no recap...

no recap...

Once again, Cobras started the game with 9 men, however, this time we ended that way as well. The 9 that were there put forth one of the best efforts of the year and probably deserved to win.

Cobras controlled almost the entire first half and had several half-chances to score until Amjad finally put away his own rebound on a controversial play. Rabbih was in an offside position, but wisely made no attempt to play the ball from Amjad, who continued on and finished a one on one with the goalie; 1-0.

The second half saw momentum shift as the opposition started to find the extra TWO players more regularly, and about halfway through the half they equalised on a break away, with Albert unlucky not to stop the shot.

The last 20 minutes cobras were pushed back in their own half a lot, but held their opponents to very few good scoring chances, as the game ended 1-1. A great effort from everyone, and MOM (or Men of the Match) goes to all 9 present for a solid performance...

Click here for recap...

Season is over.

no recap...won by forfiet

The headline says it all as the Viper’s went into Sunday’s match up with the Scudetto Trophy as the league champions on the line. This would not be an easy match up as the opponent this week was Mark Guzman’s CAZ Ranger team. Mark is known for his quality teams and today’s line up was no different.

As the match started both teams were a little tentative with the title up for grabs. The first half saw play each end of the field but strong defense by both teams did not allow for many real opportunities to score. It was evident that as the game moved along that one goal could prove to be the decisive strike that would put the game away for either side.

The second half was more of the same until about the 80th minute when Viper keeper Phillip Beere put the ball down the field to Matt Newman who turned and gave it to Trevor (Ohio) Warne who quickly headed to Barry Rybicki on a breakaway. Barry settled the ball and neatly struck it under the left arm of the Ranger keeper.

With a 1-0 lead and less than 10 minutes to play the Viper’s could sense the title. The Ranger’s forced now to push forward left the middle of the field exposed and central defender Quill Nebeker took advantage. With a run up the right side of the field Quill provide a well struck ball across the front of the Ranger box and in an effort to get back on defense a Ranger defender deflected the ball into his own net. The first ever goal for Quill threw him into a frenzied excitement and his teammate were all thrilled for him.

Now with a 2-0 lead the Viper’s were certain of their first ever league trophy and that will go nicely on the shelf with the SUASL Championship they won last spring (where is that trophy anyway). The Viper’s still have unfinished business as they enter the playoffs with the #1 seed and a big target on their backs but they are up for the challenge.

Man of the Match this week goes to Jason Kaiser, who played right full back in the place of Norbert Peto who was lost with a season ending knee injury. Jason played strong on the defensive line and had a couple of looonnngggg shots that were bound for the upper right corner of the net. If it wasn’t for a couple of good saves by the Ranger keep Jason may have had two goals on the day.

recap coming soon...

It was a great day for football but the football gods weren't looking over the Sand Dragons on the day. The side had 5 players out and as it turned out could have used one or all in the match.

Just as the game got started and about 5 minutes in, the Ref blew up for a penalty on a play that had an Incinerator player take a wonderful dive in the Sand Dragon's penalty box. 1 nil Incinerators.

The Sand Dragons made several attempts at goal during the half but couldn't convert and late in the half the Incinerators side scored on a hard hit shot which found the back of the net.

The second half saw more of the same. Good play from both sides and the Sand Dragons just couldn't convert any of their opportunities. Lack of finish was the real downfall for the Dragons on the day.

The match ended 3 nil and as the Sand Dragons are on the downswing they'll be playing the Blasters next week who are on a two game winning streak.

Kiko was out due to a motorcycle accident last Friday. His wife reports he's ok. Norbert is out for the season with a knee injury. Surgery to follow. And we want to wish all the best to Billy's mom who is in the hospital right now.

With the loss to the Incinerators the week before Easter, Saurus was put in the playoff bracket with another chance at the Incinerators. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful except for those with allergies. Several players were still out; Gary W, Gary F, Ed, Daniel, Scottie and the keeper, Lance.

The game started fairly well with both teams attacking. The only difference, the Incinerators put theirs in the net and ours went wide. Frank’s boys came to play and it seemed they were going to get the job done. Our hearts were in it but we didn’t seem to pass the ball quite as well. At the half it was 3-1 Incinerators.

The second half was a shade better with the Incinerators only scoring one goal. But Saurus would score none. Chris stepped up and played keeper for the first time in at least three seasons. He did well as could be expected… maybe better. So for his effort and for stepping up, Chris gets Man-of-the-Match. The game and the season would end 4-1 in favor of the Incinerators. Not our best season but not our worst.

After the game everyone went over to the west field to cheer in the Dragons in their battle with the O30 Incinerators. Apparently, they had our number in both divisions. But it didn’t’ stop us from having our sausages and beer.

The Cobras started at 6 on the east field and many of us stayed well past dark to cheer them on under the lights. They are a good bunch of guys but they just haven’t found the chemistry to win games.

Saurus would like to congratulate the Vipers for winning 2-0 over the Rangers to take their division in the EVSL. Well done guys!

