Screamin' Seamen FC - A Hattrick Dynasty

[vex]

FYI, I just noticed that there are only 2 "Will" or "William Browns" in the USA. And seeing as how that's my name, if William Brown ever goes up for sale, please tell me. Or maybe we can work out a trade sometime.

[vex]

And actually, after looking at it, he would fill a huge gap for me at wingback if you wouldn't mind getting rid of him.

Would a trade be possible? I would give somewhere around $65K for him if we could work something out.

[DataKing]

I'm always open to offers, but I'm afraid I could not let William go for $65,000. He should reach solid defending right around the end of the season, at which point he becomes worth a lot more than $65,000. At that point he could probably fetch somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000 on the market. Also, he is only one of two players on my team with a 'Quick' specialty, and I really like having some speed on the wings.

If you have something else in mind, let me know. But for the time being, I have to say 'no.'

[vex]

I'll just have to wait and see then I guess. Thanks.

[DataKing]

Week 8 Training Results

Defensive training again this week, and again we saw no skill level gains. This sort of thing is to be expected, though. Training defensemen is a slow process. We did, however, see another experience jump. Reserve midfielder Jerry Smith rose in experience from disastrous (1) to wretched (2). Jerry is only 19 years old, so we were pretty glad to see this. He’s likely to be a starter for us at midfield in the future.

7 players saw their form rise this week (striker Forrest “Gump” Tobias rose 2 levels!)
13 players remained steady with their current form
Only 2 players saw their form drop (striker Ruben Stewart and winger Paul Peralta)

Team average form rose by 0.3 to 5.8 (high inadequate).

Top Form

Once again, we have no players in excellent (8) form. However, this week we have 6 players in solid (7) form.

Wingback #23 William Brown
Wingback #5 Arlen Lucas
Winger #10 Olav Mauffret
Keeper #1 Darryl Read
Forward #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
Midfielder #4 Pete “Old Goat” Tomlin

The form “dog” on the club remains Max Dodge, and quite frankly, I’m fed up with it. The only thing that might bring him out of his funk is a week of general training, but I cannot afford to waste an entire week of defensive training for one player. Max will find himself listed on the transfer market soon.

Value

Average player value rose this week to just shy of $100,000 ($99,857 to be exact), which is up $4,524 from last week.

Total player value sits at $2,097,000, up a healthy $95,000 from last week.

Big Gainers

Central defender Chuck Scales seems to have responded very well to the addition of wingback Tyler Willard to the back line. Chuck had an excellent week of practice, and his assessed value has risen by $10,000 this week to an even $100,000.

27 year old Ben McMahon has responded extremely well to his position switch. His practice as a winger, with a defensive tilt, seems to suit him quite well, and he gets to run a bit more than he ever did before. His value rose $15,000 this week, and he is currently assessed at $184,000.

Goalkeeper Cornelius Jernigan continues to grow more and more comfortable with his defensive teammates, especially now that he is a starter, and it shows. His stock continues to rise; $34,000 this week to a current value of $485,000!

Up Next: Max Dodge will most likely find himself on the transfer market tomorrow. After that, our weekly financial update and our next youth pull. Hopefully our youth squad can produce for us yet again. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Max Dodge has found his way to the transfer market. I simply cannot justify keeping him around any longer. It's possible that a week or two of general training might break him out of his form-funk, but I don't intend to do that. My defensive training is more important to me.

If anyone is interested...

Max Dodge

Listed As: Inner Midfielder
Asking Price: $50,000

23 years old, poor form, healthy

Sympathetic, balanced, honest
Disastrous experience, poor leadership

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $89,000
Wage: $1,300/week

Stamina: Passable
Playmaking: Passable
Winger: Inadequate
Scoring: Inadequate
Goaltending: Disastrous
Passing: Inadeqaute
Defending: Weak
Set Pieces: Inadequate

As you can see, Max can have some value as a utility player, capable of playing midfielder, winger, or (in a pinch) forward.

But I will come out and say that I do not recommend any of you bid on him. I think his base form is just too low to be of any real use. If any of you feel like taking a $50,000 chance, then by all means, bid away.

Just don't say I didn't warn you.

[DataKing]

Youth Pull

We didn’t have the same kind of fortune with the youth squad this week that we have seen recently. Although Zhi Wing-Ning certainly has an entertaining name, he will never be a professional soccer player. Valued at only $16,000, he has passable passing skill, but no skills above weak in any of the primary skills. Zhi has told us that he plans to go back to college. We wish him well.

Weekly Balance Sheet

Previous Balance: $241,117

Income

Crowd (league match vs. Farmer of Fire) - $91,900
Crowd (friendly match vs. Cedar Pond Horned Toads) - $2,850
Sponsors - $55,350
Temporary (24 new supporters) - $720
Temporary (sale of youth pull Samuel Zavallos) - $151,800

Total Revenue: $302,620

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $11,271
Player Wages - $25,192
Temporary (youth squad pull) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Samuel Zavallos) - $1,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Max Dodge) - $1,000
Staff & Specialists - $31,500
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $91,963

Net Income/Loss: $210,657

New Balance: $451,774

State of the Team

Team Spirit: Calm
Team Confidence: Wonderful

Sponsor Attitude: Delirious
Supporter Attitude: High on Life
Supporters: 1,189 (up 24 from last week)

Other Notes

Smiths United, a team from England’s 5th division, is currently the leading bidder for the services of Max Dodge at $52,500. This means that we effective have $500,000 in the bank, $200,000 of which I am looking to spend on players. We are currently scouring the transfer market for another defensive trainee, as well as a possible improvement at midfield as well.

Also, the schedule for the first part of the 2nd Windy City Cup has been established. The tournament contains 32 teams, with the first round being group play similar to the format of the World Cup. Our 3 week schedule for group play looks like this:

2/12/03 – at Northern Lazies (Series III.1)
2/19/03 – vs. The Prestidigitators (Series V.52)
2/26/03 – vs. High Tops (Series V.28)

The Northern Lazies are expected to sweep group play and earn one of the top seeds in the Round of 16, and we fully expect to lose to them on Wednesday. Their second team would be a good match for our starters, and should dominate our reserves. The other two matches are definitely winnable, though, especially because we’re at home. We should be able to earn a spot in the Round of 16.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish luck to the Gargoyles and the Galesburg Avengers, who are participating in the Windy City Cup as well. Unfortunately, none of us were placed in the same group.

Up Next: We have what should be an easy match this Sunday, as we visit the 7th place Cariocas team in Miami. Stay tuned!

[illinifan999]

Man with that name! Was he born in the USA?

[DataKing]

Zhi was actually born in Hong Kong, but his parents moved to the States when he was about 2 years old.

You will get some very ethnic names for American players from time to time. Luis Javier Prada is an American.

[DataKing]

Season 2 – League Match #9

Cariocas vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: February 9th, 2003
Venue: La Cosa Nostra Arena (Miami, FL)
Attendance: 8,560 (16,005)
Weather: Overcast

We travel to Miami this week to take on a struggling Cariocas team. Cariocas has lost five straight matches, and earned their last point way back in Week 3 with a 1-1 draw against Farmer of Fire. We foresee very little trouble in handling this club, so this is a good opportunity for our guys to take it easy and still come away with three points.

