Screamin' Seamen FC - 4th Season

[DataKing]

Screamin’ Seamen Football Club – Season 4

For the first installment of this dynasty report (season 2) click here
For the second installment, click here

Seamen Hope To Improve On Last Season’s Disappointing Performance

(Chicago, IL) The Screamin’ Seamen Football Club, under the ownership and management of Data King, are hoping that their fourth season in the world-wide Hattrick League is much better than their third. In the club’s first season, SSFC easily cruised to a Division V title, with an impressive record of thirteen wins and one draw. Their second season saw the club fail in their bid for a Division IV title by the narrowest of margins, their championship dreams dashed by a 1-nil loss in the last match of the season to Croats in Miami.

Despite their narrow loss, the club was flush with success and optimism heading into their third season, and were hoping to contend for the Division IV title once again. Things would not shake out that way, however. Due to a marked improvement in the level of competition in SSFC’s Division IV series, some management and coaching errors, and a bit of bad luck on the part of the Seamen, the club was barely able to claim sixth place in the series. They won their relegation match narrowly, 1-nil, in order to keep their place in Division IV.

King has publicly stated that, despite criticism received on his part, he is dedicated to making SSFC a long-term contender, and will not sacrifice the club’s long-term prospects for short-term gains. Despite these claims, a number of changes have been made by the club this past off-season, with more to come.

The most significant change was the firing of head coach Ken Brown at the end of last season. After using an interim coach for the last couple weeks of the season, King bent all of his efforts on finding a new, permanent head coach, and eventually settled on Ioan Fluieras, a 35-year old from Ploesti, Romania. While Fluieras is, by all accounts, more of a practice-field coach than a game-day one, he has promised that fans will see “a much better balance between offense and defense than they have in years past,” this season.

Fluieras wasted little time in making his mark upon the club and it’s roster. Shortly after the new coach’s arrival, Chuck Scales, long-time sweeper and defensive quarterback for the club was sent packing. The sale of Scales to the Lunden Loafers (a Swedish 4th Division side) flooded the club’s accounts with over $1 million in fresh funds. King immediately opened most of this new income to Fluieras for use on the transfer market.

The club has made one purchase with the Chuck Scales money thus far, adding veteran midfielder David Burton to the roster. Burton, a 36-year-old London native, is said to be past his prime, but still a fine contributor in the midfield. He excels at providing midfield possession for his club, and is known to jump up onto the attack from time to time. He has scored 26 goals in his long career, many of them off of dead balls, as he is a dangerous set pieces specialist as well.

As far as the rest of SSFC’s series goes, things haven’t gotten much easier. Gone are the SoccerWussies and the lowly Syracuse Supers, but the top five teams from last season all remain. Croats in Miami, Ramblers, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Big Reds, and Sweden Heights will all be duking it out with the Seamen for the series title in the coming season. Recent promotees JP8 and Tortioses are likely to be out-matched, however, and should be relegated back to Division V at the end of the season, barring a miracle.

Fans of the Seamen hold their breath, waiting to see what other changes the club makes on the transfer market. There are certain to be at least a couple more, as quite a bit of cash remains from the Chuck Scales deal. Let’s hope that these changes are made soon, as the new season is very rapidly approaching.

Ivan Phillip Freely is an associated press writer for the Chicago Tribunal.

[Havok]

The club has made one purchase with the Chuck Scales money thus far, adding veteran midfielder David Burton to the roster. Burton, a 36-year-old London native, is said to be past his prime,

holy shit thats old

i guess he's just a quick fix for this season right??

[DataKing]

Originally posted by Havok
i guess he's just a quick fix for this season right??

Precisely. I plan on switching to playmaking training next season, so Burton is here strictly on a one-year deal.

I'll likely be picking up a 30+ winger as well, just for this season. I just want to make sure that we're not in danger of relegation at the end of this season, and I'd like to make at least a small cup run as well (seems like a good time to do it).

[NAIWF]

Good luck this year DK. Hopefully, you won't have to struggle with bad outcomes like last season.

[DataKing]

Seamen Announce Signing Of Argentinean Striker Galvez

(Carson City, NV) Screamin’ Seamen Football Club owner Data King and head coach Ioan Fluieras held a press conference earlier today, announcing the purchase of Argentinean striker German (G-air-mahn) Galvez. Galvez comes to the Seamen from rather prestigious surroundings, as he has been a part of the training program of PaSTiLhAdOs, a club from the Portuguese 2nd Division. King revealed that SSFC had paid $300,000 to acquire the services of Galvez.

“We’re very excited to have German join the Seamen,” stated coach Fluieras. “He is exactly the sort of young striker we’ve been looking to add to the roster, and should be prove to be a perfect compliment for Guido [Metman].”

Metman, the Dutch striker that was supposed to help revive the floundering Seamen offense last season, struggled mightily, scoring only 3 goals in 9 matches and making many wonder as to whether or not he was worth the hefty price tag attached to him (over $500,000).

“Guido is a pure ball-striker,” explained Fluieras, “and as such, he had difficulty last season, because there was no one around to get him the ball. German will rectify that situation immediately. While a fine ball striker in his own right, the young Argentiean is also a fine passer. We’re very excited about the combination of these two up front.”

The big concern regarding Galvez is his relative inexperience, as he has played almost exclusively on the training squad of his former club. He scored only one goal last season in league play. King and Fluieras seemed unconcerned, confident that the experience of Metman should help to prevent youthful errors by the 23-year-old Galvez.

The Screamin’ Seamen are currently in Carson City, Nevada for a match against the Nevada Kickers in the opening round of the U.S. Open Cup. Galvez is expected to arrive shortly, and will see immediate playing time in tonight's match.

Ivan Phillip Freely is an associated press writer for the Chicago Tribunal.

German Galvez

Position: Forward
Jersey #14

23 years old, inadequate (5) form, healthy.

A nasty fellow who is balanced and dishonest.
Has wretched (2) experience and passable (6) leadership abilities.

Nationality: Argentinean
Assessed Value: $265,000
Wage: $2,652 per week

Stamina: Inadequate (5)
Playmaking: Passable (6)
Winger: Weak (4)
Scoring: Solid(7)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Solid (7)
Defending: Weak (4)
Set Pieces: Wretched (2)


I also never put up the ratings for our other new team member, midfielder David Burton. Thanks to RPI-Fan for pointing this out to me.

David Burton

Position: Inner Midfielder
Jersey #23

36 years, passable (6) form, healthy.

A sympathetic guy who is balanced and honest.
Has solid (7) experience and wretched (2) leadership.

Nationality: English
Assessed Value: $30,000
Wage: $948 per week

Stamina: Excellent (8)
Playmaking: Excellent (8)
Winger: Inadequate (5)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Goaltending: Wretched (2)
Passing: Inadequate (5)
Defending: Poor (3)
Set Pieces: Solid(7)

David was purchased for $255,000 from Etranz Kickers, a Dutch 6th Division club. I like the purchase for a couple of reasons. First, David came pretty cheap for an excellent playmaker who could take our free and corner kicks, and his salary is almost negligible. His age is not a concern at all, as he is only a short-term solution to our midfield woes. We’ll be switching to playmaking training next season, so David’s age is of no concern whatsoever.

Up Next: The club roster for the coming season, as well as our opening round cup match against the Nevada Kickers. Stay tuned!

[vex]

Already the best read on the board!!! Keep it up!

[DataKing]

Screamin’ Seamen Season 4 Roster

Here is the roster for the Screamin’ Seamen as it stands now. Bear in mind, though, that we have about $400,000 in transfer funds remaining from the sale of Chuck Scales, so a personnel change or two will be made soon.

Numerical equivalents have been provided for the Hattrick ratings, for any non-Hattrickers that might be reading (are there any?)

Also, as experience ratings now play a larger factor within the Hattrick engine, these will be included as well.

Head Coach

Ioan Fluieras
-Nationality: Romanian
-Age: 35
-Training: Solid (7)
-Leadership: Poor (3)
-Coaching Type: Balanced (neither attack nor defense minded)

We’re looking forward to see what our new coach can do for us, moreso on the training ground than on the pitch. He is, as has been mentioned previously, more of a “practice field coach,” but that suits us just fine. Our performance on the pitch will be less of a concern than it has been in seasons past (more on this later).

Starters

Typical Formation: 3-5-2

Goalkeeper

#1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Nationality: American
-Age: 25
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Weak (4)
-Assessed Value: $457,000
-Wage: $3,630 per week
-Goaltending: Solid (7)

“Corny” Jernigan joined the club via a trade midway through our second season, and he has been a rock for us in net ever since. He has allowed only 68 goals in 40 career starts (1.70 GAA) and has earned 12 clean sheets in his career. Last season, he improved upon his average, allowing only 22 goals in 16 starts (1.38 GAA) and earning 7 clean sheets. He has also earned four Team Match MVP awards since joining the Seamen.

Central Defender

#20 Keith Stubbs
-Nationality: American
-Age: 20
-Current Form: Solid (7)
-Experience: Disastrous (1)
-Assessed Value: $146,000
-Wage: $1,200 per week
-Defending: Excellent (8)

The loss of Chuck Scales to the transfer market means that one of our young defensive trainees will need to step up into a starting role at “sweeper,” and right now, Keith is the one that best fits the bill. Mr. Stubbs was a product of our own youth squad, and has improved his defensive abilities by leaps and bounds in the past two seasons. However, the starting job is not officially his, and he will likely spend all of this season competing with Cameron McDonald to see which youngster will be our starting sweeper for years to come.