Our other teams have a few games left but Saurus has only tournaments, Sunday practice and the fall season to look forward to. Until then… Go SDFC! Go Saurus!

no game - Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday normally a day of rest and family was not on the agenda for the Viper’s this inaugural year in the East Valley. The EVSL guru predicted Galaxy would pull out a 2-1 upset victory against us this weekend but the Guru was well off the mark as the Viper’s put any question of an upset well out of reach.

The Easter holiday proved to be a tough draw for the Viper’s as 6 players were unavailable due to injury and family commitments. Despite efforts by the Viper manager to get the game moved to a different day the league decided to move forward with games and had the Vipers scrambling for answers to field a full side.

With the addition of Lane Torres, Diego Borja and Nigel Forrest just hours prior to closing of the transfer / signing window the Viper’s were able to put together a formidable side that had the competition and the league reeling.

Galaxy did get on the board first when an offside trap was not executed as cleanly as it could have been and put the Viper keeper in a difficult one on one situation. Despite his efforts Galaxy was able to slip the ball in the corner of the net and take an early 1-0 lead.

That was about all that went right for Galaxy on this day and it didn’t take long before the Viper’s were back in the game and pulling away.

Lawrence House kept his 6 game scoring streak in tack and additional goals by Barry Rybicky and two each from Lane Torres and Diego (“where did you get these socks”) Borja all scored and lifted the team to a 6-1 victory.

The past three weeks have seen the Viper’s produce 14 goals for a 1 goal against and with a tough match up this week against Mark Guzman’s CAZ Rangers, the team looks to win the Scudetto league title and go into the playoff as the #1 seed.

Man of the Match this week goes to Norbert Peto, who despite what appears to be a season ending knee injuries sucked up the pain and came out to support his fellow mates.

Thanks John Nichols and Galaxy for a game well played and their sportsmanship.

no game - Easter Sunday

no game - Easter Sunday

no game - Easter Sunday

A rematch of last year's championship final pitted two teams going in opposite directions. The Zanjeros going for their fifth win of the season and fourth straight shutout against an ActiveI squad that has had trouble generating any momentum that they were rolling with at the end of last season. The game started as expected with the Zanjeros controlling much of the play with some early missed opportunities! However, about 20 minutes in Diego Borja converted a penalty kick with a nicely placed ball past a diving ActiveI keeper. The Zanjeros kept the pressure on for the rest of the first half but did not convert another goal before the whistle blew ending the first 45. Early in the second half Scott "Golden Boy" Campbell "nicely" beat four ActiveI players on his way to one of our best finishes of the season. Always "stellar" Charlie Morrow finished the days scoring with a nicely struck ball about half way through the second half to make the score Zanjeros 3: ActiveI.com 0.

This weekend was just another example of the Zanjeros continuing to gel at the right time, playing our best football of the season. Nice performances all around especially without Ricardo and "Sabado Gigante" who were unavailable for the game!

We look forward to the Easter weekend and moving towards another championship the following week!

Early games are never good and an 8:00 start proved to be difficult for the Viper’s to make, taking the field with 9 men against a full Zenit side. It didn’t seem to matter much that the Viper’s played short for the first 5 or so minutes of the game since play was controlled by the Viper’s at the Zenit end of the field. Extreme emergency keeper Dan Gallegos didn't even get a chance to touch the ball before starting keeper Phillip Beere was able to come on in relief.

Not much to say as the 6-0 score line speaks for itself. A dominating performance by the Viper’s from start to finish gave Zenit little chance to be in the match. Goals this week by Barry Rybicki (2), Lawrence House (2), Richard (Dre) Barton and Dan Gallegos proved to be more than enough to lead the Viper’s to their 4th victory of the season.

Men of the Match this week goes to the entire defense who for the second straight week have produced two shut outs. Jeff, Quill, Norbert, Ohio and Kaiser worked hard and did an outstanding job defending. New addition Phillip Beere in net, makes this defense one of if not the best in the league.

Cobras lost 2-0 in a disappointing game that saw few chances on either side.

The game started with a full squad for the second week in a row, but that could not prevent an early goal from a scramble in the penalty area.

The second goal came few minutes later on a similar situation, but the opposition took full advantage and scored on a great strike. It was 2-0 at the half, and we were determined to get back into the game.

The second half started well, and the opposition went down a man to a second yellow. We all should have watched "Old School" and remembered Will Ferrell's speech ("We gotta keep our composure !!" and "we can't have anybody freaking out out there!"...) anyway, apparently nobody had seen it...

We did loose our composure, and even had a few freakin' out out there... The game was 10 on 10 when Jeff A got sent off for a second yellow, and we even had to put Jimmy in goal for the last 25 minutes or so.

Despite all this a few late chances came our way, but we just could not capitalize. It ended 2-0, and MOM goes to Jimmy who "volunteered" to play in goal.

The weather was perfect after a bit of a sprinkle on Saturday. Not even enough to soften the pitch.

The Sand Dragons started off well, moving the ball down the field while Samba kept their offense in motion. But at the 30th minute the Sand Dragons dropped a goal to the Samba side after not converting the numerous chances they made for themselves. And the half ended 1 nil.

