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Due Date: Monday following weekend's games.
Week 5 (Feb. 11th & 12th)
London, England (Highbury Stadium)
This was one of the best games ever played in the Omaha Futsal League.
Since last week the Gunners and Red Devils have been exchanging
words though their local papers on which team is better. Coach Sir
Alex Ferguson and Coach Arsene Wegner have also been making foolish
remarks about each other’s coaching styles. The speed of play
was the story of this game. Both teams were so fast in transition
that both coaches were quoted to have never seen their team move
so fast in the OFL. Max Saferstein-Hansen, one of the two players
that were traded from Old Trafford to Highbury during the off season,
scored the first goal of this game for Highbury. Saferstein-Hansen
received a beautiful thru ball from PJ Anderson that split two defenders.
Trip Duden, the man who bleeds Old Trafford RED, made a spectacular
goal off a cross from Ethan Bennett. With no angle to work with,
Duden went top shelf to knot the game at 1-1. Highbury’s Coach
Wegner couldn’t believe that Duden’s goal went in and
fell to his knees in disbelief. Jonathan “The Sniper”
Koch got a shot off with two defenders on him to take the lead back
for Highbury. Mitchell Ferris surged forward with 6 minutes left
to play in the match. A brilliant first touch pass from Mark Ottoson
gave Ferris free space to goal, drilling the equalizer off his left
boot to the lower right corner of the net. Highbury dominated possession
thereafter, with Old Trafford still dangerous on the break, but
neither side could find a winner and the game ended in a tie. Highbury
host Waterford United on Feb 26th in a highly anticipated Anderson
Showdown (Father versus Sons). Old Trafford is home in the confines
of “The Theater of Dreams” game against VFL Wolfsburg
on Feb 26th.
No match reports submitted.
BayArena, Germany
The men of Bayer Leverkusen continue to shock the world in their
run at the Champions League title; their first ever in club history.
Hosting the powerful Argentinean squad of River Plate, the stadium
was full 5 hours before the kick-off as the fans sang and did the
wave. (Bayer Leverkusen officials did have to ask the crowd to stop
with the wave as it is trademarked in America and not very “footballish”.
Flares were then passed out as the crowds made the stands look like
the 4th of July.) As the crowd sang, Christian started the scoring
in the 3rd minute as he hit home a rebound off the post. Nathaniel
again showed his lethal left foot as he scored in the 6th minute.
To the roar of the crowd, Christian put the next one in the back
of the net with the “left”. River Plate silenced the
crowd as they scored on a beautiful breakaway – letting the
crowd know they were still in the fight. Three minutes later Chase
knocked home an excellent cross off the corner kick from Patrick.
Those two are becoming a lethal combination. Nathaniel and Christian
accounted for the next two Leverkusen goals as the half came to
an end. Chase started off the second half as he passed to Kevin
who one touched into the side net. Two minutes later Chase re-paid
the favor as he served a beautiful cross off the corner with Patrick’s
one touch blast no match for the frozen River Plate keeper. Quinn,
who played excellent in goal the 1st half, continued the scoring
in the 26th minute. Nathaniel’s own goal brought River Plate
a late second half goal, but he made up for the error ripping one
from the left touch-line that forced the grounds crew to change
yet another net. Proving he his worth his $23 million transfer fee,
Patrick’s textbook defensive tackle late in the half brought
the crowd to their feet. Joe finished the night with his famous
“toe-poke” side volley. Daniel, who played a superb
1st half in the field, filled in at keeper and did a wonderful job.
Drew had been called up by his National Team for World Cup qualifying
and was unable to make the game. Manager Dnartso was very pleased
after the game. “We played well as a team today – I
was extremely proud of the boy’s. I know Patrick wasn’t
feeling well and Daniel stepped up to play keeper with no notice.
Our transition play and finishing in front of the net was impressive.
I give credit to River Plate. They are a great team who show tremendous
potential and character.” Bayer Leverkusen sits atop the standings,
but plays the powerful U-11 Chelsea squad this Friday night. Is
the undefeated season over or will the dream stay alive?