Wingbacks

#5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas
-Nationality: American
-Age: 22
-Current Form: Solid (7)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-Assessed Value: $456,000
-Wage: $2,920 per week
-Specialty: Head
-Winger: Passable (6)
-Defending: Formidable (9)

Arlen and his counterpart at the other wingback spot, Tyler Willard, are certainly two of the best young talents on the team. Though he only managed one goal in league play last season, “Headcase” is a dominant defender, and refused to yield a header goal to another team last season. He is, as his nickname would imply, a bit of a hot-head, and has been suspended four times in the three seasons of his career thus far.

#22 Tyler Willard
-Nationality: American
-Age: 21
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-Assessed Value: $368,000
-Wage: $2,470 per week
-Specialty: Unpredictable
-Winger: Passable (6)
-Defending: Formidable (9)

Equally talented to Arlen Lucas is our other starting wingback, young Tyler Willard. Tyler doesn’t score very often (only 1 goal thus far in 23 starts) but is a fine defender on the wing. He is, however, a bit unpredictable at times, which occasionally means he is more of a liability.

Inner Midfielders

#8 Niklas Ivarsson
-Nationality: Swedish
-Age: 27
-Current Form: Inadequate (5) (Currently injured)
-Experience: Inadequate (5)
-Assessed Value: $128,000
-Wage: $1,716 per week
-Stamina: Excellent (8)
-Playmaking: Solid (7)
-Passing: Inadequate (5)

Niklas was new to the club last season, and performed relatively well. Though he only scored one goal on his own, his penchant for jumping up on the attack did help our offense out a bit (though it was still quite woeful last season). Niklas did manage a goal for us last season, and has scored 14 times in his career.

#6 Charlie Bautista
-Nationality: American
-Age: 27
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Assessed Value: $126,000
-Wage: $1,360 per week
-Specialty: Technical
-Stamina: Excellent (8)
-Playmaking: Solid (7)
-Passing: Inadequate (5)

Charlie is one of the few remaining players on the club who has been with us since the very beginning, and he has been an invaluable part of the midfield. Skill-wise, he and Niklas are nearly identical, but Charlie was the superior performer of the two last season. In addition to his midfield contributions, he tallied three goals for us last season, and has scored 12 times in his career.

#23 David Burton
-Nationality: English
-Age: 36
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Solid (7)
-Assessed Value: $30,000
-Wage: $948 per week
-Stamina: Excellent (8)
-Playmaking: Excellent (8)
-Passing: Inadequate (5)
-Set Pieces: Solid (7)

David was one of our off-season acquisitions, and has been brought in as a short-term solution to our problems in the midfield. Despite his age, he should provide superior contributions to the team’s possession, as compared to the other two, and is capable of jumping up on the attack as well, if necessary. David is also an accomplished set-pieces ace, and will likely take the majority of the free kicks for the club this season.

Wingers

#9 Valentin Rubio
-Nationality: Argentinean
-Age: 30
-Current Form: Excellent (8)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Assessed Value: $96,000
-Wage: $1,404 per week
-Specialty: Head
-Winger: Passable (6)
-Playmaking: Inadequate (5)
-Passing: Inadequate (6)

Valentin was new to the club last season, brought in to help bolster our wing attack. He did an admirable job of it, and played beyond our expectations, proving to be of good form nearly all season long. On top of pressing the ball up the side of the pitch, he also managed a goal of his own last season, and has scored seven times in his career.

#3 Ben McMahon
-Nationality: American
-Age: 29
-Current Form: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Assessed Value: $172,000
-Wage: $1,930 per week
-Winger: Solid (7)
-Defending: Solid (7)

Ben is another of our original team members, but has been playing out of position for quite a while now. A true wingback, that is where is started his career as a Seamen, but was moved to winger out of necessity. While he makes a fine defensive winger, we have little use for such a player. Ben will likely be moved to the b-team or sold outright in the near future.

Forwards

#12 Guido Metman
-Nationality: Dutch
-Age: 26
-Current Form: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Inadequate (5)
-Assessed Value: $338,000
-Wage: $3,528 per week
-Specialty: Unpredictable
-Scoring: Excellent (8)

Guido was purchased in the middle of last season in an attempt to bolster our floundering attack, but was largely unsuccessful. He managed only three goals in nine appearances for the club, and caused many of the supporters to doubt his purchase and the high price tag that was attached to him ($510,000). However, Guido is a pure ball-striker, so the addition of German Galvez (see below) should help the Dutch striker out considerably, and allow him to perform up to expectations. He is also a fair leader on the pitch, and often acts as team captain. Guido has scored 80 goals and 6 hattricks in his long career.

#14 German Galvez
-Nationality: Argentinean
-Age: 23
-Current Form: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-Assessed Value: $265,000
-Wage: $2,652 per week
-Scoring: Solid (7)
-Passing: Solid (7)

German was our second purchase of the off-season, and was brought in specifically to help out Guido Metman. While a fair ball-striker in his own right, German is a fine passer, which means that he and the Dutchman should make a fine combination for us up front. German is relatively untested, however, and has only scored one competitive goal thus far in his career.

Reserves

Typical Formation: 5-4-1

Keeper

#13 Darryl Read
-Nationality: American
-Age: 28
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Assessed Value: $209,000
-Wage: $1,990 per week
Goaltending: Passable (6)

Darryl Read was an original member of the Screamin’ Seamen, and was our starting keeper until the arrival of “Corny” Jernigan. An experienced keeper with a very low career goals-against-average (0.88), we’re more than happy to have Darryl as a backup, in case something should happen to Jernigan.

Central Defenders

#18 Cameron McDonald
-Nationality: American
-Age: 19
-Current Form: Weak (4)
-Experience: Disastrous (1)
-Assessed Value: $205,000
-Wage: $1,770 per week
-Specialty: Head
-Defending: Formidable (9)

Cameron was a product of our youth squad, and showed great promise as a sweeper from the very beginning. By rights, he should be the one replacing Chuck Scales as our starting central defender, as his skills are superior to those of Keith Stubbs. However, Cameron’s on-field performances have been nothing but disappointing, and he shows to be extremely inconsistent in form. Cameron will need to prove himself if he is to win the starting sweeper job on a permanent basis.

#21 Zarpas Lerma
-Nationality: Spanish
-Age: 20
-Current Form: Solid (7)
-Experience: Disastrous (1)
-Assessed Value: $129,000
-Wage: $1,368 per week
-Specialty: Head
-Defending: Excellent (8)

We were a little concerned about the development of this young Spaniard going into last season, and Zarpas continued to disappoint early on. However, he has apparently turned the corner and showed significant improvement in the last half of the season. He should make a fine defender for someone when he is sold at the end of the season (when we bring our defensive training program to a close).

Wingbacks

#17 Mattias Leier
-Nationality: Estonian
-Age: 20
-Current Form: Solid (7)
-Experience: Disastrous (1)
-Assessed Value: $204,000
-Wage: $1,800 per week
-Winger: Passable (6)
-Defending: Excellent (8)

There is significant competition between our two wingbacks trainees, as most likely one of them will remain with the team to act as our primary defensive backup at the end of the season. The other one will be sold off. So far, Mattias has been the more impressive of the two, showing very good form and scoring four goals in training matches last season.

#24 Christian Kvam
-Nationality: Norwegian
-Age: 20
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Disastrous (1)
-Assessed Value: $116,000
-Wage: $1,332 per week
-Specialty: Head
-Winger: Passable (6)
-Defending: Excellent (8)

Our other wingback trainee, Christian continues to show pretty erratic form, although he has improved some in the past year. Still and all, the young Norwegian will have to do a lot this season to impress us enough to keep him on after the end of the season.

Inner Midfielders

#4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
-Nationality: American
-Age: 34
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Inadequate (5)
-Assessed Value: $37,000
-Wage: $830 per week
-Specialty: Technical
-Stamina: Solid (7)
-Playmaking: Passable (6)
-Passing: Passable (6)
-Defending: Passable (6)

The addition of David Burton means that “The Old Goat” has lost his position as a member of the starting team, but he is still a valuable member of the club. He is another of the players that has been with us since the beginning, and is still the best two-way midfielder we have on the roster. His age and experience are also both quite beneficial, and he will be running the midfield for the b-team this season. He will also be our primary backup in case something should happen to one of our three starting inner midfielders.

#7 Lucian Tere
-Nationality: Romanian
-Age: 28
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Assessed Value: $58,000
-Wage: $1,116 per week
-Specialty: Powerful
-Stamina: Excellent (8)
-Playmaking: Inadequate (5)
-Passing: Inadequate (5)
-Defending: Inadequate (5)

What Lucian lacks in skill, he makes up for in size and tenacity. Lucian is a big-bodied midfielder, and excels at taking up space in the middle, as well as bulling his way past smaller midfielders and defenders when the weather is poor. Lucian should remain with the club for the remainder of the season.

#19 Jerry Smith
-Nationality: American
-Age: 21
-Current Form: Weak (4)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-Assessed Value: $60,000
-Wage: $910 per week
-Specialty: Technical
-Stamina: Inadequate (5)
-Playmaking: Solid (7)

Jerry joined the club the season before last, as a part of the same trade that brought “Corny” Jernigan to Chicago. Unfortunately, Jerry has never panned out with the club, and continues to be a rather poor midfielder, compared to Lucian Tere, despite having superior skill as a playmaker. Jerry will most likely be sold in the near future.

Wingers

#25 Paul Peralta
-Nationality: American
-Age: 29
-Current Form: Solid (7)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Assessed Value: $139,000
-Wage: $1,490 per week
-Specialty: Unpredictable
-Stamina: Excellent (8)
-Playmaking: Inadequate (5)
-Scoring: Inadequate (5)
-Defending: Passable (6)

Paul Peralta remains one of the most valuable members of the b-team, and is called upon to play for an ailing starter from time to time. What makes Paul so valuable is the fact that he can play nearly any position on the pitch with some degree of skill. However, as our substitutes gradually get better at what they do, the need to have such a player on the club diminishes. It is only a matter of time before Paul is let go.