As far as the series standings go, we do not expect to see any change this week. All of the teams in the top half of the table face off against teams from the bottom half. Assuming that we are victorious, we should remain in 2nd place, two points behind the Ramblers and two points ahead of Croats in Miami.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #3 Ben McMahon
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “Old Goat” Tomlin
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

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

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #23 William Brown
-Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

We’ve only made one change to the lineup from last week. Winger Paul Peralta’s form has been dipping a bit as of late, and Ben McMahon proved to us on Wednesday that he can handle playing on the wing. Ben will start for us on the right side, where we expect to see the most pressure from our opponents.

Match Report

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 8560 at La Cosa Nostra Arena today. Cariocas had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. Lineup: Cousau - Harrison, de Boer, Levine, Westerström - Anderson, Ball, Garrido, Peacock - Miller, Fairchild.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. Lineup: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Mcmahon, Tere, Bautista, Tomlin, Mauffret - Henriksson, Tobias.

Screamin'´s Johannes Henriksson gave the visitors a 0 - 1 lead in the 15:th minute with a superb strike from the right. As Juan Luis Garrido had, completely unprovoked, swept the legs out from under an opponent in front of a linesman, the referee gave the Cariocas player a red card without batting an eye. Johannes Henriksson increased Screamin'´s lead to 0 - 2 by a superb free kick strike, flying in just under the far top corner. The visitors Forrest Tobias took advantage of an error due to a misunderstanding between the home side´s goalie and full backs in the 40:th minute. 0 - 3 for Screamin'. By now Screamin' were drawing the troops back in order to defend their lead. Cariocas managed a superb strike in the 41st minute that would have left goaltender Cornelius Jernigan without a chance, had it been on the inside of the post. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 3. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 60 percent, dominated the battle.

After several obvious shirt pulling incidents, Screamin'´s Tyler Willard got himself booked. Forrest Tobias was, after 58 minutes, almost able to extend the visitors lead with a well placed diving header but home side keeper Washington Cousau saved. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 64 percent possession rate.

Most important Cariocas player was Mort Harrison. Brett Fairchild was a disappointment, however. Most important Screamin' player was Cornelius Jernigan. Lucian Tere on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 0 - 3.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 3, Cariocas 0

Goals
Henriksson – 2 (9,10)
Tobias – 1 (9)

Cards
Willard – yellow

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***~

Willard: ***
Scales: **~
Lucas: ***

McMahon: **~
Bautista: **~
Tere: **
Tomlin: ***
Mauffret: **

Henriksson: **~
Tobias: **~

Man of the Match: #13 Cornelius Jernigan

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)

Cariocas
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Passable (6)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Weak (4)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Comments

Even early on, it was easy to see that Cariocas was outmatched. When midfielder Juan Luis Garrido was sent off the pitch in the first half, the game was all but over. We built up a three goal lead, and then, with the exception of one scare just before halftime, played airtight defense.

The match was, without a doubt, the best defensive effort we have ever put up. A large part of this was due to the great play of keeper Cornelius Jernigan, who put up the first ever 3.5 star performance by a Screamin’ Seaman! The clean sheet earned Cornelius Man of the Match honors. I’d say that our trade with Middlesex Athletic earlier this season has definitely paid off.

Series Scores and Standings

The Gohira club has folded, and a new club has been chartered. The team is based in Atlanta, Georgia and is called The Cheats. With a name like that, we will definitely be keeping a close eye on them.

-Farmer of Fire pulled off a small upset, shutting out Neon Genesis Evangelion and winning 1-nil.
-Ramblers welcomed The Cheats to the league with a rude 7-1 drubbing.
-Croats in Miami won their 7th straight, defeating Gazzaly FC, 5-2.

Series IV.49 remains a three horse race.

No.	Team				Played		Goals		Pts.

1.	Ramblers			9		47-5		25

2.	Screamin’ Seamen		        9		36-10		23

3.	Croats in Miami		        9		29-14		21

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion	        9		18-11		12

5.	Farmer of Fire			9		9-17		11

6.	Gazzaly FC			9		12-30		7

7.	Cariocas			9		11-33		5

8.	The Cheats			9		3-45		0

Our schedule for the last five weeks of the season looks like this:

2/16 – vs. The Cheats
2/23 - @ Ramblers
3/2 - @ Gazzaly FC
3/9 – vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion
3/16 - @ Croats in Miami

The match in two weeks against Ramblers will decide whether or not we have any chance of winning the series. Other than that, we close the season at Croats in Miami, which could very well be a game that decides who takes home second place.

Up Next: We open up Windy City Cup play on Wednesday against 3rd Division side Northern Lazies. Stay tuned!

[NevStar]

Congrats on the victory & another clean-sheet for Jernigan. Your team is proof-positive that you CAN have success with a defensive-oriented team, regardless of what the hattrick forum people say.

[sterlingice]

You gonna PIC it for the next game and then MotS for the Ramblers game? I just PIC'd it and have two tough games coming up (one tough, the other very tough on the road) so I'm trying to decide what to do (check out my thread- it will be written up shortly) and sucking up to vets to get advice seems to be in order

SI

[DataKing]

NevStar: Thanks. I think part of the reason everyone thinks defense is under-rated is that they disregard the midfield. To my way of thinking, the midfield is an extension of the defense, rather than a completely seperate entity. That's why I have put together a decent midfield. If your opponent has 75% possession, they're just going to keep hammering away at your defense, and eventually find a way through, no matter how good that defense is. They'll get 3 attacks to every one that you get. That's my take on it, anyway. My midfield deserves some of the credit for this shutout, for sure.

sterlingice: I PICed this match (hence the weak midfield rating), and I will certainly do it again next week against the new team. But whether or not I MOTS against Ramblers week 11 remains to be seen. My first priority right now is to make sure I stay in 2nd place, and Croats in Miami are on an absolute tear (7 straight wins). I'll analyze the games both Ramblers and Croats play next week, and see whether or not MOTSing would be shooting myself in the foot.

Your situation is certainly different than mine. Coming into the game in the middle of the season like you did, you have very little to lose. Do whatever you can to make sure you finish in the top four of your series, so you get a piece of the prize money at the end of the season. That's what I'd suggest. The more you can manage in prize money, the stronger your squad will be next season. CCs Dragons and the Darksiders are out of your reach, but you can take down Atlanta United and claim the $37,500 for 3rd place.

[Poli]

I'd agree. He's got a chance at third. I don't see myself any higher than third over here. I gave them a good game up until the last ten minutes. Their stamina was just too high...and he told me that his stamina was way high as well. I'll be glad to see him leave.

What will interest me is the upcoming game against the Braves for both my Raiders and the Superstars. Whoever loses the game between them will quite possibly be the team that stays in D4. However, our team gets better nearly every week, and we're definitely leaps and bounds better than we were the first time we faced the Braves. A victory may not place us in second place, but would definitely improve the morale of our team out here.

