NEW FACES, FRESH TEAMS, NEW CHAMPS?
That's all I have to say. JK JK
In one weekend, we went from 18 teams to 8 and there were some mainstays that exited earlier than expected. It's interested to see how things are slowly changing within the league as we get more teams, new faces, and unless Moat makes a run to win it, we will see a new MLS Cup champion and a new MLS League 2 Champion crowned this season. And there's something super refreshing about that. So let's say Moat doesn't end up winning (and that's a huge jump b/c I'd say they're favored at this point), we'd end up with 4 different MLS Cup Champions in 4 seasons. How cool is that? And we'd have 3 different MLS League 2 Champions (we didn't have two separate playoffs the first season).
And you'll see some fresh faces further down in the awards. 4 new deserving individual award winners. Players who have seriously impacted their teams, contributed greatly to the growth of the league, and made a name for themselves in a pool of 320 players.
It's pretty damn refreshing if I do say so myself.
And you'll see some fresh faces further down in the awards. 4 new deserving individual award winners. Players who have seriously impacted their teams, contributed greatly to the growth of the league, and made a name for themselves in a pool of 320 players.
It's pretty damn refreshing if I do say so myself.
HOUSEKEEPING
1. BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!!!
Black Friday Sale - We’ll Add $10 FREE For Every $50 Gift Card You Purchase!
This year CLUBWAKA is offering something that we’ve never offered before! From November 20th - December 2nd (or until supplies last), CLUBWAKA players will be able to purchase gift cards that can be used towards any activity registration or merchandise orders at CLUBWAKA.com. To make things even more appealing, CLUBWAKA will add $10 to the gift card balance of every $50 CLUBWAKA Gift Card that you purchase between November 20th - December 2nd (or when quantities sell out). If you’re planning on playing in a CLUBWAKA activity in the future, this is an easy way to save $10 or more!
This year CLUBWAKA is offering something that we’ve never offered before! From November 20th - December 2nd (or until supplies last), CLUBWAKA players will be able to purchase gift cards that can be used towards any activity registration or merchandise orders at CLUBWAKA.com. To make things even more appealing, CLUBWAKA will add $10 to the gift card balance of every $50 CLUBWAKA Gift Card that you purchase between November 20th - December 2nd (or when quantities sell out). If you’re planning on playing in a CLUBWAKA activity in the future, this is an easy way to save $10 or more!
If that wasn't enough, for each gift card you buy before November 24th, you'll be entered into a raffle to win a CLUBWAKA prize pack, including a YETI cooler - a total value of over $350!
Whatever you do on 11/20, make sure to buy your gift cards quickly because supplies are limited and these will go fast!
To receive reminders on the 20th, RSVP for our Black Friday Week Facebook Event and add our Google Calendar Event to your calendar!
For more details and FAQ’s on the CLUBWAKA Black Friday Sale visit CLUBWAKA.com/black-friday.
2. SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY
Well, Tommy... what's happening on Sunday is this. The schedule is a bit fluid, but here is the sequence of events.
1 PM games - League 2 Playoff Semifinals
**BETWEEN THE 1 AND 2 PM GAMES, WE WILL BE DOING THE INDIVIDUAL TROPHY PRESENTATION NEXT TO THE LITTLE PARKING LOT NEXT TO FIELD 2**
2 PM (ish) - MLS Cup Playoff Semifinals
3:15 (ish) PM - Finals Start Simultaneously
4:15 - Trophy Presentation, then immediately to Oozlefinch for some interleague mingling!
3. NOT PLAYING? GET YO A$$ OUT THERE AND SUPPORT YOUR LEAGUEMATES!
I know this is a tough request for those that were eliminated last week, but we'd love to see your smiling faces one more time, so come on out and watch some soccer, grab a beer at Oozlefinch, give some applause to the individual award winners or eventual champions. I know you all feel the same kinship with mediocre soccer players that I do.