#10 Olav Mauffret
-Nationality: Finnish
-Age: 23
-Current Form: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-Assessed Value: $48,000
-Wage: $960 per week
-Stamina: Excellent (8)
-Playmaking: Inadequate (5)
-Winger: Inadequate (5)

A starter for the club back in our formative days, Olav has, frankly speaking, never been anything special. He quietly goes about his job, though, and has never caused us any real problems off the pitch. All the same, it is unlikely that he will be a Seaman for much longer.

Forwards

#11 Johannes Henriksson
-Nationality: Sweden
-Age: 27
-Current Form: Passable (6)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-Leadership: Solid (7)
-Assessed Value: $81,000
-Wage: $1,320 per week
-Scoring: Passable (6)
-Passing: Inadequate (5)
-Set Pieces: Solid (7)

Our former team captain, Johannes had a rough go of things last year, suffering through the worst slump of his career. He gradually recovered, however, but has since lost his place in the starting lineup with the recent addition of German Galvez. Johannes is still very valuable to the team, however, and is the locker room leader of the club. He will remain on as a Seaman as the team captain and designated set pieces ace for the b-team.

#15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Nationality: American
-Age: 22
-Current Form: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-Assessed Value: $49,000
-Wage: $800 per week
-Scoring: Solid (7)

“Gump” Tobias was a product of our youth squad at the end of our very first season, and has been a serviceable striker for us ever since. He struggled last season, along with the rest of the offense, but still managed to knock home seven goals in league play (more than any other Seaman). However, the recent additions to the club have made him expendable, and it is likely that Forrest will be removed from the club once we’re done with the U.S. Open Cup.

Up Next: Results of our opening round U.S. Open Cup match against the Nevada Kickers. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 4 – U.S. Open Cup – Round 1

Nevada Kickers vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: July 23rd, 2003
Venue: Nevada Bowl (Carson City, NV)
Attendance: 5,757 (7,000)
Weather: Overcast

Today the Screamin’ Seamen begin their third journey through the U.S. Open Cup (we did not receive an invitation to participate in our inaugural season). In each of the previous two seasons we have been knocked out of the cup in the 3rd round. Last season, this was due to a mistake on our part, as we severely underestimated our opposition, and lost 2-nil to the Brooklyn Ex-Pats. We will not be making the same mistake this season.

The first step for us in the cup are the Nevada Kickers, a local soccer club with no real sponsorship or leadership. Today should prove to be little more than a warm-up for our lads, as we expect a very easy win. This will also give us an opportunity to see our new acquisitions in action, and evaluate their performances on the pitch.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# starts w/SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (24th start, ***)

Right Wingback: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (44th start, ****~)
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs (3rd start, ***~)
Left Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard (24th start, ****)

Right Winger: #3 Ben McMahon (42nd start, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista (46th start, ***)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (42nd start, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #23 David Burton (1st start w/SSFC, ***~)
Left Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio (16th start, ***)

Forward: #12 Guido Metman (10th start, **~)
Forward: #14 German Galvez (1st start w/SSFC, ***)

Team Captain: #12 Guido Metman
Set Pieces: #23 David Burton

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Darryl Read
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

We’ll be running a box-standard 3-5-2 with our starters today, for a couple of reasons. First of all, we want to make sure that our starters are match-fit and ready for our game this Sunday against Sweden Heights. Second, we want to evaluate both of our new additions (David Burton and German Galvez) under “normal conditions,” to get a good feel for what we can expect from them in the weeks to come.

The one real change from our expected starting lineup is Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin playing in place of Swedish midfielder Niklas Ivarsson. Niklas and reserve winger Olav Mauffret had a nasty collision earlier this week in practice, and Niklas is still nursing a sore knee as a result. We’ll be holding him out of today’s match and playing Pete in his place. Hopefully Niklas will be ready to go on Sunday.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

At Nevada Bowl, 5757 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came.

Kickers had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Jaén - Ingram, Daniels, Kemp, Hall - Lumpkin, Riddick, Friend, Han - Llave, Ebert.

Screamin' started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Lucas, Stubbs, Willard - Mcmahon, Burton, Bautista, Tomlin, Rubio - Metman, Galvez.

FIRST HALF

Screamin' took the lead after 20 minutes with 0 - 1. Guido Metman placed the ball out of reach for the home sides keeper after a fine move, coming in from the left.

Valentín Rubio increased the visitors lead by putting a volley shot away on a pass from the right. 0 - 2.

Kickers´s Les Riddick refused to leave the field after injuring his achilles tendon in the 30:th minute.

The game had been on for 33 minutes when David Burton broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Screamin'´s were up 0 - 3.

After 38 minutes Kickers´s Daniel Hall contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game.

The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 3. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 82 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

The game had been on for 53 minutes when Valentín Rubio broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Screamin'´s were up 0 - 4.

Germán Galvez of Screamin' received a yellow card in the 65:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

The visitors Germán Galvez took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 67:th minute. 0 - 5 for Screamin'.

The referee showed Kickerss Maurice Ingram the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge.

David Burton could have added one to the visitors lead if his free kick had gone just a little lower.

The referee signalled a penalty in the 74:th minute following an offence just inside of the box. David Burton knocked home 0 - 6 just out of reach for the goaltender.

After this Screamin' lowered the tempo in order to concentrate on their defensive efforts.

In the games 84:th minute Kickers´s Frederick Ebert fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Frederick Ebert for taking a dive.

The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 92 percent possession of the ball.

POST-GAME

Most important Kickers player was Daniel Hall. Leonardo Kemp on the other hand, had a terrible day.

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. Ben Mcmahon on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 6, Nevada Kickers 0

Goals

Metman – 1 (GWG)
Rubio – 2
Burton – 2 (1 penalty)
Galvez – 1

Cards

Galvez – yellow

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***~

Lucas: ****
Stubbs: ***~
Willard: ****

McMahon: **~
Bautista: ***~
Tomlin: ***
Burton: ***~
Rubio: ***

Metman: ***
Galvez: **~

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 67

Nevada Kickers
-Midfield: Wretched (2)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 31

Comments

An easy match, overall, just like we expected. Our guys toyed around with the Kickers for about the first twenty minutes, then started pouring it on, landing three goals before halftime. The second half would get no better for the opposition, as three more would find their way to the twine, giving a solid 6-nil opening round victory. The Kickers’ defense actually isn’t that bad, for a small local club at least, but could not contain our attack. The few times that the Kickers did move the ball onto our side of the pitch, they were quickly gobbled up and spit out by the defense.

David Burton did not disappoint in his debut for the club, scoring twice and nearly landing a third with a free kick that went just a tad too high. German Galvez, on the other hand, was a little bit of a disappointment. While he did manage a goal in the game, his level of play is a little below what we were expecting to see from him, and the booking he received in the second half did not help matters much. His form appears to be a little on the low side at the moment, but hopefully that will improve in the weeks to come.

Up Next: Training results for the week. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

NAIWF: I sincerely hope you're right. The way I see it, we have some seriously good Karmic events coming our way.

vexroid: Thank you for the kind words. It is good to know that others enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy producing it.

Edit: I just noticed something. The Screamin' Seamen are now the most supported club in the entire United States! I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our supporters for sticking with us through thick and thin. I may be a little old Hattricker by the time it happens, but I plan on winning it all someday. (No age jokes, please. You know who you are. ).

[DataKing]

Pre-Season Training Results

Goal-scoring was obviously a big issue for us last season. As a result, we’ve decided to concentrate on our set pieces play during the off-season. A number of players showed notable improvement. The best news, of course, is right at the top:

#23 Midfielder David Burton -> excellent (8)
#22 Wingback Tyler Willard -> passable (6)
#13 Goalkeeper Darryl Read -> passable (6)
#24 Wingback Christian Kvam -> inadequate (5)
#19 Midfielder Jerry Smith -> inadequate (5)
#9 Winger Valentin Rubio -> weak (4)
#18 Central Defender Cameron McDonald -> weak (4)
#20 Central Defender Keith Stubbs -> poor (3)
#15 Forward Forrest “Gump” Tobias -> poor (3)
#12 Forward Guido Metman -> wretched (2)

David Burton’s improvement is extremely good news, to say the least. One of the reasons we brought him in this season was to improve our play on free and corner kicks.

Form Changes

5 players improved their form this week, including two starters:
-Forward Guido Metman: passable (6)
-Forward German Galvez: passable (6)

13 players saw their form remain the same this week.

5 players dropped a level in form this week, including four starters:
-Goalkeeper Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan: inadequate (5)
-Winger Ben McMahon: weak (4)
-Winger Valentin Rubio: Solid (7)
-Central Defender Keith Stubbs: passable (6)

The good news here is that both of our starting strikers showed improvements in form this week, so we’re looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish on Sunday.

The bad news comes from a couple of places. “Corny” Jernigan’s form took a dip, but fortunately for us backup keeper Darryl Read is playing well as of late (solid form), so we have a good alternative if necessary. Ben McMahon continues to disappoint, and has probably just signed his own transfer wire ticket with this week’s form drop.

In The Zone

We have no players remaining in excellent (8) form this week. However, no fewer than six of our lads are currently in solid (7) form:

#17 Wingback Mattias Leier
#21 Central Defender Zarpas Lerma
#5 Wingback Arlen “Headcase” Lucas
#25 Winger Paul Peralta
#13 Goalkeeper Darryl Read
#9 Winger Valentin Rubio

Form Dogs

Reserve midfielder Jerry Smith remains in the form dumper, with weak (4) form, and this week is joined by winger Ben McMahon. It is entirely likely that both of these players will find themselves transfer listed in the near future.