After 10 minutes of the second half and an unlucky defensive miscue, the Dragons found themselves plucking the ball out of the back of the net and the score 2 nil.

The rest of the match had the Dragons pressing but still couldn't convert for a score. Samba also kept up the pressure but the defense was solid after the goal and the match ended as a Disappointing loss.

Most of the match saw the Sandymen playing very well but there was no way to win with out the goals. Next week is Easter so there will be no league games.

See you in two weeks, then.

There was a question as to the weather and if we would play. Some said we should call Stephen’s house for the answer. The weather was cloudy with rain on the mountains to the North. Maybe we should have stayed home… but we didn’t.

On this day, Tom, Geordie, Glennon, Jim, F Dave and both Gary's would be missing from the lineup. Gary W showed up to run the line again. We still had substitutes available but with key players out having a good lineup can be a difficult task… sometimes a guess. After talking with the leaders, Will put a starting team on the field. Instinct said put up a wall of the best defenders. He didn’t exactly go with that… but he should have. It was a tough loss and due mostly to one poor coaching decision. The game went like this:

The Incinerators didn’t have a substitute till the half but their pace on the ball was very good the whole game. They really put it to us. The first 15 minutes of the game we were really flat and defenseless. The Incinerators scored 3 goals. Lance did all he could in goal but he didn’t have a chance. Ed and Mike were playing injured and Dave found himself having to cover big Rich. It was not a good combination. Gary made a few substitutions that helped a little but they found net two more times to make it 5-0 Incinerators at the half.

At the half the coaching brain-fart was corrected and Tim was moved to the back line with Daniel. It really helped. In the second half Saurus seemed to settle a bit and actually get the ball into the Incinerator end. At 60 minutes, Mark Wyzo found himself in the box with the ball at his feet. He hit a hard shot to left and Saurus was on the board. It would be our only goal and so Wyzo gets Man-of-the-Match. He saved the shutout. Well done Wyzo!

The Incinerators did get one more to make it 6-1 but it was a MUCH better half. It was coach’s loss. Kudos to the team for playing hard, remaining calm and not getting angry at each other. I guess we were all thinking ahead to sausages and beer. Win or loose, we always have a good time. It’s easy with so many good people.

We all learned a valuable lesson with regard to our defense. More important, the coach learned something about himself. Now we just have to remember for next game… if there is a next game this season. Keep your fingers crossed that 8 teams go to the playoffs. If not, see you at practice or at a pub near you… and remember, there’s always next year!

The Zanjeros, playing in yet another early game, looked to dismantle a team in Mesopotamia that only last season had given our squad an unnecessary test.

This weekend proved to be a different story as the Zanjeros “football rapido” style (Lane Torres coined phrase) was put into play perfectly. It was our goal to start early and demoralize Mesopotamia and put some much needed scoring opportunities in the net. We played well and began the scoring onslaught ending the first frame Zanjeros 3: Mesopotamia 0.

The Zanjeros came out of halftime with a desire to put the game away with some early second half goals. It was not long before goals by Lano, Diego, Charlie, Juice, Adonis, Marshall and others started flowing. The game ended Zanjeros 9: Mesopotamia 0. It was the team’s third straight shutout and 4 this season in 6 matches.

Man of the Match honors go to the whole team for an inspired effort for 90 minutes and for overcoming being without Bryan Sabato and Nebraska Scott! Good effort by all and we look forward to ActiveI.com next Sunday!

bye...

Cobras started the game with a full squad for the first time in several weeks, and showed right away that with 11 players we can beat anyone.

A great pass from Amjad to Rabbih, followed by a cool finish on the break-away put us up 1-0 about 10 minutes into the game. Just minutes later a shot from Amjad about 25 yards out found the top corner over the goalies hands, and the score was 2-0 at the half.

The second half started out well, but the opposition slowly got more of the game, and there were a few missed opportunities on both sides. With about 15 minutes to go, the score became 2-1, and Cobras were forced back into their own half for much of the last quarter of the game. An unlucky bounce on a clearance was put away nicely to level the score at 2-2 with seconds left in the game.

All in all a pretty fair result, but disappointing considering the lead with minutes left in the game.

MOM honors are shared between Amjad for some great play, and goalie Jason Benge for some great clearances on set pieces, and his willingness to sacrifice his body (including several teeth!!) for the cause...

The warmest match so far. In the low 80's and the club picnic to follow. 3 starters were out. Rob Heuer, Ricky Tilmans and Chris Brown. (who's wife just had a baby-well done!)

Not a lot to say about such a poor result. Mostly a lack of concentration when on defense coupled with a lack of exectution and creativity in the offensive half. Time of possession ran about even for the entire match.

4 goals in the first half and Club International made about half of thier attempts at goal including a sneaky quick free kick taken without a whistle which made it 2 nil. That was just after thier first goal which also caught the normally diligent Sand Dragons defense...watchng the circus rides.

The second half saw the Sand Dragons reformat thier line up and move players back into their regular spots. Play was tighter in the back and the SD's keeper made several saves but the the Sand Dragons impotent offense couldn't manage to create anything of value.