[DataKing]

Screamin’ Seamen Record To Date

I just realized that Sunday’s match was the 50th in the brief history of the Screamin’ Seamen. In honor of this small milestone, here is the team’s record to date:

League

Matches Played: 23

Wins: 20
Draws: 3
Losses: 0
Win %: 93.48%

Goals Scored: 92
Goals Allowed: 17
Goal Differential: +75


USA Cup

Matches Played: 3

Wins: 2
Draws: NA
Losses: 1
Win %: 66.67%

Goals Scored: 9
Goals Allowed: 4
Goal Differential: +5


Friendly

Matches Played: 24

Wins: 11
Draws: 3
Losses: 10
Win %: 52.08%

Goals Scored: 37
Goals Allowed: 32
Goal Differential: +5


Overall Record

Matches Played: 50

Wins: 33
Draws: 6
Losses: 11
Win %: 72.00%

Goals Scored: 138
Goals Allowed: 53
Goal Differential: +85

Up Next: We’re burning up the transfer wires at the moment. There is a nice little bidding war going on over the services of Max Dodge. We’re also working on landing an Estonian wingback to add to our second team. Stay tuned!

[Poli]

Congratulations! I'd like to have done something like that...but I'd have to filter through the match lists and figure out the numbers. I did it a few weeks ago...not sure I want to sit down and do that again any time soon!

Congrats on the excellent league record! I've lost 6 matches to my knowledge...two to the Winners, two the Superstars, one to the Braves, and one to a team that is now defunct. The last one aggravates me...I should have won that one!

[DataKing]

Wave Goodbye...

A nice little bidding war occurred just before the bidding ended on Max Dodge. He ended up selling to Badgers Unite, a 6th Division team from Surrey, England. The winning bid translated to $102,101, $93,932 of which found its way into the club's coffers.

...And Say Hello

The money didn't stay there for long, however. Less than two hours later, we acquired the services of wingback Mattias Leier for $102,000.

Mattias Leier

Position: Wing Back
Jersey: #17
Hometown: Parnu, Estonia
Age: 18
Personality: Popular, calm, honest
Experience: Disastrous (1)
Leadership: Weak (4)

Assessed Value: $55,000
Wage: $936/week

Stamina: Inadequate (5)
Playmaking: Poor (3)
Winger: Passable (6)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Keeper: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Weak (4)
Defending: Passable (6)
Set Pieces: Weak (4)

Mattias is a promising young wingback, who should fit in nicely with the team. Mild-mannered and rather soft spoken, he should be a quiet yet solid contributor on the back line. We plan to start him at wing back in our Windy City Cup match this Wednesday, opposite William Brown.

[DataKing]

Season 2 – Windy City Cup – Group Play – Match #1

Northern Lazies vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: February 12th, 2003
Venue: Heroes Field (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 2,626 (49,300)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

We face a tough test in our first Windy City Cup match. To be frank, we’re outmatched today. The Northern Lazies are currently in first place in Series III.1, and appear to be a very good team. Their reserves would actually be a good match for our starters. They even boast two international team members; Gonzalo Elipe Songel of Team Columbia, and Gilles Mignot of the French U-20 team.

While I doubt we will see either of these internationals, we’re still outmatched. Goal differential can come to play a difference in group play, so I will be happy if we can keep this one close. A loss by only two goals would be acceptable. The other two teams in our group are both Division 5 sides, and look to be quite beatable.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #1 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #23 William Brown
Central Defender: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier

Right Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Left Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart

Team Captain: #25 Paul Peralta
Set Pieces: #9 Ruben Stewart

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

It’s pretty much business-as-usual this week, except that Estonian youngster Mattias Leier will make his debut as a Seaman.

Time for the spokesladies and I to head to the stadium…

Match Report

2626 spectators arrived at Heroes Field, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Northern had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Engel - Polanco, Mcdonald, Larson - Delaplace, Mignot, Ramey, Bellavista, Galiano - Lim, Cheek.

Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 5-4-1 combination. They fielded: Read - Brown, Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Leier - Johnson, Brannon, Smith, Peralta - Stewart.

The home side put themselves ahead 1 - 0 in the 16:th by a breakthrough from Alain Delaplace, who unaided came in out of the right wing hooking the ball over the visitors keeper. Jerry Smith seemed highly inexperienced when in the 20:th minute he was loitering with the ball, allowing Matteo Bellavista to intercept and strike 2-0 for Northern. The home sides Terrance Lim twisted a free kick home in the 29:th minute, putting Northern ahead 3 - 0. A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Northern´s Terrance Cheek putting the lead up to 4 - 0. The structure of the game started to change as Northern decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. The teams went for a half-time break at 4 - 0. Northern, bringing the final ball possession rate to 67 percent, dominated the battle.

Cory Mcdonald should probably have put his team up another goal in the 62nd minute, but some great goaltending by Darryl Read kept the visitors in the game. Northern held the ball, with a clear 70 percent possession rate.

Northern´s best player was Adam Ramey. However, Matteo Bellavista made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Darryl Read. Ruben Stewart on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 4 - 0.

Final Score: Northern Lazies 4, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals
None

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Brown: **~
Kvam: **
Stubbs: **
Lerma: *~
Leier: **

Johnson: **
Smith: **
Brannon: *~
Peralta: **

Stewart: *~

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Wretched (2)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

Northern Lazies
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Excellent (8)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)

Comments

Like I said earlier, we were easily outmatched in this one. I was quite disappointed in our performance in the first half, but at least the defense stiffened up and didn’t allow a score in the second half (due in large part to Darryl Read).

Jerry Smith’s inexperience cost us one goal, but the rest of it was just a superior team taking advantage of an inferior one. It wasn’t fun to watch. Men playing against boys and all that.

But to be honest, it could have been worse. We had a match similar to this in last season’s Windy City Cup and lost that one 6-nil, so I suppose this match could be seen as a mark of some improvement. It just goes to show that there are some high quality clubs in the Chicagoland area.

In the other match from Group D, The Prestidigitators defeated High Tops, also by a score of 4-nil. We play host to the Prestidigitators next Wednesday, but a loss in that one means we’re all but eliminated.

Up Next: Training results tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Week 9 Training Results

After a couple of weeks with no real results to show for it, our defensive training really paid off this week. Two of our defensive trainees, Norwegian Christian Kvam and Spaniard Zarpas Lerma have both improved to passable (6) in defending. This means that all five of our trainees are at a passable level. We expect William Brown, and possibly newcomer Mattias Leier, to improve to solid (7) within the next month or so.

6 players rose a level in form this week.
14 players remained at their current form level.
Only 2 players (Forrest “Gump” Tobias and Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin) dropped a level in form.

The team’s average form rose 2 points to an even 6.0 (passable).