Player Values

Average Player Value: $165,391
Total Player Value (23 players): $3,804,000

No Assessed Value Milestones This Week

Up Next: The weekly youth pull and financial update this weekend. After that, we have our season opener on the road against Sweden Heights. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Pre-Season Youth Pull

For the first time in a while, our youth squad came through for us this week. We’ve been in the market for a better winger to play out this season opposite Argentinean winger Valentin Rubio, and were close to pulling the trigger on a couple of different players (admittedly rather over-priced) on the transfer market. Fortunately, we decided to err on the side of caution, and it paid off.

Reg Nichols

Position: Winger
Jersey #16

17 years old, passable (6) form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is balanced and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and inadequate (5) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Technical

Nationality: American
Assessed Value: $187,000
Wage: $1400 per week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Passable (6)
Winger: Solid (7)
Scoring: Weak (4)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Poor (3)
Defending: Weak (4)
Set Pieces: Passable (6)

Reg is a damn near perfect promotee for us from the youth squad at this juncture. We’re training winger during our cup run, primarily to boost the wing abilities of our wingbacks (starters and trainees alike). Reg will receive training as well, and should move to excellent before our cup run is over. Afterwards, he will remain on the club for the remainder of the season, playing with the starters in order to gain as much match experience as possible. He will likely become a very important part of a very young midfield next season. Reg should be a Seaman for a while.

Off-Season Financial Update

Starting Balance: $1,113,485

Revenue

Crowd (U.S. Open Cup match vs. Nevada Kickers) - $8,802
Sponsors - $54,600
Temporary (mother club money from resale of Millard Meadows) - $5,750
Temporary (sale of youth squad promotee Tracy Cheatham) - $68,080
Temporary (6 new supporters) - $180

Total Revenue: $137,412

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $19,500
Player Wages - $31,942
Temporary (purchase of David Burton) - $255,000
Temporary (purchase of German Galvez) - $300,000
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Elmo Whats-His-Name) - $2,000
Staff & Specialists - $45,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $673,442

Net Income/Loss: -$536,030

New Balance: $577,455

Team Information

Team Spirit: Calm
Team Confidence: Wonderful

Sponsor Attitude: Delirious
Supporter Attitude: Satisfied
Supporter Club: 1,509 members

Up Next: We open the new season on the road, in New York to take on Sweden Heights. Stay tuned!

[Alf]

Holy shit : you hit the jackpot with this youth pull !!!

[DataKing]

Originally posted by Alf
Holy shit : you hit the jackpot with this youth pull !!!

Yeah, I can't even hazard a guess as to what he would sell for. There are currently no 17 year olds with solid winger and passable playmaking for sale in the U.S. or Sweden.

The scary thing is, I'm keeping him. He'll be my super-winger of the future.

[Fonzie]

Originally posted by DataKing
Yeah, I can't even hazard a guess as to what he would sell for. There are currently no 17 year olds with solid winger and passable playmaking for sale in the U.S. or Sweden.

The scary thing is, I'm keeping him. He'll be my super-winger of the future.

I hate you.

I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.

[DataKing]

Season 4 – Week 1 League Match

Sweden Heights vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: July 27th, 2003
Venue: Sweden Heights Arena (New York, NY)
Attendance: 29,670 (40,000)
Weather: Overcast

We open up the season on the road this time, in New York to take on Sweden Heights. The Heights are a team similar to our own, with a particularly good defense. They don’t appear to have made very many moves during the off-season (and probably don’t have the same sort of cash reserve that others were working with), so we expect to see similar results from them as we have in the past.

Our goals for this season are simple: avoid relegation, and go as far into the U.S. Open Cup as possible without sacrificing the team spirit. The reason for this is equally simple; with two poor auto-promotees in the series, the danger of finishing seventh or eighth in the standings at the end of the season is almost non-existent. We are in no position to challenge for the series title, and I am confident that we can win any relegation match that comes our way. Given all of that, we’d might as well earn as much (cash for the club’s coffers and experience for our players) as we possibly can this season. Last season made me more comfortable with losing than I have been in the past, and my competitive nature has finally taken a back seat to reason.

That being said, our lads will be taking it easy out there today.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# start w/SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (25th start, ***~)

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard (25th start, ****)
Central Defender: #18 Cameron McDonald (4th start, ***)
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (45th start, ****)

Right Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio (17th start, ***)
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista (47th start, ***~)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (43rd start, ***)
Inner Midfielder: #23 David Burton (2nd start, ***~)
Left Winger: #16 Reg Nichols (Professional Debut)

Forward: #14 German Galvez (2nd start, **~)
Forward: #12 Guido Metman (11th start, ***)

Team Captain: #12 Guido Metman
Set Pieces: #23 David Burton

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Darryl Read
-Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

We’re deviating a bit from what we have declared as our “Starting Eleven” for the season, and will probably continue to do so for the remainder of the U.S. Open Cup. There are three noticeable differences today:

#1 – Cameron McDonald will start today for us at the sweeper position, sandwiched between wingbacks Arlen “Headcase” Lucas and Tyler Willard. Cameron showed us better form this week in practice, so we’ve decided to give him a shot at starting in a league match. We’ll likely be switching back and forth between Cameron and Keith Stubbs all season, trying to decide which will be our central defender in the seasons to come.

#2 – Midfielder Niklas Ivarsson is still nursing a sore knee, from his pre-season practice collision with Olav Mauffret. He’s not 100% just yet (but getting close), and we don’t see any need to risk further injury to him today. As a result, Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin will start in his place again today.

#3 – We welcome the latest arrival from our youth program, Reg Nichols, to the starting lineup. Reg looks to be an extremely talented young winger, with tons of room to grow. We’ll be giving him a close look today, as he replaces aging winger/wingback Ben McMahon in the starting lineup.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 29670 at Sweden Heights Arena today.

Heights started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Wilkinson - Pressley, Bergman, Claesson - Stoner, Jansson, Eriksson, Thomas, Song - Leijonstål, Madrigal.

Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Willard, Mcdonald, Lucas - Rubio, Burton, Bautista, Tomlin, Nichols - Metman, Galvez.

FIRST HALF

Heights made a bid to take the lead as a ball coming in from the right hand side left Jed Pressley completely alone with keeper Cornelius Jernigan, who made a spectacular block.

Heights created a good opportunity to score in the games 13th minute when Mats Claesson`s hooked ball created a scuffle in front of the goal, and the visitors defenders had a hard time clearing the ball.

After the game, the most discussed event will be the penalty in the 36:th minute giving the visitors the lead with 0 - 1. David Burton struck home the penalty, as cool as anything.

0 - 1 was the half-time score. Heights, bringing the final ball possession rate to 61 percent, dominated the battle.

SECOND HALF

Jan Jansson put his head to a well placed ball lifted in from the left and scored the 1 - 1 goal in the 46:th minute.

Heights were very close to putting themselves one up in the 64:th minute as Tomas Leijonstål got through, but failing in concentration, he shot the ball wide.

Some beautiful plays on the left side of the field resulted in a 67:th minute goal by Randy Madrigal for Heights, putting them ahead 2 - 1.

Heights held the ball, with a clear 65 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Heights´s best player was Mats Claesson. Trent Wilkinson on the other hand, had a terrible day.

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. Reg Nichols on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Sweden Heights 2, Screamin’ Seamen 1

Goals

Burton – 1 (1, penalty kick)

Cards

None

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***

Willard: ****
McDonald: ***
Lucas: ****

Rubio: ***
Bautista: ***~
Tomlin: ***
Burton: ****
Nichols: **~

Galvez: ***
Metman: ***

Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Formidable (9)
-Central Attack: Excellent (8)
-Left Attack: Excellent (8)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 71

Sweden Heights
-Midfield: Excellent (8)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 73

Comments

Despite taking it easy (PICing) and playing on the road, we’re still a little disappointed with today’s loss. The performance of our midfield was a bit under-par, even given the factors that I just stated. Missing Niklas Ivarsson from the lineup certainly had something to do with that. Also, in retrospect, we would have been better-served with Reg Nichols playing in more of a midfield support role, but he was a last-minute addition to the starting lineup.

The real reason that we’re disappointed, and feel the match should have been a 1-1 draw, was Jan Jansson’s header goal early in the second half. With three head specialists on the pitch (Valentin Rubio, Cameron McDonald, and especially “Headcase” Lucas), there was absolutely no excuse for allowing that goal. It was a serious defensive breakdown, something we are not used to seeing, and will not tolerate on a regular basis.

Despite the loss, I cannot get too upset though. We weren’t expecting a win at all, and in that case, a 2-1 result cannot be seen as too bitter a pill to swallow. We came away from New York with no new bookings or injuries, which is always a good thing, especially considering the temperamental nature of some of our players (Headcase and The Old Goat to name a couple). Also, Reg Nichols performed pretty darn well in his debut. He obviously needs more conditioning, but that will have to wait until the end of the season. We have a tight training schedule planned for the remainder of the season, and no time to have our lads running laps for an entire week.

Series Scores and Standings

-Croats In Miami were their usual dominant selves, shutting out the Ramblers, 3-nil.
-Neon Genesis Evangelions’ star striker, Steven Fortune, saved the day for his club, scoring the 1-1 equalizer against Big Reds with just 20 minutes remaining in regulation.
-Down 3-nil at halftime, JP8 showed a good deal of spirit against fellow-promotees the Tortoises. 2 goals was not enough, however, as the Tortoises were victorious, 3-2.

No.	Team					Played	        Goals		Pts.	NSI

1.	Croats in Miami			        1		3-0		3	86

2.	Tortoises				1		3-2		3	50

3.	Sweden Heights			        1		2-1		3	73

4.	Big Reds				1		1-1		1	76

5.	Neon Genesis Evangelion		        1		1-1		1	76

6.	JP8					1		2-3		0	47

7.	Screamin’ Seamen			        1		1-2		0	71

8.	Ramblers				1		0-3		0	77

Judging by this weekend’s NSI ratings, you can probably see why we are confident keeping sixth place will not be a problem. Tortoises and JP8 are going to get demolished by the rest of The Series Of The Beast [tm], no doubt. Also, judging by the high NSIs in general this week, my guess is that we were perhaps the only team to PIC this week. If that is the case, that could very well prove to be an advantage later in the season.

