Houston Soccer Club (HOFSL)

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Goal Stats
19 Total Goals
3.8 Goals Per Game

10 Assisted Goals
7 Unassisted Goals
2 Direct Free Kick Goals
0 Penalty Goals (none awarded)
0 Own Goal


Goals per 15 minute period
01'-15' = 3 (15.79%)
16'-30' = 5 (26.32%)
31'-45' = 2 (10.53%)
46'-60' = 3 (15.79%)
61'-75' = 5 (26.32%)
76'-90' = 1 (5.26%)

NOTES:
- First half stoppage time goals counted in 31'-45' range
- Second half stoppage time goals counted in 76'-90' range


Disciplinary Stats
4 Yellow Cards
2 Red Cards

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Goals
7 - Jean-Pierre Papin (BOS)
5 - Dennis Bergkamp (CHI), Juergen Klinsmann (LA)
4 - David Platt (ATL), Michel Platini (ATL), Bebeto (BOS), Alan Shearer (DET), Gabriel Batistuta (HOU)


Assists
5 - Kevin Keegan (ATL), Thomas Hassler (CHI), Pierre Littbarski (HOU)
4 - Patrick Mboma (BOS), David Beckham (LA)
3 - Ronald Koeman (BOS), Paul Gascoigne (BOS), Andreas Brehme (DEN), Andreas Moller (DET), Leonardo (WAS)


MVP Points
9 - Jean-Pierre Papin (BOS), Dino Zoff (NY)
8 - Dennis Bergkamp (CHI), Gabriel Batisuta (HOU)
7 - Michel Platini (ATL), Thomas Hassler (CHI), Juergen Klinsmann (LA)

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Shot Attempts
28 - Dennis Bergkamp (CHI), Gabriel Batistuta (HOU)
24 - Juergen Klinsmann (LA)
23 - Bebeto (BOS), Jean-Pierre Papin (BOS)


Shots on Target
19 - Dennis Bergkamp (CHI)
18 - Gabriel Batistuta (HOU)
17 - Jean-Pierre Papin (BOS)


Shot Accuracy Rate (min. 7 shots attempts)
.875 - Franco Baresi (DEN)
.857 - Christian Karembeu (HOU)
.750 - Ronald Koeman (BOS)


Goal Conversion Rate (min. 2 goals scored)
.667 - Wim Suurbier (ATL), Lucas Radebe (HOU)
.500 - Danny Blind (LA), Daniel Passarella (LA)
.375 - Zico (ATL), Franco Baresi (DEN)

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Clean Sheets
2 - David Seaman (BOS), Jose Luis Chilavert (HOU), Bodo Illgner (CHI)
1 - Ed de Goey (DEN), Claudio Taffarel (LA), Emerson Leao (MIA), Dino Zoff (NY)


Goals Against (min. 3 games played)
9 - David Seaman (BOS)
10 - Ed de Goey (DEN)
11 - Bodo Illgner (CHI), Jose Luis Chilavert (HOU), Ubaldo Fillol (WAS)


Saves
49 - Gianluca Pagliuca (ATL)
48 - Dino Zoff (NY)
44 - David Seaman (BOS)


Save Percentage
.830 - David Seaman (BOS)
.803 - Gianluca Pagliuca (ATL)
.800 - Dino Zoff (NY)

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Sure wouldn't have expected to see Papin, Platt, and Bebeto in the top scorers list over the likes of Maradona and Pele.

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Standings (at the end of Week 7)



Week 8 Fixtures

Friday, Nov 30th
Houston v Boston

Saturday, Dec 1st
New York v Detroit
Los Angeles v Atlanta

Sunday, Dec 2nd
Washington v Miami
Denver v Chicago


Suspensions
Pele (NY) - suspended for the Week 8 game v Detroit (red card)
Frank Rijkaard (BOS) - suspended for the Week 8 game at Houston (red card)
Bernd Schuster (MIA) - suspended for the Week 8 game at Washington (red card)

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Missed PK no problem as Houston topple league leaders

Friday, Nov 30th - Just a week after their six game winning streak came to an end, Boston started a streak of a different kind, suffering a second successive loss. Despite a missed penalty kick by Jose Luis Chilavert, Houston scored two early goals en route to a comfortable 3-1 victory to send them into the top four. The absence of skipper Frank Rijkaard was clear to see as visitors Boston struggled to contain Houston’s offense throughout the 90 minutes, falling to their first loss on the road this season.

Houston should have been a goal up in just the 5th minute when Ronald Koeman hooked down Stuart Pearce in the box. But Chilavert failed in his attempt to become the first goalkeeper to score a goal in the HOFSL, skying over the bar from the spot. It hardly mattered for the hosts as Gabriel Batistuta opened the scoring in the 17th minute with sublime 20-yard chip after seeing David Seaman off his line. Six minutes had passed when Pierre Littbarski doubled Houston’s advantage, slotting in from 17-yards after Gianfranco Zola provided the through pass. But Houston’s lead was halved just two minutes later when Paul Gascoigne and Jean-Pierre Papin combined in similar fashion. The Frenchman’s 16-yard ground shot deflected off a sliding block attempt by Christian Karembeu and lodged into the bottom left corner with Chilavert completely wrong-footed. It increased Papin’s season tally to eight goals in as many matches.

Into the second, and Batistuta squandered two great chances to kill off the game – Seaman denied a low 15-yard attempt at the near post in the 56th minute, while eleven minutes later, the Argentine failed to hit the target with a seven-yard diving header. The misses almost proved costly but Houston had Chilavert to thank in the 72nd minute with a fine diving save to prevent Bebeto on a two-on-one counter attack. The Brazilian opted to shot early from 20 yards as Papin played the decoy, but Chilavert was alert to the danger. Instead it was a Brazilian at the other end that sealed the points for Houston in the 87th minute – substitute Sonny Anderson heading in Zola’s inswinging corner from seven yards, just four minutes after coming onto the field.