Top Form

We still have no players in excellent (8) form, but are up to eight that are at a solid (7) level of play at the moment:

Wingback #23 William Brown
Forward #11 Johannes Henriksson (starter)
Keeper #13 Cornelius Jernigan (starter)
Defender #21 Zarpas Lerma
Wingback #5 Arlen Lucas (starter)
Winger #10 Olav Mauffret (starter)
Keeper #1 Darryl Read
Wingback #22 Tyler Willard (starter)

With Max Dodge no longer in the picture, the dubious honor of “form dog” is split this week. Super-sub Brooks Brannon and reserve forward Ruben Stewart are both stuck at weak (4) form. Better them than any of our starters.

Value

Average player value broke the $100,000 mark this week, and currently sits at $102,143 (up $2,286 from last week).

Total player value is currently at $2,145,000, up $48,000 this week.

Big Gainers

This week’s top gainer was goalkeeper Cornelius Jernigan once again. “Corny,” as the players have taken to calling him, must love being a Seaman, because his form has risen from disastrous (1) to solid (7) in only seven weeks. His value jumped another $34,000 this week, placing his current assessed value at $519,000 (the first SSFC player to break the half-million mark).

19 year old wingback Tyler Willard is also worthy of mention. After only a few short weeks with the team, Tyler has begun to look comfortable with his teammates, and it shows both on the pitch and the training grounds. His value rose $11,000 this week, bringing him to $106,000.

Up Next: Weekly financial updates and the status of the club on Saturday. After that, we play host to the new team to series IV.49, The Cheats. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Weekly Financial Update

Youth Pull

This week’s youth squad product is nothing to write home about, but should still garner at least a little bit of income for the club. For those of you out there thinking about training strikers, give Dante Webb a look.

Dante Webb

17 years old, passable form, healthy

A pleasant guy who is calm and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $21,000
Wage: $600/week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Poor (3)
Winger: Weak (4)
Scoring: Inadequate (5)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Poor (3)
Defending: Poor (3)
Set Pieces: Poor (3)

Although only rated as inadequate in scoring, Dante is just 17 years old, and should therefore train up rather quickly. We’ll let the market decide what we can get for him. He has been transfer listed at $1,000.

Weekly Balance Sheet

Previous Balance: $451,774

Income

Crowd (friendly match vs. Northern Lazies) - $6,751
Sponsors - $56,250
Temporary (24 new supporters) - $720
Temporary (sale of Max Dodge) - $93,932

Total Revenue: $157,653

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $11,271
Player Wages - $25,192
Temporary (youth squad promotion) - $2,000
Temporary (purchase of Mattias Leier) - $102,000
Staff & Specialists - $31,500
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $191,963

Net Income/Loss: -$34,310

New Balance: $417,464

State of the Team

Team Spirit: Content (up 1 level from last week)
Team Confidence: Wonderful (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (up 1 level from last week)
Supporter Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporters: 1,213 (up 24 from last week)

So What Will You Do With All That Money DK?

Some of you are probably wondering why I am content to just sit on over $400,000. I’ve decided that, instead of purchasing some better players for the club, I am going to save cash for a while. The reason for this is simple; I want a better head coach for my club. Look at the teams in America’s 3rd Division and you will see that nearly all of them are solid coaches. We’re going to need the same thing here at SSFC eventually, and I am generally pleased with the quality of our players. So we’re going to bite the bullet now, and save. I have heard that $500,000 is a safe estimate for what it will cost to get a solid coach, so hopefully we will have that by the end of the season.

Up Next: We have what looks like an easy match this Sunday, as we host the new team in series IV.49, The Cheats. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 2 – League Match #10

Screamin’ Seamen vs. The Cheats

Date: February 16th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 17,350 (17,350)
Weather: Partly cloudy

This week’s league match certainly looks to be an easy one. The Cheats, a team that is only a week old and is in last place, comes to The Docks for a visit. Like last week, this looks like an excellent opportunity for our guys to take it easy and still come away with a full three points. We’ll also look to get a couple of our younger guys some league match experience.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

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

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier
-Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

Two changes were made to the starting lineup. First, Otis Johnson will start on the wing opposite Olav Mauffret. This gives us a lot of youth on the wings, something I am normally a little leary about, but the ease of this match means it’s a good time to get these young kids some experience.

The other change to the lineup is Jerry Smith in the midfield in place of Lucian Tere. We’re grooming young Jerry to take over for Lucian someday, and this looks like a great opportunity to see what he can do. Jerry’s play has improved quite a bit as of late.

Match Report

17350 spectators arrived at The Docks, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Johnson, Bautista, Tomlin, Smith, Mauffret - Henriksson, Tobias.

Cheats tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Higgins - Bauman, Hurt, Dewey - Dietz, Ubillos, Brock, Anderson, Edmunds - Kerns, Melic.

Screamin's Pete Tomlin gave, after 20 minutes, the home team a 1 - 0 lead after an attack coming in from the right. In the 26:th minute of the match the visitors central line of defence had to look on as Johannes Henriksson dashed through, knocking home 2 - 0 for Screamin'. Edward Hurt received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 31st minute and almost caused an opponent to score. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Screamin' lead up with 3 - 0. Otis Johnson finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. Cheats appeared unsure on how to play. What ever got into Brooks Anderson, the crowd mumbled, as he suddenly struck a cross pass through the own defense - ending up right in front of Screamin'´s Olav Mauffret , who easily put the ball away for 4-0. Halftime score was 4 - 0. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 77 percent possession rate.

The Cheats players spent the half-time break getting a rerun of the teams tactical organization. The home side´s Johannes Henriksson came close to extending the lead in the 65:th minute. His shot came in off the right hand side but Scott Higgins managed saving with a fingernail. Cheats appeared unsure on how to play. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Screamin' lead up with 5 - 0. Charlie Bautista finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. Cheats seemed to suffer a certain amount of confusion about the organization of the team. The home side´s Charlie Bautista came close to extending the lead in the 76:th minute. His shot came in off the right hand side but Scott Higgins managed saving with a fingernail. Screamin' put their lead ahead another goal as Forrest Tobias struck home the 6 - 0 goal, after an attack from the left setting him up unmarked with the keeper. The structure of the game started to change as Screamin' decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. In the 81st minute of the match the visitors central line of defence had to look on as Charlie Bautista dashed through, knocking home 7 - 0 for Screamin'. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 86 percent, dominated the battle.

Most important Screamin' player was Cornelius Jernigan. However, Otis Johnson made a disastrous appearance. Most important Cheats player was Scott Higgins. Nate Bauman was a disappointment, however. The match ends 7 - 0.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 7, The Cheats 0

Goals
Tomlin – 1 (3)
Henriksson – 1 (11)
Johnson – 1 (2)
Mauffret – 1 (3)
Bautista – 2 (2,3)
Tobias – 1 (10)

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***~

Willard: ***
Scales: **~
Lucas: ***~

Johnson: *~
Tomlin: **~
Smith: **
Bautista: **~
Mauffret: **~

Henriksson: **~
Tobias: **~

Man of the Match: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)

The Cheats
-Midfield: Wretched (2)
-Right Defense: Weak (4)
-Central Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)

Comments

This was an easy match, to say the least. Our defense had another admirable performance, and wingback Arlen Lucas had the best performance of his career to date. But he was outshone by “Corny” Jernigan, who earned his second consecutive clean sheet and Man Of The Match award.