4. LOGISTICS
I'm coming back from Nashville on Sunday morning - catching a flight at 5:30 AM. So a) I'm going to probably be a zombie at the fields so if I'm crabby or I have a glazed look like something doesn't compute, please forgive me b) there is a chance I end up not making it back for the start of the games. Should that be the case - Our fearless leader, Brent Wentworth, will be getting everything out there and getting things started and I'll be out to join you guys as soon as I get there. Schedule is above, but wanted to make sure you are aware in case anyone doesn't see me out there.
I know this is a tough request for those that were eliminated last week, but we'd love to see your smiling faces one more time, so come on out and watch some soccer, grab a beer at Oozlefinch, give some applause to the individual award winners or eventual champions. I know you all feel the same kinship with mediocre soccer players that I do.
4. LOGISTICS
I'm coming back from Nashville on Sunday morning - catching a flight at 5:30 AM. So a) I'm going to probably be a zombie at the fields so if I'm crabby or I have a glazed look like something doesn't compute, please forgive me b) there is a chance I end up not making it back for the start of the games. Should that be the case - Our fearless leader, Brent Wentworth, will be getting everything out there and getting things started and I'll be out to join you guys as soon as I get there. Schedule is above, but wanted to make sure you are aware in case anyone doesn't see me out there.
WEEK 8 PLAYOFF RESULTS
Kick in a Box (17) vs. Look Ma, No Hands (18)
Kick in a Box regroups after a loss to Look Ma.
Look Ma was looking for their first win in the League 2 Play-in game against Kick in a Box. The assumption of most of the league was that this win would ignite what has laid dormant for last season's MLS Cup champions and fuel them through a run to the MLS League 2 Championship. Despite some early resistance from KiaB, the pundits were correct in this one as Look Ma locked down the shut out and had goals by Chad Martin, Scott George, and Zack Martin to have them advance to a game against DOTB at 3 PM.
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Look Ma over Kick in a Box +3)
All Stars FC (8) vs. I Think We Can Do Better (9)
I Think We Can Do Better was the sneakiest of teams and I would venture out by saying that they were the most surprising to make the top 9. However, getting a powerhouse like All-Stars in the play-in game makes for some tough sledding when trying to navigate the bracket. Sure enough, the All-Stars came out and dominated ITWCDB's defense and held their three pronged attack in check outside of one goal from Hunter Orrell. Anderson Rojas led the way for ASFC with a hat trick. That ended his season with 11 goals on the year, an impressive tally.
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (All Stars over ITWCDB +4)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS
Moat Monsters (2) vs. Hangover 86 FC (7)
Jerald Jorge clears the ball for Hangover before Jessica Huntington can get over.
With Hangover bringing a full squad to the table this week, I knew this one was going to be a battle. Moat had the lead, but Hangover pushed hard at the end to tie it up. Two early goals by Jesse Evans for Moat put them in the position to ride this victory out, but Zach Hamer came back with a goal. With the game 3-1 after Amara Betoney put one in for Moat, Hangover pushed hard at the end of the game, but could only muster another one from Zach Hamer which wasn't enough to tie it. With Moat using some time wasting tactics, they ran the clock out on Hangover's season and sealed their advancement to Week 2 of the playoffs. Who will they play? Let's find out.
Moat Monsters 3 - 2 Hangover 86 FC
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Moat over Hangover +2)
Oozlekicks (3) vs. Ronaldo McDonaldo (6)
Tom Weniger readies a blast in Oozlekicks' win over RM.
Who do you think of when you think of the shadiest tactics in sports? Bill Belichick? The guy who invented Hack-a-Shaq? Well, add one to the list as Jay Coble brought an Ice to a soccer fight. As part of the coin flip, Jay Coble brought out a Smirnoff Ice to fellow captain Brad Kirby of Ronaldo. Seeing it as a challenge to his manhood, Brad drank it and played the worst game of his life. Shady or a brilliant smart tactic? You make the call.
But that had little to do with the actual game as Ronaldo came out on fire with Mike Machie and Dara Emami leading the way to a 3-1 halftime lead. At halftime, the Oozlekicks must have had Bobby Knight come in to give the speech because they came out like gangbusters in the second half. They fought back to tie it with two goals on corner kicks played to the front post. And with about 10 minutes left, Oozlekicks took the lead on a scrum in front of Brandon Silver with the ball rolling across the line. At that point, Machie tried to put Ronaldo McDonaldo on his back and was everywhere trying to pull one back and tie it up, but it was all for naught. Oozlekicks pulled off the incredible comeback with a ton of heart and fight and they live on to challenge Moat next week.