River Plate Sporting News -
The Argentinean squad ran into a buzz saw on Friday night. The Germans
used their Blitzkrieg strategy to overwhelm the team from South
America. All the parents of the River Plate team can be proud of
the effort put forth by their kids. Character is measured by reactions
during a time of adversity. At no time did the effort from our team
subside despite the large discrepancy on the scoreboard. The team
managed to pull out a second half tie. It is easy to quit playing
when you realize the other team has better skills, better coaching,
and little chance to win. They didn't. This is the type of work
that will pay-off on the pitch and elsewhere. Taylor Cobb and Logan
Gier played outstanding in goal, after the initial onslaught provided
the Germans with a lead they would relinquish. Adam Fleming scored
two goals, one on a beautiful assist from Trevor Goetzinger.
Brandywell Stadium, Ireland
With Vitesse Arnhem beating Crystal Palace the previous week by
a slim margin, it was no surprise to Derry City that they needed
to step up and play a hard game. The game stayed even for most of
the time with the score very tight throughout. Derry City was missing
their goal keeper that evening and ended up using a very inexperienced
player as their GK. This isn't to say that Crystal Palace didn't
put up a great battle. As both teams wound up that late evening
knowing that they had fun, the next morning was another day to contend
with. As a side note, there seemed to be a minor disagreement with
the final score. Derry City saw it at a 6 - 6 tie, while Crystal
Palace saw it at a 6 - 5 win. We believe that it has been resolved
amongst the players and coaches and hope that we can meet them again
in another game.
No match reports submitted.
Stamford Bridge, UK
After weeks of juggling the line up (flu season has been unkind
to Chelsea this year), the club got most of its players together
for this much anticipated match. Palermo has been very tough this
season and Chelsea knew coming in that anything less than their
"A" game simply would not do. It was the first time in
this year's campaign that Chelsea put together a complete game from
start to finish with such focus and intensity. Chelsea's coach was
quoted saying after the game,"We have had some very nice moments
and good halves, usually the second half is better for us after
our boys make one or two adjustments at half time, but this was
truly a great team effort and I'm very hopeful we'll stay healthy
and keep improving as the season progresses." Chelsea has made
marked improvement in ball movement since the beginning of the season,
which is remarkable considering team practices have been suspended
until spring due to renovations at Stamford bridge (that's Chelsea's
home field for all you yanks).
Scott Jeub got Chelsea on the board first with a beautiful shot
deep from the right side of the box, and for the Chelsea faithful
the sight of Sean Nakamura and Casey Schwee following the shot into
the net for a possible clean up strike was icing on the cake. Carson
"freight-train" Collins was unusually quiet in the first
half and after further investigation, we now know the reason. With
"freight trains" Jaguar in the shop he needed a ride to
the stadium, which the Chelsea coach is under contract to provide
if needed to any of his players; however, the coach made a serious
tactical error Friday night. "Freight train" had dinner
over at the coach's house right before the game, and Carson went
through the roasted chicken and spaghetti like he goes through defenders,
fast and furious. Luckily, the second half "freight train"
was back to his old self and had several promising breakaways which
made for some exciting moments; however, Palermo's keeper Brett
Meier was equal to the task and turned Chelsea's striker away empty
handed. Despite that, the Chelsea fans have to be very pleased with
Carson's passing and movement without the ball in the second half.
Chelsea's Cody Roach was the backbone of Chelsea's defense Friday
night. From the start, Cody controlled much of the flow with great
one on one stops and quick passes up field which put pressure on
Palermo's players to defend much of the first half. Later in the
second half, Cody made a strong run from mid-field to goal and finished
with a spectacular one on one move on Palermo's goalie to give Chelsea
its second goal of the match.
Chelsea played a premier club in Palermo and Friday night's game
was great action which is what every fan of the Champions league
has come to expect and both clubs certainly lived up to those expectations.
No match report submitted by Palermo.