The other thing that pleased me about this match was the lack of cards and injuries. We’ve been extremely fortunate regarding injuries thus far this season. Let’s just hope that I haven’t jinxed the club by mentioning it.

Series Scores and Standings

-Croats in Miami won their eighth straight match, defeating Farmer of Fire 3-nil.
-Neon Genesis Evangelion’s slim championship hopes have vanished, but they still defeated Cariocas 6-nil.
-Ramblers poured it on this week, pounding Gazzaly FC 9-nil.

There were no changes in the standings this week, as the top half of the table defeated the bottom half by a combined score of 25-0!

No.	Team				Played		Goals		Pts.

1.	Ramblers			10		56-5		28

2.	Screamin’ Seamen		        10		43-10		26

3.	Croats in Miami		        10		32-14		24

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion	        10		24-11		15

5.	Farmer of Fire			10		9-20		11

6.	Gazzaly FC			10		12-39		7

7.	Cariocas			10		11-39		5

8.	The Cheats			10		3-52		0

Our remaining schedule:

2/23 - @ Ramblers
3/2 - @ Gazzaly FC
3/9 – vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion
3/16 - @ Croats in Miami

Next week’s match against Ramblers looms large, and will most likely be our last shot at a series title this season.

Up Next: The second leg of group play in the Windy City Cup occurs on Wednesday. We will play host to 5th Division side Prestidigitators. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Apparently the market for 17 year old inadequate scorers has completely dried up, because Dante Webb did not receive a single bid. No one deemed him worthy of even $1,000.

So be it. Dante's bags have been packed, and he's going back to high school where he belongs.

[DataKing]

Season 2 – Windy City Cup – Group Play – Match #2

Screamin’ Seamen vs. The Prestidigitators

Date: February 19th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 799 (17,350)
Weather: Rain

Our second draw in the Windy City Cup is The Prestidigitators, a club from 5th Division. Despite being from Division 5, The Prestidigitators looks to be a pretty good match for our second team. They are fond of a defensive-oriented 3-5-2 formation, similar to our first team. The match-up actually looks to be a pretty even one, and will certainly be a defensive struggle. Goals will be difficult to come by, and this has the looks of being a tight match from start to finish.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #1 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #23 William Brown

Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Left Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart

Team Captain: #25 Paul Peralta
Set Pieces: #3 Ben McMahon

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #16 Otis Johnson

Resting midfielder Lucian Tere on Sunday looks to have been a good decision, because the forecast is calling for rain, and Lucian is the only player we have who really excels on a wet pitch. We also rested wingback-turned-winger Ben McMahon, so he will play today. Besides his skills as a winger, Ben is also adequate at set pieces, so he will handle these for us today.

Match Report

Due to an all-day shower, 799 paying spectators got to see a match on a pitch-turned-bog at The Docks. Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 5-4-1 combination. The following players had been chosen: Read - Leier, Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Brown - Peralta, Tere, Brannon, Mcmahon - Stewart.

Prestidigitators had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Carranza - Johnson, Youngblood, Jefferson - Guerra, Carranza, Anderson, Benson, Crosby - Hai-Bang, Rhodes.

Christian Kvam sailed high, high above the opponents as he headed the 1-0 in after a corner kick after 9 minutes of play. The home side failed to add to their score as Ben Mcmahon shot a penalty wide in the 17:th minute. In the 19:th minute Prestidigitatorss Rudy Youngblood received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Almost all the way down to the corner flag Don Crosby somhow managed to get a perfect pass into the middle, impossible to miss for Herman Rhodes who struck for 1 - 1. After a fine move down the middle Zarpas Lerma nearly gave the home side one up in the 29:th minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though. 1 - 1 was the half-time score. Possession of the ball saw an equal split between the teams during the fortyfive minutes.

Prestidigitators had a good opportunity to score the lead goal but the home team goaltender Darryl Read saved Arnold Johnson´s shot headed for the top corner. The cannonball from 35 metres by Huang Hai-Bang of Prestidigitators was an impressive sight, but didn´t make it into the net. After several obvious shirt pulling incidents, Prestidigitators´s Eddy Jefferson got himself booked. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 63 percent possession rate.

Most important Screamin' player was Darryl Read. Ruben Stewart was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Prestidigitators player was without a doubt Leroy Carranza. Juán Benson on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 1 - 1.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 1, The Prestidigitators 1

Goals
Kvam – 1

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Leier: **
Stubbs: *~
Kvam: **
Lerma: **
Brown: **~

Peralta: **
Tere: **
Brannon: **
McMahon: **~

Stewart: *~

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Wretched (2)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

The Prestidigitators
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Solid (7)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Weak (4)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

Comments

I’m a bit disappointed in our performance today, as this is one we really should have won. Ben McMahon’s miss on the penalty kick in the first half really hurt, as that very well could have meant a victory for us and three points instead of one. As things stand now, we will need a win in next week’s match as well as some help if we hope to advance to the Round of 16 (the stage at which we were knocked out of the cup last season).

I did not realize that High Tops, our opponents for next week, is actually operated by a fellow FOFCer, Professor58. I believe the Professor is a lurker, but so much the better. That means he’s less likely to mouth off when he beats me next week. (Just kidding about the mouthing off, naturally. ).

Up Next: Training results tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!

[Poli]

Pretty nifty having another FOFCer in your windy city cup!

[Professor58]

I will not mouth off.







Now back to lurking !



Look Ma - My 1st post

[Coffee Warlord]

We're not going to discuss my 11-0 trouncing in this weeks WCC Cup match.

[Poli]

Lurkers rule. I wonder if I have any Ardent lurkers out there. Probably not!

[DataKing]

I'm just honored that I was indirectly responsible for Professor58's first post.

I iz spe-shul.

[Professor58]

about Hattrick back in September, did a search and signed up. So, it might have been you that turned me on to this "crack" called Hattrick.




Two posts in one day, my lurker status is in jeopardy.

[Poli]

I will assimilate everyone.

[DataKing]

Week 10 Training Results

We’re dancing in the halls here at the Screamin’ Seamen clubhouse. Arlen Lucas has joined Chuck Scales in the “excellent defending” club. With two of our starters on the back line at excellent defending, and wingback Tyler Willard at solid, opponents should have a difficult time finding the twine against us.

Arlen Lucas

20 years old, solid (7) form, healthy.

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

Specialty: Head

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $154,000
Wage: $980/week

Stamina: Passable (6)
Playmaking: Poor (3)
Winger: Passable (6)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Wretched (2)
Defending: Excellent (8)
Set Pieces: Poor (3)

We purchased Arlen from Knightz of Lord way back in August, as one of our original defensive trainees. At the time he was valued at $41,000, and we paid $74,000 for him. Since then, his defending ability has improved twice, and his assessed value has jumped $113,000. This just goes to show what a long-term training program can accomplish.