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Pick 'em)
Hot and Messi (1) vs. All Stars FC (8)
Late in the game, Anderson Rojas pulled a muscle after this shot against Hot & Messi.
Wow. What a finish and when I get to the second game that was going on at the same time, I'll try to describe what it was like at the field buut no spoilers for now. This one was a huge defensive battle. All Stars was coming off of an earlier game against ITWCDB and had a tough road of playing the #1 seed in their second game. This one took place mostly between the 18s with teams struggling to create, defenses holding strong, and Joe Connors and Dan Marlin playing phenomenally in goal.
In the last 5-10 minutes, Anderson Rojas who was leading All Stars in scoring and has had a few dominating performances lately, went to take a shot (shown above) and injured a muscle which was a significant blow for a team trying to catch a late goal for victory. This one looked to be destined for penalties as the clock was ticking down late and with almost zero time left on the clock, a ball broke free to Kevin Wortham on the far post. He stepped up and buried it into the roof of the goal to send Hot and Messi into a massive celebration as they move onto the semis.
Hot and Messi 1 - 0 All Stars FC
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (All Stars over Hot & Messi +1)
PKs and IPAs (4) vs. Misfits (5)
Trey Englebert juggles the ball for Misfits in their blowout win over PKs and IPAs.
PKs jumped from winning the League 2 Cup last season to a substantial improvement in record in their second season. The previous League 2 Cup champions - Misfits - also saw a substantial improvement in the table and both were seen as potential MLS Cup contenders going into this one. Unfortunately, PKs came out of the gate frazzled and Misfits took advantage of it. I think the score at halftime was 7-0 as Misfits was hungry and looking to make a statement going into next week. They were determined to shut down PKs scoring threat Chris Sharrett, while Matt Kraft, Scott Young, and Tiffany Gaidos provided the offense. After watching this one, I'd call Moat Monsters 1A and Misfits 1B in who could win the MLS Cup this season. A hell of a lot of talent on both teams and would call them the favorites after Week 1 of the playoffs.
In the end though, it doesn't matter who won as long as Paul Ilori drank the Ice that he got me with post-game.
Misfits 8 - 1 PKs and IPAs
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Misfits over PKs and IPAs +3)
MLS LEAGUE 2 PLAYOFFS
Motherlovers (2) vs. Netkicks and Chill (7)
Netkicks was lacking ladies. :(
Luckily it freed up Ryan O'Donnell to get some incredible photos on Sunday.
*FORFEIT* Motherlovers 5 - 0 Netkicks
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Motherlovers over Netkicks +2)
Rebel Alliance (3) vs. Retired Athletes (6)
Katelynn Cioffi goes over strategy during halftime of the Battle of the RAs.
I know little to none about this game unfortunately as I was playing at the same time. What I do know is that the Battle of the RAs ended with the Rebels advancing on goals by 4 different players - Aaron Fraites, Katelynn Cioffi, Gerry Castillo, and Jesse Patton. This one sets up a very interesting matchup next week with Motherlovers. Rebels has the talent to put ML to work, the offense to put up some goals and if Travis Brown is there - the keeper to thwart some of ML's attack. The question is... how will Motherlovers handle the bye week and will they have the attendance to make a run?
Rebel Alliance 4 - 0 Retired Athletes
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Rebel Alliance over Retired Athletes +2)
Defenders of the Bridge (1) vs. Look Ma, No Hands (9)
Carl Hanson and Shon Liddle are all smiles after their win over Look Ma.
GOALFEST 2019! I picked Look Ma in this one as I thought they'd have folks come out of the woodwork to make a run to the final. Instead, DOTB came out extremely hungry and took a huge lead going into halftime. DOTB made some adjustments at half and might have lost a big of steam as Look Ma made this a game in the second half. Chris Whalley continued his scoring hot streak with another hat trick and may have been a serious contender for the golden boot if he hadn't missed the first few games. Also notable that Steven Landers got his first goal of the season for DOTB. Scott George put up 4 for Look Ma, No Hands in this one, but it wasn't enough to overcome that first half deficit. Look Ma goes into the offseason looking to retool and DOTB looks to continue their unbeaten streak next week against.... stay tuned.
