Orangemen vs Reston August 2016

I haven't posed a match result in a while. I think primarily because we haven't been producing games to write home about. While our first game of the 2016 Fall season changed all of that. On Saturday night, despite the sweltering 95 degrees as kickoff, against a very strong Reston team, arranged at the last minute, we produced a 3 to 3 tie and a Hat Trick for Jason.

Players on Saturday included...
Mooch (returning from a weekend Tourney in VA Beach)
Matt who brought a guest - central defense
Maurico and Alfredo - both having been absent a few games due to injury
Jason (our man of the match who brought a new Pentagon player)
Gene - keeper
Lalo (a new recruit, also from the DoD) - left defense
Jamal (who has begun playing with Orange after a long time absent)
Ogre - midfield
and Mike, who we drafted from the sidelines who we will also call up for future matches.

I played Jason up from for the first time...with Matt and his guest opting to shore up the defense. Lalo stepped right into the right full back position vacated by Karl as he decided to go bike riding in Switzerland.

We played well through out the game. Ball movement from the back produced run after run, and Jason tried to get on the end of every one. Jason produced three goals...one shot low and to the left. On shot from out side the box into the upper right hand corner, and his hat trick, robbing the keeper of the ball who had come out, stepping around him, and keeping his composure to place the ball into the net.

Other opportunities including a long throw from Matt, with Mooch standing in the box behind all of the defenders. No one thought Matt could hurl a ball close to 40 yards, but he carried the defense and Mooch tried to flick it into the upper 90, missing only by inches. A final opportunity saw a great run by Jason down the left flank, delivering a cross into the box that Jamal finished, only to be called back as an off sides.  Final score was 3 to 3.  Reston fought hard to come back and save the tie.






It was a great game...and we enjoyed a few drinks on the sidelines after the game...something we haven't done in a while but will continue through the Fall season.

Orangemen vs Braddock Road Feb 2016

With the snow from Snowzilla leaving only a few dirty mounds in the parking lot, the league turned on all games for the weekend.  At 1 pm the Orangemen assembled to kick off their hibernation status and take on Braddock Road at Poplar Tree Park.   The temperature showed 28 in the morning but had climbed to a balmy 43 by kickoff…  It didn’t make a difference, most players kicked off their sweats, hats, and gloves, it felt like spring time..

Assembled to play were a couple of new faces but here was the line up…

Bryan in goal (First half)

Golden sweeping

New guy on right fullback

Eric (New guy Brit) left full back

Cris right halfback

Mo in central midfield

Tedd in central midfield

Gene a left halfback

Bernie up top

Karl M up top

Mooch

Q ‘s friend

Peter Z

and Steve Harris started on the bench.

It was clear we had a great defensive line up and could control the ball.  All through the first half we were pressing and Bryan rarely had an opportunity to touch the ball.  Kendall, who was playing Keeper for Braddock, on the other hand, had his work cut out for him.  Bernie pulled the trigger on a couple of shots that went high...and we had others…

With four subs Mooch had to make a few changes to the line-up to get everyone on the pitch.  He pulled Gene and sent in Q’s friend.  Then he added Peter Z up top for Karl, and worked Steve in as right back.  Later, Mooch would join the side for Mo.

We were dominating the half, it wasn’t clear why we were not stretching the net.  Kendall was making a few saves...but they were soft...he just wasn’t being challenged by the shots.  On a breakaway, Bryan was challenged once and make a great blocking save from point blank range while back peddling.  

Mooch came on and began playing in the right halfback position and Cris slid into the center with Tedd.  It was clear he wasn’t being heavily defended on the right so a few passes came through to him.  He was feeding it forward into space...and on three separate occasions the strikers were called for offsides…  Very close calls, wish we has some line judges or instant replay to see them again.  All of them looked good to Mooch.

The opening score came when we were in the box, the cross came in from the left, Mooch was running onto it from the right.  Peter was close and with those long legs had a play on the ball.  Mooch yelled for him to leave...and was surprised when he did.  Mooch hit it cleanly and lifted it up and toward the left corner.  Kendall had taken a step off his line and immediately recognized his mistake.  He back peddled and reach for it..but it was too high and dropped under the crossbar.  The Orangemen had scored.  1 to 0.  Just before the break, some would say after time had elapsed, Braddock had a break…  With our sweeper out of position, it was a one on one with Bryan.  Bryan had defended two similar breaks early on...but this one he was back peddling and the striker got a soft shot off to the far right post.  It carried in.  The half ended and to start the second half we continued our dominance.  Bryan started up top...and along with Bernie and a few more chances…

In the end both teams held...but the Orangemen had far more chances…  Mooch can’t complain about the passing and the control because we dominated.  It’s hard to say why we didn’t score a few more.  But...as always...a tie is better than a loss and had we not been out there playing well...Braddock would have easily done damage to us.  Great game Orangemen.  

Oh...I forgot to mention the Red Card.  This year the ref is going to give a Yellow card for dissent to try to keep the game under control early on.  A yellow card for dissent is one thing...but if you keep up the dissent and earn a Red Card there is no real excuse.  Players who can’t keep their mouth shut, can’t keep their emotions under control.  Hot heads are who the league is looking to suppress.  A lot of changes coming this year...including more liability safeguards up to and including insurance...which will definitely increase game costs…

So...our last Red Card was Feb 2015 (I believe that was our Bolivian Rancher).  Now we’ve dropped our consecutive days without a Red to zero.  I have to report to the league what happened...and then assess where to go from there...in the past a Red Card for two yellows might not result in a two game suspension.  Two yellow cards for dissent...absent any violence is a new one on me.  I will have to consult with the team elders before I pass judgement.