2 players rose 1 level in form.
18 players saw their form remain the same as last week.
2 players lost a level of form (wingback Tyler Willard actually dropped 2 levels).

Top Form

After a number of weeks that saw us with a number of players at solid (7) form, someone finally took the next step. Keeper Darryl Read is now the only player on SSFC with excellent (8) form. With Darryl playing out of his head, “Corny” Jernigan at solid (7) form, and our back line showing steady improvement, opponents will be hard-pressed to score against us. This is just the sort of thing I like to see.

Super-sub Brooks Brannon and forward Ruben Stewart remain our “form dogs,” as they both remain stuck in weak (4) form.

Value

Average Player Value: $103,909
Total Player Value (22): $2,286,000

Wingback-turned-winger Ben McMahon reached an assessed value of $200,000 this week, becoming the first non-keeper on the club to reach that mark.

Up Next: Financial updates and our weekly youth pull on Saturday. After that, we travel to Detroit to take on the 1st place Ramblers. Although nothing is written in stone, this match will likely determine the series championship. You don’t want to miss this one!

[Poli]

WOW, DK, I am so happy for you! I'm so frustrated, I haven't had a pop in a while. Not even Lim Vien Van. Just totally frustrating. I've expected more.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by ardent enthusiast
WOW, DK, I am so happy for you! I'm so frustrated, I haven't had a pop in a while. Not even Lim Vien Van. Just totally frustrating. I've expected more.

That probably just means that a lot of your guys are "in sync" and will pop within a few weeks of each other. I'd actually rather have it that way, personally. That way, when you go to switch training programs, you can be sure to get the best value by selling a bunch of players after they all just "popped."

[DataKing]

Weekly Financial Update

Youth Pull

This week’s youth squad product doesn’t look like he will find a place on the Screamin’ Seamen roster, but he should still find a home somewhere. An 18 year old with solid winger ability is nothing to sneeze at. He will be placed on the transfer market on Sunday, with an asking price of $30,000.

Rafael Ubierna

18 years old, passable form, healthy.

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

Specialty: Unpredictable

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $34,000
Wage: $660/week

Stamina: Poor (3)
Playmaking: Poor (3)
Winger: Solid (7)
Scoring: Weak (4)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Weak (4)
Defending: Poor (3)
Set Pieces: Inadequate (5)

Weekly Balance Sheet

Previous Balance: $417, 464

Income

Crowd (league match vs. The Cheats) - $91,900
Crowd (friendly match vs. The Prestidigitators) - $2,184
Sponsors - $58,050
Temporary (24 new supporters) - $720

Total Revenue: $152,854

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $11,271
Player Wages - $24,828
Temporary (youth squad promotion) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Dante Webb) - $1,000
Staff & Specialists - $33,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $92,099

Net Income/Loss: $60,755

New Balance: $478,219

State of the Team

Team Spirit: Satisfied (up 1 level from last week)
Team Confidence: Wonderful (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporters: 1,237 (up 24 from last week)

Having nearly half a million dollars in the bank is nice, but that balance is likely to dip soon. Only one of our four remaining matches is at home, so we will likely lose money before the end of the season. Unless we get another jackpot pull from the youth squad, that is.

Up Next: Our big matchup against Ramblers on Sunday. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 2 – League Match #11

Ramblers vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: February 23rd, 2003
Venue: Ramblers Arena (Detroit, MI)
Attendance: 37,250 (37,250)
Weather: Sunny

This is it, the match we’ve all been waiting for. We travel to Detroit this week, to take on the 1st place Ramblers on their home turf. You may recall that we came back from a 2-nil deficit the first time we played the Ramblers, and managed to earn a draw at The Docks. But this time around, we will need more if it is going to mean anything. Sitting at two points behind Ramblers and two points ahead of Croats in Miami, the race for the title is a tight one. We have to go for the jugular here. If we manage to win, then the series title will be ours to lose. A draw or loss does us no good, and means that the best we can realistically hope for is a second place finish.

We have four things going for us today:

1. Despite forecasts earlier in the week calling for rain, it has turned out to be a beautiful day here in Detroit. This is exactly the boost we need, as we’re not a very good wet-weather team.
2. Ramblers play an asymmetrical 3-5-2 formation, meaning that they replace a wingback with an extra inner midfielder. We will be looking to attack this weakness, and praying that they don’t pull a switch on us.
3. Ramblers midfielder Eric Holmes is injured. Eric is the second best player on the Ramblers squad (currently valued at over $600,000), but was injured last week and is not expected back for the match.
4. For the first time in the brief history of this franchise, we’re playing Match Of The Season. I have refrained from doing this in the past, but simply put, it’s do-or-die time for us. Lose this one, and we have practically no shot at the series title this season.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #3 Ben McMahon
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

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

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #23 William Brown
-Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

It’s a pretty standard line-up for us this week, as we have our best and brightest players preparing to take the pitch. Ben McMahon, our defensive-specialist winger, will try to contain Phillip Gallo, Ramblers star player (valued at over $1,000,000). Other than that, we’re focusing on our defensive efforts and attacking the Ramblers’ right side, where they typically leave the afore-mentioned weakness on defense.

Time to see if all this preparation has paid off…

Match Report

A scorching day at Ramblers Arena, where 37250 spectators were in place for today´s match. Ramblers had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Chugg - Arredondo, Marvin, Campos - Niemelä, Whittington, Maddox, Nugent, Gallo - Hansson, Barik.

Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Mcmahon, Tere, Bautista, Tomlin, Mauffret - Henriksson, Tobias.

Proving his experience, Philip Gallo scored 1-0 for Ramblers after putting some pressure on the the enemy defence at a critical moment. Barry Campos should probably have put his team up another goal in the 21st minute, but some great goaltending by Cornelius Jernigan kept the visitors in the game. Ramón Nugent almost managed to score another goal for Ramblers, but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie. In the games 24:th minute Ramblers´s Gus Whittington fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Gus Whittington for taking a dive. Some brilliant football from the visitors right wing resulted in a 29:th minute levelling of scores as Screamin's Pete Tomlin equalised to 1 - 1. Halftime score was 1 - 1. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Ramblers, with an impressive 52 percent possession of the ball.

Unsportsmanlike behaviour by Gus Whittington rendered him his second booking of the match, and Ramblers had to finish the game with a reduced squad. Ramblerss Perry Maddox got himself booked after a foul. Man, what a shot by Johannes Henriksson! Firing from 35 yards he didn't give the enemy goalie a chance and it was 1 - 2. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 77 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Ramblers player was without a doubt Philip Gallo. Mark Marvin on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Cornelius Jernigan. Lucian Tere on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 1 - 2.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 2, Ramblers 1

Goals
Tomlin – 1 (4)
Henriksson – 1 (12)

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***~

Willard: **~
Scales: ***
Lucas: ***

McMahon: **~
Tomlin: **~
Tere: **
Bautista: ***
Mauffret: **~

Henriksson: **~
Tobias: **~

Man of the Match: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: World-Class (13)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)

Ramblers
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Formidable (9)

Comments

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE FIRST PLACE, BABY!