5 nil at the final whistle and the squad will put this misfortune away and concentrate on the second half of the season as they contend for the championship spot. There will be no playoffs this season. 1st place team will be crowned Champions.

The squad enjoyed a great club picnic afterwards with great food, drink and music, (Thanks to Hugo's DJ buddy who rocked the following match). This season isn't over yet. More to come...

The 13th of March was a beautiful day for a picnic. If you were on the sidelines or the afternoon games it was fantastic. There were chairs and canopies everywhere. And I’m sure there was no shortage of food and beer either.

But on the field it was a different story. The warning signs of a long hot summer to come had arrived. Everyone felt it. It almost seemed you couldn’t get enough water to drink. And everyone would have to work harder and longer as some of our key players were missing.

Tim had to work, Jim was out with a hammy, Gary pulled a calf and Geordie was visiting family in England. Last weeks Man of the Match, Gary Fallon was late and didn’t arrive till halftime because of other commitments. But with all the missing players we still managed to have four substitutes on the sidelines at the start of the game.

Tom did the lineup and Will headed to the center to do the toss as captain of the match. Saurus won the toss and elected to take the slight wind and sun angle advantage, Yugo would kick off. The game would start a little late as Yugo wasn’t ready on time... but they did have enough players. In fact, they tried to start with 13 on the field.

As expected, Saurus came out a little flat, but so did Yugo. Thank goodness the defense was up to form from the start. When the light finally came on Saurus started stringing passes together. About 25 minutes in, Nigel Forrest played a ball into space directly in front of Will who raced to the end line, pinching in on the near side post with every step. There was a slight pause at the corner of the keeper’s box when Will spotted Gerry Corrigan running into the box and to the far post. Gerry followed the play perfectly and was waiting. Will hit the ball around the defender and then ran across the end line. Gerry hit the ball first time past the helpless keeper and put it in back of the net. It was like they’d all been playing together for years and yet it was just Gerry’s first match with Saurus.

In the 40th minute, Will would get another ball into space, this time from Gerry. This time it was pushed down the left side of the field. Yugo only had one defender back and Gerry and Nigel were following the play, ready for the cross. At the 18 yard box Will tried to cross the ball with the left foot but the defender put a foot in and the ball went back to Will. Three more steps and Will tried again to poke the ball through but with much less power. The ball did get around the defender but it was not a good cross at all. However the Yugo keeper was confused with the other lines on the field. He thought we had crossed the end line so he let it roll. And it rolled right into the back of the net. It was such a slow shot that if Will were five yard further out the ball wouldn’t have even made it to the back of the net… but it counted… Nice shot Nancy. The Daisy Popgun prevailed. The crowd (pregame and postgame club members) just behind the goal, went berserk! Several beers where opened on the end line simultaneously after that one.

Saurus now had the lead and an insurance goal. The half would end just a few minutes later. In the second half Yugo would come out strong and actually made the Saurus keeper, Lance work to keep Saurus on top. Yugo made several hard shots and even rang the post once but Lance and the defense wouldn’t let them in. In the 65th minute Will would get a great pass from the left side. He would slow and turn to goal just outside the 18 yard box to scan for an open man. Jason found some space at the top of the box inside a very crowded penalty area. The Yugo defense was on him quickly and he fought to keep the ball. Two steps later he would hit the ball hard to the left side of the goal to give Saurus a 3 goal lead.

The remainder of the game Yugo had some injury problems which slowed the game down a bit. Will had a few more runs deep and even rang the post once with a shot reminiscent of a Rocket Rob blast. And what’s up with Wyzo? He ran hard till the last minute.

The ball wouldn’t go into the goal again… for either team. The defense had kept Yugo from scoring, three different Saurus players scored and Will had a nice pair of assists. Really not a bad day at all if you play for Saurus. Saurus wins 3-0.

The whole defense gets kudos for a game well played. Gerry Corrigan gets a pat for stepping up as a new guy, impressing everyone, filling in for Tim in a big way, and netting a goal. Gary Waylen gets the thanks of his teammates for coming to the game to run the sidelines. The Man-of-the-Match goes to Willbo for his two assists and the brilliantly ugly goal...counted.

Next week is the last regular season game. It’s the makeup for a canceled match with The Incinerators. We need the win to get into a playoff berth. Be there… Play hard… Go Saurus!

recap coming...

3 Cheers for no rain outs! Vipers were playing JP Development today. From what we've seen, they appeared to be a decent team. Coming off a hard loss last week, Vipers had no choice but to get back in it.

Within the first 15 minutes, Vipers were moving the ball and playing aggressive. Our efforts were not left unfulfilled. We scored a GOOOOOOOOOOAL! This put JP Development on the defensive for the rest of the game. Vipers dominated the field and our defense easily keep the opponent at bay. A little after 15 minutes, Danny G. scores with cross the mouth shot/pass from within 10 yards of the end line, if that. GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

Half-time was well rested and a few areas discussed along with our plan for the next 40 minutes(or 38.something I think it was). JP Development would come out with a, what seemed to be like a last ditch kick ball game, plan that seemed to have missed the word team. They couldn't make anything happen because their passing game just was not there today. However, for about 10 minutes Vipers fell into that same game which we new was nonsense.

