Season 2 – League Match #8
Screamin’ Seamen vs. Farmer of Fire
Date: February 2, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 17,350 (17,350)
Weather: Partly cloudy
Today we have our rubber-match against the 5th place Farmer of Fire team. Our 1-1 draw with them last weekend has placed us in a tough spot as far as the standings are concerned. We dropped a full two points behind league-leading Ramblers, and only two points ahead of a red-hot Croats in Miami team. However, we expect to have a much better showing this time out. Last week’s match was played in a downpour, and we are not a good wet-weather team. The weather today looks to be much more in our favor.
I’m actually more concerned with holding on to second place than I am about claiming first. Ramblers certainly appear to be the class team in the series, and any chances we have of claiming the series title will be decided when we visit the Ramblers week 11. Right now, our goal is to stay as far ahead of Croats in Miami as possible, and hopefully stay within striking distance of the Ramblers, should they happen to falter.
I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that the Houston Hippopotami have become official supporters of the Screamin’ Seamen. Earlier this week, striker Forrest “Gump” Tobias went to Houston to thank owner sterlingice and deliver his VIP tickets. Welcome to the SSFC family, SI.
And on a related note, team captain Johannes Henriksson will no longer be acting as the team’s “supporter welcome wagon” after an unfortunate incident with the secretary for NevStar’s Morrisville Morrisvillians. We hope that the Morrisville ownership will not deem it necessary to pursue any further legal action.
Formation: 3-5-2
Starters
Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan
Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas
Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #3 Ben McMahon
-Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
-Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Aside from the return of Romanian midfielder Lucian Tere to the lineup, we’ve made two changes in the back this week. First of all, one month to the day after joining the Screamin’ Seamen, keeper Cornelius Jernigan gets to start in net. Cornelius has been getting familiar with our defensive system and players for the past month, and we’re confident that he is ready to step in. If he performs well today, then the starting job is his. If not, then at least Darryl Read gets a well-deserved rest.
Also added to the line-up is 19 year old wingback Tyler Willard. We were so impressed with his performance Wednesday against the Cedar Pond Horned Toads that we’ve decided to give him a shot at playing with the big boys. This is a trial game for him as well, however, and we will not hesitate to insert veteran Ben McMahon back into the lineup should the need arise.
Well, its less than two hours to kick-off as I write this. Best be on my way to the stadium. More later…
Match Report
Weather conditions were fairly good for football, and The Docks saw a crowd turnout of 17350. Screamin' started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. Lineup: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Peralta, Tere, Bautista, Tomlin, Mauffret - Henriksson, Tobias.
Farmer had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Mccrary - Titus, Holliday, Rogers - Gage, Quintana, Davis, Early, Ross - Block, Barclay.
In the games 2nd minute Screamin'´s Charlie Bautista fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Charlie Bautista for taking a dive. 4 minutes into the game a free kick combination hooked into the box almost resulted in the home team taking the lead, but the last header went wide. Halftime score was 0 - 0. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 59 percent possession rate.
Pete Tomlin gave his Screamin' the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. Man, what a shot by Johannes Henriksson! Firing from 35 yards he didn't give the enemy goalie a chance and it was 2 - 0. Johannes Henriksson should probably have put his team up another goal in the 73rd minute, but some great goaltending by Charles Mccrary kept the visitors in the game. After 74 minutes Farmers Bernie Holliday had to be carried off on a stretcher in agony. Kev Chisholm came in instead of him. Arlen Lucas seemed to be floating in the air at will as he elegantly headed in 3-0. The previous Screamin' corner kick was executed by Johannes Henriksson. Screamin' put themselves up 4 - 0 when Pete Tomlin broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. The visitors reduced the score in the 80:th minute to 4 - 1 as a free kick by Will Early slunk past the home sides goaltender. With 86 minutes played Forrest Tobias could have brought this one home for Screamin', had his hooked ball gone in, but it went just a bit too high. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 61 percent possession of the ball.
The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. However, Olav Mauffret made a disastrous appearance. Farmer´s best player was Charles Mccrary. Kev Chisholm on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 4 - 1.
Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 4, Farmer of Fire 1
Goals
Tomlin – 2 (1,2)
Henriksson – 1 GWG (10)
Lucas – 1 (3 – assisted by Henriksson)
Cards
Bautista – yellow
Player Ratings
Jernigan: ***
Willard: ***
Scales: **~
Lucas: ***
Peralta: **
Tomlin: **~
Tere: **
Bautista: **~
Mauffret: *~
Henriksson: **
Tobias: **~
Man of the Match: #5 Arlen Lucas
Team Ratings
Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Weak (4)
Farmer of Fire
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Weak (4)
-Left Attack: Weak (4)
Comments
The first half of the match was hardly an exciting game to watch, as both teams seemed hesitant, apparently feeling one another out. But the floodgates certainly opened in the second half. Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin chose a good time to score his first goals of the season, and captain Johannes’ Henriksson’s cannonball proved to be the game winner. Arlen Lucas was dominant on defense, as usual, and also scored on a beautiful header, earning himself Man of the Match honors.
I also have to say that I was quite pleased with the performances of our new starters. Cornelius Jernigan did allow a soft goal late in the match, but otherwise he played a game superior to what Darryl Read is capable of. And Tyler Willard continues to impress, showing the good skill and form that he displayed in our FOFC Cup match on Wednesday. It certainly appears that both of these young men have earned themselves starting spots.
All in all, a solid performance and a solid win for the Screamin’ Seamen.
Series Scores and Standings
-Unfortunately we did not gain any ground on Croats in Miami, as midfielder Tony Allen’s strike in the 80th minute gave the Croats a 2-1 victory over Neon Genesis Evangelion.
-As expected, Ramblers handed it to a struggling Cariocas club, 5-nil.
-After a very poor start, Gazzaly FC has turned it on as of late, defeating Gohira 6-nil.
Here is how the standings look with 8 matches down and 6 to go. As you can see, the top three teams have begun to pull away from the rest of the pack.
No. Team Played Goals Pts.
1. Ramblers 8 40-4 22
2. Screamin’ Seamen 8 33-10 20
3. Croats in Miami 8 24-12 18
4. Neon Genesis Evangelion 8 18-10 12
5. Farmer of Fire 8 8-17 8
6. Gazzaly FC 8 10-25 7
7. Cariocas 8 11-30 5
8. Gohira 8 2-38 0
Up Next: The second leg of our FOFC Cup match against the Cedar Pond Horned Toads. We lead two goals to none, but the Toads certainly will not go down without a fight. Stay tuned!