Up Next: We’re on the road again this week, travelling to Little Rock for the U.S. Open Cup Round 2, where we take on the Arkansas Indians. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Originally posted by Fonzie
I hate you.

I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.

Of course!

[Havok]

don't for get about me!!!!!!1

I hate you to!!!!

[DukeRulesMAB]

With Scales gone, you have an open defense spot in your training program, no? (Once you are out of the cup and can safely return to the 5-4-1 in friendlies) Seems like it would be worthwhile to plug Reg into that empty slot, as there has to be a decent chance he'd be inad by the end of the season.

FWIW, having played around with the toward middle instruction, I don't think Reg will be able to help you there with his current weak stamina. The possession boost you would get would be minimal at best, and it kills your attack on his side. Once his stamina is at least passable, then he'll make a great toward middle winger, but for now, I think he's just a regular/offensive guy (albeit a real good one ).

[illinifan999]

Dataking

I got a really nice 17 yo solid defender with solid passing. Only 500k. C'mon I know you want him.

[DataKing]

Havok: Hatred received loud and clear. Thank you.

DukeRulesMAB: You're right, I will have an open training slot once we're out of the U.S. Open Cup, but I don't plan on training Reg there. Honestly, "Headcase" Lucas and Tyler Willard are good enough to where I don't give a damn what my wingers' defensive abilities are like. Tyler and Arlen can cover their sides just fine.

Thanks for the advice regarding how to use Reg for the remainder of the season. A possession-winger is something I haven't really messed with yet, and I wasn't sure how much of an impact stamina had on them. I'll probably keep him at either normal or offensive for the time being, depending on the situation.

illinifan999: I will be picking up a short-term defensive trainee, but not until we've been knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup. If I bought anybody right now, they'd just sit on the bench and "whither on the vine," so to speak. Talk to me again in four or five weeks.

[The Afoci]

DK, I think what DukeRulesMAB is say is to throw your YP in the defensive slot that is missing because even on the wing defense matters and since he is only 17 he should be able to get at least on level before the end of the season and maybe 2 depending on when you are out of the cup and how high of a weak defender is. That way, he will be really well rounded.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by The Afoci
DK, I think what DukeRulesMAB is say is to throw your YP in the defensive slot that is missing because even on the wing defense matters and since he is only 17 he should be able to get at least on level before the end of the season and maybe 2 depending on when you are out of the cup and how high of a weak defender is. That way, he will be really well rounded.

I understand that. I just think it is more beneficial to bring in a "real" defensive recruit for the remainder of the season, train him, and sell him off at the end of the season, rather than boost Reg's defensive abilities a bit.

[The Afoci]

That is probably true, I just didn't think you were reading what he was writing, picking up what he was putting down, that sort of thing. I will go back to admiring from a far like the restraining order says.

[DukeRulesMAB]

Bringing in a real defensive recruit definately works as well, especially considering that the price of 17-YOs will be down a bit by then. Out of curiosity, will you be able to afford a 17 YO solid? Seems like one of those popping could be a sweet payday.

The only risk I see is that it is often difficult to tell high vs. low in defensive grades because of the other skill noise, and with the extended length of defensive training, you run a slight risk of getting no pop, particularly if you make a decently long cup run. Meanwhile you don't need Reg to pop, as he's staying long-term, and you would just be looking for the improvement. All that said, if you've got the cash to bring in a young Solid (or better even!), then it probably is more than worthwhile to do so. Guess it also depends on how long the cup run ends up lasting.

As for the winger toward middle, I have a solid wing/passable PM/Wretched Stamina initial draw guy. He was my rude awakening to stamina's importance, as I played him to less than rave reviews in the central mid my first two games. Having played around with it a lot, he went from **~ offensive to * or ~ toward middle, and my side attack went completely into the toilet (down 2 or 3 notches). Now obviously, he's wretched, as opposed to weak, stamina, but I still think weak is bad enough that it will cripple his ratings.

[DukeRulesMAB]

Dola, wanted to mention that your comments on the cup rang a bell with me. Except for me being in D.V, I'm in the exact same spot, no relegation worries, no chance of promoting. So like you, I'm going hard after the cup while I'm in for the cash (until I run into an absolutely unbeatable team). Naturally, this will be a much shorter run than yours, but wanted to thank you for your plan, which I'm lifting.

[DataKing]

We've got just over $500,000 in the bank right now, and should have quite a bit more by the time our cup run is over, so we'll have plenty of transfer funds available to bring in a top-notch defensive trainee for the remainder of the season. I think I've gotten a pretty good handle on figuring out just "how good" a player's defensive ability is, and so should be able to find one who won't take too long to "pop." Also, despite the comparatively long training time for defense, unless we go past round six or so (not likely, I figure), it should not be an issue. With a relegation match very likely in our future, that's one more week for defensive training at the end of the season, if need be.

At any rate, I figure to have around $750,000 on hand for transfers when it comes time to go shopping for a short-term defensive trainee. Rather than spend the money on more help now, I just want to keep it. Whatever I can spend on the trainee when the time comes is just a short-term investment, as far as I can figure (the more you spend on your trainee, the more they'll be worth when their training is complete).

[The Afoci]

DK, with the money I have made recently with 2 great sells and whatnot, I was checking the market and see that soon the Croats will be getting 1.5 mil from a middie they are selling. Just thought I would warn you. Good luck, and if I ever promote, may it not be to your division.

[DataKing]

The Afoci: Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be sure to keep a close eye on their transfer history in the days to come.

Edit: The most recent press announcement from the Croats:

The Croats opened thier leauge defense with a stellar 3-0 win over season 18 champs Ramblers.

The team had an inspiring performance for such an early season game....The main driving force was all star Donald Blackwell, who also scored a goal and hit 5 stars.

However GN Lav does not expect this to continue as thier will be major upheavels this season and long time favorites may be heading out in a bid to restructure the team.

So all fans have been forewarned.

Interesting. I wonder what they have planned.

[vex]

Maybe they intend on staying around for a season or two more

[DataKing]

Season 4 – U.S. Open Cup Round 2

Arkansas Indians vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: July 30th, 2003
Venue: Arkansas Field (Little Rock, AR)
Attendance: 7,000 (7,000)
Weather: Overcast

We’ve drawn another small, local club for the second round of the U.S. Open Cup, the Arkansas Indians. The Indians appear to be a club similar in orientation to our first-round opponents, the Nevada Kickers; a little bit of defensive talent, but woeful on the attack and in their midfield play. We should be looking at another easy win, as this amounts to little more than a warm-up for our lads, and will prepare accordingly.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# starts w/SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read (26th start, **~)

Right Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier (4th start, ***~)
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs (4th start, ***~)
Left Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam (3rd start, ***)

Right Winger: #22 Tyler Willard (26th start, ****, 1st start at winger)
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere (33rd start, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith (10th start, *~)
Inner Midfielder: #8 Niklas Ivarsson (16th start, **, injured last time out)
Left Winger: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (46th start, ****, 1st start at winger)

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (33rd start, **~)
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson (67th career start, **)

Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (42 starts w/SSFC)
-Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma (No starts w/SSFC)
-Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (43 starts w/SSFC)
-Forward: #14 German Galvez (2 starts w/SSFC)
-Winger: #16 Reg Nichols (1 start w/SSFC)

We should be looking at another easy victory today, and therefore will be going with our reserves today. There are a couple of notable exceptions, however:

1. Swedish midfielder Niklas Ivarsson has fully recovered from his pre-season knee injury. He’ll be taking the pitch today, to make sure that he is match-fit for Sunday’s league game against the Croats.
2. Always willing to try out new things, coach Ioan Fluieras has decided to play Arlen “Headcase” Lucas and Tyler Willard today, but up the field at winger instead of their typical wingback positions. We want to work on their abilities as wingers, instead of as pure defenders, and Ioan assures me that this is the best way to do this. We shall see.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

At Arkansas Field, 7000 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came.

Arkansas had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Nolen - Sanz, Bergeron, Sinha, Head - Clarke, Reynoso, Sherrill, Deluca - Barr, Vizcarro.

Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Read - Leier, Stubbs, Kvam - Willard, Ivarsson, Tere, Smith, Lucas - Henriksson, Tobias.

FIRST HALF

A mistake by the home sides central defence in the 10:th minute allowed Johannes Henriksson to score 0 - 1 for Screamin'.

Christian Kvam of Screamin' received a yellow card in the 16:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Screamin' nearly produced a goal as Tyler Willard set up Johannes Henriksson for a strike from a seemingly unpossible angle. The receiver wasn´t as clear-headed though, and put the shot wide.

The away team´s Johannes Henriksson took advantage of a mistake to the home side´s right in the 33rd minute increasing Screamin'´s lead to 0 - 2.

Screamin' had, after 35 minutes of the game, worked the left side industriously, creating several opportunities to add to their lead, but somehow didn´t achieve closure.

In the 39:th minute Screamin' put themselves up 0 - 3 after an attack from the right, caused by a defensive blunder. Scorer was Forrest Tobias.

0 - 3 was the half-time score. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 63 percent possession of the ball.

SECOND HALF

In the 66:th minute Screamin' put themselves up 0 - 4 after an attack from the right, caused by a defensive blunder. Scorer was Niklas Ivarsson.

The structure of the game started to change as Screamin' decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone.

Arlen Lucas increased the visitors lead by putting a volley shot away on a pass from the right. 0 - 5.

Keith Stubbs received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 71st minute and almost caused an opponent to score.