Defenders of the Bridge 7 - 5 Look Ma, No Hands
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Look Ma over DOTB +1)
Soccer? I Hardly Know 'Er (4) vs. UnAtletico Monroe (5)
Chaos in front of the net as UAM try to pull ahead before the end of regulation.
So this is what I was referencing earlier in the Hot and Messi/All Stars recap. Ryan and I were standing between fields 2 and 3 trying to watch both games simultaneously as they were both in their twilight and anything could happen. We were fully expecting to have to split up to record or photo two separate sets of simultaneous PKs. But as you read above, the Hot and Messi hero, Kevin Wortham, closed that game out. So what happened with this one? Well, within seconds of Kevin scoring, Ryan Greene of Soccer I Hardly Know 'Er broke free and ripped a shot that careened off the post and across the front of the goal and out. Within 30 seconds of each other, we almost had two game winners within the last couple minutes of the game. CLUBWAKA MEDIOCRE ACTION! It's FAN-TASTIC!
But alas... that didn't get buried and we ended in our only PK situation of the day. No need for a write up when you can just watch the ending here. Enjoy!
UnAtletico Monroe 3 - 2 Soccer? I Hardly Know 'Er (Regulation 2-2 - UAM wins on PKs)
Brad's Prediction From Last Week (Pick 'em)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS - WEEK 2
Quick records/predictions for each game
Hot & Messi vs. Misfits:
Previous Results: Each team has one once (Fall 2018 - Hot and Messi over Misfits 6-1, and Misfits over Hot & Messi in League 2 Final (don't have a record of the final score))
Brad's prediction: Misfits by 2
Moat Monsters vs. Oozlekicks:
Previous Results: Tied 2-2 earlier this season
Brad's prediction: Moat by 1
Brad's Predicted Final:
Moat Monsters vs. Misfits
Previous Results: Moat over Misfits 5-4 in Spring 2019
Brad's Prediction: Moat by 2
LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFFS - WEEK 2
Defenders of the Bridge vs. UnAtletico Monroe:
Previous Results: Tied 3-3 in Fall 2019
Brad's prediction: DOTB by 1
Motherlovers vs. Rebel Alliance:
Previous Results: None.
Brad's prediction: Motherlovers by 2
Brad's Predicted Final:
DOTB vs. Motherlovers
Previous Results: None
Brad's Prediction: Motherlovers by 2
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Chris Whalley takes a shot on goal as Joe Ingraham makes himself big.
Brad and Amber Kirby fume over being Iced by Jay Coble in the pre-game coin toss.
Joseph McCalla of All Stars gets acrobatic against I Think We Can Do Better.
UnAtletico Monroe celebrates their win in penalties over Soccer I Hardly Know 'Er.
Josh Rhamy pushes forward into the attack for Hangover 86 FC on Sunday.
Adam Frantz and Erik Halvorsen meet with referee Shannon Smith pre-game for their meet, greet, and coin flip.
Tiffany Gaidos of Misfits looks to get a shot off against an unfortunate Paul Ilori who got his arm cut off LARPing and Erik Halverson pretending to be a blind man playing goalkeeper.
THE TROPHIES
Before we get into Fall 2019 Award Winners, let me give a quick overview of each trophy and the process for folks being selected. An orientation of sorts. From a process standpoint, it's easy. I select them. No one else. I'll ask for people's opinions or wade through the Shoutouts threads, but for the most part it's based on what I see each week. My thought process in me selecting them is a) it keeps politics and popularity out of it b) I watch the most games because I'm out there (almost) every week and c) my wife made (almost all of) the trophies. There's no extensive stats around them outside of the Golden Boot. It's an eye test only. I also try to take into account sportsmanship, attendance, previous winners, etc. My point is always to try and spread them around and recognize players that I feel were significant standouts. It's not a perfect process and it's not meant to be, so I hope you'll take it with a grain of salt, but also congratulate the folks that are recognized because they deserve it - even if they're only getting an action figure on a plaque or one of my old cleats on a piece of wood.