A few buck ups from our captain, Barry, and we shortly got back to moving the ball well. The game would end 2-0, Vipers. Somehow I think we all new it should have been 5-0, but this damn keeper must have jinxed the top crossbar. THERE'S ONE 'tink'...AH OOHHH! YEAH, IT'S I..n.'tink'.. DAMN! WHAT THE??? Yes, 3 times in the second half. Well boys, we're just gonna have to keep 'em down a little.

I think everybody had a pretty fantastic game. Well played D, gentlemen. Midfielders, awesome hustle today. Mids and Forwards, smokin' set ups, through balls and crosses. Keeper, well done. Ace! Thanks JP Development and good luck through the season! Well done Vipers! Cheers.

recap coming...

Another 4 PM match saw the Sand Dragons with a few late starters but managed 11 at the opening whistle. Oasis had a bit of a shortage at the start themselves as they played the first 5 minutes down a player.

The Sandymen took control right away and really dominated possession the entire first half. The Oasis keeper did well to save several good attempts very early on. About 10 minutes in Ricky Tilmans scored the Sandymen's first goal. Rob Heuer dished the ball to an oncoming Tilmans who was calling for the set up. Ricky hit a ripper of a shot from the top of the box that found the back of the net giving the Oasis keeper no chance.

As the half winded down, the Sand Dragons kept the ball in the Oasis half most of the time but weren't able to put enough finish on any of the attacks although several attempts by various players hit the post or crossbar nearly scoring. The Sand Dragons keeper had only 1 easy save in the first 45 minutes and nearly nothing else to do.

The second half saw more of the same including more shots to the post and crossbar, from the Sandymen, but as time passed the Oasis side showed hope that they might even the score and attacked with more players each time but really only managed to concern the keeper only once or twice. Sandymen sweeper, Hugo Suarez, had a very good second half turning back the Oasis forwards countless of times. The entire defensive unit kept the clean sheet intact and also did well the second half to snatch the ball and move it up the field with relative ease as they did in the first half.

It wasn't until the last 10 minutes that the Sandymen would finally put in the clincher. It was Rowdy Rob Heuer who played with a nagging injury from last week's match that scored the Sand Dragon's second to put the score line at 2-0.

The final 10 minutes had the Sand Dragons go defensive as they locked up their half and simply ran the clock out. During this time one of the Oasis players was ejected by the referee for dissent.

Hugo was bucking for man of the match with his second half play but the Sand Dragons Man of the Match award this week has to go to Ricky Tilmans for scoring the game winner and having a very well played match.

The match gives the Sand Dragons another 3 points and an increase in their goal average to keep them in first place.

Next week the Sand Dragons line up as the main event as they play the Club International FC Old Boys for 1st place points at 2 PM with the SDFC Club Picnic as the background.

The first meeting this season between the two sides resulted in a 1-1 draw. Both are even with points but the Sand Dragons remain in first due to goal average.

Playing this day was in question for another bad weather day was upon us. The SUASL website had no cancellation message so most of us went to the field. It was raining in the East valley but not in North Scottsdale at the field. Glennon, Wyzo, Jim and Geordie were out... and Stephan assumed we were rained out, so he didn't show. So the beer cooler didn't show either. No worries. There's always next week... AND the week after.

The game began with a request for a United player to change jersey. This seemed to irritate some of their players, but the rule says same color uniforms and the center ref called for the change.

Saurus played well from the beginning especially the midfield. They set the pace, getting the ball in play for shots. Ten minutes in, the ball was pushed up from the midfield to Will who raced to the goal on the right of the 18 box. A hard shot bounced off the chest of the keeper. Jim Flanagan followed up the shot and cleaned up the loose ball to put Saurus up by one. Jim has proven to be a marquee player after only a few games with the team.

For the remainder of the half there were many hard tackles by and some yellow card rewards for the AZ United squad. The penalties slowed down the game and Saurus. There were several attempted shots but none found net. United capitalized on the change in pace and made a few runs on goal but the Saurus defensive unit really played well. Another new player, Gary Fallon had a stellar game, shutting down United’s top offensive threat. The half would end with Saurus up 1 nil.

The second half started with a drizzle and by the 60 minute mark it was raining pretty good. Passes and shots were squirting all over the field. But eventually some good things happened. First, Gary Waylen had a few nice cracks at the ball and eventually nailed his once a game chip over the keepers head. It was brilliant. Next, Nigel found a good piece of a corner kick and blasted it into the United player guarding the near post. It bounced hard up into the top corner of the net. Nigel rejoiced. Gary shouted, Own Goal! Own Goal! But it was Nigel's... he earned it, this being the second game Nigel got a bloody nose.

AZ United did manage to get a goal but it was all over but the crying. Saurus would win its first regular season game of the spring season, 3 -1.

Man-of-the-Match goes to Gary Fallon for having his way with the AZ United strikers… and also because it was such a vast improvement over the last game, his first with Saurus. Well done Gary.