The game had been on for 71 minutes when Forrest Tobias broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Screamin'´s were up 0 - 6.

When Christian Kvam made yet another studs first tackle, in the games 71th minute, the referee was obliged to book the Screamin' player for the second time, sending him off the pitch.

The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 72 percent possession of the ball.

POST-GAME

The most dominating Arkansas player was without a doubt Dharsasatman Sinha. Richard Reynoso was a disappointment, however.

Most important Screamin' player was Mattias Leier. Jerry Smith was a disappointment, however.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 6, Arkansas Indians 0

Goals

Henriksson – 2 (2, GWG)
Tobias – 2 (2)
Ivarsson – 1 (1)
Lucas – 1 (1)

Cards

Kvam – 2 yellow (ejected, suspended)

Player Ratings

Read: ***

Leier: ***~
Stubbs: ***
Kvam: ??? (ejected)

Willard: **
Tere: **
Smith: *~
Ivarsson: ***
Lucas: **~

Tobias: **~
Henriksson: **~

Team Match MVP: #17 Mattias Leier

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Excellent (8)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 56

Arkansas Indians
-Midfield: Wretched (2)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: solid (7)
-Left Defense: Solid (7)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 35

Comments

We certainly can’t complain about the results today, as we’ve scored six and held the opposition scoreless for the second week in a row. We also saw good ball distribution again, with each of our forwards scoring twice (although Johannes missed an opportunity for his 4th career hattrick), and two other players found the twine as well (Niklas Ivarsson and “Headcase” Lucas).

The play of our midfield was again the noticeable weak point in our game, but this was at least partly expected. Jerry Smith has been downright awful as of late, and continues to play poorly. Also, we knew going in that we would receive almost no midfield contribution from Tyler Willard and “Headcase” Lucas. They’re wingbacks, after all, and frankly don’t know the first thing about ball possession techniques (Lucas is poor at playmaking, Willard is wretched).

The one sour note from today is Christian Kvam’s ejection from the match. It doesn’t so much hurt the club, as the young Norwegian wouldn’t have played this Sunday anyhow, but this is not the sort of thing that convinces us to keep him around past the end of the season. Unless Kvam gets his head on straight and improves drastically by the end of the season, he will no longer be a Seaman come November.

Up Next: Results of this week’s cross-pass (winger) training. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Originally posted by vexroid
Maybe they intend on staying around for a season or two more

Let's hope not. I think their qualification match loss may have just taught them that they are too one-dimensional, and are looking to become more well-rounded. If they do that, they very well could advance to Division III at the end of the season.

[DataKing]

Reserve winger/midfielder Olav Mauffret has been placed on the transfer wire. He is an old starter of mine, who has been a reserve for the past season. Now, we simply don't have space for him in the rotation.

Olav is nothing special, I admit, but is a reliable and inexpensive possibility for those looking for winger and/or midfield depth. He typically puts up ** if in inadequate or better form, **~ at solid.

Olav Mauffret

Listed As: Winger
Asking Price: $2,000
Deadline: 8/1/2003 @ 19:45 HT-time

23 years old, passable form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is calm and honest.
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities.

Nationality: Finnish
Assessed Value: $52,000
Wage: $960 per week

Stamina: Excellent
Playmaking: Inadequate
Winger: Inadequate
Scoring: Weak
Goaltending: Disastrous
Passing: Poor
Defending: Weak
Set Pieces: Poor

[DataKing]

Week 1 Training Results

This week’s training results are easily divisible into “good news” and “bad news.” First, the good news:

Reg Nichols

Position: Winger
Jersey #16

17 years old, passable (6) form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is balanced and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and inadequate (5) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Technical

Nationality: American
Assessed Value: $203,000
Wage: $1,400 per week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Passable (6)
Winger: Excellent (8)
Scoring: Weak (4)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Poor (3)
Defending: Weak (4)
Set Pieces: Passable (6)

As things turn out, Reg is an even better winger than we originally thought. The amount of raw talent this kid has is incredible, and he has proven to be a “first week excellent.” It’s too bad this is an off-season for the U-20 clubs, or I would be tempted to switch to a full-time winger training program and land Reg a spot on the American U-20 team.

Also worthy of note this week are midfielder Charlie Bautista and reserve forward Forrest “Gump” Tobias. Charlie improved to weak (4) experience this week, while “Gump” improved to poor (3).

And now for the bad news:

Form Changes

4 players improved in form this week, including three starters:
-Forward #14 German Galvez: solid (7)
-Central Defender #18 Cameron McDonald: passable (6)
-Wingback #22 Tyler Willard: solid (7)

12 players saw their form remain the same this week.

7 players dropped a level in form this week, including four starters:
-Midfielder #6 Charlie Bautista: inadequate (5)
-Midfielder #23 David Burton: inadequate (5)
-Midfielder #8 Niklas Ivarsson: weak (4)
-Winger #9 Valentin Rubio: passable (6)

You will notice that, out of our starting five midfielders, four players dropped in form this week! Our midfield play has been bad enough as of late, and now this. To make matters worse, we’re hosting Croats In Miami this week. We’re going to get crushed.

In the Zone

Again, we have no players displaying excellent (8) form at the moment. We do, however, still have a total of six players in solid (7) form:

-Forward #14 German Galvez
-Wingback #17 Mattias Leier (reserve)
-Wingback #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas
-Winger #25 Paul Peralta (reserve)
-Keeper #13 Darryl Read (reserve)
-Wingback #22 Tyler Willard

“Headcase” and Tyler continue to impress us with their consistently good form. I had been toying with the idea of letting Tyler go at the end of the season, but the more I see from him, the more I want to keep him around for a long, long time.

Form Dogs

Our list of form dogs this week (all in weak form) contains way too many midfielders:

-Midfielder #8 Niklas Ivarsson
-Midfielder #19 Jerry Smith (reserve)
-Midfielder #7 Lucian Tere (reserve)
-Forward #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (reserve)

Player Values

Average Player Value: $174,130 (+$8,739)
Total Player Value (23 players): $4,005,000 (+$201,000)

This week’s numbers are rather skewed. Olav Mauffret has not been included, due to his impending sale, so the average player value numbers are a little out of whack (he’s valued at only $55,000). The total player value numbers are skewed as well, because of the addition of Reg Nichols to the roster. Still, it’s nice to see that we’ve finally broken the $4,000,000 barrier. Speaking of Reg…

Assessed Value Milestones

$200,000+
-Winger #16 Reg Nichols ($203,000)

$300,000+
-Forward #14 German Galvez ($306,000)

Up Next: This week’s youth squad promotion (let’s hope for another Reg Nichols to add to the roster) and financial update. Stay tuned!

[DukeRulesMAB]

Good lord, Reg is inhuman. Congrats, you deserve it!

On the bright side of the bad news, Croats week is as good of a week as any to have a form dive, as it's unlikely you'd be able to beat them anyway. Much better now than the week of a game with another of the 2nd-6th place contenders.

On a side note, I very much wanted to bid on your middy, as I deperately need a backup central mid with his skill set, but my passable keeper youth pull hasn't gotten a bid yet (and I listed him at a very reasonable price), so I'm still 200K plus in the hole and can't bid.

[Fonzie]

Reg popped to excellent already?

Did I mention the hatred? 'Cuz there's some hatred.

[DataKing]

Week 1 Youth Pull

This week’s youth squad product was no Reg Nichols, but he’s decent in his own right. However, with our defensive training program nearing it’s end, there’s simply no space for Scott on the club.

Scott Windham

Listed As: Central Defender
Asking Price: $10,000
Deadline: 8/7/2003 at 19:42 HT-Time

18 years old, passable (6) form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is calm and upright.
Has disastrous (1) experience and wretched (2) leadership abilities.

Nationality: American
Assessed Value: $31,000
Wage: $640 per week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Weak (4)
Winger: Wretched (2)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Wretched (2)
Defending: Passable (6)
Set Pieces: Wretched (2)

Hopefully some defensive trainer will provide Scott with a good home.


Week 1 Financial Update

Previous Balance: $577,455

Revenue

Crowd (U.S. Open Cup match vs. Arkansas Indians) - $10,560
Sponsors - $63,600
Temporary (mother club money from resale of Tracy Cheatham) - $4,600
Temporary (mother club money from resale of Millard Meadows) - $1,880
Temporary (sale of Olav Mauffret) - $5,400
Temporary (16 new supporters) - $480

Total Revenue: $86,520

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $19,500
Player Wages - $40,044
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Reg Nichols) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Olav Mauffret) - $1,000
Temporary (firing of 2 specialists) - $3,000
Staff & Specialists - $46,500
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $132,044

Net Income/Loss: -$45,524

New Balance: $531,931

Team Information

Team Spirit: Satisfied (up two levels)
Team Confidence: Wonderful (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: Delirious (no change)
Supporter Attitude: High on Life (up two levels)
Supporter Club: 1,525 (up 16 this week)

Up Next: Our home opener for the season, as we play host to the defending champions, the Croats In Miami. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 4 – Week 2 League Match

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Croats In Miami

Date: August 3rd, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 30,000 (30,000)
Weather: Sunny

Today we’ve got what is certainly to be one of the toughest draws of the season, the defending series champion Croats In Miami. Frankly speaking, we’re not really expecting to win here today, even though we’re at The Docks. The Croats have a dominant midfield, while ours has been in terrible form as of late. We just want things to be respectable today, and not lose too much to other clubs in the area of goal differential.