No match reports submitted.
4
7
Goodison Park, UK
(Waterford Press)
Great game!!! Everton had the blues down 3-2 at half. In the 2nd
half Zach woke up the blues by getting 2 goals. Hunter (3) and Thomas
(2) added goals to give the blues a come from behind win. Great
play by Gerrit, DJ, Harrison, Brandon, Tim, and the debut of new
goalie Graham who helped lead to the great win.
No match report submitted by Everton.
No match reports submitted.
No match reports submitted.
No match reports submitted.
The San Siro Stadium played host to a Serie A battle of the titans,
Inter Milan and Juventus. Abby Jaeger, opened Inter scoring account
with her first goal. Juventus fired back through Abby Larson. Inter
regained the lead through Lauren Keller. Only to have Juventus retaliate
with a goal of their own. With Haley Berner's arrival just before
halftime, Inter seized the initiative. Berner fired Inter into the
lead, and her goal was soon followed by Jaeger's second. Halftime
score read 4-2, a hotly contested match. Berner seared the nets
twice in the second half to complete her hat trick. Jaeger added
another goal completing her hat trick. Megan Weber capped off a
brilliant display with three assists.
Juventus Press -
It was a hard fought game for Juventus, but they just could not
keep up with the hard attack of Inter Milan. Abby Larson scored
the two goals for Juventus and several other players hit the post,
but could not put the ball in the net. Excellent goalkeeping by
Jessie Watts won her "Man of the Match" honors.
AC Milan walked into the San Siro stadium leery of
the task ahead. European Champions league titleholders, Porto awaited.
Gone was Mourinho, and some key players with him, but Porto remains
formidable. Led by their brilliant coach McConnell, Porto has emerged
as a side to reckon with. After being thwarted by Jessie Watts in
goal repeatedly, Milan finally broke through with goal from Kourtney
Frank. Perseverance and pressure led Megan Weber goal. Frank followed
with another before intermission. Milan's task was no easier in
the tiempo two as Porto proved to side of great determination. Milan's
constant pressure was rewarded with goals from Kerry Pivovar, Haley
Berner and Weber. Coach Trenari (Sicilian spelling) commented, 'We
were most fortunate today, Porto is vastly improved. They will cause
many managers great consternation'.
Porto Sporting News -
Porto put on their game faces, but did not manage to find the back
of the net in this exciting game. If hitting the post counted, the
score would have been much closer as Porto shot some rockets! The
team played very well, but was unable to record a win for this week.
"Man of the Match" honors went to Kelley Bartlett for
her excellent defensive skills!
OLYMPIQUE LYON
Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Argentina
The Olympique Lyons played a great game! We didn't win, but I did
notice that we never gave up, especially in the second half! Jake,
Katie, and Sydney worked really well together on offense. Travis
and Danny did a great job as goalies; they both have really good
instincts! Nicole did a really good job in defense, at stopping
the player with the ball! Arthur did a great job at chasing a player
down, and getting the Ball! Once I told them that the other team
was getting in front of them, in the second half, everyone was getting
in front of the opponent. I think they were really good at getting
to the ball! Everyone did a fantastic job during the game! Thanks
for playing!!
No match report submitted by Boca Juniors.
CRYSTAL PALACE
No match reports submitted.
The Rangers hosted the Aston Villa team over the weekend.
The final result was a 3-0 win for the Rangers. The Rangers are
really starting to gel and play together as a team. This match was
much closer than the score would indicate. The Aston team was in
the game the entire time and the Ranger players could not rest until
the final horn sounded.
The most beautiful play of the season for the Rangers was Ellie
Freeburn scoring a goal off of a pass across the front of the goal.
She was there, the ball was there and the goalie was not. This was
the first goal of the game. The Rangers would get goals from Lindsay
Hoag and from Kirsten Carlson. Coach Wilson was heard saying after
the match "It is nice to get goals from other players on the
team. Today Lindsey and Ellie came to play and it showed. Ellie
Freeburn has the potential to score a lot of goals. It was a great
win. The entire team should be proud."