Next week is the club picnic and a makeup game against either The Incinerators or Yugo at 12 noon. We play after the Cobras and before the Dragons on the West Field at McDowell. With three games in a row and lots of food and beer it should be a fantastic day.

Week after week the rains continued to fall drowning any opportunity to return to the pitch for both the Zanjeros and the entire Sanddragons Football club. Finally, with the arrival of Sunday and a healthy dose of sunshine we were ready to take the field in an effort to gather momentum and a better result than the week before. However, it would seem that the rain washed away more than just game days, but our numbers as well.

We took the field with a total of 12 players as vacations, prior commitments and injuries had raised its ugly head as it sometimes does. Withstanding the obvious the Zanjeros went on to control and dictate the entire match against a well manned Four Peaks side. Play throughout the first half yielded countless unrealized opportunities that can only be explained as unlucky.

The second half proved to be a repeat performance of the first. Scoring opportunities continued to be denied as their keeper made quick reaction saves and their side began to take a more defensive posture in an effort to maintain the score line.

Defensively the Zanjeros were never really as tested and a big applause goes out to the entire unit of Cal Detwiler (For his steady play in place of the always formable Sabato Gigante) Tyler Harrison for his rock solid presence in the middle, Jeff Johnson and Rich Briggs for their steady performances on the outside denying dangerous crossing opportunities, and to Joel Clapick for controlling the box and extinguishing the few threats that arose.

Great effort and energy by all with better results to come as the Zanjeros take the field in what promises to be the beginning of a great run.

Rain was finally out of the forecast and the Viper’s looked to improve on our 2-0 start facing a Sunderland team that also was off to the same 2-0 start.

Weeks of layoff were evident from the begging as the Viper’s struggles to maintain any sort of consistent play at both ends of the pitch.

The match was a grueling affair with some hard nose play at both ends but the Viper’s were not intimidated and controlled most of the play the entire match.

Had it not been for the oppositions keeper, Sunderland would have been run off the field in the first half. He was there though and it was as if he had sold his soul to the devil as he made save after miraculous save. Rebounds, deflections, one on ones, you name it he saved it.

The Viper’s were finally able to beat the Sunderland keeper twice late in the match, the first goals he had given up all season and had opportunities to tie the game up with about 5 minutes to go but the Sunderland keeper was having none of it.

The result a 3-2 loss. We tip our cap to the Sunderland keeper and look forward to the next time we meet up again, there is no way he can still be standing on his head by then.

No man of the match this week as we all will absorb this loss as a team.

recap coming...

Everyone was really happy that we were finally playing again. With the bye and rain outs it seemed like a month since we played last. And a great day for footie it was.

The Blasters FC showed up with just 11 by the time the first whistle blew. The Sand Dragons had a full squad minus Kiko who was off skiing in Colorado. Belgians ski?

The match started off with the Sandymen taking full control of possession and the first 5 minutes saw captain Vinny getting closer and closer to scoring. Then just before the 8 minute mark he did just that. Goal! And yes, the Sandymen were pleased with that one.

Less than 5 minutes later Rowdy Rob Heuer put the ball past the keeper and it looked like the game could get out of hand. The first 20 minutes saw the Sandymen keep the ball almost entirely in the Blasters half.

The Blasters did manage to get their act together over the course of the following 15 minutes and made several counter attacks forcing the Sand Dragons keeper to make 4 saves in the half. Two of them were quite well saved indeed.

The closing 10 minutes had the Sandymen taking over possession and just dominating but couldn't convert anything.

As half time ended with the most dangerous score in football, 2 nil, the Sand Dragons were determined not to allow a goal as well as scoring a few more on the former champions.

But the Blasters side made the second half much more of a match as possession went about even the entire 45 minutes. Both sides had more chances. 3 saves for the Sand Dragons keeper and several for the Blasters keeper as well although it wasn't so much great saves on the other end as it was a lack of finish by the Sand Dragons that kept the score where it was. The Blasters threw many players into every attack and at times the back line felt the pressure and pain as Sandymen sweeper, Hugo Suarez gave the crowd a photo op as he cleared a ball using his old bicycle. Wow!

Ricky Tilmans and Scott McKinney played their first match as Sandymen and the fans weren't disappointed in the least as both had a fine game. The entire team played well especially not having played together for over a month and with several new players on the squad many had not yet met until just before the starting whistle blew.

Man of the Match goes to Vince Nagy for the winning goal, scoring early to put the victory away.

Great job from Mick with the beer and Chris as well. He'll miss next week's match but brought the beer this week which was fine as we drank it all and even outlasted our Blaster friends as the Sandymen were the last to leave the park.

The game puts the Sandymen in first place, tied on points with the Internationale FC Old Boys but first due to goal average.

Saurus players looked forward to the day when there would be weather enough to take the field. And as a bonus, Tim returned from England and Will returned from Mississippi. There were a few players that couldn’t make the game. But no worries… Saurus has a good size roster, more than enough to handle a few vacations. Sambapati would enter the match in first place, a full 5 points in front of Saurus. The whole division was hoping we would steal the points that would vault them way ahead of the rest of the division. The team would play well, keeping it close. But in the end Sambapati would take the points.