Previous Meetings

12/15/2002 – Screamin’ Seamen 5, Croats in Miami 1
3/16/2003 – Croats in Miami 1, Screamin’ Seamen 0
4/20/2003 – Croats in Miami 2, Screamin’ Seamen 2
6/22/2003 – Screamin’ Seamen 1, Croats in Miami 2

Aside from our blow-out victory the first time we met, all of our matches against the Croats have been tight affairs, and we’re looking for a similar result today. The Croats do hold a slight edge in the all-time competition between our two clubs, with a 2-1-1 record.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# appearances w/SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read (27th appearance, ***)

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard (27th appearance, ****)
Central Defender: #18 Cameron McDonald (5th appearance, ***)
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (47th appearance, ****)

Right Winger: #16 Reg Nichols (2nd appearance, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #23 David Burton (3rd appearance, ****)
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista (48th appearance, ***~)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (44th appearance, ***)
Left Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio (18th appearance, ***)

Forward: #14 German Galvez (3rd appearance, ***)
Forward: #12 Guido Metman (12th appearance, ***)

Team Captain: #12 Guido Metman
Set Pieces: #23 David Burton

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (42 appearances, ***)
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier (5 appearances, ***~)
-Midfielder: #8 Niklas Ivarsson (16 appearances, ***)
-Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson (67 career appearances, **~)
-Winger: #3 Ben McMahon (42 appearances, **~)

Once again, we’ve made some alterations to the line-up this week, starting in net. “Corny” Jernigan has been struggling a bit as of late, while Darryl Read has been showing us good things in practice. Overall, the two are playing on a very even level, so we’ve decided to give Darryl the nod today. “Corny” will start for us on Wednesday in our U.S. Open Cup match.

On the back line, Cameron McDonald remains as our starting sweeper. He’s been showing improved form as of late, and seems to be well aware that his future with the club (or lack thereof) depends entirely on how he performs this season. Cam seems to be reacting well to the pressure, and is showing good form both on the pitch and the practice field, which is good to see.

We also have a change, or rather, the lack of a change, in the midfield. All of our starting midfielders seem to be slacking off a bit at the moment, particularly our Swede, Niklas Ivarsson. This is undoubtedly an after-effect of the time Niklas missed due to his pre-season injury, and we’re confident that he will bounce back soon and be match-fit in no time. For now, however, Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin starts in his place in the middle.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

A brilliantly sunny day had enticed a crowd of 30000 to The Docks.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Read - Willard, Mcdonald, Lucas - Nichols, Burton, Bautista, Tomlin, Rubio - Metman, Galvez.

Croats started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. They fielded: Larsson - Göransson, Schwab, Firicã, Moustakis - Schofield, Allen, Blackwell, Rönnerberg - Patrick, Broderick.

FIRST HALF

At the beginning of the game, Croats appeared to already have taken this victory to the bank.

After a fine move down the middle Reg Nichols nearly gave the home side one up in the 3rd minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though.

After 20 minutes Screamin's Tyler Willard had to be carried off on a stretcher in agony. Mattias Leier came in instead of him.

Valentín Rubio was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Germán Galvez managed to kick one of them into 1 - 0 in the 22nd minute.

The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 0. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 51 percent, dominated the battle.

SECOND HALF

During the half-time break, the Croats players received a right telling of by coach resulting in a more alert team entering the pitch for the second half of the game.

Germán Galvez of Screamin' received a yellow card in the 46:th minute for unsportsmanlike behavior.

In the games 51st minute Croats´s Ryan Broderick fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Ryan Broderick for taking a dive.

Ryan Broderick made a good effort at breaking through from the right, but the home team left defense cleared the ball to a corner.

In the 63rd minute Screamin's Cameron Mcdonald received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first.

A well placed corner kick from David Burton was followed by Cameron Mcdonald´s hard but accurate header. The nice combination meant 2-0 for Screamin'.

The guests got an opportunity to reduce after 70 minutes to 2 - 1, and Lester Schofield took it from the penalty spot, scoring easily.

The forty-five minutes were dominated by Croats, with an impressive 58 percent possession of the ball.

POST-GAME

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. Reg Nichols was a disappointment, however.

Most important Croats player was Donald Blackwell. Rolf Schwab was a disappointment, however.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 2, Croats in Miami 1

Goals

Galvez – 1 (1, assisted by Rubio)
McDonald – 1 (1, GWG, assisted by Burton)

Cards

Galvez – yellow (2)
McDonald – yellow (1)

Player Ratings

Read: ***

Willard: ** (injured)
Leier: ***~ (replaced Willard)
McDonald: ***~
Lucas: ****

Nichols: **~
Burton: ***~
Bautista: ***
Tomlin: ***
Rubio: ***

Galvez: ***
Metman: ***

Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Excellent (8)
-Central Attack: Excellent (8)
-Left Attack: Excellent (8)
-NSI: 70
-Experience: Poor (3)

Croats In Miami
-Midfield: Solid (7)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Formidable (9)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)
-NSI: 71
-Experience: Poor (3)

Comments

The Croats came into Chicago brimming with confidence, which is rather odd when you consider a couple of factors. First off, our two teams have always played close, hard-fought matches, and second, they would be running an abnormal 4-4-2 formation, rather than their typical 3-5-2 (I can only assume that this was a mistake by lav-hehe, the Croats’ manager, though he has not confessed to such as of yet). The result was a 1-nil lead at the break, by a hook-up of Argentinean countrymen Valentin Rubio and German Galvez.

The opposition seemed more determined and focused in the second half, but our lads did a right good job of holding on. Things got a bit chippy though, as both German Galvez and Cameron McDonald received bookings (no doubt upset by the injury to Tyler Willard in the first half). It looked like we had things locked up when Cameron finally used his height to his advantage, heading home a perfect corner kick by old-timer David Burton, but mere moments later the referees decided to keep things interesting by awarding the Croats a penalty kick.

After that it was buckle-down time for our defense, which did exactly that, and we held on for a well-earned, though unexpected, 2-1 victory.

The win was not without cost, however, as wingback Tyler Willard suffered considerable damage to his Achilles tendon. The initial assessment by the team’ head physiotherapist, Dr. Kay Vorkian, was that Tyler would miss about a month. That is unacceptable, however, and an entire team of specialists (read: 10 doctors) has been brought in to get Tyler back on the pitch as soon as is humanly possible.

Series Scores and Standings

-Neon Genesis Evangelion took the early series lead, by virtue of a 3-1 victory at home against Sweden Heights.
-Ramblers were definitely the dominant team of the week, demolishing the newcomer Tortoises, 5-nil.
-Big Reds appear to have seriously underestimated the other new team to the series, JP8, and only managed a 2-2 draw against them.

No.	Team					Played	        Goals		Pts.	NSI

1.	Neon Genesis Evangelion		        2		4-2		4	75

2.	Ramblers				2		5-3		3	88

3.	Croats in Miami			        2		4-2		3	71

4.	Screamin’ Seamen*			2		3-3		3	70

5.	Sweden Heights			        2		3-4		3	73

6.	Tortoises				2		3-7		3	48

7.	Big Reds				2		3-3		2	61

8.	JP8					2		4-5		1	52

If you’ve read the earlier installments in this dynasty, then you know I don’t put much stock in the series standings until after week seven, when every team has played each other once. Though it is still very early, I just find it interesting that the lead team only has four points, and no one has been held pointless yet. This season looks to be a low-point affair in The Series Of The Beast [tm].

Week Three Matchups

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion
Big Reds vs. Ramblers
Sweden Heights vs. JP8
Tortoises vs. Croats In Miami

We have another tall order in store for us next week, as we play host to N.G.E. This means we’re going to have a nasty stretch at the end of the season, when we’ll have to play Croats In Miami and N.G.E. on the road in back-to-back weeks.

Up Next: We’ve earned what appears to be an easy draw for Round Three of the U.S. Open Cup, as we’ll be travelling to Dayton, Ohio to play Red Devils 1878. Stay tuned!

[thealmighty]

Congrats on the great win, DK.

[Fonzie]

Indeed! Congratulations!

[The Afoci]

Go DK!

[DukeRulesMAB]

Awesome win!

[DataKing]

Season 4 – U.S. Open Cup Round 3

red devils 1878 vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: August 6th, 2003
Venue: Old Trafford (Dayton, OH)
Attendance: 7,000 (7,000)
Weather: Overcast

We’ve lucked into an easy draw for the 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup, red devils 1878 from Dayton, Ohio. While technically not community-owned like the two small, local clubs we’ve played in the first two rounds, the red devils are little better off. Despite private ownership, the club has only recorded one transfer in their brief history (paying $87,000 for one Fryderyk Lubawski, who isn’t even in the starting lineup). It should be another easy win for the Seamen today, but one which will not bring much into the club’s coffers. We’ll be playing at another small, 7,000-seat stadium with a very original name (Old Trafford ).

(Author’s Note: I detest Manchester United, so the name of this team and their stadium makes me want to beat them senseless. I was actually tempted to play the match normal, rather than PIC, but cooler heads have prevailed.)

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# appearance w/SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (43rd appearance, ***)

Right Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam (4th appearance, ***)
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs (5th appearance, ***)
Left Wingback: #21 Zarpas Lerma (Professional Debut, ***)

Right Winger: #16 Reg Nichols (3rd appearance, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #8 Niklas Ivarsson (17th appearance, ***)
Inner Midfielder: #25 Paul Peralta (16th appearance, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (45th appearance, ***)
Left Winger: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (48th appearance, **~ as winger)

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (34th appearance, **~)
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson (68th career appearance, **~)

Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Darryl Read (27 appearances, ***)
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier (5 appearances, ***~)
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere (33 appearances, **)
-Forward: #14 German Galvez (3 appearances, ***)
-Winger: #3 Ben McMahon (42 appearances, **~)

We’re juggling the lineup again today, as player form, injuries, and alternative training methods have forced us to do all season long thus far. Noticeable in net today is “Corny” Jernigan, who was held out of Sunday’s upset victory over Croats In Miami in favor of Darryl Read, who looked sharp in net. “Corny” has been struggling a bit as of late, but we’re hoping that the soft competition today will help him to recover some of his lost confidence.