No match report submitted by Aston Villa.
The Rangers hosted the Paris St. Germain soccer club in
the second part of a double header held here over the weekend. The
Rangers had just won their earlier match and were slightly fatigued.
For the second match the roster was the same with the exception
of a switch at keeper. It was not long before the fatigue level
was showing in each Ranger players. They would not admit that they
were tired, but you could tell. Paris St. Germain scored the games
first goal of the match. The Rangers had to try and answer or the
game would get out of hand. Unfortunately, for the Rangers, Paris
St. Germain was able to score another goal making the score 2-0.
What would the Rangers do? Would they roll over or would they fight
back? The answer to that question came shortly after the kick off
as Ellie Freeburn scored the Rangers first goal nibbling away at
the lead 2-1. Just shortly after the first goal was scored the tying
goal was scored by Bridgett Hake. The score would stay 2-2 at the
half. The second half was very exciting as the Paris St. Germain
team took advantage of the Ranger fatigue. It paid off with a nice
2 on 1 that ended up in the goal. Score 3-1. There were several
minutes left in the game, but as the game went on the Ranger players
grew more and more exhausted. Coach Wilson was rotating players
as fast as he could. Paris St. Germain had gone into a defensive
set and had 2 players back at all times. They were still able to
be aggressive with this style of play. The Ranger team had seen
some of this style in their earlier game with Aston Villa and were
successful at breaking it. It appeared that the Ranger players were
just out of gas when Kirsten Carlsen scored the game tying goal.
It seemed as though all of Scotland was in the building as loud
as the cheering was. The Rangers had new life and the Paris St.
Germain team was now on the defensive. Their strategy had not paid
off. They played not to lose and not to win. There was a fury of
action in the waning moments of the match from both clubs. When
the horn sounded the final score was 3-3. The Ranger players shook
hands and left the field in a euphoric state. They will be tired
tomorrow. Coach Wilson said after the game "I challenged the
girls to score a goal. To beat the two defenders as they had done
in the first game. They accepted this challenge and succeeded. I
am so proud of these girls, they all gave 100%. It is a good thing
there are no games next weekend." Well done Rangers!!!!!!
No match report submitted by Paris St. Germain.
Gelredome, The Netherlands
Vitesse Arnhem jumped ahead at the start of the game and slowly
built the lead as time elapsed. Vitesse Arnhem took advantage of
Ajax's goalie dilemmas: A no show for their goalie that resulted
in a personnel switch sending a Vitesse player to act as GK on their
behalf. That turned into a nightmare when 2 or 3 quick goals had
been capitalized upon due the inexperienced goalie that Vitesse
gave them. Not to mention any names, but Kyle must have been looking
at the girls more attentively than at the ball. In seeing the Ajax
coache's smirk across the way, it was apparent that another personnel
change was required. Feeling guilty, Vitesse Arnhem replaced Kyle
with a GK that had less wandering eyes. But that wasn't enough to
keep Vitesse from attacking relentlessly. But we need to be clear
that Ajax didn't go down without a fight - most of the game, they
fought hard and earned those 4 goals (they didn't come cheap like
for Vitesse).
Brandywell Stadium, IrelandComing off of a hard battle against Crystal Palace the night
before, the boys of Derry City were fired up to play for a win.
Things were going well for Derry City the first half keeping a lead
on Kilmarnock. Late into the 2nd half, it seemed that Derry City
had things under control with a 4 - 2 lead with not much time remaining.
To the credit of Kilmarnock, they persisted and came up with 2 quick
goals to tie Derry City in an overall great game. Eugene had an
amazing goal - with his back to the goal about 15 feet from the
baseline in front of the goal, he receives a cross ball in the air
above the waist line and what looked like 1/3 of a bicycle kick
(as their GK came off the line to challenge Eugene), one touch from
Eugene and right over the head of the GK and into the back of the
net. It was simply beautiful to watch!
No match reports submitted.
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