The game started with Saurus taking it to the ‘Pati end at will. They were in full defensive posture. About 25 minutes in, ‘Pati had a break away and managed to fill the box effectively. The ball was banged around by Saurus defenders who were unable to clear for all the bodies. Eventually one of the players found a way to tap around Lance for the goal. There was an offside call by the linesman but the center over ruled and ‘Pati was awarded the goal. The teams would go to the sidelines with Saurus down by a goal.

In the second half of play Saurus would again dominate from the start but couldn’t get it in the net. It seemed the game would end 1 – 0 in favor of Sambapati but in the 80th minute one of the new players took down a player on the attack inside the box. It was just reaction as this was the first game with our team and slide tackles were legal last time they were on the field. Fault goes to the Captain, Will, who didn’t cover new rule changes with the newbies. Lesson learned. They will know next time.

Kudos to the defense and keeper for keeping it tight but Man of the Match has to go to the whole midfield (Tim, Chris, Jason, Wyzo, Stephan and Daniel) for giving us the control we had been missing in recent matches. Well done!

Also of note: The Refs for this game may be the best we’ve ever had in SUASL. The Linesmen actually made good calls and the Center Ref, Fabio kept the game in order making every call to keep the game clean and fun. Thanks to the whole Ref Team. We hope to see you again next weekend and in coming games.

Withstanding the combination of the FBR open, 8:00 match start, sickness, and the always formable Saturday night, the Zanjeros were able to jump to an early 2 goal lead led by Charlie Morrow's nose for the goal and well orchestrated ball control performance by the entire team.

As we saw it the Zanjeros were off to what we expected to be solid victory against an always tough Tempe Devils team.

With the conclusion of the first half which presented many quality opportunities and near misses the team was poised to take the field and finish off our opponent and enjoy Super Bowl Sunday with friends and family.

It was at that moment that it happened, the entire second half to be exact. We made a fatal change in our game plan and instead of taking the field we decided to pull up our chairs, put our mouth on the tail pipe, and suck.

While in this position the Tempe Devils took the opportunity to measure two unanswered goals that left the Zanjeros wondering what might of been.

In the end this is why we play the game and if nothing more we will return to the pitch with new resolve and focus.

recap coming soon...

Coming off a great second half performance last week the Viper’s were looking to continue the success with a victory against the Longbows.

After 5 minutes of play it was clear that the Viper’s were the stronger side and the game had the look of being the lopped sided affair it was to become.

Overwhelming midfield and forward play by the Viper’s helped create five goals with finishes from Rob Fattouch, Trevor (Ohio) Warne, Lawrence House, and two from Richard (Dre) Barton.

The Viper defense played a strong game only allowing a couple of Longbow opportunities but Darin Cooper was up to the challenge in net and negated the threats.

Man of the Match goes to Richard (Dre) Barton for his offensive prowess. With two goals and great ball distributions Dre was a dominant force. If he would have shown up on time he may have had a hat trick. Honorable mention goes to the entire defense for pitching a shut out.

recap coming soon...

The weather cooperated although many thought the fields might be closed due to the rain earlier in the week. Actually the pitch was not in great condition, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either.

The previous meeting of the two sides saw Oasis beat the Sand Dragons 5-2 last season. The revenge match wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

The Sandymen took control right away playing possession ball and scoring early. Rob Heuer scored his first of the day about 10 minutes in.

Rob's second goal came from a great through ball by Simon Roberts at the right back position. As Simon put the ball through Rudy and Goge began chastising him for bypassing the midfield and as the two were brow beating Simon, Rob put the ball past the keeper and Simon's pass needed no further justification as Rudy and Goge finished their rant with congratulations after all.

The third goal came from Rudy Torres who's free kick was placed just where it should have been for someone to put a nice finish on it. And as Rudy put the ball in he remembered what he was told as a kid. Always put that ball inside the back post just in case. As the ball sailed into the box everyone had a go at it but in the end it simply hit the back post and went in for what felt like the final nail in the coffin. Rob then completed his hat trick with goal number 4 late in the half.

The Sandymen's keeper had much of nothing to do most of the half but in the last 10 minutes made 2 diving saves to keep the game in hand.

As the second half started the Sand Dragons were caught watching as an Oasis player moved the ball around in front of the box. With the defenders all marking their man it was the Dragon's midfield that failed to pick up the player who put the ball over the keeper who by that time had moved off the line to position himself for the free shot. A terrible gift.

With that done the Sand Dragons once again gained the majority of ball possession and scoring the 5th goal after 20 minutes had past. The 6th came from a nice header finished by Mark Jensen with about 10 minutes left to play.

Three players played their first match of the season for the Sandymen. Andy Honker, who managed 4 assists from the offensive center mid position. Gus Espinel playing right midfield and Simon Roberts who played most of the match at right back.

Kiko did a great job filling in at Sweeper for Hugo Suarez who was missing in action but it's Rob Heuer who wins the Man of the Match award for his 4 goals on the day. Kiko's selection of beer for the post match tradition also deserves mention. Thanks Kiko.