As for the individual awards, this is what we got:
The Sign Up Simon - Sometimes being a captain sucks. Teammates procrastinate on sign-ups. They bail and you have to recruit at the last second. You have to stay on top of people to make sure you're avoiding forfeits every week. It's a thankless job. So we made a trophy to honor a captain who has the best sign-up period prior to the start of the season.
Previous Winners:
Spring 2018 - Scott Tinsley - UTTOTPHJ
Fall 2018 - David Chappell - Hot and Messi
Spring 2019 - Adam Frantz - Misfits
The Hands of God - Another thankless job sometimes - Goalkeeper. And they're vital. Having a certified shot stopper back there is often the difference between a win and a loss. Someone to be the orchestra conductor from the back. The Hands of God is awarded for the best goalkeeper.
Previous Winners:
Spring 2018 - Jay Coble - Oozlekicks
Fall 2018 - Chris Garcia - Hangover 86 FC
Spring 2019 - Joe Ingraham - Look Ma, No Hands
The Golden Gal - This one is impossible every season as there are tons of extremely talented females in the league whether it be keepers, defenders, or attackers. I could literally pick 20 every season so I always struggle the most with this one. As with the goalkeeper, I generally try and look at who has the most impact on her team (a female MVP of sorts) and again, sportsmanship, attendance, etc. factor in significantly.
Previous Winners:
Spring 2018 - Mickey Amaro - Hangover 86 FC
Fall 2018 - Calli Sherrill - Look Ma, No Hands
Spring 2019 - Sarah Watson - Moat Monsters
The Golden Boot - Simple. Most goals scored in a season. Tiebreaker is how many games the individual player played in.
Previous Winners:
Spring 2018 - Tom Weniger - Oozlekicks
Fall 2018 - Michael Machie - Ronaldo McDonaldo
Spring 2019 - Tom Weniger - Oozlekicks
So now that you know what we're awarding... let's get to who's getting them.
THE SIGN-UP SIMON
Ryan O'Donnell - Motherlovers/Kick in a Box
At the end of last season, Ryan O'Donnell approached me and said he thought he had enough people to divide into two teams for the Fall. Not only that, he said he was going to get custom jerseys for both teams based on The Lonely Island/SNL songs Kick in a Box and Motherlovers. My response? Suuuuuure you will.
Well, he did it. He got 30 players signed up - 15 across each team. And he did it right as you can see from the Rivalry Week photo below.
He's also a league photographer, helps me pick up the equipment every week, and is a great sounding board for all things CLUBWAKA MLS. He's a huge contributor and while you should congratulate him on the Sign Up Simon, you should also thank him for all of his efforts out there each week.
THE HANDS OF GOD
Buck Waldrop - Misfits
Buck has been in the running for the Hands of God each season he's been in the league outside of the season where he was injured for a portion of it. He's solid as a rock in goal, but also does a great job communicating with and organizing a backline that gave up the least goals against on the season. Buck's return to form this season has been a huge part of Misfits rise up the table. With another little CLUBWAKA MLSer on the way, his priorities in 2020 may be a little soccer-related, so enjoy it, Buck!! (Note: Buck still got this award despite letting Jay Coble (a former Hands of God winner) score from goalkeeper earlier this season on a surprise bounce -- sorry Buck! I had to.)
THE GOLDEN GAL
Dani Robinson - Hot & Messi
Dani Robinson is someone I took note of early this season after she played a great game against Defenders of the Bridge. She truly has done it all for Hot & Messi this season and Joe Connors and Dave Chappell (H&Ms current captain and former captain) have been trumpeting her impact on their Fall 19 performance and all season. It's funny how when you watch the games how everyone kind of slots into a typical position - the fast dribbling attacker, the defensive midfielder with a little bite about him/her, the defensive talker/organizer, etc. But Dani is truly the jack of all trades. I've seen her score a brilliant goal, stick someone who's trying to get by her, and play some absolutely Beckham-like passes from midfield. While there are a ton of deserving females in the league, I feel like she made a huge difference in moving Hot and Messi from 15th place at 1-6 in the Spring to 1st place at 6-1 in the Fall.