After giving up an early goal to give Ramblers a 1-nil lead, “Corny” Jernigan more than made up for it. He played out of his head for the remainder of the half, and made two great saves to keep us in the match. Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin’s second goal in as many weeks tied it up for us heading into halftime. But the man of the hour is team captain Johannes Henriksson. A superb 35-yard strike in the second half gave us the win, and sole possession of first place. Way to go, Johan!

Luck certainly played a factor, as Gus Whittington’s second booking early in the second half left Ramblers short a man in the midfield. Which begs the question, was MOTSing the match necessary? Perhaps, and perhaps not, but I’m not second-guessing my decision at all. We did what we felt like we had to do, and for whatever reasons, it worked.

Series Scores and Standings

-Neon Genesis Evangelion demolished The Cheats, 7-1.
-Croats in Miami pushed their winning streak to nine matches, defeating Cariocas 4-1.
-Farmer of Fire shut down Gazzaly FC, 6-nil.

No.	Team				Played		Goals		Pts.

1.	Screamin’ Seamen		        11		45-11		29

2.	Ramblers			11		57-7		28

3.	Croats in Miami		        11		36-15		27

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion	        11		31-12		18

5.	Farmer of Fire			11		15-20		14

6.	Gazzaly FC			11		12-45		7

7.	Cariocas			11		12-43		5

8.	The Cheats			11		4-59		0

Our win over Ramblers tightened up the standings at the top even further, with only two points separating the top three teams. But the important part is that we’re the ones on top now.

Our remaining schedule:

3/2 - @ Gazzaly FC
3/9 – vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion
3/16 - @Croats in Miami

Our match against Gazzaly FC next week will be a welcome break, and should be a chance to repair the damage we’ve just done to our team spirit. After that, we’ve got two tough ones against Neon Genesis Evangelion and especially Croats in Miami. The best possible outcome is for Ramblers and Croats in Miami to draw when they play in two weeks, which would give us a little more cushion. Either way, the series title is ours to lose now.

Up Next: Our third and final group play match in the Windy City Cup, when we play host to Professor58’s High Tops. It should be another classic intra-FOFC match-up. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

I would like to take this opportunity to thank SplitPersonality and his Little Green Monsters for joining the ranks of the Screamin' Seamen Supporters. Welcome to our happy little soccer family, SplitP.

On a side note, we (along with ardent's North County Raiders) now have more supporter teams than the Kansas City Wizards, without a doubt the single best team in the entire U.S.A.!

[vex]

Now if you could only combine teams...

[Barkeep49]

This was an incredible read and one I will be referring to when I finally get my own hattrick team.

A question: What does making a match Match of the Season do?

[DataKing]

Originally posted by Barkeep49
This was an incredible read and one I will be referring to when I finally get my own hattrick team.

A question: What does making a match Match of the Season do?

I'm glad you've enjoyed the dynasty so far, Barkeep. The rest of the season should be pretty exciting, as we try to win the series title with virtually no room for error.

Playing MOTS (Match of the Season) means that your team performs better on the pitch for that game(but not significantly so). The downside is that you do damage to your team spirit. Low team spirit means generally lower performance. We'll probably see a drop-off in performance until we can get our team spirit back up to a respectable level.

[Doug5984]

Originally posted by DataKing
I would like to take this opportunity to thank SplitPersonality and his Little Green Monsters for joining the ranks of the Screamin' Seamen Supporters. Welcome to our happy little soccer family, SplitP.

On a side note, we (along with ardent's North County Raiders) now have more supporter teams than the Kansas City Wizards, without a doubt the single best team in the entire U.S.A.!

What exactly does supporting a team do?

And great dynasty...i really enjoy reading it...and hoping that someday I may be # 1 in Division IV.

[Poli]

Supporting a team really doesn't do much other than allow you to know when that person logs in and gives you quick access to their team page. You are only allowed five slots, so you have to pick your teams somewhat wisely. I have dropped two teams and added to FOFC teams.

For me, I enjoy knowing when DK, Horned, and Coffee Warlord log in. I just wish I could support us all. I certainly would do it.

I'm also honored that FOFC has put DK and myself way up there on the supported team list for USA. We certainly have tried our best to help you all with the game!

[vex]

If only you cared when I logged in, ardent

[DataKing]

I'm right there with ardent, honored to be chosen by so many FOFCers as a team worthy of supporting. You guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (Or maybe that's just heartburn ).

I support three FOFC teams (two of which I know IRL), the founder of the Chicagoland Football Association, and another person I know IRL. I really wish we could support more than five other teams, but so be it.

I'm glad you've enjoyed the dynasty report so far, Doug. Hopefully we'll have more good stuff to report soon.

[Poli]

You'll soon know me IRL as well. Just 8 months and 2 days until November 1.

My heart bleeds for you, Vex .

[DataKing]

Season 2 – Windy City Cup – Group Play – Match #3

Screamin’ Seamen vs. High Tops

Date: February 26th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 712 (17,350)
Weather: Overcast

Today is the day for our much-anticipated match-up against a fellow FOFC team, Professor58’s High Tops. As I mentioned last week, we need a solid win over the High Tops, as well as some help from Northern Lazies, if we’re going to advance to the Round of 16 in the Windy City Cup. I don’t like the fact that our fate isn’t really in our own hands, but there’s nothing to do about that now. We’re best off just taking care of business on our own end, and seeing how the chips fall.

The High Tops are an offensive-oriented team, running a 3-4-3 formation primarily. The extra attacker means this match will be a good test of our defense. We seem to have a midfield advantage, and it’s a home game for us, so we should get our fair share of scoring chances. The difference, I believe, will be how well our defense holds up under pressure. But with keeper Darryl Read “in the zone” lately, I am pretty optimistic as to today’s outcome.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #1 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #23 William Brown
Central Defender: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier

Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Left Winger: #16 Otis Johnson

Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart

Team Captain: #25 Paul Peralta
Set Pieces: #9 Ruben Stewart

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

This is pretty much a standard line-up for our second team, as all of our regular starters played in Sunday’s big victory over Ramblers. 27-year-old winger Paul Peralta will wear the captain’s armband for us today.

Confident in the play of our defense lately, and needing some goals to have a chance at moving on to the Round of 16, we’re playing a few players “up” in their normal positions. Central defender Zarpas Lerma will be up, helping out our midfielders on occasion. Midfielder Jerry Smith and winger Otis Johnson will take their opportunities to push the ball up the left side, and speedy wingback William Brown will join the rush from the opposite side when the opportunity presents itself.

Well, no more time for strategizing. The spokesladies and I need to head down to The Docks now…

Match Report

At The Docks, 712 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came. Screamin' had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. They fielded: Read - Brown, Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Leier - Peralta, Brannon, Smith, Johnson - Stewart.

High had chosen a strategic 3-4-3 formation. Lineup: Larsson - Sellers, Latham, Schell - Medina, Chuong, Gangfeldt, O´Brien - Nobles, Sullivan, Basoco.