Team Saurus continues to falter defensively, however, put forth a much better effort for the game on the 30th of January.

Playing more defensively minded, we were able to handle much of the attack from Pumas but lapsed enough times in an effort that saw the tying goal come through with less than one minute to go.

On a more positive note, the offense juggled their lineup adding Jason and Chris to provide a more powerful punch which rewarded us with a more even balanced attack. As usual, Gary Waylen scored to continue his string of games with a goal (3). Yigael converted to the back line and appeared to adjust with no problems (talk about adversity).

Looking forward to the next game, Team Saurus will continue to focus defensively.

The Zanjeros, defending 2A champions, looked to avenge their only defeat of last year against Arsenal.

The game started very well for the Zanjeros putting much pressure on the opponents goal with a solid performance by the whole team. About 20 minutes in the Zanjeros' Charlie Morrow, Harvard alum, put the squad up 1-0 with a nicely hit ball passed the Arsenal keeper.

The Zanjeros continued pressure the rest of the first half proved all for not as Arsenal put in a tying goal towards the end of the first half.

The Zanjeros, however, came out of halftime with a desire to put the game away with two second half goals by Marlon Fern and Charlie Morrow. It was a nice start to the season and justified win over an inferior team.

Man of the Match honors go to the whole team for an inspired effort for 90 minutes and for overcoming a pre-season injury by our seasoned captain, Lane Torres.

Good effort by all and we look forward to Scottsdale United next Sunday!

Anticipation was high as the Vipers took the field looking to get a win in their first ever EVSL league game. With some of the best talent to date this team is looking to build on a strong showing over the past two seasons.

The game started quickly with the Vipers taking clear control and when Lawrence House ripped a shot off the left post the GRFC Claim Jumpers heard the loud ring of our intentions. The Vipers dominated play in the opponents end, hitting the other post and the cross bar with tremendous shots created from good team play but couldn’t get it past a good GRFC keeper.

Unable to get any much needed pre-season games and with three new additional on the back line along with a new keeper in net this season there was some confusion that lead to 2 ugly GRFC goals on Viper breakdowns.

Showing the same resilience of Vipers team of past Viper there was no quit in this group and right before half-time Lawrence House drew the Viper’s within one beating the GRFC keeper.

Half-time conversation focused on getting the defensive set up organized and continuing our onslaught on the GRFC goal. It wouldn’t be long before the Viper drew even and then went ahead to stay. Second half goals by Barry Rybicki, Richard (Dre) Barton and Lance Bajkowski. GRFC was completely shut down in the second half and never threatened the Viper net thanks to strong defensive team play and good goal keeping by Darin Cooper.

Man of the Match goes to Barry Rybicki for his strong play and leadership on the field. Barry is credited with one goal and one assist. Honorable mention goes to the entire team for showing the determination it takes to win.

recap coming soon...

Just a lovely day for footie. Everything cooperating except player's schedules as the Sandymen played with 11 and no subs.

The Club Internationale Old Boys side only had a couple of subs themselves.

The first half saw both sides with matching possession and both having their opportunities. It was Club Int. that scored first in the 40th minute, after the Sand Dragons' keeper made a save from a shot coming out of a crowd. The ball, which wasn't held, bounced dangerously in the box while the Sand Dragons were caught ball watching. A Club Int. player put it past everyone including the keeper who was flopping around on the ground like a landed fish.

The second half saw renewed vigor from the Sandymen. Good passing to the feet and possession play led to the tying goal. The ball was played quickly from the back to Rudy Torres and in turn Rudy moved quickly with the ball up the field. He spotted Rowdy Rob Heuer and dished a nice ball to Rob who took the ball the rest of the way and slotted the ball past the Club Internationale keeper.

The next 30 minutes saw the Sandymen dominate play and the Club Int. side showing frustration.

The final 10 minutes seemed to go all Club Int.'s way but with a great save from Goge and a last minute tackle on the goal line from Hugo, the score would remain all level.

Not a bad start to the season. The Sand Dragons really could have used a few more players and most felt it would have made the difference between a win and a tie.

New signings, Chris Brown and Mick Reavey played well for the Sandymen and showed what a great fit they are for the side. The 11 that made the match certainly played well considering several of them were coming off recent injuries. Kiko played the whole match with a strained calf muscle. He wasn't the most graceful player on the pitch but he certainly did make himself useful. Ironman award goes to Kiko for sticking it out when we really needed him to.

Man of the Match goes to Hugo Suarez, Sand Dragon's sweeper for his last minute heroics. He really paid for it too. The Referee had to stop the match for about 5 minutes as both sides literally scraped their players off the goal posts.

Hugo Suarez, Mark Jensen, Kiko Fierin and Rob Heuer all earned their 3rd season Sandymen T-shirt. Well done.

The game started off well with 5 subs on the bench... And Mirage didn't have a sub. During the first half we capitalized with two goals and allowed none. The first was off the foot of Gary Waylen from just outside 18. He basically chipped