ryan O'Donnell's Faves
Jay Coble is ready to take this All Star's best shot.
Ryan O'Donnell wins the header and a free chicken biscuit for knocking one in against Hangover.
I also looked on my phone and it turns out I have video of Ryan's header.
CLUBWAKA MLS All Time Rankings
As another exciting year of CLUBWAKA MLS soccer is underway, you may
just find yourself looking ahead at your schedules and marking big upcoming games
and rivalries. Maybe you’re a new team and don’t know what to expect from your
future opponents. Well, to prepare for the future sometimes we must look back.
It sure doesn’t feel like 3
seasons have passed since the inaugural spring 2018 season. CLUBWAKA MLS started
with 10 teams growing to 12 in the fall and 16 teams after the first year. Some
teams couldn’t handle the pressure, others combined forces, and the strong
teams grew stronger. But all have left us with a great foundation to build this
awesome league we find ourselves longing for on Saturday night and cursing Monday
morning as we limp and drag our old shapely bodies to work.
I had to dig deep for some of this
data and because some of the stone tablets were chipped, some data will only be remembered by …well, apparently nobody. That being said the numbers speak for
themselves when you look at the top of the chart. The top teams have been
around the fort a few times. Their time playing together really shows and has
made for some really fun soccer.
Topping off our ALL TIME Rankings we
find Ronaldo McDonaldo. This team has been targeted since season one as the
team to beat. Appearing in all 3 MLS Finals, McDonaldo earned themselves a
Star after claiming the championship in the fall of 18. Over the last three seasons McDonaldo has
produced on both sides of the ball. Their offense is powered by three WAKA top
goal scorers and with a back line that only averages 1.7 goals against per
game, I am not surprised to find them on top.
(Editor Addition)
Second in the rankings we find
another Championship caliber team. Moat Monsters earned their star besting
McDonaldo in a tightly fought final match in the spring of 2018. Moat finds
themselves ranked second in goals scored but leaves just a little room for
their opponents with an average of 2.46 goals per game. Which is below the
league average (3.65) but any edge given is well received when playing this top
tier team.
Rounding out the top three, Look Ma,
No Hands stole the limelight last spring -- Facing what seemed to be an uphill battle
against the heavily favored McDonaldo team to secure a star beside their name
for eternity. Look Ma, has a back line only rivaled by McDonaldo allowing an average of 1.78 goals per game. They have had the help of a golden boot runner
up, but seem to only be able to just top the league average of 3.28 with 3.81
goals per game.
In the hunt we find a few teams
that have fought hard and deserve a shout-out. Oozlekicks sits at fourth on
the list Oozlekicks and is led by a spring 18 Hands of God winner. Accompanied by a
two time golden boot winner, Oozlekicks is the underdog team no one wants to play
come playoffs.
Both Misfits and PKs and IPAs deserve a shout-out too as both stake a claim to a League 2 Cup title.
Spring/Fall 2018 and Spring 19
THE RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT - FALL 2019
No one wants to be Beavis.
Chris Sharrett, Matt Kraft, and Ryan Greene sit at the top of the Golden Boot standings. PKs and IPAs and Soccer I Hardly Knew 'Er both have favorable schedules for a golden boot run, but Matt Kraft has the talent to dominate any team. Following the 3 fivers sit 3 three pinks, two purples, a free agent, and league newcomer for RA. I have a strange feeling that this is going to be one crazy race.
OOZLEKICKS VS. RONALDO MCDONALDO - 2 PM
A battle of the undefeateds. Can Oozlekicks hand Ronaldo their third regular season loss all-time? Can Ronaldo handle the consistency in the middle of the park for Oozlekicks? This one is going to be intense. You know what else is intense? Camping. #dadjoke
I have a feeling Dave and Jay are sitting around in a castle somewhere all like...
WEEK 3 @ OOZLEFINCH
DD214 Smokehouse will be out there serving up some food to go with that deliciously cold post-game beer.
Stay tuned to the Facebook page for Katelynn 's Bar Challenge of the Week!!
Cut this down from 5 hours to 4 hours this week and that makes me feel... well... like this.
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
The Julie Ruin - Run Fast
Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep
Parquet Courts - Wide Awaaaaake!!!
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