The injury to Tyler Willard, and his subsequent replacement on Sunday by Mattias Leier, has forced us to make a change on the back line today as well. Christian Kvam will shift over from the left to the right side of the defense (the side with less support from sweeper Keith Stubbs), and Zarpas Lerma will make his professional debut with us today on the left side. Zarpas has been a long-time trainee with the Seamen, just like the others, but has always been the odd-man-out, and the one who seemed to lag behind in his development. We’ll see how he does today, when performance matters the most.

We’ve also made some changes in the midfield today. The injury to Tyler Willard has left one of our winger spots open for today’s match, and we’ve decided that youth squad phenomenon Reg Nichols will get the chance to play. If you’ve been following this dynasty for the past couple of weeks, you know that Reg is an amazing young talent on the wing, and is one that likely has a long and bright future ahead of him. We want to get Reg as much match experience as we can, and so the 17-year-old will get his first cup match experience today.

Arlen “Headcase” Lucas returns to the same left-wing position that he played last week to good effect. Things have been shaken up in the middle as well, as the horrible form displayed as of late by Jerry Smith and Lucian Tere has forced us to bench Jerry and move Lucian to back-up duty. Niklas Ivarsson, who was also held out of Sunday’s game, will play for us today, opposite Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin, who is pulling double-duty for us this week. Super-sub Paul Peralta will fill in the third midfielder slot.

Our strikers, at least, remain the same as last Wednesday, with Johannes Henriksson also handling the roles of team captain and designated set-pieces ace for today.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 7000 at Old Trafford today.

devils tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. They fielded: Ibarra - Bowen, Maddox, Crowe, Chapdelaine - Vaughan, Mullen, Duley, Ling-Lai - Walters, Helms.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Kvam , Stubbs, Lerma - Nichols, Ivarsson, Tomlin, Peralta, Lucas - Henriksson, Tobias.

FIRST HALF

Screamin' took the lead in the games 6:th minute with 0 - 1 after some elegant plays down the middle. Reg Nichols was the scorer.

In the 19:th minute Screamin's Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first.

The visitors Johannes Henriksson took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 21st minute. 0 - 2 for Screamin'.

The referee showed devilss Barrett Walters the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge.

The visitors Forrest “Gump” Tobias took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 33rd minute. 0 - 3 for Screamin'.

Some fine manouvering on the left lead to an 35:th minute Screamin' goal, making it 0 - 4. Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin was noted down as the scorer.

0 - 4 was the half-time score. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 60 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

Johannes Henriksson increased the visitors lead by putting a volley shot away on a pass from the right. 0 - 5. After this Screamin' lowered the tempo in order to concentrate on their defensive efforts.

devils managed a superb strike in the 73rd minute that would have left goaltender Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan without a chance, had it been on the inside of the post.

The visitors Johannes Henriksson took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 76:th minute. 0 - 6 for Screamin'. At that, Johannes Henriksson was noted down for a hat trick.

Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 57 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Most important devils player was Jeremy Mullen. Justin Bowen was a disappointment, however.

Most important Screamin' player was Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan. Forrest “Gump” Tobias was a disappointment, however.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 6, red devils 1878 0

Goals

Nichols – 1 (1st Career Goal!)
Henriksson – 3 (5, 4th Career Hattrick!)
Tobias – 1 (3)
Tomlin – 1 (1)

Cards

Tomlin – yellow (1)

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***

Kvam: ***
Stubbs: ***
Lerma: ***

Nichols: **~
Ivarsson: ***
Peralta: **~
Tomlin: ***
Lucas: **~

Tobias: **
Henriksson: **~

Team Match MVP: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-NSI: 60
-Experience: Poor (3)

red devils 1878
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Weak (4)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)
-NSI: 34
-Experience: Poor (3)

Comments

I’m going to hell. There’s no denying it. My team is in The Series Of The Beast [tm] (Series ID# is 666), and we have scored six goals in each of our first three league matches this season (6-nil all three times). Someone is trying to tell me something.

On a more serious note, though, this was another easy win, as expected, but still a reason for celebration, for a couple of different reasons. For starters, our young winger Reg Nichols scored his first ever goal today, which also held up as the game-winner. Also worthy of celebrating is Johannes Henriksson earning his fourth career hattrick. Congratulations, Johan! The strippers and beer will be waiting for you when we get back to Chicago.

Forrest “Gump” Tobias and Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin also added goals of their own, which is always good to see, and “Corny” Jernigan pitched a shut-out (though he was lucky one of the few chances the red devils managed did not result in a goal). Hopefully this match will help him to regain some of his lost confidence.

There are no real negatives to take away from the match. “The Old Goat” did pick up a yellow card, but we’ve come to expect that sort of thing from the fiery old man in our midfield.

Surprisingly enough, Neon Genesis Evangelion, the series leaders, lost their Cup match today, but the other seven members of The Series Of The Beast [tm] are all still in the U.S. Open Cup.

Up Next: Weekly training results. Stay tuned!

[DukeRulesMAB]

Are you playing Reg offensive or normal? I would expect *** from him playing offensive (and an excellent wing attack), so that would seem low if that's the case. **~ probably would be about right for normal though.

The Seamen are on a roll; who is up in next week's cup match?

[DataKing]

Originally posted by DukeRulesMAB
Are you playing Reg offensive or normal? I would expect *** from him playing offensive (and an excellent wing attack), so that would seem low if that's the case. **~ probably would be about right for normal though.

The Seamen are on a roll; who is up in next week's cup match?

We've been playing Reg "normal" to get a good base-line on his abilities. You probably will see him start to take more of an offensive stance soon, though. Also, I think part of the reason we only see **~ performances from him is because of his stamina (weak).

We're on the road again next week in the U.S. Open Cup, travelling to Philly to take on the sideshow from Series IV.63. They seem to average around a 50 NSI or so, so it is definitely winable. We'd better win. I want at least one home match during this season's cup run.

[Havok]

35. Tony Allen 3 500 000 US$ (opening price)
Belongs to: Croats in Miami
Age: 25 years
Value: 1 195 000 US$
Deadline: 8/11/2003 at 07:59
Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: brilliant Passing: solid
Winger: wretched Defending: weak
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: poor


36. Donald Blackwell 4 000 000 US$ (opening price)
Belongs to: Croats in Miami
Age: 24 years
Value: 1 666 000 US$
Deadline: 8/11/2003 at 08:00
Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: brilliant Passing: solid
Winger: passable Defending: weak
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: disastrous


37. Lars-Olof Rönnerberg 1 750 000 US$ (opening price)
Belongs to: Croats in Miami
Age: 20 years
Value: 415 000 US$
Deadline: 8/11/2003 at 08:01
Stamina: solid Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: formidable Passing: passable
Winger: poor Defending: weak
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: weak


looks like your friend is doing a major overhaul.

[robbgmaier]

:drool:

[DataKing]

Croats are in the process of making their midfield younger. Allen and Blackwell are both great midfielders, obviously (both capable of putting up *****), but are too old to be training. This should bring the Croats' midfield down to a more reasonable level, at least for the time being.

I'm more interested to see where he spends the rest of his money, though I think he's listed Allen and Blackwell a little high.

[DataKing]

Week 2 Training Results

We saw no one show any marked improvement in their winger abilities, but are hoping to see strides from wingback Arlen “Headcase” Lucas soon.

We did, however, have two players improve in their experience ratings. Reserve team captain Johannes Henriksson and starting winger Valentin Rubio both improved to weak (4) experience.

Form Changes

4 players improved in form this week, including two starters:
-Midfielder #6 Charlie Bautista: passable (6)
-Winger #16 Reg Nichols: solid (7) (this kid just gets better and better)

16 players saw their form remain the same this week.

3 players dropped a level in form this week, including only one starter:
-Winger #9 Valentin Rubio: inadequate (5)

At least one of our midfielders, Charlie Bautista, showed some improvement this week, which is nice to see. Oh, and have I mentioned lately how much I like this kid Reg Nichols?

In The Zone

Again, we have no players displaying excellent (8) form at the moment, but the list of players in solid (7) form is now up to eight:

-Forward #14 German Galvez
-Forward #11 Johannes Henriksson (reserve)
-Wingback #17 Mattias Leier (reserve)
-Wingback #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas
-Winger #16 Reg Nichols
-Super-Sub #25 Paul Peralta (reserve)
-Keeper #13 Darryl Read (reserve)
-Wingback #22 Tyler Willard (injured)

Form Dog

Only one player earns the dubious title of “form dog” this week; reserve striker Forrest “Gump” Tobias has dropped to poor (3) form. Unless Gump shows some remarkable improvement soon, he has probably seen the pitch for the last time as a Seaman.

Player Values

Average Player Value: $171,609 (-$2,521)
Total Player Value (23 players): $3,947,000 (-$58,000)

Note: These numbers are skewed, due to the injury to Tyler Willard. Tyler’s value dropped from $365,000 to $215,000 due to the injury.

No assessed value milestones were reached this week.

Other News

This week’s youth squad promotee, Scott Windham, has been shipped off to Switzerland, where he will play for 4th division side Seven/Eleven. His sale brought in $16,560 to the club’s coffers.

And on the lighter side of the news, does anyone here remember Max Dodge? Well, it seems that Max is still bouncing around the league, as he was sold earlier this week to Theako’s Warriors, a 5th-division English side. Max is still displaying lousy form, naturally.

Up Next: Our weekly youth squad promotion and financial update. After that, we host the current series leaders, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Stay tuned!

[DukeRulesMAB]

What's amazing about Croats' guys is that they all had passable or better passing as well. That was one whipass midfield.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by DukeRulesMAB
What's amazing about Croats' guys is that they all had passable or better passing as well. That was one whipass midfield.

Yes it was, and I cannot say that I am sorry to see it go.