The result is another setback for Boston ahead of next week’s crunch match with undefeated Denver. They remain on top of the table, but with Chicago in red hot form of late, they could find themselves out of that spot by the end of the weekend. Houston bounced back from their demoralising loss last week at Atlanta and jump to 11 points, seven behind today’s opponents. They are back in action next Friday night when they meet New York.


HOUSTON ....... 3 Batistuta 17', Littbarski 23', Anderson 87'
BOSTON ........ 1 Papin 25'

from Robertson Stadium, Houston


Line-ups
HOU (4-1-3-2): Chilavert, Radebe, Buchwald, Pearce, Lizarazu (Tassotti +78’), Karembeu, Littbarski (Anderson +83’), Robson (Gallego +73’), Winter, Zola, Batistuta
BOS (3-1-3-3): Seaman, Piazza, Kohler, Koeman, Almeyda, Fernandez (Neal +68’), Berti, Gascoigne (Voller +68’), Bebeto, Mboma (Schillaci +88), Papin

Shots
HOU: 19 total, 9 on target (Batistuta 7-3, Gallego 2-2, Littbarski 2-1, Anderson 2-1, Winter 2-1, Karembeu 2-1, Buchwald 1-0, Chilavert 1-0)
BOS: 12 total, 6 on target (Bebeto 4-2, Papin 3-2, Gascoigne 2-1, Mboma 2-0, Berti 1-1)

Possession: 54-46 Houston
Fouls: 7-6 Houston
Corners: 5-2 Houston


3 Stars
3 - Gianfranco Zola (HOU); surprisingly didn’t take a shot but did set up Houston’s second and third goals.
2 - Gabriel Batistuta (HOU); continues a great scoring run with another impressive individual strike tonight.
1 - Pierre Littbarski (HOU); normally sets up the goals but this time he scored – his first of the season.

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Close Shear for Detroit in the Big Apple

Saturday, Dec 1st - After squandering an early lead to go a goal down, Detroit needed a late Alan Shearer strike to salvage a 2-2 draw at Giants Stadium. Both teams were entering the game on the back of rare wins, but the shared result does little to benefit either team’s playoff qualification hopes.

After their shock win in Boston last week, New York returned home full of confidence, despite failing to record a home win this season. That trend looked set to continue when Detroit took the lead in the 26th minute – Andreas Moller providing the right side corner kick for defender Maxime Bossis to send a downward header in from eight yards. The header took a deflection off NY fullback Martin Keown but he could only help it on its way. With Pele serving the second match of his suspension, it was unsure where NY’s goals would come from. Five minutes after the break, they got an answer from surprise source Ozzie Ardiles. The midfielder came from nowhere to outjump two defenders from 10 yards and find the top corner, after Franz Beckenbauer provided the cross from the right.

NY were suddenly brought back to life after finding that equaliser, and Johan Neeksens almost completed the comeback in the 61st minute, but he was denied by Sepp Maier on two quick-fire occasions. It wasn’t until the 81st minute that the go-ahead goal arrived. After sub Demetrio Albertini’s shot was cleared off the line at one end, a NY counter attack was triggered by another sub in Youri Djorkaeff. The Frenchman had enough in him to go alone but when his 20-yard shot was parried by Sepp Maier, Rob Rensenbrink was there to slide in the rebound and send the home crowd delirious.

Their joy lasted all of seven minutes though Shearer popped up with Detroit’s equaliser with a left foot strike from the edge of the area, that nutmegged Dino Zoff in goal. Falcao provided the pass ahead that allowed the Englishman to swivel and become the Motown hero for another week. The 2-2 result means New York and Detroit remain in 7th and 8th spots respectively, with exactly the same goal difference. New York remain at home next week when they welcome Houston on Friday night, while Detroit face in-form Atlanta in Georgia.

NEW YORK ...... 2 Ardiles 50', Rensenbrink 81'
DETROIT ....... 2 Bossis 26', Shearer 88'

from Giants Stadium, East Rutherford


Line-ups
NY (4-1-3-2): Zoff, Beckenbauer, Blanc, Keown, Cuicuffo, Ardiles, Neeskens, Hoddle (Carlos Alberto +87'), Socrates (Mancini +59'), Rummenigge (Djorkaeff +80'), Rensenbrink
DET (3-1-3-3): Maier, Ferrara, Bossis, van Tiggelen, Tigana (Albertini +80'), Falcao, Moller, Keizer (Ball +69'), Vialli, Gerd Muller (Tarantini +69'), Shearer

Shots
NY: 15 total, 9 on target (Rensenbrink 3-2, Neeskens 3-2, Rummenigge 2-1, Ardiles 2-1, Beckenbauer 2-1, Djorkaeff 1-1, Mancini 1-1, Keown 1-0 )
DET: 14 total, 6 on target (Shearer 5-3, Albertini 2-1, Vialli 2-1, Gerd Muller 2-0, Moller 2-0, Bossis 1-1)

Possession: 52-48 Detroit
Fouls: 3-2 Detroit
Corners: 5-3 New York


3 Stars
3 - Alan Shearer (DET); popped up with the all-important equaliser at the death after pummelling the NY goal throughout.
2 - Ozzie Ardlies (NY); all around solid performance in midfield, and a rare run forward resulted in an even rarer goal.
1 - Sepp Maier (DET); kept Detroit in the game with seven saves.