THE GOLDEN BOOT
Ryan Greene - Soccer, I Hardly Know 'Er
Now we know who the strikingest striker is.
(Note: Kayson Bell from Motherlovers still has 1 game to play since Netkicks forfeited their first playoff game. As he is currently 7 goals behind, I have decided to declare Ryan Greene the winner. If something bonkers happens in Motherlovers first game and Kayson scores 8, I'll rip the trophy from Ryan's grip and hand it to Kayson)
A super tight race this season and it's the first time we haven't seen Michael Machie of Ronaldo McDonaldo or Tom Weniger of Oozlekicks in the top 10 since the league started. But I won't spend a whole lot of time on past winners -- Let me tell you a tale about Ryan Greene.
Just before week 2, I received an email from Brent Wentworth, CLUBWAKA Regional Manager extraordinaire. He forwarded me an email from this guy who wanted to join the league late with his wife and he gave a bit of a soccer resume in the email. I told Brent there's no way I'm going to be able to place another couple of free agents because we've had so many this season (and so many welcoming captains) but I'll put it out there to the captains group. Within minutes of putting it out there on the captains page, Brandon Adrian of Soccer, I Hardly Know 'Er reached out and he said he'd take them. If this doesn't tell you as a captain to be open and welcoming to free agents, I don't know what does!
In Ryan's first game with the team, he puts up 5 against Kick in a Box. Then proceeds to blow up almost every week the rest of the season. While that's happening, Chris Sharrett of PKs and IPAs is consistently putting up multiple goals each week. In the end, they tie with 17 goals a piece. The tiebreaker -- the fact that Ryan didn't sign up until Week 2 so he played one less game. Funny thing is -- the only games Ryan didn't score in were against Misfits who lead the league in Goals Against and... guess who... PKs and IPAs who were double and triple teaming him to get Chris to overtake him. What a fun fun season and what a great bunch of strikers we have in this league. Congrats Ryan! And a congratulations should be in order for Chris too even though he's not taking home the trophy. 17 goals in 8 games is a hell of an accomplishment.
A super tight race this season and it's the first time we haven't seen Michael Machie of Ronaldo McDonaldo or Tom Weniger of Oozlekicks in the top 10 since the league started. But I won't spend a whole lot of time on past winners -- Let me tell you a tale about Ryan Greene.
Just before week 2, I received an email from Brent Wentworth, CLUBWAKA Regional Manager extraordinaire. He forwarded me an email from this guy who wanted to join the league late with his wife and he gave a bit of a soccer resume in the email. I told Brent there's no way I'm going to be able to place another couple of free agents because we've had so many this season (and so many welcoming captains) but I'll put it out there to the captains group. Within minutes of putting it out there on the captains page, Brandon Adrian of Soccer, I Hardly Know 'Er reached out and he said he'd take them. If this doesn't tell you as a captain to be open and welcoming to free agents, I don't know what does!
In Ryan's first game with the team, he puts up 5 against Kick in a Box. Then proceeds to blow up almost every week the rest of the season. While that's happening, Chris Sharrett of PKs and IPAs is consistently putting up multiple goals each week. In the end, they tie with 17 goals a piece. The tiebreaker -- the fact that Ryan didn't sign up until Week 2 so he played one less game. Funny thing is -- the only games Ryan didn't score in were against Misfits who lead the league in Goals Against and... guess who... PKs and IPAs who were double and triple teaming him to get Chris to overtake him. What a fun fun season and what a great bunch of strikers we have in this league. Congrats Ryan! And a congratulations should be in order for Chris too even though he's not taking home the trophy. 17 goals in 8 games is a hell of an accomplishment.
PLAYOFFS @ OOZLEFINCH
I know there are only 8 teams left and a lot of you don't play this weekend That doesn't mean you can't come out, support the league, and join us for some brews and celebrate the MLS champions! DD214 Food Truck will be out there for some grub, too.
See you then!
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