Christian Kvam received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 13th minute and almost caused an opponent to score. Highs Allan Sellers got himself booked after a foul. Otis Johnson went down after a savage challenge, but could keep on playing after some medical attention. The home side put themselves ahead 1 - 0 in the 36:th by a breakthrough from Ruben Stewart, who unaided came in out of the right wing hooking the ball over the visitors keeper. A great save by goaltender Mikael Larsson in the 37:th minute kept the visitors in the game as Christian Kvam struck from the left with a real cannonball. The referee showed Screamin's Christian Kvam the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 0. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 53 percent, dominated the battle.

High got a chance to level the score as Christopher Sullivan suddenly found himself free with the goaltender but the finishing shot hit the bar. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Screamin' lead up with 2 - 0. Ruben Stewart finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. No one team arose to dominate this half, ending in a deadlock.

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Darryl Read. Ruben Stewart was a disappointment, however. High´s best player was Torbjörn Gangfeldt. Abe Medina on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 0.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 2, High Tops 0

Goals
Stewart – 2

Cards
Kvam (yellow)

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Brown: **~
Kvam: **~
Stubbs: **~
Lerma: **
Leier: **~

Peralta: **
Brannon: **
Smith: **
Johnson: *~

Stewart: *~

Team Ratings

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

High Tops
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Weak (4)
-Central Defense: Weak (4)
-Left Defense: Poor (3)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Comments

We seem to have a knack for 2-nil defeats over fellow FOFC clubs, as that has been the final score in our last four intra-FOFC matches (including the last three in the FOFC Cup). The High Tops surprised us with their quality midfield play, and we didn’t have the possession advantage that we expected. But we leaned on our defense, as expected, and they came through for us. I’ve got to give some props to High Tops though. They showed a lot of spunk out there on the pitch.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we got as much help from the Northern Lazies has we needed in order to advance in the Windy City Cup. I haven’t received the official word yet, but I believe The Prestidigitators earned the second spot from our group. We each ended up with four points, and with the same goal differential (-2), but they scored more goals than we did (6 to our 3). I hate to be denied advancement by such a small margin, but such is life.

The injury to winger Otis Johnson was just an ankle bruise, and a minor one at that. He should be fine in a few days. Our good luck with injuries continues.

Up Next: Weekly training results this evening. Stay tuned!

[Coffee Warlord]

Wow. I wind up advancing in the WCC and you don't?

Well, I'll represent the FOFC with pride in the next round...and that's prolly it.

[DataKing]

Do us proud Coffee. You and RavenHawk remain.

And speaking of Ravenhawk, I see a problem. By my calculations, there are four more friendly match dates available before next season's U.S.A. Cup starts up. And we need three weeks to determine the winner of this season's FOFC Cup. If Ravenhawk wins next Wednesday, he'll have to withdraw from one of the two cups.

As soon as I get the official word that I am out of the Windy City Cup, I will go about arranging a friendly match for next week. It seems like it has been ages since I've actually had a say in who we play on a Wednesday. Most likely I'll be looking for an international match, since open friendly dates are such a rarity for us.

[Coffee Warlord]

I actually might make it outta the first round, too. Seeded vs another series V team. Looks a little more established than I am, but I've got a shot!

[DataKing]

Seamen Announce Trip to London Next Week

The Screamin' Seamen Football Club announced earlier today that they would be travelling to London, England next week, for an international friendly match against Crazy Docs FC, a fifth division side. Team owner and general manager Data King held a brief press conference this afternoon to announce the trip.

"With our heavy involvement in the FOFC and Windy City Cups, open dates for matches are a rarity," stated King. "We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, and give our lads a little international experience. Some of the best soccer in the world is played in England, and I'm sure Crazy Docs F.C. can teach our boys a thing or two."

The team will leave for London Monday afternoon.

In other SSFC news, recent youth squad product Rafael Ubierna is bound for Buenos Aires. The 18 year old winger was sold earlier today for $31,000 to Los Fiambres, an Argentinian fifth division side. $28,520 of that money found its way into the Screamin' Seamen coffers.

[DataKing]

Week 11 Training Results

The good news just keeps pouring into Seamen-land, folks! Only one week after one of our starting wingbacks, Arlen Lucas, improves to excellent defense, the other one joins him! Take a gander at Tyler Willard:

Tyler Willard

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

A sympathetic guy who is balanced and dishonest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Unpredictable

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $107,000
Wage: $940/week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Wretched (2)
Winger: Passable (6)
Scoring: Wretched (2)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Poor (3)
Defending: Excellent (8)
Set Pieces: Inadequate (5)

As you may recall, Tyler Willard came off of our youth squad about five weeks ago. At the time, he was valued at $84,000, and has improved by $23,000 since then. Our entire back line is now of ‘excellent’ skill level.

Just remember folks…defense is for wimps.

Form Changes

4 players improved in form by one level.
16 players saw their form remain the same.
2 players dropped one level in form.

In The Zone

Backup keeper Darryl Read remains the only SSFC player in excellent (8) form, and his assessed value of $227,000 remains unchanged from last week as well. Seven other Seamen are in solid (7) form:

Keeper #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (starter)
Defender #21 Zarpas Lerma
Wingback #5 Arlen Lucas (starter)
Winger #10 Olav Mauffret (starter)
Midfielder #19 Jerry Smith
Forward #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (starter)

Struggling forward Ruben Stewart actually dropped in form, and now holds the dubious title of “form dog” all by himself at poor (3) form. Despite yesterday’s two goal performance, it is obvious that Ruben is not happy being a Seaman. More on this later.

Value

Average Player Value: $103,591 (-$318)
Total Player Value (22): $2,279,000 (-$7,000)

Despite four form increases and only two decreases, average player value dropped this week for the first time in a long time. Most of this was due to “Corny” Jernigan dropping $29,000 in value (yet his form remained the same).

Say goodbye to Ruben

I have been hoping for a while now that Ruben Stewart would get over losing his starting job to “Gump” Tobias, but apparently that is not going to happen. Only once in the last eleven weeks has Ruben’s form been above weak (4), and he has been making overtures about wanting to be sold for a while now. If he can’t start for us, I guess he figures he can start somewhere else.

The problem is something I have been turning a blind eye to for some time now, but I can no longer ignore it. Because we play a 5-4-1 formation in friendly matches, that means we only have one real backup for both Johannes Henriksson and “Gump” Tobias. We’ve been blessed with very few injuries thus far this season, but we’re in the midst of a heated series title race, and I simply cannot take the risk any longer.

I didn’t want to have to do this, but have been left with little choice. I have begun scouring the transfer market for a backup striker. I’m not looking for anything exceptional (passable scoring or so), and I am actually purposely looking at older players. I want someone with experience to step in for Johannes or Forrest should anything happen to either one of them. Let’s just hope I am being overly-cautious, and they both stay healthy.

I have made it clear to Ruben that he will not be placed on the transfer wire until we have secured his replacement.

Up Next: Weekly financial updates and the state of the club. After that, we travel to the Big Apple to face Gazzaly FC. Stay tuned!